The Lord has a work for women as well as for men. . . . They can come close to the hearts of those whom men cannot reach."—Evangelism, pp. 464, 465.
"This is a sacred work, and those engaged in it should receive encouragement."—Ibid., p. 469.
"There are women who should labor in the gospel ministry."—Ibid., p. 472.
How encouraging it is to know that God has ordained a place where women may contribute their talents to His service. However, if the Bible instructor profession is to continue to have a significant place in our denominational program, there needs to be a new emphasis in this area. According to the Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook, in North America there were 152 Bible instructors in 1942, as compared to only 132 ten years later, and about the same number in 1960. This means that while our corps of evangelistic workers in this country has nearly doubled in the past twenty years, our corps of professional Bible instructors has actually decreased at the rate of about one a year.
What has been the reason for this decline? Is it a lack of consecrated women to take up the work? Is there less demand for soul winners? All of us would hasten to answer an emphatic No to both of these questions. Where then shall we look for an answer? The strength of any phase of our denominational program is closely related to the intensity of the college training program. According to a survey taken during this past school year, in which eight colleges responded, there were only nineteen young women enrolled in a religion course with a goal of becoming Bible instructors. This is compared with sixty-five prenursing students and sixty-six elementary teachers in just one college. According to these same eight colleges, there have been approximately seventy young women over a period of ten years who have manifested an interest in the Bible work, but of that number only fifteen actually entered some phase of it. These figures are not exact, but they do indicate a definite trend.
The future of the ministry is largely dependent on the corps of young workers coming into its ranks from year to year. Another survey taken among conference presidents revealed that 14 per cent of our Bible instructors are under thirty-five, while 46 per cent are over 50. If this line of service is to survive we must encourage young women to prepare themselves for it. There are several ways I believe this could be done.
First of all, we need a promotional program on the academy. as well as the college level, similar to what we do in the teaching and nursing fields. It would not only acquaint young women with the possibilities and nature of the Bible work but would afford them guidance and encouragement to enter this field. The blueprint says, "If there were twenty women where now there is one, who would make this holy mission their cherished -work, we should see many more converted to the truth."—Ibid., pp. 471, 472.
Second, a college curriculum designed specifically for prospective Bible instructors is needed. Reading again from Evangelism: "In every school that God has established there will be, as never before, demand for Bible instruction. Our students are to be educated to become Bible workers. . . . It should be the aim of our schools to provide the best instruction and training for Bible workers."—Pages 474, 475. (Italics supplied.)
A fine step in this direction has been taken in one of our colleges where a course is being offered for Bible instructors. This specialized course may be taken in two years by mature women wishing to enter the work, or in the regular four-year course by college-age women.
I understand that this college has an agreement with the union in which it is located that the latter will hire any Bible instructor recommended by the religion department of the college. This plan should greatly expedite the matter of placement, which in the past has often been a problem to the would-be Bible instructor.
We have been told that inexperienced boys are not to be sent out into the ministry, nor are inexperienced girls to be sent out to do Bible work. It is suggested that they must be proved and trained.
"There must be with our sisters engaged in the work in every mission, a depth of experience, gained from those who have had an experience, and who understand the manners and ways of working."—/bid., p. 475. (Italics supplied.)
These statements seem to suggest strongly the kind of internship plan for young women entering the Bible work that we have for our ministerial students coming from college. "In many respects a woman can impart knowledge to her sisters that a man cannot. The cause would suffer great loss without this kind of labor by women. Again and again the Lord has shown me that women teachers are just as greatly needed to do the work to which He has appointed them as are men."—Ibid., p. 493.
"I am also led to say that we must educate more workers to give Bible readings."—/bid., p. 477. (Italics supplied.)
Certainly with the wonderful blueprint that has been given us and the tremendous potential of consecrated youth in our midst, there is every reason to believe that the brightest days of the Bible instructor profession are just ahead!
