Robert H. Pierson

90th Anniversary article, reprinted from The Ministry, March 1970, pages 17-19.

Isaiah 58:12 is a well-known Seventh-day Adventist text. For years we have included it as one of our strong texts in presenting the Sabbath…

During the biennial period ending Decem­ber, 1941, nine new churches were organ­ized, and a little under three hundred souls were hptized in the Tamil local mission. Many of 4 interests which have proved so fruitful were created by our "shock…

During the past three years, under the blessing of God, the yearly average num­ber of baptisms in the Tamil Mission increased from less than fifty, where it had stood for some ten years, to 125. We believe that this encour­aging progress…

With more Italians than there are in Rome, with more Jews than live in Palestine, and with multiplied thousands of practically every other nationality and creed on earth as potential listeners to our New York City broadcast, we found…

If you are on the air every day over a protracted period of time, it is not unlikely that after some time you will be scratching your head to un­cover some new material for your daily manu­scripts.

In the little district of Newell, Jamaica, an eleven-year-old boy preacher has created quite a stir. Impressed by a dream in which he saw the Saviour come to him, instructing him to go to his friends and neighbors and tell them of His sec­ond…

Planning and Promoting the Program

In five years we completed and dedicated very nearly a hundred new Seventh-day Adventist church buildings in the British West Indies Union. And when I say churches I mean neat, substantial, well-built,…

Several years ago, while attending camp meeting, I listened to an older confer­ence president discussing an important financial problem with his workers. From this wise administrator I learned the valuable lesson that con­ference finance…

The politicians are not the only ones who are on fire in Africa today! Our Seventh. day Adventist workers, sensing the solemnity of the times in which they live and labor, are ablaze for God. Every-department, every-worker, every-member evangelism…

Now Is the Time for Godly Living

Now is the accepted time for courageous planning, and it also is a time that re­quires godly living. Planning, no matter how wise or bold, is not sufficient. A spiritual prep­aration is…

Paul, in writing to the believers in Philippi, said, "Let your mod­eration be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand" (Phil. 4:5).

I was interested in the way this word "moderation" is translated in some of the versions of the New…

The apostle Paul learned that he had to instruct non-Christian people in "the rudiments, the very alphabet, of the Christian faith." Acts of the Apostles, p. 271. As spiritual descendants of the great evangelist we face the same problem in…

Many years ago I worked closely with a man who knew a great deal about human relations. He was not the greatest preacher in the field, but he was a friend of the workers. This was more impor­tant. When he shook your hand you knew instinctively…

Today many of our problems are different from those that had to be dealt with some years ago when our work began in non- Christian lands. Since this is true, it may well be that our approach will likewise differ in some respects. Of Paul's…

The Challenge Before Us--Part 1

ROBERT H. PIERSON President, Southern Asia Division

Perhaps the greatest challenge confronting the Advent people today lies in the multiplied millions of the Orient, Africa, and the other…

CONFIDENCE is like a four-legged stool, and if one of the legs is taken away, confidence is weakened or broken down completely. The four "legs" upon which true Christian confidence is built are the fear of God, love for the brethren, trust,…

It was a terrible blow! I had always admired Elder Blank. He was a dynamic leader. His preaching never failed to stir my heart. To me as a student in college he was the very epitome of all that an Advent­ist administrator should be. Surely…

WHAT a blessed experi­nce to be back with God's workers again after all of those lonely years apart!" The speaker was an elderly man sitting across from me at the hotel table. We were attending a union conference session. After nearly thirty…

NATHANAEL was a clerk in the African court near one of our mission sta­tions. When Nathanael accepted the Sabbath truth he was confronted with some very real problems. He was given the choice of either working half a day Sab­bath or losing…

ISAIAH 9:6 contains a beautiful message for the burdened leader. Looking ahead to the birth of the Messiah the gospel prophet wrote: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his…

How much public evangelistic work have you done since you have been a minister?

