The great Conference of 1941, with its preliminary Evangelistic Council at San Francisco, from May 22 to 25, is past. At the opening session of the Council on Thursday night, seven hundred eager, upturned faces awaited the keynote address, which was given by J. L. McElhany. Seven hundred voices broke forth in paeans of praise through hymns that expressed resolute, united purpose, and seven hundred hearts responded to the call, which continued throughout the Council, to advance into a new era of evangelism for the finishing of the work.
The place of meeting was in the large Polk Hall A, in the Civic Auditorium, hallowed by the memory of previous Ministerial Association meetings in I930 and 1936. The walls of the assembly hall were lined with impressive exhibits. There were prophetic symbols and charts used by our evangelists and Bible workers. There were posters, handbills, window cards, newspaper ads, bus and streetcar ads, and bumper strips. There were follow-up, question box, and decision cards, chalk-talk drawings, visual-education slides, radio aids and equipment, and tabernacle blueprints. There were photographs of various evangelistic companies and various types of meeting places—tents, tabernacles, halls, churches, radio reading rooms, and sanctuary models. Such was the impressive setting. But this is described elsewhere in this issue, and is pictorially portrayed in the center opening.
Characteristics of the Council
But to return to those faces! They represented the strength of this movement, and embraced every group in our worker body—for evangelism is, after all, the motivating spirit behind every phase of the advent cause. There were familiar faces of veterans in the sunset of life, grayed in service, lined with the toil of years, now in honored retirement. There were faces in the full vigor of maturity—leaders of the cause in every line. There were younger faces, also, in the strength of fresh young manhood and womanhood. There were evangelists, pastors, executives, teachers, Bible workers, departmental and institutional workers, gospel musicians, missionaries, medical workers, and lay evangelists, as well as interns who were enjoying their first Council.
As the meetings progressed, the solemn keynote call to move forward into a new epoch of evangelism, and a new era in the cause, was deepened and strengthened. There was intense interest and concern, and clear, earnest response. The presentations and discussions, calling for broader plans and far-reaching objectives, were crystallized into a comprehensive series of recommendations by a representative committee of thirteen, appointed by the Council. These resolutions were later passed by the Plans Committee of the Conference and then accepted and authorized by the full General Conference in session. These actions appear elsewhere in this issue, together with a general report of the Evangelistic Council, which continued into the three Ministerial Association meetings held during the General Conference proper, and reports of the two special Bible worker meetings, as well as three Bible worker round tables. An exceptionally large attendance continued throughout all these meetings, and the interest was unabated to the close.
Enlarged Vision, Greater Plans
The Evangelistic Council was characterized by enlarged vision, and marked by courageous action. Most of all, it will long be remembered for its deep spiritual emphasis and unity. Together with the ensuing Conference, it unquestionably marked a turning point in this movement. It has redirected the emphasis from our ministers' hovering over the churches, to direct evangelism for the unsaved. This is a fundamental advance. Workers left the Conference for home stirred to their depths, determined to swing the full force of their individual and group effort into a broad program that includes recruiting the cream of our young men and young women for evangelistic ministry, the Bible work, and for singing evangelism, materially strengthening their preparatory training and subsequent advanced study and development. To aid in this great objective, the Ministerial Association staff was materially strengthened. And to this great goal much of its emphasis will be directed.
The assembled workers returned to their respective fields determined to hold our young men with distinct evangelistic gifts for direct evangelism, to enter unentered territory, to attack the great metropolitan areas problem, to materially enlarge the radio coverage of this movement, to seek out and develop a host of Bible-worker recruits, and to strengthen those already in service. In other words, there was a sober, serious determination to arise and finish the specific work committed to the remnant church. Forces and provisions have been started to implement this great program, that should bear definite fruit. That we cannot go on as we have been going—good and effective as our work has been—was the sober conviction of all. New personal power, efficiency, and unity of effort to achieve our one great goal was the burden of all hearts.
To this forward program of a greater evangelism the Ministerial Association and THE MINISTRY are committed without reservation. To this supreme objective their basic effort will be devoted, not forgetting or neglecting, of course, the many other forms and features of ministry that must and should be carried forward simultaneously. Of this, much will be written in future issues. Fellow workers, let us set our stakes to finish our work and go quickly to our eternal home !
L. E. F.