By James N, Morgan Cause Us to Go 'Jjitness Dailyo Remember the Word

Southern Baptist Convention Release: A.M.?~, Office of the Press Representative Tuesday, May 13, Mr. Albert McClellan Miami -- 19-52

E'VERYDAY WITNESSING By James N, Morgan (Quotes) Proverbs ll:3Ob; Psalms 126: -6 Acts 20:20-21.

ffVJhen the figures were added up at the close of the year 1950 there were 4,156 churches that did not show that they had won a soul to Christ for baptism during the entire twelve months, I'm sure that many of these churches were small and in a rural area. Dr, C, E. Matthews tells me that when the figures were added up at the close of the church fiscal year 1951 there were 4,631 churches that did not show one soul having been won to Christ for baptism, Think of it -- think of it, Oh, how tragic it is, How tragic it is. 16.4% of our churches in the Southern Baptist Cocreation with no soul -- not one -- won to Christ for baptism during 1951. Now we have 28,289 churches in our convention. We have more than 25,000 pastors, There are approximately 25,000 of our total number of churches that have a membership of less than 500, Neuly 2000 with from 500 to a thousand and a little over a thousand churches with a membership of 1000 plus, We have more than 15,000 full-time churches vrith around 12,500 that are either three - quarter time, half-time, OX fourth-time, But I want to throw out a little challenge to all of us. However, I do not feel th,?t I have been called upon to champion this cause, I just want to say it for what it will be worth, Suppose that every pastor in the Southern Baptist Convention would set out to win one soul a month, That ~~louldbe 300,000 won to Jesus in a years time, Ttde have approximately 500,000 Sunday School, workers throughoub OUT Southern Baptist Convention -- approximately 140,451 Training Union workers with approximately 20,000 Brotherhood workers and approximately 100,000 IJ#M.U, leaders and an estimated 200,000 deacons. We have in the neighborhood of one million people holding p1:ces of leadership. If we should lump off half of the number perhaps because there is an over- lapping in the positions, I'm sure we could find 500,000 people throughout our Southern Baptist Convention in places of leadership, Let's suppose thzt they could get on fire to win sould to Christ, Why if they won only one a year --- there s a half million and they won one a month that would be six million, and if they won one a week that would be 26 million souls to Christ. I say to you that we need to get down on our knees and cry out to God for fire in our souls thct would cause us to go 'JJitness Dailyo Remember the Word. "Re that Goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him,"

James N. Morgan, pastor of the North , Fort \,J(x:th Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas, is a native Texan and a graduate of Baylor University and an alumni of Southwestern Seminary, He had the D.D. degree conferred upon him in 1950 by his alma matex, He has been an active Texas pastor since 1935 and served as chairman of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Crusade in Fort IVorth in March of 1951, Southern Baptist Office of the Pk, Albert McClellan ririami -- 1952

THE PASTOR AS COUNSELOR

By Gaines S. Dobbins

Dr. Gaines S. Dobbins is professor of religious education and church administration at the Southern Baptist Seininary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is a native of blississippi and a graduate of Mississippi Colle&c, Southern Seminary and Columbia University, He is the author of fifteen or more books on religious education, church administration and bible study,

IIPastor, we are planning to be married and we want you to perform the ceremony. lie not only want a pretty wedding, we want our marriage to succeed, Will you help us?!]

tlPastor, our liiarriage is going on the rocks. E~iaybe we should get a divorce. Will you talk it over with us?a

t1Pastor, I'm having in-law trouble. It threatens to wreck my home. What do you think I ought to do about it?ll

"Pastor, my husband is drinking heavily. I have scalded and cried and threatened, but nothing seems to do any good. I can't go on this wayc Youtve just @ti,to help met 11

IlPastor, our boy is breaking aur hearts. He's been drinking and now we think he is taking dope. He steals everything he can get his hands on, We are desperate. Isn't there some thing you can do711

"Pastor, our daughter has us worried. She is acting strangely, claims that she hears voices, and thinks she has committed the unpardonable sin. She seems to be unbalanced over religion. What ought we to do?n And so it goes day after day - life for the rnodesn pastor is just one problem after another, This is inescapably true because the lives of his people are beset by difficulties and temptations vhich are beyond their powers to meet. lde confidently proclaim that NChrist is the answer,!] but Christts answer to lifets needs must often be so~~ghtand found through inquiry and sharing, through struggle and prayer, often through repentance and tears. The only way of escape from dealing with such hurnan problem is to be like the Scotsmant s minister, whom he described as being l1six days in the week eenveesible and on the seventh eencompreheensible ,n

The Pastor iduktst Be A Counselor

ItIuch is being said today about pastoral counseling, of ten giving the im- pression that it is something new. As a alatter of fact, counseling is the original pastoral function, The prophets and shepherds of Israel were counselors of their people, witness the rnxistry of such men as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, rilicah, Hosea, on to Malachi at the end of the list. Isaiah described the coming iicssiah as one upon whose shoulders would rest responsibility for the people, whose name would be called IWond~rful, Counselor, liIighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peacell (Isaiah 9:6). ljhcn our Lord came he fulfilled perfectly the function of Counselor. Those wholii he appointed to be his ministers were not only trained to be preachers and teachers but also to be skilled and successful counselors, Aside from Christ, the greatest counselor of a11 was his interpreter, Paul. The high peaks of Christian history were reached when men of God were wise and spirit-led counselors of the people.

Today the imperative call is for pastors who are skilled and effective counselors, The question is not whether the pastor will or will not be a counselor, The question is whether he will be skilled or unskilled, a master of the art or a bungler, a helper or a hinderer as he deals with people and their problems. If the minister complains that this type of service takes too mch of his time, the answer is twofold: first, there is no other way in which he can spend his time to batter advantage; second, he must train others to help him in this task just as he must in other phases of the mrk of the church, (more) Address - Gaincs S. ins IlT1-lc r';:;.!r,r '1; C0l.lfi3~ 101"lt

As in any other difficult art, the burden is lightened and, may bconie a joy with the achievement of a high order of ability. If the oJdes ninister shies away, saying I1You can't teach an old dog new tricks,ll the obvious reply is that the minister is not a dog but an intelli~entservant of Christ, and counseling is not a trick bt is a basic pastoral function. The simple fact is that no man can be good pastor who is not a skilled couns=ilor. The very call to the Chris- tian ministry is a call to compassionate: concern for people and their problems, a concern that must express itself in the intelligent effort to help them solve their problems.

The Counselor Needs More Than Good Intentions

A pastor, after having listened to a hcart-rcnding story of family troubles, said in effect: "1 am deeply sorry for you. I advise you to pray constantly, to read your Bible every dayS and attend the preaching and prayer services regularly. ITrust in the Lord, and wait patiently for him; cease from angern and forsake wrath: fret not thysclf, it tendeth only to cvil doinget Let us prayrll Cartainly this was good as far as it went, but did it go for enough? The minis- tcr might rrell have turned to these words of wisdom from the practical Jms: IltJho is wisc and understanding among you? Let him show by his good life his works in ine~knessof wisdom. But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth.,.for where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed. But the wisdom that is from above is first purc, then peaceable, gentle, eesy to bc entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, mithout variance, without hypocrisy, And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for tlicrn that make peacell ( Jcms 3: 13-10) . Good intentions arc not a substitute for the employment of our best inklli- gence, nor for an understanding of the sources of human conflict, nor for an evaluation of human motives. God has given us a part in growing the fruits of righteousncss and in meeting the conditions of pcace, Here as elsewhere divine power and human power meet and work together in securing the ends of welfare and happiness* Prayer and Bible-reading and church-going do not produce magical results, Effectual remedies for our diseases may bc in the hands of the physicians and the druggist, but they must be administered after careful diagnosis following personel examinntion, So with our moral and spiritual troubles - the divine resources rrmst be made available by the physician of souls in thc light of knowledge of individual needs, The doctor who gives Itshotgun doses11 for the cure of a11 ills alike is thought of as a quack, Is not the minister in danger of putting himsclf in the same category whose prescriptions arc not skillfully adapted to the needs of persons whose troubles he has carefully diagnosed?

%e Art of Counseling Can Be Lcarned

Thc practice of an art requires an artist, Thc first requisite of an artist is that hc love his art. The painter must delight in colors, the musician must be sensitive to sounds, the sculptor must thrill to symmetry. The minister who would bo an artist counselor mst love people. His lave for people - all sorts of people - must be deep, genuine, pervasive. His secret is that of Will Rogers, who said, never BQW a man I didn't like,ll Perhaps Will exaggerated a bit, and the honest pastor may not be able to go quite that far, but his interest in and concern for people for their own sake mst be unforced and unfeigned. This lesson of love for people, far the unlovely as well as the lovely, he must learn from Him who washed his disciples! feet, and then said: "Ye call me, Teacher, and, Lord: and ye sqy well; for so I am., .For I have given you an example, that ye also should do a3 I have done to you11 (John 13t13-15), No self-seeking pastor will ever make a good counselor. lluch of this kind of ministry will be unheralded, unnaticed, sometimes even unappmcjated. Yet thc minis tcrt s satisfaction will be that of any true artist, the creative results which he wi"culesscs,

Some ministers seem to have a greater aptitude for counseling than others, This is true in other aspects of the ministerls work - some excel as preachers, some as administrators, some as teachers, some as evangelists. Eut just as each man may improve his gifts in any of these fields, so every man can develop his ability as counselor. The way of improvement toward mastery is contimous pras- tice based on sound theory following good example. Of course nothing can take the place of experience. To learn to be a good counselor one must actually work with people, listen to their troubles, take their burdens on his heart, enter into their joys and sorrows, and pay the price of trying to help them out of trouble. There is no royal road. It comes very close to what Jesus meant when he said, ltIf any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow melt (Platthew 16;24). The so-called Itart of counselingll was not formulated first and then practiced. From Jesus and Paul until now, that one must loss one's life to save it, that the purpose of owls life is not ta be ministered unto but to minister, have first had practical demonstration, then the (more) p.2 Address -- Gaines S. Dobbins !!The Pastor as Counselorl~ theories and procedures have been verbalized.

The literature in this field within recent years has become rich and extensive, At the head of the list I would put The Christian Pastor, by our own Pro- fessor IJqyne Oates. Dr. Oates takes a broafiiew of the -task of the minister and puts counseling in its proper place as an essential part of the whole. Seward Hiltner 1 s Pastoral Counseling is stimulating, constructive, practical, One of the most useful recent books is by Carroll Wise, Pastoral Counseling: -It's Theory and Practice. Dr. Wise writes ot1.t of long and v~merienceand ~ria~s~cussionswith many case histories. Perhaps the best of all the new books in the general field of counseling, not specificafly religious, is Carl Rogers! Client-Centered Therapy, Here we are given the results of what many consider the best viewpoint practice of a sound psychiatry in which the welfare of the patient is made paramount witb no attempt to adhere to any doctrinaire the Soul psychiatric theory. A recent book by Lewis J. Sherrill, The Struggle -of - -a discloses remarkable insights into the life process and diG%u-emtna. Per- haps you are already familiar with the popular book ky John S. Bonnell, Psychology for Pastor and People. If you do not take the magazine IIPastoral ~sychoZogyt1 peatmeck,eTKjiT, $3.00 per year), you should by all means be a subscriber. Our seminary has pioneered in the introduction of courses for the training of ministers in this essential art of pastoral counseling. A special feature of our approaching beminary Summer Conference will be a series of lectures and confer ences on counseling led by Professor Wise of Garrett Biblical Institutec

With all this wealth of literature and opportunity, is there much excuse for any pastor to fail to include a growing mastery of this art, Itthat the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good workt'?