AS WORKERS in the cause of God we  can learn much from the apostle Paul in the art of letter writing. "[Mark care­fully these closing words of mine]," he writes. "See with what large letters I am writing them with my own hand" (Gal. 6:11,…

Because Men and Women Are Lost

WE MUST respond to the Saviour's com­mand to go and preach because there are men and women, boys and girls, out in the cold night of sin, dying without God and without…

URGENCY must characterize our preaching as well as our planning. Paul's mes­sage to Timothy, "Never lose your sense of urgency" (2 Tim. 4:2),* was given in con­text with "preach the word; . . . reprove, rebuke, exhort with…

TUCKED away in Paul's Second Epistle to Timothy, as translated by J. B. Phillips, is a message that should burn its way into the thinking of every Seventh-day Adventist worker. It is a message espe­cially for us who lead God's people in these…

"Not by resolutions alone will a worldwide revival and reformation be experienced. It must become the burden of prayer and study on di­vision, union, and lo­cal conference [mission] committees. . . .

WHAT a sight! In a lit­tle clearing in the jungle a troop of baboons were sitting in a partial cir­cle, for all the world like a council of elders!

The old Luo tribes­man and his wife sat watching them. "See that little pile of sticks…

A FEW years ago some of us felt we should en­deavor to make our divi­sion committee meetings more Spirit filled. Twice a year we met for a week or ten days at a time, discussing endless prob­lems of the Lord's work in Trans-Africa. We al­ways…

My heart has been greatly cheered by the soul-winning reports coming in from all parts of the world. Our accessions by baptism and profession of faith increased from 125,000 in 1965 to 140,000 in 1967. Trans-Africa leads the world divisions…

The Challenge of the Non-Christian World

WE ARE talking about something we really know and we are witnessing to something we have actually observed." These words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 11, Phillips,* should be the testimony of every Seventh-day…

[EDITORIAL NOTE. The writer of this article, Robert H. Pierson, began his work in the North American Division and was called to India as a missionary. During World War II he returned to the homeland, pastored the Takoma Park church for…

THERE is a message in the words of Joel and Zephaniah for you and me today. The messenger of the Lord affirms it.

"Gird on sackcloth and lament, O priests, wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers…

I. INTRODUCTION.

1. Christ's the Great Teacher's burden for souls.

II. CHRIST'S GREAT PASSION FOR THE LOST.

1. Consider the Master Teacher. Heb. 3:1. 

2. His very existence. John 4:34. 

a.…

THE CHURCH and the world both stand under impending judgment, but before judgment falls, God in love and justice sends warning.

"The Lord Cod of heaven will not send . . . His judgments for disobedience and transgression until He…

THE BIG man's frame shook with emotion.

"Why did I do it? Oh, why did I do it?" he sobbed. "I knew it was wrong, l-l-l knew it was wrong, but somehow I couldn't break it off. It was like, like some strange bewitchment. I…

FELLOW LEADERS, a time of shaking is just ahead! The Word of God foretells it. The Lord's last-day messenger confirms it. The experience will be a traumatic one indeed, for we will see some shaken out of this message in whom we had great…

I. INTRODUCTION. The revelation of Jesus Christ. Rev. 1:1. Blessed is he that readeth. Rev. 1:3.

II. CHRIST IN REVELATION 19.

1. Description of One on white horse. Verses 11-16.

2. Marks of identification.

a.…

PREACHING may well determine not only the present spiritual prosperity of those who sit under your ministry but also their eternal destiny. What we preach is of no small significance. I have heard hundreds of different preachers the past…

A QUESTION frequently asked me, especially when I am with young people, is, "What is your work? What is involved in it?" In replying to this question I usually explain about the committees and boards, the personnel problems, the financial…

Dear Brother Spangler:

Your open letter to me that appeared in the December issue of The Ministry has been read with both interest and concern. I share with you the burden you carry to see the work of God finished in our…

NAHASH, king of Ammon, was dead. David, grateful for the kindness Nahash had shown him in the hour of need, sent royal messengers to comfort his son Hanun, the new king. As is too often the case, his solicitude was misunderstood. Hanun's…

ELLEN WHITE was in Napier, New Zealand, April 9, 1893, when she wrote to A. T. Jones, one of the speakers on righteousness by faith at the 1888 Minneapolis General Conference session. Elder Jones had presented some powerful, Spirit-filled…

YOU WANT to be a powerful preacher for Christ! Right? Right! God wants you to be a mighty preacher for Him! Right? Right!

