The work of a real minister for God includes much. Among the minister's many duties is the task of training men, that they may be "able to teach others also." This phase of his work is not as generally appreciated as it should be. Many times it is wholly neglected, as it requires much patience and toil, and is not a reportable item. Neither is it generally recognized as one of the great accomplishments of a minister. Nevertheless, in foreign fields there is no work of greater importance than that of training a national, or a native, ministry.
The foreign worker may by personal evangelism baptize many, raise up churches, and from all appearances be doing a great work, but the test of time will reveal the true value of his labor. If, for any reason, he may have to withdraw from the field, and has trained no one to carry on his work, it will cease to grow. But if, in connection with his public efforts, he has trained nationals of the country to get under the burden of carrying the message to their own people, he has built for permanency. "If our missionaries were to be removed by sickness or death from their fields of labor, where are the men whom they have educated to fill their places?"—"Testimonies," Vol. V, p. 391.
The church of the third angel's message should be established in each land as a church of that country, not as a "foreign" church or religion. Because of growing national feelings, it becomes increasingly necessary for this message to become indigenous. And not until it does, will it grip the hearts of the masses of any land. The national worker knows his own people more intimately and understands the idioms of their language better than any foreigner can ever expect to. Then, too, he is accustomed to live under the conditions of his own country. So, with ability and consecration and a burden to carry this last message to their own people, national workers have many natural advantages.
"It may in some cases be necessary that young men learn foreign languages. . . . This should be done, however, only as a necessary step preparatory to educating such as are found in the missionary fields themselves, and who with proper training can .become workers. It is essential that those be urged into the service who can speak in their mother tongue to the people of different nations." "In the primitive church, missionaries were miraculously endowed with a knowledge of the languages in which they were called to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. And if God was willing thus to help His servants then, can we doubt that His blessing will rest upon our efforts to qualify those who . . . with proper encouragement would bear to their own countrymen the message of truth ?"—Id., Vol. V, pp. 392, 391.
The national worker, nevertheless, does have handicaps and disadvantages. He, having been in heathenism, lacks the ideals and standards of the foreign worker. He has not had the privilege from childhood of observing the work of evangelists. Many times he has not had the privilege of attending our denominational schools. To help the national worker overcome some of these disadvantages should be one of the minister's most important duties.
New Testament Trainers
Jesus, the ideal foreign missionary, at the beginning of His ministry selected twelve men, that they might be with Him and learn His methods of work. When He was taken from them, they were prepared to carry on the work that He had begun. Later in His ministry He selected seventy more men and sent them out to preach. Thus He planned for the permanency of His work. And the great foreign missionary, Paul, was a trainer of men. Wherever he labored, he selected young men, connected them with him in labor, and thus trained them for the work of the ministry. Of his work we are told:
"Paul did not forget the churches that he had established. After making a missionary tour, he and Barnabas retraced their steps, and visited the churches they had raised up, choosing from them men whom they could train to unite in proclaiming the gospel.
"This feature of .Paul's work contains an important lesson for ministers today. The apostle made it a part of his work to educate young men for the office of the ministry. He took them with him on his missionary journeys, and thus they gained an experience that later enabled them to fill positions of responsibility. When separated from them, he still kept in touch with their work, and his letters to Timothy and to Titus are evidences of how deep was his desire for their success. Experienced workers today do a noble work when, instead of trying to carry all the burdens themselves, they train younger workers, and place burdens on their shoulders."—"Acts of the Apostles," pp. 367, 368.
If this important work of. training indigenous workers had been carried out through the years as it was by the apostle Paul, our work today would be years ahead. We must be willing to run some risk, to venture something; for often when we see only failure, God sees success. Paul himself not only was a trainer of evangelists, but he also laid this burden on the hearts of those he trained. He enjoined Timothy thus : "The things that thou bast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." And the servant of the Lord says:
"Those who receive the truth are, by their efforts, to increase the number of men and women who shall be laborers together with God." "Select Christian youth, and train them to be, not workers with hearts like iron, but workers who are willing to harmonize."—"Testimonies," Vol. Lx, pp. 209, 219.
The calling of many nationals to the task of carrying the message to their own people is not intended to establish an independent national ministry, but a cooperative union with workers from other lands. Our message makes men from every land one in Christ. One of the best evidences that God is calling indigenous workers to the sacred work of giving this message to their own people is their willingness to cooperate with other workers.
We look to our schools to present the fundamentals of knowledge and doctrine and the theories of evangelism, but they can never fully train ministers. We need to coordinate t h e lessons taught in our schools with actual field work with experienced workers who have learned the greatest of all sciences—that of winning souls. Jesus took the twelve with Him and trained them in labor as He went from place to place. We have been given the following explicit instruction:
"Let young men work in connection with experienced laborers, who will pray with them, and patiently instruct them."—Id., p. 120.
"Let young men feel it a privilege to study under older workers, and let them carry every burden that their youth and experience will allow. . . Young men will be bidden to link up with the aged standard-bearers, that they may be strengthened and taught by these faithful ones, who have passed through so many conflicts."—"Gospel Workers," pp. 101-103.
In my observation, after thirty-seven years in overseas service, I find that where the missionary has been broad in his views and has put himself to the task of training a native ministry, there the work has taken deep root and the message has spread by leaps and bounds. And where this is neglected, but little progress is made.
"Not one of our missionaries has secured the cooperation of every available talent. Much time has thus been lost. We rejoice in the good work which has been done in foreign lands; but had different plans of labor been adopted, tenfold, yes, twentyfold more might have been accomplished ; an acceptable offering would have been presented to Jesus, in many souls rescued from the bondage of error."—"Testimonies," Vol. V, p. 391.
Danger to Be Guarded
I have observed that some, in trying to carry out this important work of training an indigenous ministry, have greatly erred in putting men into the work who were not properly trained, who showed but little evidence of being consecrated or of having received a definite call from God. Some with faulty judgment have thought that the great objective was to get a large number on the mission pay roll. As a result, those hastily chosen have failed when put under trial. This has caused many to look with disfavor and mistrust on all national workers. But the greatest failure, in such cases, was with the foreign worker.
My burden is to urge the need of educating, training, and developing nationals, before calling them into the ministry. There are men of talent in every land. These men, if given a proper training, will be called of God and used mightily in His work. Such will prove loyal and true to this message, if they are treated with kindness and justice by those who come from other lands. Young workers who come to the mission field should be very considerate of the older, tried national workers who know many things about their own people which the foreign workers must learn.
Many countries are now forbidding foreign missionaries to enter. The spirit of nationalism is in the air. So, while we have opportunity, we should improve the present. Then if foreigners are compelled to leave, and these indigenous workers are left alone, they will be. able to continue the work of carrying the truth to their own people.