The Heart of the Counseling Process

Definitions of a vital process are usually disappointing, It is not easy to define or describe the work of the counselor. Certainly no formula can be laid dorm, for each step is conditioned by what precedes or follows.

Wayne Oates conceiv~sof counseling as helping people in life crises to find the Christian solution to their problems under the sympathetic and intelligent guidance of a man of God who is accepted as their friend.

Seward Hiltner says that "pastoral counseling is the endeavor by the minister to help people through mutual discussion of the issues involved in a difficult life situation, leading to a better understanding of the choices involved, and toward the power of making a self-chosen decision which will be as closely bound up to religious reality as the people arc capable of under the circumstances+ll

Carroll Uise describes counseling as !la form of communication between two people for a special purpose - one trying to communicate a problem to the other for the purpose of getting help; the other intelligently and sympathctically listening with a view to giving help.1t

Otis Rice declares that Itour aim in pastoral counseling is to discover the internal tensions and external pressures with which our parishioner is struggling; to evaluate his capacity for dealing with these tensions and pressures; then without removing his personal responsibility, to help him marshal his capacities and resources (social, personal, and religious) so that he may relieve these pressures to the point where, with an understanding of his situation, he is able to deal with them creatively himself ,n

Russell Dicks says Itpastoral counseling consists of passive listening, active listening, interpretation, rezssurance.n

The heart of tho counseling process may thus be sumrnarizcd:

1. Personal, face-to-face relationship, 2. BG~w~G~person or persons needing help and one skilled in the art of providing help, 3. In which the person needing help is stimulated and guided self- cxpeession self-revelation, and self-understanding, I. In which the one soeking to provide help enters intelligently and sympathetically into the other's difficulty and furnishes a screen upon which it may be freely projected, 5. As a result of which the troubled friend discovers thc real root of the difficulty, finds resources for dealing with it, aid undertakes construc- tively a solution of his own choosing, (mare) P* 3 Address - Gaines S. Dobbins "The- Pastor -as Counselortl

6* In all of which Christ and the Gospel are given maximum opportunity to d~monstratetheir adequacy for evcry need in every area of life, 7. With conscious dependence upon the Holy Spirit for illumination and guidance and with quiet confidence in the fulfilment of Christ! s prayer promises when the conditions are meto Carroll Wise rightly insists thzt insight is the goal in counseling, He says: ItThe capacity of the human mind to see into and understand itself and its motives, once it is placed in a secure and understanding relationship with another, is one of the giftn of the, grace of God to mankind. It is difficult for many to have faith in this capacity. But such faith is essential to the counselor, It is thc achievement of insight into the nature of life that in part gives counseling an inherent religious quality, n (Pastoral Counseling: -I t1s Theory -and Practice) . The Practice of Counseling Will Enrich All Other biinis tries I cannot insist too strongly that counseling is not a pastoral specialty. It is a vital element of almost every other pastoral f'unction, A pator does not do certain things and then on stated occasions, in his office 2nd with office hours, perform the duty of counselor. He is always counseling, in one ww or another, in nearly everything that he does. The less he advertises himself as a counselor the bztter counselor he will be,

The counseling pastor will be a better acministrator. Ordwqy Tead, in The Art of Ackinistration, describes administration 3,s "the thought and activitF TtE responsible head of an organization to systematize, coordznu ue, promote, and facilitate ths efforts of associzted persons in order to realize certain definite purposee ,fl tIe conceives the purpose of administration as 11 total mobi- lization of total ability for tho tohl achievement of a. uamjmously accepted goal,ll Obviously the p~storwho is a good administrator will of necessity be a good counsel.o-r,

The pastor-counselor will be a better preacher,. Preaching is zt its best when there is continuous interaction between the preacher and the congregation, when preacher a~dpeople are sharing an experience that results in decision and commitment, In a sense, preaching is group counseling. If the @laments that enter into effecti-ve counseling are present in preaching, the results will be richly rewarding,

The pastor-counselor will be a better teacher. Teaching is more than a transmission of facts and truths* It is stimulation and guidance in the qu~st for truth that will throw light on life. The teacher may begin with the lesson or with the group, but in the use of the counseling procedure he will always' be keenly conscious that he is teaching persons through lessons, never lessons >part from persons, The teacher's fruitfulness may well depend upon whether he considers himself a lecturer or a counselor. Often the teacher's best work is done in a face-to-face relationship with an inquiring lemncr who needs counsel more than he does instruction.

The minister-counselor nil1 be a better evangelist. Evangelistic counseling seeks self-ravclation of the lost man's need, so that he sees himself as lost and without hope. The counseling soul-winner induces his lost friend to seek and find Christ for himself and then to make decision and commitment from an inncs experience rather than from outward persuasion, The evangelist as counselor does not stop with public confession, baptism ,and church membcrship, but guides into a life of fruitful Christian service, Idiany 2 lost mcm or woman who would resist the ~vcngelistwho did all the talking and tried to sell "the plan of salvationlt as if it were an insurance policy, will often cooperate eagerly with the sincere and skillful counselor who is trying to help the troubled soul find answer to the deep heart-cryg I11ihat shall I do to be saved?lt

In all this, let me stress the high import~nceof being a good listener. Even in preaching we need to do a lot of listening - if not during the sermon, certainly before and after. In the counseling philosophy, selective listening is more important than talking, We preachers are prone to talk too much. Every phase of our minis try would be enriched if we could learn to practice the high art of li s tsning ,

A Counseling Church Will Fulfill Christ's Ideal

A New Testament church is more than building, organization, services. It is (more) P. 4 . a Address - Gaines S. Dobbins I1T$e Pastor as Counselorn

essentially a fellowship of bzp tized believers. The up riesthood of believers" means not only that every tclicver may go to God as his own priest, but that every Christian has the right and the duty to go to God for his fellow Christian. No pastor can possibly do all the counseling that is needed in a congregation and community, 1Je need to train our deacons, our Sunday school officers and teachers, our Training Union and W.)i.U. and Brotherhood leaders ta be resourceful and effective counselors. Such training would involve the development of a growing sense of responsibility for thc individuals who constitute the departmnts, classes, groups, and other units of the several church organizations,

If a church is truly a IrbEloved community~ it should possess reeources for the prevention of much moral and spirilxal delinquency and breakdown. \hen trouble comes, a church should not only claim that tlChrist is the answerll but demonstrate it, This preventive and curative service it cannot render apart from the personal touch, the intelligent and I.oving concern of pastor and church leaders for each person who belongs to the church family.

Our churches await recovery of the ideal attained by the Jerusalem chrch, of whose members it is said that "day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temphe, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people* And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved11 (~cts2: 46-47).

G~orgiaHarkness has said it for us in this prayer set to poetryt Give me, 0 God, the understanding heart - Thc quick discernment of the soul to see Another's inner wish, the hidden pCmt Of hirn whoJ wordless, speaks for sympathy, I would be kind, but kindness is not allr In arid places m2y I find thc wells) The deeps within rny neighbor's soul that call To me, and lead me where his spirit dwells. tihen Jesus lifted i iary iiagdalene And Ehry tale with alabaster cruse, A deed was wrought - but more; there was seen The bond of holy love of which I mse. Give m, 0 God, the understanding heart, Lit with the quickening flame thou dost impart,fl Southern Baptist ~onve6tion RELEASE: A.M. 1 s, Tuesday, May 13 Office of press Representative Mr. Albert McC lellan Miami -- 1952

THE LIFE TO BE LIVED

by.M. Ray McKay

M. Ray McKay, pastor of the Second Ba tist Church, Little Rock, Arkansas, since 194[, has been elected to the faculty of Southeastern Sem- inary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, where he will begin his teaching duties in September, A native of lqissouri, McKay is a graduate of Southern Seminary and was a pastor in Illinois and Kansas before coming to Arkansas.

Dr. C. C. Warren must have known that I especially needed a message on "The Life To Be Lived,l and therefore he asked me to prepare it. The preparation has already done me good, for in thinking over the topic I have corn face to face with the profoundest responsibility of the ministry and with the scriptural provisions for its fulfillment.

Let me begin with a story. Y4 first pastorate after leaving the seminary was on the shore of Lke Michigan. The first winter brought more snow than I had ever seen before. On the morning following the first large snowfall, I considered my self fortunate to be able to reach my office at 8:30, Almost immediately the telephone rang insistently and 1 now judge also angrily, for in answer to my friendly 11 good morningt1 an angry female voice answered, BThat car won1t start again.fr

And I replied, still as politely as possible, IIWell, lady, I am very sorry.tf IIBeing sorry wontt help,!! she snapped, 111 want you to come and get that car and fix it so it will run.!!

It1 will do my best,ll I replied, Ilbut you must remember that my name is NcKay and I am pastor of the First Baptist Church of this city.11

ttOh, ,It she cried and went off into a discussion of certain engineering problem which have to do with the obstruction of the flow of water in streams. Then the receiver banged on the hook.

At first I was puzzled. Why was the mman so upset? What had 1 done to disturb her? Then I realized that she was not angry about anything I had said or done. She was disgusted with what I am. She wanted a mechanic and not a preacher, and in that she was right, for a preacher cannot repair a car unless he is also a mechanic. Achievement rests on characterdutThe old violin maker was right : ItYou cannot build Stradivari violins with/Stradivari;" or more colloquially as Dr. R. V. Pierce used to say, IlNot aqy number of bad eggs can make a good omelet,ll fQ own experience is in line with this observation. 1 have had much more trouble with myself thcn with my deacons. I shall always

( More ) Address -- M, Ray %Kay, "The Life To Be Lived"

disagree with th word of another preacher who declared: 111 am all the time trying to build a church with mterial that crumbles in my hands," We know wht he m~ant. We all have disappointments in the people of our churches but more disappointments with ourselves. A great preacher reminds us of the tremendous truth when he said: "Out of th~charcod pit of hat we are, the fumes so oft arise to destroy the grace and beauty of the things we do.lf

How to be better men, how to live the life we seek to proclaim, that is for us an urgent problem. An interesting experience on Sunday evening put me in touch with the Scripture formula for living the life wc deeply desire.

After our Sunday night service was over 1 passed a little church 2nd paused to watch and listen to the noisy worshipers inside. There seemed to be constant chanting, hand clapping and moving about. Many passersby were pausing to watch. What are they doing?!' someone asked, and another answered, Itoh, they are just a bunch of Holy rollersbr some other kind of holy, sanctified people.!! The remark set me to thinking. I: do not agree with all the proceedings of holi- ness groups, but 1 began to wonder how surprised wc better known church people would bc if we suddenly heard the Master say, 111 am one of them; I am sanctified.ll Well, the strange fact is Jesus did say exactly that. He said, IlFor their sakes f sanctify myself Sanctification properly understood does not mean freakish- ness, it means Christ-likeness, We Baptists place much emphasis, ard rightly so, upon the doctrine of salvation. We say, 1tBy grace are you saved through faith.11 We also stress the doctrine of justification, reminding ourselves that we are justified by faith in one who died and rose again, We need to give equal emph- sis to the doctrine of ~anctificat~ionfor this doctrine searches our own lives and answer8 our greatest problem,

The use of the word sanctification in early Hebr~whistory gives an interast- ing description of its essential meaning. WE come upon the word in the vivid story of the release of the children of Isra~lfrom bandage in Egypt. You will remember how the plagues followed Pharaoh's refusal to let the children of Israel go. Finally, there came God's decree tkt the eldest in every home and every flock should die. The eldest would die unless sacrificial blood was sprinkled on the lintel of the door. If the blood was applied to the door of the homes of the Israelites, the death angel would pass by that home. Now the world used in connection with this is sanctify. The eldest was sanctified; he was set a- part. Thus he escaped death. From this early incident there grew up the practice of sanctifying the eldest in every home among the Hcbrews so this sanctified one became the spiritual leader, He was consecrated to the scrvice of the Lord, A little later we find the Levites a sacred tribe. Instead of the eldest of every home, the Levites were scnctificd 2s spiritual leaders, They were set apart for this purpose. They d~dicatedthemselves to the mrk of the Lord ad became men of better character b~causcof such consecration and service, Each Lcvite was sanctified by the applicztion of sacrificial blood to his yight eye, right l-n nd, and right foot, This blood devoted every fnculty of seeing, doing, and walking to God's s~rvice.

