Our President's Heart Burden

One of the definite objectives of THE MINISTRY is to provide, periodically, in­timate contacts between our appointed leaders and our world worker body. The vast majority of such workers, scattered through all divisions, rarely ever have close personal association with our headquarters officers, and are seldom, if ever, privileged to attend our important administrative and legislative gath­erings, such as the annual Autumn Council of the General Conference Committee. Their ac­quaintance with them is largely limited, per­force, to the reading of formal, articles and form letters, and the special appeals and ac­tions of our councils and conferences.

This journal wishes our worker group to sense and to feel the actual motivating spirit that lies back of such actions, and to per­ceive, if possible, the heart burden that can never be compressed into mere articles or actions. Such expressions are usually uttered only in the intimate circle of responsible lead­ers studying the broader needs and problems of the cause at large, and striving to effect their successful solution. Such intimate ex­pressions, spoken freely without any thought of their going beyond the confines of the immediate group, portray a truer concept of our situation at large than is possible from a local viewpoint. If these considerations be understood at all, they make for greater con­fidence and understanding, and build for unity and cooperation on the part of all.

The following letter, penned by our General Conference president, was written for and read only to his close officer associates at the preliminary officers' meeting, preceding the recent Autumn Council in Battle Creek, Michi­gan, at which both headquarters and over­seas officers were present. The letter speaks for itself, giving the background and setting of some of the leading calls and appeals sent forth from the Autumn Council proper. The Ministry assumes full responsibility for re­questing its publication, for such was farthest from Elder McElhany's thought, either at the time of its preparation or at the time of its presentation. Had it been prepared for pub­lication, its release here would not have had a tithe of the value and significance that it does under these circumstances.

Only this further word needs be added,: The presentation of this letter at the officers' meeting resulted in the appointment of three committees from among the officers, who drafted three separate appeals concerning (I) A, Greater Evangelism, (2) Shepherding the Flock, and (3) The Unity of the Advent ,Movement. These were adopted by the Coun₇ cil proper, and appear in the Review of De-ember I, 1938, as well as serially in the January, February, and March issues of The Ministry. Each appeal in these columns is introduced by a covering statement prepared by a leading officer. Such is the illuminating background of this confidential letter.—The Editor.

To the General Conference Officers

My Dear Brethren:

Perhaps never before in the history of this movement has a group of leaders met together under such circumstances as prevail now. If by the grace of God we may have a full com­prehension of our needs and by unitedly seek­ing Him find solutions for our problems, this meeting will not have been in vain. We have a long and important agenda. For months items have been accumulating for the study of the officers in this meeting. In the face of pre­vailing conditions, I do not know how some of these problems can be worked out, but I believe that as we discuss these problems in a spirit of unity and brotherly counsel, the Lord will lead us and help us to find a solution.

I desire to mention briefly some things that do not appear on the agenda,—things that I believe are first and foremost in importance. We are living in the time of the latter rain. We need a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us. We need this as leaders, and as a people. Our material resources are limited. Probably we shall never have enough to meet the current demands of a growing work. But we should all be conscious of the fact that the Lord has unseen and unlimited resources of power. We need large measures of that power today. We need it here in this of­ficers' meeting. We need it in our Autumn Council. We need it in all the fields of earth. It is the primary and fundamental need today.

Our Supreme, Primary Need.—This needed power is the power of the Holy Spirit. Why do we not talk and pray about this more than we do? Why are not our leaders and ministers and churches generally more keenly alive to this outstanding need? May God help us here in this Council to have a very deep sense of our need of more and still more of the Holy Spirit's power in our own hearts and lives, and in the movement generally. This power will come upon us as we pray for it and prepare our hearts for its reception. I feel certain that every man here is fully in accord with me in emphasizing this important need.

We cannot blind ourselves to the fact that .eine of the most serious and vital needs of the church today is the need of a deeper, broader, higher spiritual experience. Can any true-sighted leader be satisfied with things as they are in this respect? Our leaders and churches need to be aroused as never befoie. Some may reason that this arousement should be along the lines of greater activity. I do not believe, however, that that is the thing of primary need. A church spiritually awake will be a church characterized by great activity. _Would it be possible for this group of leaders assembled here to send out an appeal or to start an influence that will reach and arouse our ministry and our people generally to a renewed and deeper spiritual experience that is demanded in these perilous times?

As I write these words I pause to lift my heart and cry, "0 God, give me this experi­ence in my own heart. Help me to have in every respect the spiritual experience I so much need in these solemn times." My dear brethren, I am here to join with you in seeking for this experience. I have a deep longing in my heart that this officers' meeting and the Autumn Council this fall may be occasions in which we all shall recognize and enjoy the presence and leadership of the Holy Spirit. I hope and pray that this year there may go out from these meetings a spiritual influence that will be a blessing to the people of Battle Creek and that will reach to our people in the very remotest parts of the world. If it is decided that appeals of any kind should be sent out to our people, I hope that first and foremost there shall be an appeal for holier living, truer con­secration, firmer adherence to the principles of this message, deeper and more abiding faith, and a preparation to meet the Lord.

I feel a deep burden for our ministry and for all our workers. There is, it seems to me, a great need for lifting the spiritual tone and the efficiency of all our workers. We are now three or four generations removed from the pioneers of the movement. Our working ranks are being filled with those who have never had contact with those godly and devoted men who helped to found this movement. Thus there arises a danger that we today will lay emphasis on things that do not strongly build up the advent belief and spirit. There is danger that we, like Israel of old, will forget the way the Lord has led us, and depart from the fundamental principles of this message.