How do we as ministers of reconciliation make our preaching ministry effective for Him? Let us look…

"AND SAMUEL said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" (1 Sam. 15:14).

The words are familiar to us. God told Saul to destroy everything—people and livestock, everything…

I WAS a conference president. Pastor Trueblue had dropped by for a chat about some problems in his district. We closed our visit with prayer, and as he was leaving I put my arm around him.

"You know, Russ," I began, "you have been…

I WANT to talk with you about the spirit of the pioneers—those indomitable men and women who studied and worked and prayed and sacrificed to bring the Seventh-day Adventist Movement into existence. We do well to consider their example…

WHILE serving in Africa some years ago I visited a strong African church leader. He was a man who preached soul winning. He was also a man who practiced what he preached, and had just completed a full-scale evangelistic crusade. When he went…

 In order to share with our world working force the spirit and burden our leaders carry for an exemplary life-style on the part of our General Conference family, we requested R. H. Pierson's permission to…

PERHAPS you have recently been placed in a position of responsibility. A large church has been entrusted to your care, or you have been elected to a conference or mission presidency. Perhaps you have been asked to serve as a secretary-treasurer…

PAUL  WAS  under  house  arrest  in Rome.  He  faced  possible  death  for  his faith. He was writing a letter of love and encouragement  to  his  favorite  church, the believers in Philippi.  In speaking of his  difficult  circumstances,…

FOR  many  years  Pastor  Luikham Ninghei was a leader in our work in the Naga  Hills,  Assam,  India.  He  was  a completely  committed  Christian  who had given up all to  follow  his Master.

I  shall  never  forget  the…

ANYONE who has had experience in bringing a soul to Christ knows some thing of the spiritual wrestling involved. Anyone who has held a public evangelistic campaign knows something of the nervous and mental energy, the spiritual…

JESUS was standing beside Jacob's well in Samaria. From His vantage point the Saviour could look out over the fields of waving grain about Him. As the golden sunlight touched the tender green stalks Jesus knew that it was but a few weeks…

SUCCESS is difficult to define. It means many things to many people. To the career woman it means advancement in her chosen profession. For the house wife it includes providing a happy home for a healthy, contented family. For many women…

MY PASTOR and I have recently made some visits in the homes of our members," the first elder of one of our large churches wrote to me recently, "and I find that our people are literally starving to death for the kindly visit from the shepherd…

IT WAS Sabbath morning, and a large congre­gation had gathered for worship in one of our large churches. The president of the con­ference was scheduled to speak at the eleven o'clock service. He had spent many years in the mission field,…

DO YOU remember the stirring words of King Jehoshaphat to Judah when the struggling little nation was threatened by the military might of the Moabites and the Ammonites: "Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your…

THIS is the first Autumn Council since the past General Conference session, and this meeting should set the tone for the next five years.

We find ourselves drawing ever nearer the coming of the Lord, nearer the close of probation,…

I WAS shown a platform, braced by solid timbers—the truths of the Word of God," the servant of the Lord once wrote. "Some . . was directing this man and that man to loosen the timbers supporting this platform." ¹

This loosening…

YOU HAVE a gift for organization. You have promotional ability. You can solve problems. You have good judgment. You possess more than average business acumen. You are able to speak well in public. You may even possess a gift for…

WHAT a text for leaders— and all of you gathered in this hall tonight are leaders. You have read Paul's words many times. Read them again with me tonight:

Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word…

WE WERE having "community worship" to close the Sabbath at Pitcairn Place, where some of us live near Washington. Along with General Conference, Columbia Union College, and other workers present there were two or three lay members…

DURING THE first decade of this century, the Seventh-day Adventist Church experienced the Kellogg apostasy. It was described by Ellen White as "the alpha of deadly heresies." —Selected Messages, book 1, p. 200. Assessing…

THE YOUNG MAN David had gallantly delivered Israel from the brash insults of the Philistine giant. Goliath was dead. A smooth, well-aimed stone, whirring from David's sling, put an end to the big man's threats to the armies of Israel.…