From this history we see that to sanctify is first to set apzrt, second to devote to or consecrate fm e. particular task, and third to mzke holy. Christ declared, '!For tkeir sakes I sanctify myself,ll Hc voluntarily set himself apart to be the Saviour of the world, HE consecrated himself completely to the filfillment of that high purpose. He went to Calvary because he had sanctified himaelf for tk sake of sin-sick men. We are not in line with his purpose until we are set apart for, devoted to, and becoming bettor men in the process

(more ) PO $: of eeouring world redempuon.

Recognizing the hindranaes of our own epiritml Zmmaturiby, we turn our thought toward the reasons for our sanctification, With Christ we my wU declare, "Far their sakes I sanctify rqyself bll The people in the churches are best led into spiritual achiev-t of those who themselves are climbing the upward way, Here, not words but deeds speak mast emphatically. Si'l fact, not our deeds primar* but our own character. The men we are will emphasize and support our preaohing or else, IIOut of the charooal pit of what we are, the fumes will uetrtainly wise to destroy the grace and beauty of the things we do,lt Then again we may well declare, "For his sake, I sanctify myself.I1 For the sake of one who loved us and gave hjmelf for us, we withdraw ourselves frbnn evil, dsdioate ourselves to the great tasks which made up his ppr*~ purpose and be transformed by fellcmrship vdeh him in the service to vrhich he galled us.

Now the practic application of sanctifiqat ion to ddly living is wonderkilXy set forth by the Apostle Paul in the thi~dchapterof Co1oerr;tans. There he suss "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth, for you have died & your life b hid with Christ in God, So onoe for all, put to death what b earthly in you: figlPOrality, impurity, evil desires and greed which is red. idolatry. Put away evil temper, evil thoughts or words about others and filthy eonvereation, Stop lying to one anothep, for now you have put off the old aalf with its practiqes and have put on the new self which 18 being reoreated in the likeness of its Creatoy, Rat; on, as God's picked representatives, saw& fied and beloved, mercy, kindness, meebss and patiwoe, forgiving eauh other as freely as Christ has forgiven you, Abws evezythhg else be truly lavhg, for love ia the golden ohsin of all. the vidues, Let the harmony of God reign in your heart;s~ remembering that as members of the same body you are adled to live in harmow, and never forget to be thankful for what God has done far yourll P~ulfsrernarkabb discussion of the life the Christian is to live is a pattern and a chlbngea

If we are to be God's ambassadors, we are to set our mjsds and heart8 on thing8 %hat are abovem Havhg been crucifiad with Christ we shall surely live for him and with him.

The glory of life is brightest When the glory of self is am; And they have the most compelled me Who most have pointed to him. Thghave held mr stirred me, swayed me1 I have hung on their every word Till I fain would rise and follow Not $ham, not than but their Lord, Southern Baptist Convention RELEASE r A,M, ts Tuesday, May 13 Office of Press Representative Mr. Albert McClellan Mami -- 1952

THE QUICKENING PROCESS

by Ralph A. Herring

Ralph A4 Herring, pastor of the First-Baptist Church of Winston-Salm, North Carolina, is a native of that state and a graduate of Wake Forest College. He is also a graduate of Southern Seminary ard has an honorary D,D, degree from Wake Forestr He is a former president of the North Carolina Baptist Convention and a popular radio preacher*

So a130 it is written, the first man Adam became a living soul; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. -1 Corinthians 15145

rrhcrc is ~ccsniperable grandeur in the mighty sweep of God's redemptive purpose rc ~f~~lcd3.0 the observant eye by this text, In the chapter from which it is taken, Paul deals with the glories of the resurrection, that day of triumph, when dcnth, our last enem, shall be llswallowed up in victorytt (verse 54). In his approach, however, he harks back to creation, to the beginning when man stood fresh in the image of God, unsullied by sin -- a living soul. His next word reaches acro3s the flight of ages, dark with the dominlon of sin and death, to unfold the mystery of redemption. !!The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.'f From the consummation to creation, thence to the cross1 Such are the dimensions of the text; such is the depth of focus necessary if one is to appreciate the magnificent picture it presents.

One would despair of catching the meaning of such a text werc it not far the encouragement of that word, !!life-giving.11 It is not Iflife-nourishillg,lt not tl~trengthening,~!not even Iireviving;tl but Itlife-ilnparting.11 tlThe last Adam became a life-giving 3pirit.n The cry of a world, dead in trespasses and sins, is not for that which restores life but for that which imparts life, Impelled by thc haart-hung~r of those around us ard encouraged by God's own quickening Spirit, wc are emboldened to lay hold upon the provisions of this grand text*

One needs, however, a preliminary word or two by way of definition. kte that the word, il~pirit,ll is spelled with a little tls,tt Reference, thorefore, is not to the Holy Spirit. Neither is the idea one of spirit in contrast to matter, nor as contrasted to the flesh (a familiar Paulina concept); nor yet of spirit sepzrate from the body, as in death. Paul uses here tho word spirit as a person3 The highest -tribute that can be paid in the realm of personality is to say 6f om:, IlHe is a great 9pirit.n That means more than to descr*ibe his resources whether of wealth or intellect, or to recite his exploits. These are matters more or loss acci.denta1 in comparison to the essential realm of his being, the spirit of the mnhimself. Note also that the reference af the text is to the 11last Adam*" That means (more) Address -- Ralph A r Herring llThe Quickening Processn we are involved, In the New Testament, wherever "Adarntl is men2;Loned our kin- zip is stressed -- whether with the first Adam or the last. What the first Adam became, we became; and, by the grace of God, what the last 'Adam became, we may become also. We advance towards the goal of redemption in ths: extent to which each one of us becomes a life-giving splrit, -The Distinction -Drawn In this text note the distinction drawn between the realm of nature and the realm of redemption. The contrast betweenthc two is sharp and runs through the mjor portion of tho chapter. In order to understand this distinctianwc must know something about the two realms and th~;life of each.

Beginning with verse 35, Paul has a good deal to say about nature. He talks about seed .--a grain of wheat, or my be a grain of some other kind. Planted in the soil, its individuality will find expression in a new body which God hi*

self gives it, He talks about flesh -1 that of men, of beasts, of birds and. fishes, He gazes upward to the stars to draw a distinction between the torres- 9.91 and the celestial. He finds that even there, in thc expanse of the heavens above, llane star differeth from another in glol'ylt (verse kl). Then he talks a- bout the 1lnaturalbody~~-- that which is our heritage by process of nature* How at home God is in his wide untversel There can be no conflict with him between these two realm@, The words, tlnatural~land nsupernatura1,lI eldst for our benefit, not his, Paul irdicat~shere that all that is of nature is also of God, and we may safely proceed on that basis with one important proviso -- that we recognize the fact of sin, and the effect of its wrk, primarily in what we call tthuman nature,lt and secondarily in nature itself* Unlike man's appraisal of the rcalm of nature, God takes into full account the tragedy of sin which has overtaken the human race and cast its blight upon man's surroundings. In view of this tragedy he meets man no longer as he did dam, when hc walked with him in the cool of the day, on the basis of a natural relationship but on the basis of redemption. Into that realm one enters through a supernatural experience when he is llborn from above.tl It is 'Ithe kingdom of God,a B* Life in Each

Each realm has a life of .Its own, The fj,rst Adam became a living soul, The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. Two kinds of life are contrasted in thoso two terms. A living soul endures tk limits of the flesh; a life-giving spirit enjoys the liberty of the spirit. Contrast Adam and Jesus. Take Adam at his best, and consider him before thc fall, resplendent in the exercise of all the faculties of mnhood, made in the image of God, The highest tribute that can be paid him is that he is a living soul. He can fulfill and impart the life that is his by the processes of nature only. But look at Jesus, the last Adam. Life flows from the hem of his robe when it is touched in faith; from his hands as they are laid on fevered brows; from the words that fall from his lips. "1 am the Lifel" said he, and experience responds, IlArnenttl. On this plare Paul the prisoner, could plead with Philemon for a rumway slave, once nunprofit- abloll but now llprofitablett beyond all human evaluation, limy child whom I have begotten in my bonds* (Philemon 10-12). To impart this kind of life yields snt- isfactions that endure through all eternity,

The text before us, then, reveals thzt there are two realms existing side Address -- Ralph A. Herring uThe Quickening process^^ by side; it reveals, further, that while man may meet God in the realm of nature, he may work with him and live with him in the rcalm of redemption* 11. --The Order Indicated The order that exists in the relation of these two ~&almsto each other is of utmost importance so far as human experience is conc~rncd, kny who recogn.izc the distinction canfusc the order,

A. The Divine Scheme

Versc 46 reveals the divine schcme of things: IlThat is not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; then that which is spiritua1.t' The llfirst~l is ordinal, not cardinal -- first in God's way of doing things, not first in importance, The spirit is more importcnt than the body, just as eternity is is morc important than tim; but in God's arrangcmcnt it is time first, then eternity; the natural body, then the spiritual, The grain of heat is morc imb portant than the chaff, but the chaff comes first, To ministsr to a man's soul is more important than to minister to his body; but if a man is cold 2nd hungry, it is better to clothe and feed him b~foregiving him a sermon. Faith is greater than reason. It unlocks the door to richer treasure by far than any door which logic can open, There must be, however, a certain amount of reason first before faith can take hold.

The late Dr. Ellis A. Fuller gave this illustration concerning the relationship between faith and reason. A bird has both legs and wings. His wings make him at home in the heavens, and his lcgs make him at home on thc ground. He flies with his wings, but if someone breaks his legs he cannot fly. He needs them to get off the ground, %us mn soars on the wings of faith, but it is through his processes of thought that th~szving message inspires such response. With his reason stultified,his faith will. never take hold on tha word. Men must linderstand what we say before they can believe, and we will do well to recognize ,his fact,

A. Its Application to Us

It is imperative that we fit in with God's scheme of things and place the emphasis whcre he has put it. Almost unconsciously, because the 1lneturalfl comes first, we regard it as the most importznt. For that reason we often resi&GodJs weaning process and remain earthbound whcn ~3eshould fly, The time comes when he must stir our nests lika the eagle does with her over-cautious young. This was the trouble with the Galatian Christians, Paul asked them, llAre ye so foolish? having bagun in the Spirit arc yc now perfected in thc flesh (Gal. 3:3)? The tragedy with so many Christians todcy is that they have confused God's order. Having been saved by grace, they would bc sanctified by mrks. Although they have been born into the kingdom of God, they live by the standards of the world &bout them. Confusion is the incvitcble result.

