WHAT a tremendous challenge to soul winning came to us from the last Fall Council. We were called upon to reach the goal of increasing our baptisms in 1969 by 10 percent of our present member ship. This surely is not an impossible task. However, if it is to be done, there are a few things we should keep in mind.
First we must recognize the importance of harnessing the forces of our laity. It is about time we had confidence in them.
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). This commission was fulfilled by the early Christian church. Yet it is to be fulfilled in an even greater way in the twentieth century.
The great Christian action movement of the first century was recorded for us in the book of Acts. Our task today is to write the book of Acts of the twentieth century. This is to be done by an all-out, every-phase evangelistic program. How are we to do this? Exactly as it was done back there when the church was young. What do I mean? I mean that the gospel was preached in the first century to "every creature" by the combined efforts of the laity and the ministry. Every convert was a convert maker. So today in our churches every member must be a member maker. The gospel commission to evangelize can only be fulfilled in the twentieth century by an identical action movement that combines the consecrated energies of both priest and layman. "Everyone who professes the truth should be a living preacher." --Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 260. And again: "Whatever one's calling in life, his first interest should be to win souls for Christ. He may not be able to speak to congregations, but he can work for individuals." --The Desire of Ages, p. 822. If I understand these testimonies from the pen of God's messenger, a man may have a limited education or many degrees, but his first business is soul winning.
My Personal Experience
Soon after I was converted in a lumber camp from a drunkard's fate, a very wise pastor trained me to be a lay preacher. Oh, how I wish we had more lay preachers today! Within six months of my con version, equipped with the meager knowledge the pastor had taught me in his brief course, I launched out in faith and began giving Bible studies. I also sought out every opportunity to speak for God as a lay preacher.
I was assigned a spot on the Boston Common. On one side of me was the Salvation Army with their brass band; on the other side was the Goodwill group with their horns and trumpets. So amid all this fanfare I would begin to preach. What training this was!
Soon I was going from door to door with truth-filled literature. I went to the same homes every week. Some asked me not to return, but others looked forward to my visit each week. Interests were developed, Bible studies were given, and I was invited to preach in various churches. I also carried on a couple of series of evangelistic meetings in public halls. This same method will work today and will get results.
The little background I've given you will help you to see why I believe in put ting our laymen to work for Christ. I believe in our training courses for laymen, and I use them. The trouble with some ministers is that they preach the theory of the minister working with the laymen, but they are afraid to put the theory into practice. Every minister will be much wiser and his ministry more fruitful when he learns to trust his laymen by placing them in soul-winning situations.
Let me make this very practical by telling how this works and how the book of Acts is being written by the combined efforts of the minister and the layman.
1. Branch Sabbath Schools
A lovely New England church stands today, debt free, down on Cape Cod in Bourne as the result of the dedicated, sacrificing spirit of Brother Donald White, a local elder in the New Bedford church. Several times each week he would make the long round trip to give studies in the homes of interested people. Soon a branch Sabbath school was begun in one of the homes. As they grew, they moved into an old schoolhouse. Sometimes they rented another church. The work spread, the membership increased, and today they have a church we can be proud of. Here in the Berrien Springs area we have two groups developing into strong churches that began as branch Sabbath schools. I refer to the churches in Stevensville and Eau Claire. Many of us have baptized members of branch Sabbath schools, so use this method effectively as one means of evangelizing your field.
2. The Medical Ministry
A very fruitful but much-neglected avenue of baptisms is the work of the medical ministry. Much more can be done when the minister combines his efforts with those of the doctor or the nurse. For example, when I was in Providence, Rhode Island, I invited Dr. David Johnson to give a talk on cancer at my evangelistic meetings. Mrs. Florence Anjiras had been attending the meetings and had also begun coming to church and Sabbath school. As the good doctor spoke that night, she recognized that she had some of the symptoms he mentioned. The next day she was examined at the Providence Cancer Clinic and was found to have cancer. The doctors in the hospital were amazed as she told them of the lecture by Dr. Johnson. Surgery took place and she was declared healed. In a few months she joined our church. The hospital doctors and Mrs. Anjiras' two sons couldn't get over the fact that a church would feature lectures by a doctor. The sons believed that we had saved their mother's life. They were so grateful they sent two large checks for our church, but more than this, they began attending our church in their home town.
Medical ministry works. I know, for I was a hydrotherapy technician at the New England Memorial Hospital for four years. More than one man wept on the treatment table as I told him of the love of Jesus for his soul. I found that if you do something for a man's body, you can easily talk to him about his soul.
When I was pastoring in New Bedford, Bob Nickerson and his family moved into town. His mother-in-law was very eager that I give Bob and his wife, Elaine, Bible studies. However, Bob and Elaine were having too good a time. He drank, they both smoked, and the last thing they wanted was to hear about the Bible. Soon Bob lost his job and suddenly came down with pneumonia. He couldn't afford to go to the hospital, so I went over twice a day for a few days and gave Bob some old-fashioned hydrotherapy treatments. Under God's blessing Bob was completely healed. He was amazed that a minister would take his time to give treatments as I had done. This softened his heart, Bible studies were given, and he and his wife were baptized. I encouraged Bob to be come a lay preacher, and he became a strong leader in the church. Now his six children are members too.
