Preaching is only one thing that the pastor has to do. He must be able to comfort the sorrowing, minister to the sick and the needy, and visit the active workers of the church. Visiting is very important, for in doing this he meets his congregation in everyday life, becomes acquainted with the members and their homes, and learns the needs of the church.
The Sabbath school is one of the most important departments in the church, and the pastor must see to it that every department of the school functions properly. In order to be successful in this work he should take an active part in the Sabbath school, and always be present and on time. He should constantly be on guard for missing members, and try to bring them into regular attendance. If he is successful in bringing all his members to Sabbath school, he will have no difficulty in raising his church budget, and every other function of the church will go over in a strong way. The attendance of the Sabbath school can be brought up by dividing the church into small groups of six to eight families, and setting a leader over each group. In this way the pastor can check with the leaders, and at all times know the standing of his church.
Although the young people lead out in the work of the Missionary Volunteer Society, the pastor cannot afford to stay away. It is important that he be present at every meeting, to give counsel and help maintain a high standard. He should know the young people who are attending, and those who are not. If the pastor takes an interest in this meeting, it will become much more important to the young people.
The midweek prayer meeting is one of the most important meetings of the church. The pastor who makes no provision for a special study and does not himself attend regularly, will have a small attendance. We have several hundred attending our prayer meetings here in Fresno every Wednesday night. The church comes to this meeting to pray. We give opportunity to every member to offer prayer at the opening of the meeting, and urge all those who do not pray in audible voice to offer a silent prayer. If the members know that the pastor will be at the meeting, and that they will have a spiritual feast on every occasion, they will attend. The testimony meeting is important, and we often close our meetings with testimonies and prayer. For the best results to hold up the attendance, there should be a connected series of studies, with the meetings opening and closing on time, not running over an hour.
There are many campaigns during the year, and the pastor must be a specialist in them all. If the departments function properly in the conference, it is because they function properly in each church. The Ingathering campaign should be finished in its allotted time. The pastor who carries on this campaign from August through December 31 will hinder the Week of Sacrifice, the Annual Offering, the church budget, and every-other church activity.
The life and growth of the church is in evangelism. The pastor should plan a series of meetings to begin sometime in November and continue through the winter months. The church may show a gain in members by letter from other fields, but if it does not show growth in members born into the faith, the church in general will soon die.
All these departments are agencies to "sanctify" the church, and it is the pastor's responsibility to see that every member has a part. We read the command in John 17:17: "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth." To effect this work of sanctification in the church, God has chosen His ministers, and it is their great responsibility to make ready a people to meet their Saviour.