Let us keep the divine order: first the natural, then the spiritual; remembering always that the meaning of tha natural is found in the spiritual, like the value of thc chaff is found in thc tiheat, 111, -The Process Dsscribed The text vbry definitely refers to a process at work when it says, "The !?st, Adam -became a life-giving spirit*" The gospel is good news most of all be- (more ) Pe 3 Address -- Ralph A, Hsrring WThc Quickening Process~l cause it makes available the power to become. Grace is concernad not so much with what we are now, but with what we may be, IIThou art Simon the son of John,ll Jesus said to Peter, Itthou shalt be called Cephasll (John lrb2).' His challenge is ever, llFollow me, and I will makc you to becomelt (Mark 1:17), Saul of Tarsus did so, and became Paul the Apostle to the Gentile s A. In Nature

Paul describes this quickening process first as it works in the realm of nature. To the inquirer he says, !!That which thou thyself sowest is not quickened except it die11 (I Cor. 15:37)# Jesus referred to the same principle operating in this realm when he said, fIV~rily,verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by its~lfalone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit11 (John l.4~24). The fact that the quickening process in nature is preceded by death awakens no aversion. Planting time is not a mournful season of the year, but a hopeful one bec~usees soon as the grain falls into the earth the quickening process begins, In a way the grain may be losing itself, but in a rmch more wonderful way it is finding itself n hundred fold, B. In Redemption

Only when thc sinner considers passing over from the rcalm of nature to enter the realm of redemption does objection come to thc dying process which precedes the quickening, The geteway is mzrked with blood and man shrinks from entering,

The last Adam became a life-giving spirit through his obcdiencc to the cross, 7tJithout his death there could hcve been no resurrection, either for him or for us, The quickening which he r:leased in the days of his flesh, and more completely aftcxwards, was the out-working of this principle, More fully than any other writor in the New Testament, Paul discusses this process, and mast of the time in terms of his awn experience, IlAlways bearing about in the bdy the dying (the putting to death) of he writes the Corinthians, athat the life also of Jesus may bc minifested in our body11 ( 2 Cor. 4:10), Paul cheer- fully accepted the trials through which he passed as a part of the-dying process: The interpretation he gave th~mcaused him to say, 1lSo then, doath worketh in us, but life in you1 (2 Cor. 4:12). Thzt bras e~ctlythe effect he wanted,

The kind of death that brings life to others is seen in the cross of Christ. For the Christian, thc experience of thzt cross is at once an act and an attitude, a crisis which unfolds in a process, The death which begins to take effect when the believer first accepts Christ mst bc vmought by daily cxperiecc throughout his entire being until every vestigc of sclf-will his felt its cffcct. Trials ard adversities serve the advantage of exposing that self-will so that hc can turn it ovcr to the Spirit of God and let him deal with it through the cross (Romans 8:13).

In the tratrnent of a disease the physician must first isolatc the germ, Then he mst fi.nd a wzy of dealing death to that germwithout at thc same time injuring the patient, Gad faces the same kind of problem in decling dcath to thc sin that still lingers with us. He must destroy it without at the same time destroying the nerve of our own initiative, The cross stands rcady for this business, but before it becomes effective in us, we must choose to have it so, When wc make that choice the quickening process is bound to follow,

All of us have felt the quickcning touch of George Mathasonls great hymn, "0 Love that Will not Let Me Go," Fewer of us, however, know the story back of (More ) P* 4 Address - Ral~hA. Hcrrina Vhe Quickenix Processll it which reveals the secret of its remarkable effect. George $iathesan was barn in Scotland more than a hundred years agor He was a brilliant lad8 entering the University of Glasgow at fifteen and graduating at nineteen years of age. In early manhood a gnat affliction cnst its shadow over &tin. His eyesight began to fail rapidly, and there caw a time when his physicians told him he had but six months remaining before the night of total blindness overtook him, About that tlm~the young Lady to whm he was engaged is said to have relarncd his ring with a letter saying, 111 just cannot see qy way clear to go through life bound by chains of marriage to a blind rnmI1, Qut of that crushing exporienoc George igiatheson walked by way of the cross into the mdemption realm beyond* And he wrote those stanzas we all love so much, the last of which discloses so beautifully the quickening process;

"0 Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to hide from Thee; I lay in dust lifers glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red Life th~tshdl cndless beet!

Not one of us has ever met George latheson. Hc iived in a land beyond the sea and at s tim before our own, Yct each of us has read his words and caught his spirit* We clasp invisible hands across the miles and the years between to feel his quickening touch and salute with gratitude a life-giving -spirit, Our living rnus t have graatcr depth to reflect the grandeur of such a picture as the text presents, The noblest privilege God extends to rn is the privilege ta becomc what his Son became. He extends that privilege tbrou& the cross& As many as enter into the death of Jesus may pass out of the dominion of a nature ruined now by sin -- into the realm of redemption, the Kingdgm of God* There he may enjoy life not only as a living soul, ht also -- and infinih2y mom - as a life-giving spirit* Southern Ba~tistConvention 'm RZLEASE: ror P.M. Is, Tuesday, May 12 Office of ~EessRepresentative MI-. Albert McClellan Miami -- 1952

THE CHURCH STAFF

by-Ernest J. Loessner

Ernest J, Loessner, minister of education of the First Baptist Church in Amarillo, Texas, is a native of Florida and a graduate of the University of Florida. After study at Southern Seminary, Louis- ville, he has become one of the conventionls leading educational ministers, having worked in churches in Louisville, Ky., Little Rock, Ark., and Houston, Tex., before moving to Amarillo in 1950. He is to spend six weeks this summer in Sunday school institutes in South America, sponsored by the Texas Baptist Sunday School Con- vention of which he was president last year. ###

Baptist church buildinqs fifty years ago were chiefly houses of worship with several small rooms tacked on for use by the junday school. Tlese buildings were adequate in their day because they represented the church's conception of a program. Today our churches not only erect great houses for worship, but also great educational plants to enable the churches to reach the masses for Bible study, training, and mission study. The church with but an auditorium and a few classrooms needed only a pastor, a choir master, and a sexton. Some few of them had a sscretary. Nowadays with our yogressive program of religious education, graded choirs, recreational programs, and the like, we have of necessity changed our conception of a church staff. A church with an agressive program of reaching, teaching, winning, indoctrinating, and enlisting people cannot get by with the staff of a few years ago.

Many of our churches are failing to grow and failing to enlist the members because they are shortsighted in their conception of a staff. Many pastors complain of being over- worked and report very little progress in the life of their churches because of a lack of help on the church staff.

The linking of an adequate teaching and training program with our preaching program has built large churches. Twenty-five years ago the churches in Texas with membership of 7'50 and up constituted 1.4b per cent of the total number in the state. Now more than 10 per cent of the total number of churches in Texas have membership of 750 and above, These growing churches demand skilled and trained staff members to assist the pastor in direcb- ing the activities of the total church program. -An Adequate- Staff--

It is hard to state just *at size a church staff ought to be and what type of worker ought to be on the staff. The location, size, opportunity, vision, and ability of the church will larqely determine the size and type of staff. There are, however, several fundamntal staff members needed in all churches.

1. Pastor, 1d-10 is undershzpherd, overseer, and administrator.

2. Educational director or minister of education. He oftentimes serves as pastor's associate or pastor1s assistant. He ought to direct the total educational program of the church and have the privilege of serving as Sunday school superintendent and or Training Union director if he so desires. He ought to be given as much fr~edomin determining the policies of the educational program as. the pastor is qhen in his preaching and in determining general church policies. In a large church, the educational director will need several associates who will work under his supervision. We refer to these associates as age group supervisors. In the church I serve, we have three such workers -- nursery,begin- ner director, primary-junior director, and yoath director for intermediates and young pep*. These workers are specialists in their field. They work with the leadership of the Sunday school, Training Union, and W.P.U. Their task is that of enlistment, training, and super- , vision. We believe they are a positive asset to our work and more than pay their own sala- ries through the people they enlist for the program of the church. It is generally accepted that age group workers are more effective than workers employed for special organizatioq

3, Music director and organist.

4. Secretarial staff, Oftentimes educational workers are nothing more than glorified secretaries sixrrply because the church does not afford adequate secretarial staff. Church- es need from one to six or seven fulltime secretaries, including a financial secretary. (more) 1 Address -- Ernest 3. Loessner ''The Church Staff"

~ 5. Janitorial help.

I I 6. Kitchen supervisor or dietician and helpers. Type of Personnsl

I believe in a called church staff. I know that God has just as definitely called me to serve him as an educational director as he has called you to preach the gospel. 1 believe every member of the church staff ought to be a called person, God calls secretarial help just like he calls preachers or missionaries. Many of our staff difficulties stem out of situations where people are employed to do church work, but have never been called of the Lord. "We are laboras together with God.'# All Christian workers have the same common tasks. These tasks may differ in kind but their ultimate purpose is the same . All Christian work should contribute to the one great central, all inclusive task -- to reach, teach, win, train, and induct into everyday Christian livinq and service as many individuals as possible, The common task of all is full and complete evangelism and saving of both soul and lif~.

For example, in preparation for a rzvival, I balieve that the young lady who types the prospect cards is having just as definite a part in the winning of souls as the one who goes into the home to talk to a lost person about the Saviour. Every staff member ought to feel a sense of mission,

In recent years many of our pastors vho believc in a divine call have used money as a basis for trying to move educational workers from one church to another. Oftentimes a preacher will give more prayer, time, and thought to the selection of an adult Bible teacher or of a new deacon than he will to the selection of an educational director. Too often pastors employ educational workers without having aw understanding with them as to their duties or their privileges, and after a few months the pastor moves among his friends trying to find someone to get the young man a call to another church. This is not right. I believe that I can safely say that much of the cause of difficulties which have arisen on church staffs between pastor and staff members is due to the shortsightedness, failure to przy and plan on the part of the pastor. Many tines pastors will bring in educational workers or other staff members with an understanding of definite work to be done, but vhen the man arrives on the field, he discovers the pastor will not turn loose the ropes and give him freedom and, therefore, finds his hands tied,

I believe the staff members ought to be trained for the task because a call to service' from God is always a call to train, I have known a good many cases where a young man in the local church is able to give a good davotional, has a pleasing appearance, and lives a consecratcd life. One day he finds hinself in the pastor's study with a proposition that he become tho educational director. This young man is flattmed and before ha knows it, he has accepted the position with no training, no understanding of educational plms, Baptist Sunday school and Training Union methods, or our denominational life. After six to twelve months the pastor discovers hc has made a mistake; the young man is disheartened and hc either has to go back into the business world or move to another church,

I believe that our pastors in extending an invitztion to young people to surrender their lives to fulltime Christian service ought not only to mention the preaching ministry and the work of missionaries, but they ought to challenge young people to give their lives as educational workers, secretaries, musicians, and the like, and ought to urge their young people to attend college and seminary for full end complete training. I also believe that everyone of our seminaries ought to have a school of religious education that would offer our young people opportunity to train themselves for lifetime service, I have no doubt but that our pastors would be greater prophets if they had trained, consecrated leadership to stand by their sides and to unburden them with the tasks of organization, records, and the like. Therefore, my plea this morning is that we will re-think the mattzr of lay-ministers and workers in the churches and that we will look only for God-called men and women for places of service in our churches. Let us also insist that our seminaries offer our choice young peo?le the very best in training for the fields of religious education, music, secretarial work, and the like, for we are workers together with God. Southern Baptist Conven@on REWSE:a P.m. Tuesday, May 13.

