The sabbath school and the church school offer to the minister two of the greatest fields for evangelism anywhere to be found. Yet comparatively few of our ministers sense the real importance of the Sabbath school. Some of our ministers themselves do not attend Sabbath school regularly, nor do they teach in this soul-winning department of the church. But I would almost consider a minister a failure who does not take an active part in the Sabbath school.
I know some ministers feel that they crowd out or suppress talent when they take over a class. But the pastor of a church ought to build up his own class, and not take the class of another teacher. The pastor's class should be a sort of visitors' class, in which the members stay until they join the church. In my Sabbath school class, one may become a member and stay until he is baptized. If the class is not crowded, he may stay for three months longer. But, when there is no longer room, we 'graduate" the stronger members into the class of a good teacher, one to whom can be entrusted the souls of these newborn babes in the truth. Then, I work the harder to build up my own class, and thus the "graduation" comes again and again. It is with a real satisfaction that I view the work of the Sabbath school in stabilizing and rooting the 140 members who have been graduated from my class during the last two years.
Coming now to the "lambs of the flock." There is no place where the pastor can better meet the youth than in the church school and the Sabbath school. A pastor is pastor of the Sabbath school as well as of the church. He should help in securing and training real soul winners as teachers in the Sabbath school. This matter of teachers' being soul winners is one of the most sadly neglected features of Sabbath school work. How few teachers are chosen, on the whole, who are real soul winners! How few teachers' training classes are conducted with soul winning as one of the objectives ! The pastor is, of course, but one individual, and unless he trains his helpers to win souls, his soul winning will not count very materially. Mrs. E. G. White tells the ministry time and again that their duty is to train the flock to work for souls, and one of the most fruitful fields to labor in is the Sabbath school.
Think of the thousands of boys and girls who have belonged to the Sabbath school of this denomination, but who have never been brought to a decision. Where are they today ? It is true that some who decide to become Christians give up. But what a wonderful army of young people we would have today had every pastor sought for all the children of his Sabbath school and helped them to decide for Christ!
Decision days? Yes, we ought to have more of them. But every Sabbath may be a decision day for some boy or girl, if you have your teachers "on the job." One teacher recently told me, "I am puzzled by the question one of my boys asked me: 'What can a fellow do when his father and mother know the truth and won't obey it?'" This little fellow had a real problem. His heart was touched and he wanted to be saved. He further asked, "How can I hold out, if my daddy and mother don't hold out ?"
Another teacher came with this problem: "One of my girls wants to know why she cannot be baptized. She said you told her she was too young. 'If the Lord comes, and I'm not baptized, I'll be lost,' she says." The children can be taught to reason out the plan of salvation. They can be taught to love the Lord and to serve Him. They can be taught the need of their decision in this matter. What are we as ministers doing for them ?
The Parental Part
We also need to work for and with the parents concerned in this matter. Parents do not take the question of the salvation of their children as seriously as they ought. Some will say, "I don't believe I ought to influence my children." Others say, "I believe the preacher ought to do the talking to the children. That is not my long suit." Still others admit their timidity, and say they "can't !" These parents need help. What are we ministers going to do about it ?
It will take wise planning and workmanship to do all this through the Sabbath school, and at the same time avoid making the superintendent feel that you are trying to run it. Keep self in the background. Pray much. Personal labor for the boys and girls pays big dividends. Talk with your Sabbath school teachers about the individual boys and girls in their classes. Learn their names and call them by their names. You may have hundreds of youth in your flock, but you can do it if you make it your business to do so.
With a well-chosen corps of soul winners as teachers, and the pastor definitely keeping a constant contact with the Sabbath school, the teachers, and the children, there is no limit to the possibilities in results, not only in baptisms but in oncoming ministers, missionaries, and loyal citizens of the heavenly kingdom. I am a Sabbath school enthusiast. I believe in its work and program, and see wonderful possibilities in its field for the minister as well as the Sabbath school officer.
