Planting the Church Nancy Chalmers FRANKLIN NELSON, Secretary DALE BJORK
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\s «•«* Directory Baptist General Conference Official organ of the Baptist General Conference Letters relative to missionary matters and all contributions designated for missionary purposes should be addressed to MAY 4, 1970 VOL. 60, No. 9 BAPTIST GENERAL CONFERENCE 5750 N. Ashland Ave.. Chicago, 111. 60626 Tel. (Area Code 312) 275-3590 BOARD OF TRUSTEES WARREN R. MAGNUSON. General Secretary EDWARD J. HALES, Director of Stewardship In this issue: GEORGE S. MCNEILL, Assistant Director of Stewardship ROBERT E. NORSTROM. Director of Promotion 5. An Alternative to Revolution Roy Nelson CONFERENCE OFFICERS EDWARD O. NELSON. Moderator BERNARD A. TRAVAILLE. Vice Moderator 6. Christian Youth Centers . Gerald Osbron and Gus E. Tillman HOME MISSIONS GORDON H. ANDERSON. Secretary HARVEY R. HILL. Assistant to Secretary GEORGE A. E. SALSTRAND, 8. 'Teaching Them to Observe All Things' . Irwin C. Bjelland Church Capital Funds ROBERT L. HART. Director of Evangelism FOREIGN MISSIONS 10. Planting the Church Nancy Chalmers FRANKLIN NELSON, Secretary DALE BJORK. Administrative Assistant BIBLE SCHOOL/YOUTH 12, The Voice of Truth Fred G. Thomas LAWRENCE F. SWANSON, Secretary GUNNAR HOGLUND, Youth Director L. TED JOHNSON, 14. MAP: Supplier to Mission Hospitals Robert Burt Children's Work and Camping MEN'S WORK LLOYD MATTSON. Secretary 22. To the World with Love Truett J. Johnson WOMEN'S WORK DOROTHY DAHLMAN, Secretary MARY LOU REYCRAFT, Associate Secretary 25. All I Know Is Me, and That's Not Much . Robert E. Norstrom HARVEST PUBLICATIONS ORIEL L. HANSEN. Business Manager, Secretary DAVID OLSON. Editor, Christian Ed. Publications DONALD E. ANDERSON. Editor, THE STANDARD Mailing address—5750 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, 111. 60626. Tel.—(312) 338-6710 Editorial 3 Church News 21 PASTORS' RETIREMENT PLAN Trustees 4 Obituary 24 H. WYMAN MALMSTEN, Administrator Conference Women .15 TIPS 28 3949 Bethel Dr., St. Paul, Minn. 55112 Bethel College and Seminary . 16 Church Directory 29 All correspondence related to the educa Conference Men 19 Classified Ads 24, 30 tional program or financial contributions to it should be addressed to Conference Youth 20 Religious News 31 BETHEL COLLEGE 1480 N. Snelling Ave.. St. Paul, Minn. 55101 Tel. (Area Code 612) 646-4501 CARL H. LUNDQUIST. President VIRGIL OLSON, Dean Cover artist: Ray Harling BETHEL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 3949 Bethel Drive. St. Paul. Minn. 55112 Tel. (Area Code 612) 633-6880 CARL H. LUNDQUIST, President THE STANDARD Advisory Committee: Donald E. Anderson (Editor), Oriel L. Hansen GORDON G. JOHNSON, Dean (Business Manager), David Olson, Robert Hamlett, Warren R. Magnuson, Edward J. Hales, Robert E. Norstrom. VANCOUVER BIBLE INSTITUTE 15100 66A Ave. Surrey. B. C. Department Editors: Gordon Anderson (Home Missions), Franklin O. Nelson (Foreign Tel. (Area Code 604) 596-7165 Missions), Perry Hedberg (Bethel College and Seminary), Lawrence F. Swanson (Bible WALTER R. ANDERSON. President School), Gunnar Hoglund (CYF), Lloyd Mattson (Men's Work), Dorothy Dahlman (Wom en's Work), Lorraine Eitel (Tips), Warren R. Magnuson (Trustees), Edward J. Hales (Stewardship). COMING NEXT ISSUE: The Next Step in Camping Published every other Monday by Harvest Publications, 5750 N. Ashland Avenue, Chicago, III. 60626. Telephone 338-6710. Subscription price: one year in U. S. A. or foreign countries, $4.00. Printed In U. S. A. Second Class Postage Paid at Newton, Kansas 67114. THE STANDARD EDITORIAL Are We Part of the Problem? HE SIGNS on the horizon plainly indicate that to a new campus in three years. Total contributions the support of Americans for their churches of our churches in the last decade rose 121' per cent. Tis waning. A Gallup Poll published in March showed But we must look at some troublesome signs, that 75 per cent of Americans questioned thought most of which have appeared only recently. Our that religion was losing its influence in national net growth in membership in 1969 was 1598, life. This compares with 14 per cent in 1957. U.S. lowest in 15 years. Baptisms recorded on the News and World Report, in a disturbing article in church news page of THE STANDARD in 1969, the March 23 issue, quotes Presiding Bishop John after a year of evangelism emphasis in our de E. Hines as saying that the Episcopal Church is nomination, totaled 2173, compared with 3028 in "embattled, bleeding and in some disarray." 