ISAIAH 58:12 is a well-known Seventh-day Adventist text. For years we have included it as one of our strong texts in presenting the Sabbath truth. "They that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the…

OF COURSE, neither you nor I would ever be guilty of such a thing, but sometimes we suspect a fellow leader now and then of launching out on too luxurious a project. An overly adequate building complex with all of the extra gingerbread…

THIS last-day movement will become the object of Satan's most vicious attacks. Our schools, our medical institutions, our publishing houses, our message will not be spared. "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with…

IF WE are as near the Advent as events about us would indicate, we should be on the alert for the omega apostasy Ellen White warned would threaten the church just before the re turn of our Lord. "Be not deceived; many will depart…

IN 1967, 30,083 persons joined the Southern Baptist Church and 35,906 left that church. The Southern Baptist Convention surveyed those who joined and those who left in an effort to determine why each made the decision he did. I was much interested…

JUST a moment, please! Before you rent that motel room, before you make that trip the church will be paying for, before you hire that rental car, re member who is paying the bill. It is the conference, of course, but actually you…

A FEW months ago one of our health-care leaders asked for suggestions that could be used to identify our hospitals as truly Seventh-day Adventist institutions. This was a welcome re quest, for I join our committed administrators…

WHAT A responsibility is ours! God has called us to be leaders in His church in one of the most decisive hours of its history. He is depending upon us to give the quality of leadership that will match the awesome hour in which we…

ONE OF the greatest challenges be fore the workers and members in the Seventh-day Adventist Church today is to follow up the amazing number of interests in the message existent in most parts of the world. Did you ever stop to think…

WHO HAS read Sir Winston Churchill's stirring words uttered soon after Dunkirk without experiencing the weight of his sincerity, his infectious optimism, and stalwart confidence:

"We shall not flag or fail. We shall go…

IN RECENT months there has been a healthy revival in studying righteousness by faith in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This is good. Every worker and member in the church should not only understand this important topic as the…

LACK OF spirituality can actually hinder the coming of the kingdom of God.

The word spiritual as defined in Webster's dictionary means "of the soul; influenced by the divine Spirit; holy." A spiritual leader is influenced…

Pastor Newcomer stepped right out of the classroom into the pulpit of his first church pastorate. His brain was filled with theological facts and phrases. He knew all of the proper terms and how to use them. "Intrinsic righteousness,"…

"Have you ever considered the possibility of abolishing the salaried clergy?" I gasped when I read this question in response to a survey I had made in the Adventist Review of February 9, 1978. "Fewer conference officials,"…

Seventh-day Adventists have been historically a people of prophecy. Because of this, many Adventists develop an above-average interest in history and archeology, for there they find evidences of the ac curate fulfillment of Bible…

In recent months we've been talking much about finishing the work. We have been praying about it and studying ways in which this might be accomplished. We've asked for re-dedication on the part of both ministry and laity. We've…

I am about to commit a hermeneutical error. I am going to take scripture and use it for what it says instead of what it means. This, in theological circles, is not permissible. The only redeeming feature in my action is that I am…

Every leader has days when problems and perplexities arise and the future looks dark. There are times when it seems there is no way around, or through, or over the difficulties with which we are con fronted. At such times we must…

Pastor Hurtman was wounded. He had been slighted. Conference officials had visited his community, had even gone to the home of the worker in the other city church, but had failed to telephone him a word of greeting. He felt neglected.…

Past events continue to cast their shadows upon our day. God's church today has much to learn from the lessons the Lord taught His people in the days of ancient Israel. As the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth, "Now…

You are a leader. God and your church have placed you in the position you now hold. You may be a pastor, a president, a departmental director, a secretary, a treasurer, or an institutional leader. Whichever post you occupy, you…

Let us conduct a mini-interview with Ellen White on how to study, accept, and preach God's Holy Word most effectively. Her words should carry much weight with every Adventist leader.

Q. What is the simplest…

To Your Health could mean an extra $50,000 for your investment portfolio! Of course, author Dr. Hans Diehl makes no such excessive claim. He does, how ever, tell us how we can avoid expensive cardiovascular surgery.

This…