Pastor D. A. Delafield came to our camp meeting one time to give a series of talks. Upon arrival he had laryngitis and could hardly whisper. I suggested a few treatments. We had a treatment room in connection with the college. I made it hot for him with treatments twice each day. His throat trouble cleared up, and he spoke all week without difficulty.
Let us not overlook the statement in Evangelism, p. 525: "Let our ministers who have gained an experience in preaching the Word learn how to give simple treatments, and then go forth as medical evangelists."
3. The Five-Day Plan
Do not overlook the potential when a doctor and minister combine their efforts in the Five-Day Plan to Stop Smoking. We held several of these in Boston. At one of my series a reporter from the Globe, Boston's leading newspaper, came to every meeting. After our first meeting we made the front page. Our older members said it was the first time in twenty-five years that the Seventh-day Adventist name was mentioned on the front page of a Boston pa per. After the second night I was called by WNAC-TV station, and asked if they could come to my home to interview me on the Five-Day Plan. Think of it! I'd have gone hundreds of miles if necessary to be interviewed, but they were asking to come to my home! Three men drove up in their truck and brought equipment into my home and took pictures while they asked me questions. Not having a TV in my home, I went to a neighbor's to view the program before I went to the meeting that evening. Many at the meeting had seen the telecast as had about a million viewers in the Boston area. The YMCA director was so pleased with our nonsmoking plan that he gave us the hall rent free and furnished us with his screen and projector. He then invited me to give an address to all the directors of the YMCA branches in New England. It not only gave me opportunity to tell of our Five-Day Plan but of our medical minis try around the world. This broke down much prejudice and opened doors of many Y's to our Five-Day Plan.
We are careful not to use a hook in this plan. We assure the people that it is not a religious program although sponsored by Seventh-day Adventists. Some have a hard time believing this at first but soon have perfect confidence that we are genuinely interested in doing something for them for nothing. Nonetheless, an impact is made for Christ. Here are three short testimonies given at one series:
"I believe that there is behind this program something far greater than just to help us stop smoking. There seems to be a message from God about all your actions."
Another: "Perhaps it is going in deeper than I know; who really knows but He who saw to it that I am here tonight."
"There's more to this than just the fact that you are trying to get us to stop smoking. I see the hand of God in this."
The Five-Day Plan is another avenue to lost souls.
4. Colporteurs
Use your colporteurs. Meet with them in your office every Monday morning and pray with them as they begin their week's work. Consider them as your partners in soul winning, for actually they are. I encouraged one young man to go into the canvassing work full time. He gave up a very well-paying job but in his first year of canvassing he sold more than $20,000 worth of our truth-filled books, and I baptized seven of his interests.
5. Health and Welfare Centers
Another avenue toward winning souls is to follow through on interests from our health and welfare centers. Souls can be won through acts of kindness. The Dorcas leader in one of my churches asked me to investigate the needs of a woman who had had a fire at her home. This widow lost all that she had in her apartment except the scarred rocker she sat on. She was crippled in one leg, her only son was in a sanitorium. As I looked at the charred ruins, I said, "Tell me, what do you need more than anything else " She wept a little then sobbed, "I need sympathy." I went back to the women at the welfare center and told them the situation. "Give her love and sympathy," I said, "and don't forget to load up the cars with other things." They did exactly that. They put their arms around the poor woman and gave her sympathy, and, of course the material things she needed. In six months she joined our church. Welfare ministry pays off in souls won.
6. Train the Laymen
Give short courses on how to give Bible studies. You might want to give a brief course on public speaking. This works too. Over the years I've baptized many people laymen have studied with. Not having a Bible instructor, I trained a few laymen. Then all I had to do was the binding-off work. For example, I gave a brief course on how to give Bible studies in my church in Berrien Springs. Several laymen gave studies. Billy Gateweek, whom I had recently baptized, desired to do something to win souls, but he was very timid. I took him with me on a few visits and then turned the studies over to him. He and his wife went faithfully to several homes a couple of times a week. That year I baptized six of his interests. Brethren, it really works when you use your laymen. Your baptisms will increase as you encourage your laymen to train and work for souls. Use them to give literature from door to door. Use them in the fruitful Bible Speaks Plan, and use them to follow up Code-A-Phone interests.
7. Public Meetings
As ordained men we ought to be holding short reaping meetings frequently to bind off the interests that are developing from many avenues. We should hold longer series of meetings too. Perhaps the meetings should be three or four nights a week for several months. It takes more than three weeks to make an Adventist out of a person with no background. Some men are holding meetings every Sunday night of the year. This is good and a constant source of baptisms. Vary your procedure and presentation in your public meetings so you will have the support of your laity in attendance. Some of our lay men say that our evangelism is "old stuff" that they've seen it all. Too often this is true. So at one series use straight preaching; at another use blacklight illustrations; at another use the finest pictures and slides you can get. On another occasion use the dialog method or perhaps a verse-by-verse study of Daniel or Revelation. This creates and sustains interest among our members as well as with the public. Try it sometime. The results will please you and your lay members. Combine health talks by your doctors and cooking schools by your skilled women at each evangelistic series. Following up the Five- Day "Plan with a series of nutrition talks is a natural.
Have confidence in your laymen, and it will surprise you how effective they can be.
If you want to realize the goal set for us by the Fall Council, remember, "The work of God in this earth can never be finished until the men and women comprising our church membership rally to the work and unite their efforts with those of the ministers and church officers."--Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 117.