Off ice of press Xepressntat ive (Radios hold until 2 p.m.) + Mr. Albert McClellan Miami -1952

HOW TO HAVE AN HOUR OF POWER

by John E. Huss

John E. Huss is pastor of the Southside Baptist Church, Spartan- burg, South Carolina. His ItHour of Power" is probably the largest Wednesday evening prayer service in a Southern Baptist church, Educated in Carson Newman College, Jefferson City, Tennessee, and Southern Seminary in Louisville, he has been preaching since his ordina5ion in 1933. He is the author of The Hour of Power (1945) and Ideas For a Successful Pastorate, scheduled for p~blicationin the fall,

ItBut ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is cone upon yo~.~l--Acts1:8

History reveals that God has always called out men to perform certain spe- cialized tasks. God called Abraham to pioneer in the field of faith. He called Moses to deliver a people out of bondage, He called Isaiah to prophecy concerning the coming Christ. He called Saul of Tars-JS to be a mighty missionary, and an even mightier man with the pen. He called Simon Peter-so that Pentecost would have a powerful preacher,

The same God is still on His throne. God is in control. God still calls men who excel in some particul?r trait of lesdership, A casual study of the present leadership in the religious world will reveal how God is using men, Among the outstanding men are some who are eloquent and dynamic pulpiteers, others ~vhoare doing a tremendous job because they are strong organizers. Some men are outstanding in building great Sunday Schools, while others lead the way in Training Union work. Some men are proficient in leading a church to new peaks in the matter of stewardship, others gain fame as denoninational servants. Preachers must be so trained as to do an acceptable job in all phases of the work, but usually a man's strangth will be in one direction.

God has laid it upon this preacher's heart to promote the Kingdom work in his church undergirded by a strong mid-week meeting known as The Hour of Power. It has been his idea to proaote the entire Southern Baptist Program and use the mid-week service to supply the prayer power, and as a means of disseminating information, instruction, an? inspiration.

The Hour of Power is fifteen years old. The program has successfully stood the test of time, In an eight year, nine month ministry at Latonia Baptist Church, Covington, Kentucky, The Hour of Power averaged 500 persons a week in attendance. There were 12 occasions in which there were more than 1,000 people present, There were over 1,900 additions to the church, Latonia grew from a church of 982 men- bers to one of 2,114 members as of January 1, 1950, The Hour of Power has reached higher heights at Southside Baptist Church, Spartanburg, South Carolina. The average attendance for the past two years has been around 600, The record attendance is 1,936, established January 30, 1952. In two years more than 1,000 people have united with the church. Over one period them were 217 consecutive services with a response to the invitation,

The only reason these statistics are cited is to give proof that The Hour of Power can energize, vitalize and "powerizet' a Ncw Testament Church. There is a definite connection between the evangelistic victories and the prayers of the people . To encourage any fellow pastors who may be interested in changing the mid- week prayer service into The Hour of Power these two divisions of thought are presented:

I. The Benefite of The Hour of Power. 11, The Best Way (I Know; to Have an Hour of Power.

- more - Address--John E, hss, ttHow to Have an Hour of Powertt

THE BENEFITS OF THE: HOUR OF POWER 1. The Hour of Power supplies power for the entire church organization. 2. The Hour of Power will stimulate the pastor to greater achievements for Christ. 3. The Hour of Power helps produce an environment of love in a church. 4. The Hour of Power affords a splendid opportunity for vital instruction. 5, The Hour of Power can be another great evangelistic opportunity. 6, The Hour of Povrcr promotes democracy in a church. 7, The Hour of Polvex helps solve financial problems. 8. The Hour of Power builds up church loyalty.

THE BEST WAY (I KNOW) TO HAVE AN HOUR OF POWER

One thing can be said in favor of these suggestions. They have worked! I believe they will work for awone else who conscientiously puts them into practice. The real secret of the success of The Hour of Power is the spirit a pastor has toward the service, aw and all methods are secondary to that, 1. Create a desire in your own heart to have an Hour of Power in your church. 2. Preside over The Hour of Power in your church auditorium. 3. Give the mid-week service a name, At Horse Cave, Kentucky, in the year 1937, the name for the prayer service was born. The name, The Hour of Power, flashed into the writer's mind as he was reading Dr. R. C. Campbellls splendid volume on the Book of Acts, entitled The Coming Revival. As soon as the name registered in the mind, there was a definite conviction that thia could be a wonderful name for the prayer service. The past years have justified that conviction.

Feel free to use this name, if you so desire. Churches of all sizes and denominations throughout America have adopted the name as the one best suited for the mid-week meeting. Whether you choose this name or not, be sure to select some appropriate name, Here are some suggestions: "The Sweetest Hour of the Week, It "The Believer's Hour,It !'The Faith and Fellowship Hour," "The Mountain Top Hour,I1 '!The King's Business Hour.It

For a long time Hollywood has profited because of the value of good names, Not maw would attend a movie to see Archibald Leach and Lucille LeSeur in a picture. But they would go to see Cary Grant and Joan Crawford. As a matter of fact the latter names are the professional names for Mr. Leach and Miss LeSeux.

Shakespeare said, I1A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,tt This is true, but any other name would not sound as sweet. The name Coca Cola is worth multiplied millions as a trade mark, When you think of ''the pause that refreshest1you immediately think of Coca Cola, Why not make use of the same psychology to advance the Lord's work? The Hour of Power can be associ- ated with the time for prayer, 4. Make use of your people at The Hour of Power. A great church is a working church.

(1) Have your church select another group of ushers to serve anly on Wednesday nights. (2) Organize an Hour of Power Choir, ages 17-25. (3) Organize an Intermediate Choir, also a Junior Choir. These choirs can be used to sing choruses at The Hour of Power. (4) Plan a program that calls for ten second testimonies, Ask people, What are you happy about? Tell us about it.'! Allow about ten people to give such a testimony, You accomplish two things, you give people an opportunity to express themselves, and at the same time benefit by the testimony.

- more - - Address--John E. to Have an Hour of Powerl1 a

5. Use numbers as a means to an end. In other words count the congregation each Wednesday night. The Hour of Power can be benefited by proper use of numbers just as the Sunday School and the Training,Union benefit. 6. Promote The Hour of Power from the pulpit. Uaking attractive pulpit announcements is an art, An otherwise pleasing worship service is marred in many cases by announcements that are awkwardly handled.

7. Provide time for prayer at The Hour of Power. Plan a meditation period at The Hour of Power. During this period read off the names of the sick, the shut-ins, the service men. Spend some quiet moments in prayer. Call on people to lead in prayer. Ask for volunteers to lead in prayer. Use sentence prayers. Vary the procedure from week to week.

If there are 600 people present at The Hour of Power and only five minutes were given to prayer, that would represent 3,000 minutes of prayer or 50 hours of prayer. The power comes in proportion to the the spent in prayer, 8. Magnify the Word of God at The Hour of Power. The exposition of the Word of God is the secret of holding the people who attend The Hour of Power.

9. Have occasional special features at The Hour of Power. Here are some ideas, you may have better ones: (1) Introduce some patriotic features in The Hour of Power. Call the roll of the boys in the service. Send out invitations to their parents and friends to be in the service. Read excerpts from letters from service men. (2) Occasionally observe the ordinances on Wednesday night. Both baptism and the Lord's Supper can be beautifully observed on Wednesday as well as Sunday. (3) Plan a music program. (4) Invite neighboring choirs as guests at your service. Make use of college choirs, hospital choirs. (5) Feature soloists, duets, and quartets at The Hour of Power. (6) Have guest speakers once in a while.

10, Give an invitation at The Hour of Pomer,

Just one more hint about The Hour of Power. Always start on time and finish on time. Southern Baptist Convention RELEASE: For P,Ms., Tuesday, Office of Press Representative ky 13. &. Albert IdcClellan Miami -1952

A CORRELATED CHURCH PROGRAM

by Allen W. Graves

Dr. Allen W. Graves, pastor of the hanuel Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a native of Arkansas and lived his early life in Illinois. He is a graduate of Southern Illinois University and Southern Seminary in Louisville, He is active in writing, speaking and other denominational work both in his state and out. He was a member of the Sunday School Board staff for two years and has been pastor in Illinois, KentucQ, Florida and Virginia. He came to Tulsa in 1950.

I. A SCRIPTURAL PROGRAM

When requested to speak here today, I was assigned the subject, "A Great Church Program1'. I requested that the subject be changed, not because the New Testament program assigned to all the churches by our Lord is not a great program, but because of the implication that the program of Immanucl Baptist Church in Tulsa is superior to that which hundreds of our Baptist churches are working at evexy day. The smallest rural church can become a great church if it is true to the New Testament Program given by our Lord. I like to think of the program of the church, our church, any church, as being a Scriptural program,

The contribution of our generation has largely been in the attention given to the Scripturally assigned program of the church. Jesus gave the church a program. Everything we do in our churches should be designed to carry out the in- structions and commandments of Christ concerning the church. But, alas, many churches have forgotten what Jesus said about the church and its work, Many are long on orthodox beliefs but short on orthodox practice. To fail to make disciples, to teach them to observe all things Jesus has commanded is as serious as failure at some doctrinal point, "If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them" (John 13: 17) Jesus said.

11. A COMPLETE CHURCH PROGRAM

1. A Great Church Program should be extensive enough to reach everyone. People, individual people, people in families, people with souls--these are the ultimate objectives we seek to reach. People are not made for the program--but the progTam to reach and serve the people.

(1) In the reah of evangelism and missions, it must know no barriers. It is concerned about lost people, whether they,be in Africa, Miami, Tulsa, or Spring Creek.

(2) In ministering to the needs through the local church, it must persistently seek to reach the last member of the church, to enlist every possible prospect, to train and develop everyone it reaches. "The best that we have for all that we have." The churches should lead in the rediscovery of the individual. We deal, not with members but souls, individual souls, each of infinite value in the oight of our Lord.

2. A Great Church Program must be intensive enough to develop everyone.

(1) 'vk use them or lose them, is trite but true. In dealing with our non- resident members, we discovered that the non-resident member was often inactive before he moved away. Obviously, vfe cannot teach effectively the people we do not reach, who do not attend.

(2) Such development of the church members transforms indifference into enthusiastic support. "People are usually down on what they are not up on,If President Lincoln was being urged to get rid of some of his uncooperative, un- friendly cabinet members, and others in his administration. 'Am I not as truly getting rid of my enemies if I make them my friends?'" was Lincoln's reply.

WE can overcome the lethargy, indifference, and antagonism of the ltdead-r~oodtt in our churches by enlisting them in an agressive, fruitful, Scriptural church program. - more - Address--AX~.P~T, Graves. ItA Correlated Church Proeramtt

(3) TI? believc in the priesthood of every believer, without the necessity of any inter;n;diary save Jesus Christ between the soul and his God. This calls for redwrned, intelligent, and informed Christians.

3. A Creat Cb.urc:i Program must be pl.anned and correlated so as to provido for eve.ryonc,

Therz is a plnc~for effective mork for each of our denominationally promoted church orgnnisati.ons. Our difficulties stem, not from too many organizations, but from poorly planned schedules, untrained leadership, and lack of definite objectives.