National Worker Needs.—In many lands where we must depend largely on national workers to instruct and build up the believers in the fundamentals of the message, there is a special need of helping our workers. In many cases they are shut in by language barriers. They do not have access to the abundant lit­erature provided in the principal languages of the message. How can we help and uplift our workers who are placed in this situation? We know that in many lands large groups of be­lievers are under the care and leadership of such workers. Special efforts should be made to strengthen and help them. I feel a deep burden for our fellow workers who are shut away by themselves, as it were, because of the conditions under which they labor. I hope you will share this burden with me. I appeal to you to put forth the utmost efforts in their behalf. Are there any plans that we can lay here to bring help and encouragement to this class of workers throughout our world field?

Revival in Soul-Winning Evangelism.— A great revival in soulsaving evangelism is one thing I wish strongly and solemnly to em­phasize at this time. This need is not confined to the United States. It exists out to the ends of the earth. We recognize that there is a danger that in many fields. the larger part of the funds may be spent in maintaining and administering the work, in pastoring and su­pervising, rather than in aggressive soul-win­ning endeavor. I believe we face a problem in this regard that needs to be safeguarded.

Danger of Overorganizing.—We have as nearly perfect a system of organization as can be developed in this world. But have we not made the mistake of overorganizing? Local and union organizations are springing up in perhaps greater proportion than increase in membership. Organization should not be made a substitute for growth in membership. In­stead of organizing geographical territories and putting men in charge as officers, we should effect organizations as a means of properly developing and caring for the mem­bership. The primary emphasis, it seems to me, should be on organizing churches rather than on organizing local and union missions. It is true that many local and union direc­tors and superintendents are engaged in soul-winning efforts. I suggest to you division leaders, that you study your fields with the purpose of helping every worker to use his time and talents in multiplying believers rather than organizations. I believe our fields need to be surveyed carefully to ascertain whether workers and funds now being used in adminis­tering small groups of believers can be better utilized in building up new churches and add­ing new members.

Misconceptions Regarding General Conference.—There is another phase of our work that I believe is important, and should be mentioned in this connection. There are per­haps thousands of our believers who scarcely know that our whole world-wide unified body of believers unite in making up the General Conference. Too often the General Confer­ence is regarded as something far away and apart from the immediate affairs and concern of local groups or bodies of believers. Some­times even our workers help to deepen the im­pression that the General Conference con­sists of a few men and an office in Washing­ton. Unconsciously such an attitude or con­ception leads to a weakening of the decisions and plans and policies adopted by the general councils of the church, and these come to mean but little to local groups. In this way the unity of the general body is broken, and the cause of God, representing a Heaven-sent message for every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, comes to be viewed in the light of na­tional feelings and prejudices. It is not too much to say that the coming of the Lord is being delayed because of this attitude on the part of some.

Dangers of Nationalism and Racialism. —Nationalism and racialism are today two of the most menacing dangers confronting this cause. In some sections of the world field the work is retarded and is languishing because we cannot send workers into those fields to carry forward the work. In some instances this condition arises from governmental reg­ulations, and in other cases, I regret to say, it is on account of the prejudices of our own leaders and believers. In some cases fields are unworked and souls are left unwarned to die in their sins, instead of workers of other na­tionalities being called for. My concern is how we who are gathered here can plan to reach our believers of all nationalities and races in an endeavor to help, them to a new and better understanding of the unity of the advent movement.

Instead of leaving many groups of believers under the guidance, influence, and instruction of those who do not themselves fully under­stand the broad principles of unity upon which this movement is based, can we not find ways and means of bringing to them and to all our believers instruction in this important matter? Unless we find the way to do this, we face the danger of seeing this cause break up into na­tional segments, without cohesive power, or unity. In choosing men as leaders in the various fields, we should seek those who are more interested in maintaining the unity of this gospel work than in maintaining national prestige. No more important question, per­haps, will come before this group of officers at this time. The question of how to finance our work is of course important; but even that is secondary to the problem of how to maintain the unity of this message. We know that today the world is divided by a spirit of nationalism that prevails in all quarters of the earth. The advent people, regardless of race or nation, must be one people bound together by the principles of heaven, in order that the prayer of Christ that they may all be one may be fulfilled.

Here are gathered men representing every division of this work throughout the world. I must lay upon your hearts a sense of the danger that we face. If it is in order, I would suggest that a representative committee be appointed to study this matter and draft an ap­peal to our believers throughout the world, calling them to a new loyalty to the great prin­ciples of this message and urging them to stand together as one people.

One Solution for Earth's Problems.—It is unnecessary in a meeting of this kind for me to spend time calling attention to the perilous times in which we live. The world is in confusion, and is hastening rapidly on  the final day. There is only one lasting solu­tion to the problems that face the world at this time. That answer is found in God's great threefold message of truth that has been com­mitted to this people.

In view of the times and of the great outstanding need, this message should be making a. deep impression upon the world. How can we; arise to this need and to the opportunity?. John the Baptist crying in the wilderness was God's answer to the need of his time, and Jonah proclaiming his warning message in, Nineveh was God's answer to the need of his, time. The advent message being proclaimed throughout the world is God's answer to the needs of the present hour. Are we fulfilling our divine mission as we should?

May the Lord help us and pour His Spirit upon us as we now address ourselves to the problems that confront us during this meeting. t Let us all unite our hearts in earnest prayer for Cod's presence and guidance, and thus seek to find the way and the mind of God in all our problems.

J. L. McElhany.

A Call to Greater Evangelism

(An Appeal From the 1938 Autumn Council)