1968. (The 1969 Conference Annual reported 4578 Jeffrey K. Hadden, a Tulane University soci baptisms; the 1968 Annual reported 4193.) Response ologist, said at a meeting cf the Religious Communi to the home missions' appeal for $75,000 for inner cations Congress in Chicago on April 9, "The death city ministry was (as of April 13) only $9688. The of the National Council of Churches seems quite percentage of United Mission for Christ budget imminent." Many who heard him were NCC staff achievement for the fiscal year just ended appears to or employees of NCC-related denominations, but no be the lowest in years. Sunday school attendance in voice of protest was raised. Conference Sunday schools in 1969 was 2.6 per cent Certain distinctions help clarify the signs of re less than in 1968. ligious decline. Of the 12 fastest growing large de Many explanations can be given for some of these nominations in the United States (between the years statistics. While giving to UMC from our churches 1953 and 1965), according to the Yearbook of Ameri has risen 107 per cent in the last decade, giving to can Churches, eight are Pentecostal or holiness non-Conference missions has risen 167 per cent and in doctrine, and the other four are Mormons, Seventh giving to district budgets has risen 140 per cent. Day Adventists, Christian Reformed and Southern The missionary programs of the districts are grow Baptists. The large mainline, NCC-related denomi ing in depth and in financial commitment, meaning nations have shown little or no growth in recent that support of national home missions is lessened. years. The appeals to our people and to our churches from The Associated Church Press, most of whose non-Conference ministries are increasing in number members are non-evangelical publications, reported and force. While these appeals are responded to, a subscription decline of 5.6 per cent last year. The the impact of multiplied appeals from the Chi Catholic Press Association reported a 7.3 per cent cago office or Bethel or the district office can drop in combined circulation of its members and be ignored. The percentage of pastors in the Con newspapers and magazines. But of 122 member ference who were trained at Bethel Seminary con periodicals of the Evangelical Press Association re tinues to decline. Last year only 17 per cent of the porting their circulation, 77 showed an increase new pastors coming into the Conference were trained since 1967, while 13 remained the same and 32 at Bethel Seminary. The increased instances of fel showed a decrease. lowship and cooperation across denominational lines Most of the large, non-evangelical denominations and the increasing number of people coming into are in a financial crisis. The March 23 U.S. News Conference church membership from non-Conference said that the New York archdiocese of the Roman churches (both of which are good signs), bringing Catholic Church reported a $1.2 million deficit last with them loyalties to non-Conference missions, year. Over half of the Episcopal church's dioceses means that loyalty to Conference concerns is les refused to pledge their full quota for the denomi sened in our churches. Local church expenses con nation's 1970 budget, largely because Episcopalian tinue to rise, but increased giving from individuals laymen were protesting their church's national lead lags, and the missionary giving of the church con ership's intended financial support of black-run de sequently suffers. velopment projects. Perhaps the real explanation of these trouble- We look now at the Baptist General Conference. signs is yet to be made known. Ultimately it will We are committed to an evangelical theological come from Conference constituency. position. We have grown 107 per cent in mem If the lack of response to our missionary program bership in the last two decades. Our Seminary, reveals a declining spiritual concern in the Confer on a new campus five years ago, is at the highest ence, then the voice of God ought to be heard anew enrollment in history. Our College anticipates a move by all of us. • MAY 4, 1970 TRUSTEES Our missionaries OUTH of our day have demon parts of the world. This is true in Y strated a tremendous influence. the Philippines. are in the heart It is not just that there are so many I thank the Lord for missionaries of world action of them, but that they are so deter who are sharp intellectually and spir mined to right the wrongs of the itually, contemporary in their vision, social order which they inherited. who can communicate to the youth of Noteworthy is the fact that it was our day. It is gratifying to note that the youth of America who drove a the assignments of our overseas per president out of office. It is the sonnel are geared to working with youth who are most vocal on the this inflammable section of society. Big ecological problems of pollution. It Missionary Jerry Osbron has been has been their protests which have designated for special work among kept alive the awareness of dire students with the establishment of Issues needs among the minority races. a youth hostel in the immediate vi Again it was their reactions which cinity of several high schools, col led to a unilateral position taken leges and a technical school. At by the government outlawing bac Our ministry through the Baptist teriological warfare.