4 A church program ought not to keep the families of church members so busy that they ha-~en-, t5ne -lo spend at home, ::3 put as much of our busy program as possible into ITednesday night and Sunday, We cccourzge our church families to spend at least one night; a x~ekat hone in family fellov~ship,family fun, and family worship.

111. THE I1?MWL PROGRAM

1, k il:li17 g:?nf4.d minist7 in six ma,jor areas; v:orship, Bible study, Christian training, mission;, m~sic,and recreation.

IT.: nnl-e no c'~??:gjr in offsring to orr people a busy chrcYLprogram. We are s ;-r.gly fo1.l in,: r,he Iiew Tes twent pat.t,crn.

Ti73 ,:1,':-ch .in Je;~l79?e~had a b!~sy progrzm, L3:ka tells us that "day by +?ytt the ~ont;~,n?dst~~dCsstly with one accord., .a~dth3 Lord added to them day by day t\osc -trnt -<;era ct~~r?rill(Acts 2 :b5-$7); ~ndag-tin "And cvrerpday, in the temple, an1 at horne, thy censr2 not to teach and to pi-each Jesus as the Christ" (Acts 5:42),

3, A r1;.~i,'1 c:;lte=eL prcrgram. The Cccvention this year is very wisely using the theme, ttiBg;iiflrj'12 t'le Churchi:, 1% ougllt to magnify the church. That wh :ch magnifies Chris5 will magnify Eis church, That v~iiichignores, and belittles, or abuse; tl~~ch1r~c11:, ignorcs, Sslittlcs, and abnses Christ the head of the church,

Evcr;.t11.ing lr3 rlo at T~nanu.;l inagril'ics the church. The recreation program magnifies She ch~~rch,the sic progsaI.1 is c'lurc:~ccntcred, not an extraneous importation, but a vL-tal part of thc cliurch at !rror!., No one can be a member of our S2.nctu:-try C:~oj.r l,ho is not an active, loyal church nzcmber, and there are now more than a dozen pecple or1 the waiting list to get into thi~eighty-one voice chcir, one of six choirs in our church xsic program.

The visita','.cn pi'ogram magnifies the ck-urch, Whcn we go out each Tuesday on visitation day, we 20, rl>s?cscnting not just a particular class, union, or age group, but scclc-ing tbc full pa~ticlplt~ionof thosc IW enlist in the total life of all thr= church,

Thr: r21 j P; TI-. *Z.lsa tion progym is church centered, church controlled, church con:ri 9-.,

The prograr: of evangelism is church centered, New converts, upon presenting themselves for chq:xch membership arc asked to publicly co~mitthemselves to participate iz-.-ard actively support--the whole church program, with the pastor spell- ing out in <.otall what that involves, It ought to mean something to join a Baptist chirrl?. Yreltr T . xbbe~z slllmld kr,ow that they are joining all of the church, and not ;,:st f,liz ...o; r,ins ;orchi? scrvice, or the anr~alrevival meeting.

0(, .c-;~r -ct -?'fitics are ch~nrchcentered. Ink encourage support of church- spcnsored iris-inn projects, wc participate in th:: church-directed Associational mis:iion progrc,m, 11-~ingorganized from missions th:- :: thriving young churches in the ~astten 'lice encourag,? support of our denominational missioiz work, its radio ministry, ctc, hr A corrclata? cinistry. All activities in each of these six areas are so scheduled that aryone in any of the various age groups can participate in a11 the activities pro~ridedfor that Lge group without conflicting with other church activities.

No choir rehearsals are scheduled during meetings of other organizations, No missionary z?zxiliaries conflict with othsr activities.

- more - P. 2 Address--Allen W. Gravep1IA Correlated Church Programf1

IV. THE IMMAmL SCHZDULE

I should like now to present what we hope soon to have ready for visual presentation in a film strip being preparsd by the Promotion Department of our Home Mission Board. I would like to have you visit Immanuel and look in on the various activities in progress during a rapresentativo week in the schedule of the church,

(1) 1% shall begin Viednesday morning at 3:00 a.m. with the staff conference. We begin with Bible reading and prayer. Then follows a discussion of plans, problems, the calendar of activities, and other matters necessary to keep the many activities of Imrnanuel all working together in a correlated, smoothly functioning, graded ministry serving the needs of all.

Wednesday night is a full program. It begins at 5:00 p.m. with the Intermediate R.Aels and G.Aals. At 5:40 p.m. dinner is served cafeteria style, at cost, to all in the church family desiring to attend.

While the line is going around to be served, the Einister of Education is meeting with the department superintendents of the Sunday School for a fifteen minute conference outlining the plans for the coming week, to be passed on to the thirty- three departments in their meetings following supper. At 6:OO they come down and are served, At 6:lO new church members are welconied. They have been given com- plimentary tickets to their first Piednesday night dinner. Visitors are recognized. At 6:15 Intermediates go to Chapel Choir rehearsal, Juniors to the G.A, and R.A. Meetings, and the younger children to Sunbeam meetings and the babies to the nursery.

From 6:15 to 6:30 the Minister of Education, Pastor, and general Sunday School Superintendent present matters of interest and importance to the entire Sunday School; at 6:30 all the Sunday School workers go to their several departments for a forty-five minute departmental meeting. Those who are not in the Sunday School departmental meetings, the missionary auxiliaries or the Chapel Choir are invited to visit the church library or to attend a training course book taught by the pastor during this period.

At 7115 all come to the sanctuary for the mid-week worship service of prayer, praise, and Bible study. This service is followed by the rehearsal of the Sanctuaw Choir, composed of young people and adults. The nursery, supervised by paid workers, is kept open from 5:30 until the close of the last choir rehearsal.

As can be seen, as many group meetings as possible are held on Wednesday evening. This is for two basic reasons; it provides more nights during the week when all the family can be at home together, and it prevents repeated trips to the church for only a part of the family. We have come to think of Vfednesday night as most churches think of Sunday morning and Sunday evening--as a time when all the church family is provided for, and expected to attend. An attendance record is made in each organization meeting and a report made at the prayer meeting hour.

(2) Weekday activities of the W.M.S. and its auxiliaries include the general and circle meetings of the W,M,S, on Thursdays, the Business Women's circles on Eionday nights, the Y.W.A.'s, two of which meet on Nonday nights and another on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Other auxi1ari.e~meet on IVednesday night as indicated above,

The Brotherhood holds a monthly dinner meeting on Tuesday nights, followed by Brotherhood visitation.

(3) Weekday recreational activities include scheduled games 'and practices of the three softball and hardball teams in season, the basketball team, and the numerous socials conducted by the various departments and classes and missionary organizations, A youth fellowship hour also follows the Sunday evening services.

(4) Tuesday is visitation day. Groups gather for the visitation assignment at 9;30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 6:45 p.m. On the first Tuesday in each month the Sunday School gives special emphasis to prospect visits, on the second Tuesday the Brotherhood visits prospects, on the third Tuesday the Vf.M.U., and on the fourth Tuesday the Training Union. This is in addition to visitation of absentees promoted weekly. One of the staff secretaries keeps the master file for visitation up to date, records the reports of visits, and assigns new prospects to appropriate groups. - more - P. 3 Address--Allen W. Graves, ''A Correlated Church Program"

A vital part of the total visitation ministry is that rendered by the Exten- sion department and the Cradle Roll department. (5) Sunday is a great day at hanuel. It starts early with early morning worship service at 8130 a.m. Until a new sanctuary seating more than 2,000, now in the planning stages, is completed it will be necessary to conduct two morning worship hours, one preceding and the other following Sunday School, The first service lasts fifty minutes, Sunday School begins at 9:30 a.m. and the second worship service at 11:OO. Tho second worship hour is broadcast over a 50,000 watt station for the full hour.

The Immanuel Training Union, which leads the state in attendance, meets at 6:30 p.m. and the evening worship hour follows at 7:30.

Two choral groups rehearse each Sunday afternoon--the Young People's choir from four to five otclock and the Junior Carol Choir from 5:30 to 6:15 p,m. Over 400 people are enroled in the six choirs, the Rhythm Band, and the three quartets included in the Immanuel music program.

Other meetings held regularly on Sunday afternoon are: the Deacon's Meeting, on the first Sunday afternoon in each month; the Youth Council and the Life Service Band meeting on al-ternate Sunday afternoons.

Once each month the Church Council meets from 5:00 until 6:15 p.m. We shall say more about this important organization presently.

On the last Sunday evsning each month the Training Union Executive Committee meets, followed by the monthly Business and Program Planning meeting for the Training Union. These occupy the hour and a half preceding 'the regular Training Union meeting.

V. THE VALUE OF THE CHURCH COUNCIL

How can such a busy program be directed and promoted?

1. The most vital factor is capable leadership. Vie count ourselves most fortunate at hanuel in having a capable, consecrated staff. I feel they are essential to the intensive program vue maintain.

2. The next most important factor is the Church Council. This is an organization that any church, large or small, can and should have. You can do much more than you think you can in any church, if you will plan and work together. The combined wisdom and ideas of all the church leaders is likely to be sound and the habit of planning and working together will tie every phase of the church program on to the rest of the church.

A good Scriptural example is found in the lesson Idoses learned from his father- in-law, Jethro, as recounted in Exodus 13:13-27.

The Church Council is composed of the Pastor, Minister of Education, Minister of Music, Chairman of Deacons, Sunday School Superintendent, Training Union Director, W.M.U. president, and Brotherhood president, IVe also add the director of visual aids (who happens also to be church treasurer), the Chairman of the Building and Grounds Committee, the Finance Committee Chairman, and our Church Hostcss.

The Church Council meets monthly in advance of the Deacons' Meeting. They usually have several recommendations Lo be presented to the deacons and church business session for approval.

Thc purposes of the Church Council might be outlined as follows:

(1) To determine objectives. They study the needs in the realms of evangelism, Christian training at home and at the church, missions, and Christian living and then set objectives for the church program.

(2) They plan the church program. Having determined the objectives, they lead in securing the staff, space, organizations and trained leadership necessary for their attainment. They seek to provide a fully graded ministry in the six major areas of worship, Bible study, Christian training, Missions, music, and recreation. - more - PO 4 Address--Allen W. Graves, llA Correlated Church Programtt0

(3) They correlate the work. This is accomplished by setting up a church calendar, by assignment of responsibility to proper organizations for the achievement of the major objectives, by the determination of the most effective use of available space and equipment, and the setting of meeting times for each organization.

() They evaluate results, analyzing reasons for success or failure. Through persistent, prayerful effort a way is found to meet the total needs of all the church family.

3. A correlated program of work is possible in aqy church. It will require planning, leadership, training and work, Through a correlated program we can enlist more of our membership in places of definite responsibility, we will achieve the scriptural ministries assigned to the church by our Lord, we will reach more people for Christ and the church. "It is wiser to get ten men to work than to do ten men's work" we are told.

A well organized church program working together under the leadership df the pastor and the Church Council will actually lighten the load of the pastor. &st of the headaches and heartaches of the pastor could be prevented or solved by careful prayerful planning with the leaders of the church.

