What percent of the conference budget should be used for evangelism? By evangelism we do not, of course, mean the soul-winning work carried on by our departments—which should all be fundamentally evangelistic in emphasis—but rather, the direct evangelistic efforts conducted by conference workers in any given year. What is the direct cost to the conference of such evangelistic work after all donations are applied, exclusive of salaries? It will be practically impossible to give a definite answer to the question, and apply the same to every conference. In all probability, there will be as many answers as there are conferences in North America.
Not every conference has the same financial set-up. All differ in their evangelistic problems, and in the size of the field to be evangelized. Some conferences, in which the constituency is divided into many churches, require a large number of workers for supervision, while others do not have that problem, and can thus release more funds for evangelism. Still others may have within their borders many institutions requiring annual subsidies which materially cut down their funds for evangelism. However, regardless of any or all of these problems, I believe every conference should set aside in its budget each year a definite amount which can be used for evangelistic work. Adequate support of evangelism accomplishes certain definite results:
1. Consummates Decisions.—There is nothing more important in our organized work than the preaching of the message by our evangelists. Although the laity may faithfully do their part in giving the message by literature, Bible studies, medical missionary work, and in other ways, yet it still remains a fact that few of our laymen are able to bring very many souls to a decision. This work is done primarily by our evangelists, and in a sense is the reaping work which should never be neglected. There are thousands of cities and towns in North America which have been sown with the gospel, but in which there has been seen no fruitage as yet, because no evangelistic efforts have been held in them. In time, these must all be worked, and to this end we have multiplied exhortations from the Spirit of prophecy.
"God has called this people to give to the world the message of Christ's soon coming. We are to give to men the last call to the gospel feast, the last invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Thousands of places that have not yet heard the call are yet to hear it."—"Testimonies for the Church," Vol. VI, p. 412.
"There are thousands of places- to be entered where the standard of truth has never been raised, where the proclamation of the truth has never been heard in America."—"Christian Service," it. 179.
"Place after place is to be visited ; church after church is to be raised up. Those who take their stand for the truth are to be organized into churches, and then the minister is to pass on to other equally important fields."—"Testimonies," Vol. VII, p. 20.
2. Stimulates Churches.—Every conference should have a continuous program of evangelism, if for no other reason than the blessing it brings to our existing churches. Wherever such efforts are held, they serve to deepen convictions already formed in the minds of the believers, and to ground them in the truth. Without the inspiration that comes to our churches from the holding of evangelistic efforts, our churches soon become languid and indifferent. For this reason every conference committee should give careful study to this phase of our work, give it the preeminence it deserves, and remember that it iS evangelism that gives our movement inspiration and the will to carry forward our work to a triumphant finish.
3. Eliminates Worker Discouragement.—Very little has been said about the effect upon our workers where the conference committee does not provide funds for evangelism. If no funds are voted for this work, and the worker is expected to labor without any outside help other than that which he himself can create, then the work goes hard and he feels that he is asked to build a house without having been provided the lumber with which to build. It is most discouraging for any worker to be asked to hold an effort in a large city, with the expectation that he get maximum results, and be told that he must raise his own advertising budget and pay all effort costs, including a tentmaster's salary, lumber bills, lighting, etc. Our workers are the most willing people in the world. They are happy to cooperate with our committees and they will make any reasonable sacrifice to win souls. But I believe it imposes on them a much heavier burden than they should carry, when they must continually do evangelistic work under these handicaps.
What I am talking about is, of course, a field where this is a regular working confer ence policy. During times of depression, or where the work can only be carried forward under the most adverse conditions, every worker should be willing to adjust himself to the circumstances. But it should not be the regular policy of the conference to conduct its evangelistic work in a curtailed manner. Such a habitual procedure doubtless explains why in some conferences the spirit of evangelism is low, why evangelists are hard to get, and why they inevitably gravitate to those conferences where they feel they will receive better treatment, and where the work will not be so difficult.
4. Eliminates Premature Termination.—In places where no funds are provided by the conference, there is a possibility that efforts will close sooner than they should. Many a good effort has been cut short because of financial straits, whereas if the evangelist had been encouraged to keep on a little longer, and the funds were forthcoming to make this possible, there would have been a much larger harvest of souls. It is our experience here in the West that the greater part of the harvest comes just a little after the time when we are tempted to close.
I realize that thus far I have not answered the question, "What per cent of the conference budget should be used for evangelism?" As I intimated at the outset, this is a hard question to answer, as a definite reply involves too many situations and conditions. But I will venture a suggestion as an ideal toward which to work—a minimum goal, as it were, which every conference should earnestly strive to reach, and if possible surpass. It is true that God's blessing is greater than money or any mechanical means of advertising. But it is also true that money pays for advertising, buys literature, provides helpers and means for more attractive tents, as well as many other things which contribute to the success of an evangelistic effort.
Therefore, I would submit that each conference endeavor annually to set down in its budget a sum equal to at least five per cent of its income after the usual remittances have been sent to the union and General Conferences. This amount is to be used for the payment of hall rents, advertising, and all evangelistic expenses, exclusive of workers' salaries. This may seem an almost impossible goal to some conference presidents, as there are so many avenues which lay claim on our meager funds in these days of pressure. But we should never forget that of all the agencies in our midst which are used to win souls, the greatest is direct evangelism.
