As I inched my way through the crowd at the recent General Conference session, a familiar young face caught my eye. After we had exchanged greetings, I asked the usual question,
"What are you doing now?" and was happily surprised at the unusual answer I received from this young woman who had been one of my students during the brief time I spent as a dean of girls in one of our academies. "I am in college taking a Bible instructor's training course," she replied enthusiastically.In academy, Felicia had been active in many missionary endeavors, including a youth campaign the students held. She had been on the front row when we organized a class to teach students how to give Bible studies. Now this summer, she told me, she had just returned from participating in a field school of evangelism. So intent is she on sharing her enthusiasm with other young women that she wants to plan a promotional program to give in nearby academies to interest others in becoming Bible instructors.
Will Felicia have any difficulty getting a call to Bible work when she finishes college? I doubt it! But why are there not more Felicias being attracted to this "sacred calling," "the woman's part of the gospel ministry"?
Is there a place in our work for young, college-trained Bible instructors? The typical answer to this question is generally somewhat vague, leaving the impression that the problems of inexperience and matrimony make the training of young college girls for Bible work almost pointless.
I well remember one pastor for whom I worked telling about one of his first pastorates. The people of the church went to their conference president, complaining that their new minister was too young and inexperienced, to which the wise leader responded, "Oh, I think a few years will take care of that!"
I began as a young, inexperienced Bible instructor. Certainly those first few years in the work were not nearly so productive and fruitful as I might wish. But I am thankful that because of God's mercy and the patience of the brethren, I am still in the Bible work and have left the ranks of the altogether inexperienced. Especially grateful am I for the training I received from a veteran Bible instructor. After struggling alone in the work for about two years until I was almost to the point of questioning my calling, she came along and worked side by side with me for several months. The practical value of observing firsthand such an adept soul winner was worth more than all my college training. May I hasten to add that I do not underestimate formal education; in fact, I feel the need for more of it. However, I do believe that a regular internship plan, allowing a young graduating Bible instructor to work with a mature, experienced woman would not only produce a better quality of workers but would ensure a larger number of them staying by the work.
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.—Evangelism, p. 475.
The problem of matrimony is often mentioned as one of the reasons for not encouraging the training of young women for Bible work. It has always been rather interesting to me to note that we have not stopped promoting nursing, teaching, or any other profession to our young women because a good number of them find their way to the altar. Actually, according to a survey taken among conference presidents in North America, it was found that about 50 per cent of the Bible instructors were married women. Furthermore, when asked which they preferred—married or single workers—the men almost unanimously responded that it made very little difference to them so long as the workers were qualified to do an effective and productive job.
Even in a day when it was not nearly so popular for women to work as it is today, Mrs. White wrote:
When it is possible, let the minister and his wife go forth together. The wife can often labor by the side of her husband, accomplishing a noble work. She can visit the homes of the people and help the women in these families in a way that her husband cannot. . . . We need women workers to labor in connection with their husbands, and should encourage those who wish to engage in this line of missionary effort.—Ibid., p. 401.
What better training then, could we give our young prospective minister's wives than to prepare them for the Bible work?
One further observation on the matrimonial situation is that a good number of our Seventh-day Adventist young women remain in the single-status group. It is a known fact that there are more available single women than men, and many young women who refuse to marry outside the church are working throughout our ranks in conference offices, classrooms, hospitals. The denomination could not function without them! Why should not many more of these single women be devoting their time, energy, and consecration to the most important of all professions, the Bible work?
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. . . • I am also led to say that we must educate more workers to give Bible readings. —Ibid., pp. 474, 475, 477.
Obviously, young women are not being encouraged in this direction as much as they should be. In a survey taken during the school year of 1961-62 there were less than twenty women in eight colleges who were enrolled in some course that would lead to the Bible instructor profession. Furthermore, the survey indicated that in a ten-year period there had been about seventy women enrolled in a Bible instructor's course, and of that number less than 25 per cent actually found employment in some phase of Bible work. No doubt there are many and sundry reasons behind these figures, but one thing is certain—if the Bible work is to grow and thrive, there must be a new emphasis placed upon it.
Every year the retirement list takes its toll of Bible instructors who have bravely and faithfully worked through the heat of the battle. Who is going to carry on in their place? I believe that in the ranks of our colleges are many dedicated and capable young women who will respond to the call to carry on this great work. But we must find them and give them a vision; we must educate them and hire them; and we must train them by the side of veteran workers.
I believe that our conference presidents are evangelistic-minded men who see the need for more Bible instructors. In the survey referred to earlier, the comment was made repeatedly by these administrators, "Tell me where I can find a good Bible instructor!"
I believe in our colleges. The purpose of their existence is to train young people for service. What branch of service could be more important than the Bible work, outside the ministry itself? Our college Bible teachers need to be kept informed as to the needs in the field; and our conferences ought to be kept informed as to the availability of young women of the right caliber who are interested in this work.
If leaders and educators would catch a new vision of the importance and exalted position of this work and would recruit and prepare many more young women, we would have "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., p. 471, 472.
I believe that the God who prepared the inexperienced Joseph in heaven's own special training course; He who called the sweet singer of Israel in his youth and anointed him to be king; He who placed a beautiful young woman in a heathen court to deliver His chosen people; He who chose a weak, sickly young girl to be His messenger to the remnant is still calling young women to His service. I am grateful that the Lord called me in my youth and inexperience to have a part in His work; I am glad that I can give the very best years of my life to the sacred work of being a Bible instructor.