A complete church program honors the Lord as it seeks to reach every member Itteaching them to observe a11 things whatsoever he has commanded us.t1 5outh;n Baptist conventid [email protected].~S, Tuesday, May 13. Office of Press Re~resentative Mr. Albert McClellan Miami -- 1952 KEEPING THE CHURCH ROLL CLEAN

by Robzrt E. Humphrsys

Dr. Robzrt E. IIumyhrcys, pastor of th; First Baptist Church of Owensboro, Kentucky, is a nativc of Tennessee and a graduat:? of Carson-Newman College and Southwn Bap- tist Seminary in Louisville. He was a Tennessee pastor before going to the Owensboro church in 1927. ###

If you are sccking a subject without source material, this is it. If you are seeking 2 subject without emotional appeal, this is it. In tho discussion of this topic there can ba no hope of producing tears. Neverthcless, the problem of a clean church roll is a crying matter, 2nd can be presented tearfully.

We havc been short-sighted, Our attention has been centered largely on the imme- diate. We have been like the farmer v,hose only concern is to get from his farm next month what he puts into it this month. We pastors have erred greatly in that our major thought has bczn current increase in number, rather than enlistmant and development. Major 2mphasis on enlistment and training calls for hard work, patience, perspective, and courage - courage to suffer unfavorable compqrison sts-tistically while we are engaged in the primary work of making strong ;3nd productive members. In the words of one of our leaders of the past generation, tlVJe have counted numbers, now let us make numbers count.

we nasd to study the strategy of Jesus in making disciples. He preached to all, invited all. However, in the beginning his first concern was not the number but the quality - hence his careful training of thc few who, because of that training, did so well multiplying themselves, as shown by results in the first century,

At long last attention is being centzred on tho problem of nun-resident members and enlistment. Southern Baptist lezdcrs, and some of our churches and pastors are giving serious thought to thl problem. Various agsnciss and publications are dealing with it. The Home Mission Board has made enlistment of unaffiliated Baptists a part of its five year crusade program. Our South~rnBaptist Conv2ntion Executive Committee has recently adopted a series of recommendations made to it by a comrnittcc on non-resident church members. Thcss recomrnendet ions embody publicity, indoctrination and certain methods, It is also proposed that South~rnBaptists conduct a special "Join the Church Week" Sept- ember 14-21, 1952. During this week special effort will be made to enlist all non- resident members. A goal of 250,000 transfers of membership by letter will be set for this period. Every agcncy of tha Southern Baptist Convention and thc? state conventions is cxpccted Lo cooperate in the drivz,

Marc than one-fourth of Southern Baptists, ap approximately two million, are non- resident. Two million lost to tho cause. Two million unaffiliated with local churches in their communities, Two million, who for the most port, inactive, Think of an army with one-fourth of its soldiers incapacitated. Think of a firm employing thousands, with one-fourth of its employees unproductive, If all unaffiliated Baptists were active membcss where thoy ought to ba, not only would our churches and thc cause be greatly strcngthencd, but the hands of the pastors and all church visitors vould be free to give more and much needed attention to the lost, I~Jaddition to this great problem of non- resident members, each church has a number of rasidcnt members who are inactive,

Tho church of which I am pastor has far from a perfect record in dealing with the problem of non-resident members. Howcvcr, it can claim to have taken the problem seriws- ly md to have done some things about it which may be worthy of mention.

In 1937, we had a large number of non-resident rnnmbers, the accumulation of years. Aftcr months of time and much effort vrz secured the correct addresses of the majorihy, We also found that some had died and some had joined other churches,

We then sent a lettcr to each onc, calling attention to the problem of nofl-resident membbcrs :~ndsuggesting that he or she call for his or her lettt~and place it in the church in the community where he or she resided. It was stated in the letter that if them lrrcro special reasons for remaining a ncmbsr of our church, such as not living within rcsch of another Baptist church, we should bn informed, Many responded and asked for their letters for thc purpose of uniting with the churches in the communities whcre they livcd, To those vho did not respond, a second lattzr want out, to which some answers wcrc received, requesting lettzrs. Aftcr a reasonable time, a third and final letter was sent and a few more responded requesting their letters, (more) -4 -.iiddress - Dr. Rob~rtE, H eys "Koaping the Church Roll C

This correspondence required about eighteen months. When it was finished there -~;.:r?257 from whom we had not heard. These were pr,:sented to the deacons and in turn tl-c descons recommended to the church that their names be dropped for non-attendance 2nd non-support, with the provision that if any of thzm requested lettcrs 2t any time in the futurn it would be evidcncc of nzw intarest 2nd rededication, and their names -c:rould be rsstored to tha roll and lcttzrs granted. A few have wittsn and we have restored th3ir names and granted their letters. In 1943 the same plan was carried out and rcsulted in granting a number of lettzrs and ths exclusion of 43.

In all, several hundred letters were .mittsn to non-rasident members; and the majority who replied took full responsibility for their negligence. I do not recall one vho sholrmd rcsentment. Dua to the situation created for nany members by World War IS and certain delays, me havo had an interval unusually long between revision efforts; but raccntly we began another round of letters with the same thing in view,

If vie had not followed the course as presented or some such course, our church riL?mbcrshipwould now total considorably morz than 3,000 and approximately 900 of these ~~ouldbe non-resident,. As it is, we have a pres2nt membership of 2,424. Exclusive of bgys in service, our non-resident, rnembzrship is 384. When we have had time to conrpl~te ;:i?thcr round of lettors this number will bc greatly reduced.

Them csn be no solwtion to this problem apart from an educational process. The --onotion of our proczduro of revision; publicity in the church bulletin; statemznts iron thc pulpit, public cornendation for those who move their memberships without delay, havc crcct:d a consciousness ccnccrning this m>.ttzr and now our non-resident member probl~mhas become greatly simplifi2d. In his lcttcr to new members, the pastor of one of' our largcst churchos, tactfully sugzests, thst if the time should come when the new ::.--nbcr should find it necessary to mom from the city, he or she also transfn his or Aicrchurch mcnbership. Anoth3r pastor, in a service in which sovzral were received for wmbcrship, mad? brief but appropristc remarks, in which he suggested that if any of :j-if\rn should move from the comml~nity, thcy should bear in mind their duty to transfer Lhcir lettors.

Sentiment is a powcrful factor in influencing Baptists not to trznsfer their letters whza thzy move. Why not crezte scntimcnt for transferring letters? Thy not emphasize -';h12 importance of transferring letters in such a manner that an atmosphere of expectancy rngnrdin~the mqttcr will ba creat5d in the church to which the individual belongs and in the one to he should belong? Thus a strong inc2ntive for action would be provided tho unzffilieted.

Thsre are five general policies which, if followed, will heln a church to keeb a clean roll. They are: First: Watch-- tho door of intrance. ~ecdnd: -The right poiicy --of -granting lettxs . Third : Training -anddeveEpment. Fourth : Organization --of new --ciii~rehcs -where needed. Fifth: Intzrchnnge -of informztion --about non-residwt members by churches and nastors.

The dvor of (mtrance should ba vratched. By this I do not mean that there sh~uldbe : - nrbitrary rriles or barrisrs or formal examination, or requirements beyond the necessary .!a.ricnce of saving grace and a desire to obey Christ. However, a church and pastor can o.?id those practices that woo the unregsnorate into the church. Motive is supremely ifiportant here. As 2 pastor, is it your notivo to gat as many as possible into your church i.n th-: year or is it your motiv3 to see people saved and st.c them unite with the church as s result of tht desire Christirns havc to obey Christ? Is your main concern :i1vation or statistics? There arc cert~.inpr2ventive measures which can be teken to forostnll th? 1.inregenerate frorn entering the church. Wen a prospcct for church member- ehi? givoa strong evidence thnt he does not know the Lord, he should not be sought for r'urch acmbcrship. d ycung professional m?.n located in our city. I was informed he was 3~iptistand a ~rospcctfor our church. Soon th.;rcnftc-s 2 friend of his told me he :( :( 7hrai.d hirr, say hc rrgarded the Bible as a collection of myths. is long as he holds . -*,:7yI? view, I havn no desir? that hc unit, with our church. kft:?r a rnm had been received .?t3 our church ander watchcar- until his lcttcr could be secured from a country church, ~t was discovcrod ttat ha operrs~zda vrhiskey business. H:? was informed that our church could not accept him as long as ha rcmained in th~tbusiness. He was led to forsake the bnsinsss. He acknowlkdaed thc evil of the liquor traffic. Shortly afterword he was strickc~nwith a fatal illness, but before his death, ha left n telling testinony to Christ his Saviour. As pastor, I canfcr individually with thost. who have been received on Christirn experience for baptism. In the intyview, I ask the individuzl to relate in his ow words his Christian expericncc. In addition to a copy of th~church covenant, I give to each scripturrs on the plan of salvation, with thc suggestion that he or she read thsm and 1r.y his or her experience beside them for comparison,

Our church has adopted the policy of granting lettars only vhen the letters are to 'j~s~nt to Bs.ptist churches of like faith ordcr, A church letter is simply a means ~f transfsrring membership from one church to anothor and is tho property of the church and not tho m*zmber. (more) Page 2 i , .* Address - Dr. Robert E. Hshreys IfKecping the Church Roll@ean1I

Training can be most hslpful. The organizational leaders and teachers can be corn- mittod to giving emphasis to the importance of church membership and the duty which members have to transfer their lettzrs when they move away from the churches, In the classes that some of us pastors conduct for new membars, the importance of this duty can be stressed. There arc certain tracts vhich can be used to advantag;. Attention can be called to articles in our denominational periodicals.

Thc organization of new churches v~hsreneeded will enlist inactivc and non-residsnt members. The church of which I am pastor does this. It organized a church in the year 1946 and granted at one time 155 letters to msxbcrs who went into thc new organization. Since then, the new church has enlistzd 2 numbzr of mcmbers of the mother church who had been inactive. We arc now engaged in a new extension work, looking toward the organization of anothzr church, to which we will grant a similsr number of l~tters,and more of our inactivo members will be enlist~d.

Churches 2nd pastors can help by sendinp information to one another without members who move. If each pastor, whon he knows membsrs are moving, would send this information to the churchos or pastors in thc communities to which they move, it would be of great value. How do you explain tho attitudc of a pestor who is much interested in the non- rcsidcnt members of his community uniting with his church, but at the same time has little or no interest in thc members of his church doing their duty when they become non-resident membcrs? A ff~wpastors try to rcndor this service of information to their fcllow pastors. What a wonderful thin2 it would bc if the practice should becomz uni- vcrs a1 among us,

"Pure rcli~ionend undefilad bcfosc God 2nd tho Father is this: To visit the father- less and widows in their affliction, and to kc~phimself unspotted from * world." (Jsmcs 1:27), -

"That ho might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should bo holy and without blemish1* (~phcsians5:27), 0 0 Shthern Baptist Convention REIZASE: P.Ms. of Tuesday,. May 13. Off ice of press Representative Mr. Albert lhcC1ella.n Miami -1952

THX CHURCH THAT CAN MF,ZT T% DEN'ANDS OF THIS AGE

by James L. Sullivan

James 2. Sullivan, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Abilene, Texas, has been a leader in denominational life since his graduation from Southern Seminary in Louisville in 1935. A native of IYssissippi, he is a graduate of Mississippi College and was given the honorary D.D. degree by his alma mater in 1948, His pastorates include churches in Kentucky, Tennessee and ElIississippi before he came to Abilene in 1-950. lie is the author or Your Life and Your Church, Broadnan Press, 1950.

The church has many critics, but it has no rivals. Eany men can point out its vreaknesscs who cannot parallel its purposes, or even fathom its mission,

The church is a divine institution with a holy calling and an eternal purpose. It is dealing with men's souls, each of which is endless 2nd eternal. It is forg- ing lives greot and strong, stalwart 2nd true. It is salvaging the souls of men from lowest depths of depravity and setting them on highest heights to glory.

