RECENTLY I made it my business to be near a TV set. It was an eventful morning, one of those that will be referred to in history classes by our children's children, if time should last.
Prodded by a recent Russian success, America made her first attempt to put a man in space. Commander Alan Shepard was already strapped in his capsule, the countdown was in progress, and I dropped down on the couch to watch, as were other millions, history being made. In a rather startling moment the giant Redstone began to rise, riding on wings of fire toward her destination a few miles down the range. Inside her nose cone, called Freedom 7, the radio crackled. Commander Shepard's eyes were fixed on the many meters and gauges and flashing signals mounted on the panel in front of him. He had to ignore the immediate passionate thrill of his great moment and concentrate on the messages being flashed before him. Therefore, most of his ecstatic comments about his flight had to wait until he was on the ground again. Right now he had to report just a few words with a lot of meaning. "GO"— which meant "All units working," and "AOK" —meaning "All O.K."
As pastor of one of our larger churches, I prayerfully pursue a balanced program of general church activity, a progressive and healthy financial attitude, and above all, a soul-winning program that involves both personal and public evangelism for the church. Thus far it is my blessed privilege to report "GO"—all units working—and "AOK."
In the Seventh-day Adventist Church, public evangelism is the vital appeal of the three angels' messages to the masses. It arrests the attention of those who need an explosion in order to be aroused from the death slumber of spiritual complacency. The public meeting does not compete with the quiet effectiveness of personal evangelism. Nor does the prudent emphasis of personal work suggest that the public effort should be reduced. They are compatible. They complement each other. The vital interests of nine months of Bible studies can be channeled into the public meeting for harvest; and after the termination of the tent, hall, or theater campaign, the field that has been garnered by the heavy machinery of concentrated public effort is to be carefully gleaned by the calmer intense and personal work of the Bible teacher in the home.
It is unfortunate to hear a worker sav: "Well, public evangelism is on the wane. The work must now be done in a personal way only." Nor should radio evangelism be regarded as the long-sought replacement of the dynamic public meeting. Our watchword should be "Go!" —all units working! Is it at all conceivable that tent and hall evangelism should become obsolete at the very time when the astounding success of Peter's open air public meeting is to be excelled, when the time of the latter rain is to constrain men and women by the thousands? I think not. Ellen G. White certainly emphasizes the importance of personal work, but without de-emphasizing the public effort.
What about the stringent demands of the big public meeting upon the minister who pastors the large busy church with heavy financial responsibilities? I pastor such a church, with more than eight hundred members and the usual mortgages and heavy goals. First, I would say, I cannot enter into the program of soul winning in the tent or hall simply because I enjoy it, though my highest, most serene joy comes after baptizing the fruits of a successful meeting. Nor do I enter these campaigns because I am pressured to do so by human influences, including executive directive, or any carnal desire to keep up with the other men. The impelling motivation that keeps me planning the public campaign is a part of that total concept of what is to me, very personally, my call to this high and sacred ministry. Quite bluntly, it is my job and sacred privilege. It is my reason for being a Seventh-day Adventist preacher instead of a Seventh-day Adventist carpenter or businessman. The work is to be finished, and public evangelism is an important way among many to finish it. It is God's work.
I, therefore, approach this thrilling labor with plans that in nine months I must meet the basic demands of my budget, for the other three months will receive the emphasis of the public meeting. While finances are not cut off, they are cut down. There are no big drives or rallies for anything but souls during this period of about twelve weeks. This is a consuming work that must involve the whole church body. It means further, that in my nine months' schedule, I cannot allot eight or ten weeks to Ingathering. It must be raised in not more than four weeks, because every other program must have its necessary emphasis. Last year we raised conference funds amounting to $11,600 in five weeks. Thus, with time allotted to all other programs in the same way, the precious evangelistic campaign time is free from the strains of this kind of necessity.
So far all of our public meetings have convened in the summer months when the heavy heat and light bills are somewhat relaxed. This is a great advantage to the pastor who is burdened (and wisely so) to keep the church operating in an honorable way. With this advantage, we generally plan two large financial drives, one just before and one just after the campaign. These funds sort of meet each other halfway and lap over the period given to evangelism.
Brethren, I have often heard our wise leaders say that when the church reaches out to embrace its main objective—that of winning souls —all other responsibilities are doubly blessed. In other words, soul winning will raise goals, pay off mortgages, and sweeten sour dispositions. I plan a year's financial work in nine months because mv leader is Jehovah, who has all power, who quickened a dry rod and caused sap to flow through it, who brought sweet water in copious torrents from a dry rock.
I was tremendously impressed with a statement made by G. Burnside, of Australia, at a recent evangelistic council. He said that in the "great kingdom down under" the ministers are not referred to as pastors. All are called evangelists. This must have a powerful effect upon any who would separate the two phases of the minister's work.
In our church very soon fifty adults will graduate from the pastor's Bible training class. Thirty-five of these have already begun their own studies. We begin a class with a youth group this month. By God's grace we are keeping personal evangelism very much alive.
These words have been prepared in the first person because they represent one experiment that works. I would not be presumptuous to the point of directing all to follow these ideas. They have worked for me.
Commander Shepard had reached the crest ,of the powerful arc flight of Freedom 7. Out through the periscope he peered for his first look into the vastness of outer space. It is reported that he exclaimed, "What a view!" This stirred my blood. I want to see it too, don't you? Let us finish the work and get out there.
