If a minister were to inspire 50 percent of his members to give weekly Bible studies and participate regularly in literature distribution, he might feel he had achieved a reasonable degree of success. Actually, the average pastor would probably be pleased with missionary participation that involved a third of his membership. Undoubtedly his personal soul-winning results would multiply many times over by such a display of faithfulness.
One day I discovered a plan for soul winning that proved so simple that it could easily be overlooked in our modern streamlined machinery and highly developed plans for evangelism. Recognizing that new methods sometimes prove effective, I was especially challenged by the often unclaimed promise that if we would be "kind and courteous and tenderhearted . . . there would be one hundred conversions to the truth where now there is only one."—Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 189.
Every pastor has contemplated the tremendous possibilities reflected in this conditional prophecy. The utter simplicity of the plan, coupled with the magnitude of the promised results, makes such a formula worthy of the most serious study. Despite the fantastic faith it might seem to require to accept a completely literal fulfillment of this prediction, one cannot help sensing the power kindness wields in attracting hearts to our message. How many converts to our church were first attracted to a lovely Christian character before the logic of our truth began to appeal to the reason?
While members might shrink from giving Bible studies and tracts to strangers, they surely would not be afraid to be kind. The most introverted personality is willing to be kind if the particular kindness is adapted to his individuality.
I decided that the kindness in the hearts of our members must be organized and channeled into an active ministry of love.
"Success can only attend order and harmonious action. God requires order and system in His work now no less than in the days of Israel. All who are working for Him are to labor intelligently, not in a careless, hap-hazard manner."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 376.
This call to an organized plan was also supported by the scientific basis for gaining results emphasized by God's servant in Testimonies, volume 9, page 221: "There are great laws that govern the world of nature, and spiritual things are controlled by principles equally certain. The means for an end must be employed, if the desired results are to be attained." For our church the means to the desired end of a hundredfold fruitage was systematic kindness.
After a sermon appeal on the value of kindness, our members were invited to volunteer one "kindness call" each week to a name assigned to them. There was nearly a 100 per cent response. Every pastor can quickly accumulate a list of names in the community who have had some contact with the local church.
An assistant to the home missionary leader was selected to serve as secretary of our Kindness-Call program. Her responsibility was to assign members to their weekly call. She also asked for a brief report on any significant development from the previous week. Telephone calls on Sunday morning fulfilled this task. In a larger church it may be wise to have more than one secretary.
One vital consideration in selecting this secretary is that he should be familiar with many of the people who are to be called on, and should possess the power to discern human nature. He must judge which personalities will best blend, and plan with the missionary committee the best approach for each name. Some persons will appreciate weekly visits for a while and others may better be reached every other week or even once a month. The number and frequency of the calls must be carefully determined by the needs and receptivity of the family.
Members who volunteer to participate are not asked to call on someone with whom they do not have at least a casual acquaintance. This removes the fear of ringing the doorbells of strangers. However, some members are quite capable of making community calls on those they have not previously met. Here again circumstances will indicate what is best in each case.
On a volunteer sheet the member checks the type of kindness service he will offer weekly. Included on the list are baby-sitting, transportation, assistance with housework, and general visits. One woman who had no source of transportation offered to bake bread which others offered to deliver. In small churches it might be well to approach each member and personally ask if they would help with at least a general visit each week. Even in soliciting cooperation from members, the personal approach will win many more helpers than a mass appeal.
Every pastor senses the value of pastoral visitation, and with most of his members making calls according to an organized plan, he will have the equivalent of several evangelistic teams assisting him. Also, with many names to work with, he has a brighter hope of obtaining maximum results, since each name is given personalized planning in advance and is more thoroughly followed up by his helpers with the aid from the records kept.
Our church is small and our field is particularly challenging. However, we increased our baptisms from one in 1960 to twenty in 1961. This represented a 66 per cent increase in membership for the year. We have concluded that in evangelism many calls will usually mean many baptisms, and few calls will win few converts. Someday comparison surveys may indicate that the number of souls won each year in a particular church was in direct proportion to the number of members assisting the pastor, times the number of calls this pastor-member union had made.
It is not always easy to discover all the factors that lead an honest heart to unite with the church. In most cases a number of positive influences probably produced the decision. The kindness plan will complement every other avenue of approach. Kindness is the dessert to top off other evangelistic courses. It gives life and vitality to doctrinal Bible studies. It adds the emotional stimulus of desire to the intellectual appeal of conviction, when the time comes for decision. Organized kindness makes it easier for newcomers to feel at home in an Adventist church. It helps them look forward to a fuller unity.
One woman told her mother, who was an Adventist, "That's one church I would never want to belong to." Kindness carefully planned wore down her wall of prejudice. The favorable impression engendered Bible studies. Today she is a baptized member.
One couple moved to our city from Montana. The husband had remarked on the trip that if he ever joined a church it would be the Church. He had difficulty finding a job, and during this period of crisis we provided them with several food baskets. This produced a favorable atmosphere, which led to Bible studies and baptism.
During the holiday season the Chamber of Commerce needed churches and other humanitarium organizations to help them supply fifty-seven needy families with food baskets. It was expected that each organization might supply one or two baskets. However, the response was not so favorable as they had hoped, and when we provided nineteen the public approval was most heartening.
Among the names of former Adventists we compiled was a teacher in our city public school system. She had taught in one of our academies but had not been a member of the church for twenty-one years. One of our members had remarked, "She's so far away from the Church that it will take a long time to win her back." But an intensive kindness plan wooed her back within six months. Now, more than a year later, she remains a dedicated home missionary leader.