The success or failure of the church in its work of redemption is not measured primarily by the size of the church, or by location or equipment. Advantages in these are desired, but are by no means essential. There are little churches doing big jobs, and,big churches doing little jobs. There are country churches reaching masses, and there are city churches by-passed by the masses. The success of a church is not conditioned or forced by the external circumstances, The best of tools will not make a mediocre mech,mic into e master craftsman. The most up- to-date facilities will not of themselves produce great spiritual victories.

The thing that makes a church succeed in this age is basically the same thing that would make it succeed in any age. It is a lfsomethingnthat is internal, not external. That internal quality is eternally succeeding anywhere.

Big church buildings have been deserted, 2nd some churches have died. But first they died to themselves, and deserved to be buried. Remember John the Baptist preached in the wilderness, and the msses of men came to hear. We have all seen other preachers start with the masses, 2nd end up with hoot owls and jaybirds in a deserted wilderness.

IVe are considering the matter of the church meeting the demands of this present age, Demands on the church are being made--strenuous and exacting demands. Our only changes basically are in approack. and application, not in content of message. The message of the church must eternally be the same, Our methods may change a bit, and our applications may change even more, but the messa.ge of the I' I' church is one that is eternally the sane. The power that "lakes us what we are as New Testament churches is a changeless force.

The church should not try to "have its sayH after issues of our age have been settled. When issues are alive is the time for the church to speak, and to speak clearly and decisively,

When the sabbath is desecrated, the church must speak. When capital and labor clash, the chwch has a message. When men grow ruthless in their monop- olies and business practices, then the church is forced to speak. Being based on eternal principles, the content of the Christian message is eternally the same. Different ages, howev~r, demand different applications and emphases. As community circumstances shift, the applications of our message must be altered to specifically apply to the actual needs.

The ministry of the church should be specific and unending, and each chwch must minister to its age under God or it fails its Creator.

Thcre arc certain definite tlaings which must be true of our churches if we are to ninister might to this age or to any age.

- more - ~ddress--~amesL. Sullivan, "The Church that can Keet the Demands of this Age1!

The church that is to minister to its age must have:

I. COURAGEOUS CONVICTION, It must be a church that dares.

' The first step in building a great church is in exercising care in building its membership. A church cannot bc a true New Testenent church unless it is mde up of those who have experienced genuine conversions. Only the converted Christian is willing to face abuses of a cruel and critical world and is willing to go all out in sacrificial service for Jesus,

It is not enough for a person to know about Jesus, The Christian knows Him in personal experience, and He is as real as any friend. One who has been truly converted speaks the language of Zion, He knows whEt sin is and what it does in the life. He recognizes it when he sees it, and he has made a clear-cut break with it, in order to walk with the Christ, the King of Kings.

The truly converted man looks upon the Bible as more than a luck peice to be hidden in the ho:ne for the sake of fortune, It is rather the Word of God that lives in his heart to bring forth fruits in his daily living. He looks upon the cross as something nore than an object to be worn in ado'rment, To him the cross is a sjnbol of the sacrifice which is to be borne by the believing Christian,

I put this requirement first, because I know thst without genuine conversion people will never be'great Christians. Only great believers becoae great doers.

Folloviing the experience of conversion thzre is the life of consecration, vrhich also contributes to the building of courageous conviction, The man of consecration is a mn of prayer. He knows the nature of worship and its necessity in the building of his own life and in the shaping of his own home, He is not an absentee member, but is as regular in his attendance as any church enployee, or as the pastor himself. Fortunate, indeed, is that church which is filled with members who not only know the Lord in a personal experience, but who seek to honor hin in daily living, On? of the greatest needs in the world of today is for Christians to want Jssus to be Master as well as Savior, and who are not willing to lay aside the mantle of the pro?het to take up the briefcase of the ad2inistrator. Courageous conviction without deep consecration is un- thinkable. When the neinbers of the church have sxperienced genuine conversion and practice abiding consacration, then the church cxercisss courageous conviction. But do not ask for it before that tine.

The cornunity will nake a path to the door of the church where the people are great believers and bsliev~whole-heartsdly in the ninistry which they are contributing to the co.munity.

Then a church has a spirit-filled life, it also has a prayer-centered program. Eeing spirit-filled, the church will not apologize for preaching the truth or standing for right and righteousness in the comunity, or on any issue that affects the righteous living of ths citizens of that community.

Jesus h2s no great destiny for that church which blows hot and cold, and which lacks stability in Christian faith. Faith and righteousness produce conviction, and conviction mkes for courage.

Wen our churches are fillad with Christians who deeply believe the whole Word of God, our pews will also be filled with the people who will dare to stand against 211 the forces of the world to honor God.

11. COMPASSIONAT",ISION. A Church thzt cares.

Unfortunately, nary cf our church nezbcrs lack foresight. Even xore of then lack vision. Vision is nore of the soul than of the heart. It is vastly gore than sight . A sign on the door of an optometrist in Zngland reads: "Perhaps you are not optinistic because you have nisty opticsff. Uen of poor vision are always men who are afraid of ths future,

Vision is important in any profession, but it is absolutely irdispensable in the ninistry and is just as indispensable in the life of the church,

- aore - P. 2 Address--James L. Sullivan, "The Church that can Meet the Demnds of this Age"

It is pathetic that a church can be blind to the spiritual needs of a con- nunity, or that a congregation will shut its eyes to the sins that are pulling people aside in great nuqbers.

In addition to vision the church nust have feeling. A lack of deep religious emotion can easily be a sign of spiritual stagnation.

Churches that are warn-he2rted and synpathetic are churches thst are doing things for the glory of God. Whenever a church is filled with strife and inner divisions, it is naking a confession to the public that it is lacking in vision and feeling within its own membership, When people do not feel co;npassion toward a world that is dying in sin, they are apt to center their emotions against each other which will produce a conflict unfortunate to the entire church life.

Christ was always challenging his disciples to lift up their eyes and look on the fields which were white unto harvest. He vras also trying to givz then a sense of feeling of need in the hearts 2nd lives of the ~ultitudeas he described them as being like sheep without a shepherd, and as he deaonstrated his own compassion toward then.

Wat is more tragic in our day, or 3ny day, than a hard-hearted church, whose ninistry is impersonal and viho lives in a world of need but is not spiritually alive enough to hear the cry of a single hungry child or of one sinful individual?

There is no place in the Nevr Test~entchurch for calloused hearts and stoney spirits. Christ was a man of conpassion, and no church can honor Hi3 unless it develops a spirit of deep emotion in the presence of humanity's hurt.

It is not enough for us to study about the needs of the ancient children of Israel and f~olgreat syspathy toward then when there are dire physical and spiritual needs all about us, and we nre unaware of their presence and have no feeling of sorrow because of their existence.

111. COlISCENTIOUS BCTION.. .A Church That Shares.

Christ pronounced great blessings upon the great doers of the Bible who have faith alive enough and hearts compassionate enough to stretch out hands to help humanity's needs.

By the same token the church in our day which spends all of its time parading its religiosity and fan-fwing its piety without helping humanity's hurt, the Lord reserves for it a curse instead of a blessing. We are to be doers of the Word rather than hearers only. Words within themselves are insufficient, but deeds spesk volumes. The church of our day that counts for most is not only the church with a definite action, but with a cooperative spirit. It is not only the church which acts, but the church which acts cooperstively with other churches of like faith and order to the accomplishment of the task which cannot be done alone. One of the fine arts of Christian people is the art of living together and serving together. Christ gave all sorts of background for cooperation by his calling twelve men instead of one, and by his sending out the seventy instead of one. His sending then two by two g2ve evidence of his desire for cooperation, His very establishment of the church expressed His desire that men work together in a united spirit lor His glory, Blessed is th2t cl~urchwhich in conscientious action and a definite program is working side by side with other churches like unto itself.

The church which is ministering to the needs of today must also be one of sacrificial zction. Our best is far too small. Our most will do so little. The world is so large, and the needs of the world are so vastly great, that every member of every church must sacrifice beyond measure before any good can be done for God,

The Master was speaking to His disciples and said, ltYe are the salt of the earth". By that statement he meat that they were to enter into the work of purification and preservation. The world is bent on rottenness and is tending toward disintegration and decomposition. The only thing that will arrest that determination to move toward decay is the penetrating and preserving force of the

- more - P. 3 Address--James L. Sullivan, "The Church that can Neet the Demands of this Agett salt of His own saving power, which He places in the he~rtsof His Christians. It is significant that after Jesus said, "Ye are the salt of the earthtt, He fol1ov?ed that compliment and specific assignment with a ~varning. Said he, "But if the salt lose its savort1 it is not good for anything except to be trodden under the feet of passing men, In other words, a so-called church which does not interest itself in sacrificial action for the salvation of lost souls is a church that is destined to failure. It forfeits its right to exist as well as its claim to divine blessings.

The work of the New Testament churches of today is essentially the same as alviays, There has not keen a single new sin invented in the last five thousand years. We have built newer buildings, we have improved our methods, we have altered our approach, and we have perhaps lesrned to use a few tools in a better fashion. YIe have cushioned our pews, air conditioned our auditoriums, four- manualed our organs, and P, A.td our voices. But the Gospel has not been changed, nor can it be improved. We follori a changelss Christ whose ministry meets a changeless need in a changing world, The work of the church is still essentially a work of redemption. Ever must it be. We have the same Founder, the same foundations. With the same fervor we serve, and with the same faithfulness tve give, For the sane fruit we work. Our future is secured by the same promises of God.

We can modernize our buildings, liberalize our giving, utilize our organizations--but faith such as Paul's cannot be improved upon. Righteousness like that which belonged to the earlier Christians cannot be surpassed in our day, nor can love such as was demonstrated by the early believers be produced in purer fashion in our ovm hearts. While no church is perfect, every New Testament church has a perfect Christ, and a perfect gospel, Christ Himself is our message, our ideal. We hold Him up in all His perfection as the one hope of our day.

The church which realizes the ministry of Christ to be indispensable and the message of Christ,to be the earth's only hope is the church which is going to meet the needs of the modern hour, Uore than louder words do we need more personal sacrifice that Christ might be glorified through our demonstrations of sainted living,

Judson, during the height of his preaching, had been placed in prison by the king. He appealed to the king for the privilege of going to the city to preach. The king made a proposition. He would let as many as twelve others go, but he refused Judson the privilege. "Not youtt, said the king, Itmy people are not such fools as to believe the Christ that you preach, but they will ask too many questions about the scars on your body.I1 Southern Eaptist Cbnventioli RZUASE: For ]?.Ids., T~esdtiiy, Office of Preqd RapPesentatitte ky 136 I&, Albert TJcClellan Mimi --1952

POYi'SR FOR RZVIVAL by Robert G, Lee

Dr, Robert O. Leer pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee, f5 a native of South Carolina and graduate of Furman University, He was pastor in South Carolina, and Louisiana before coming to Bellevue in 1927. He is the author of 17 books, has been a melnber of the Home Mission Board for over 20 year"s, and was president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1949 until last year.

nYe shall have power AFTERt1

I speak first of

Today, black anm falls, spiritual mercury falls low, Faith's wings are clipped by reason's scissors, khe warn wonder of Christianity is ~ubmittedto the cold and merciless analysis of Philistines of transcendent cleverness; fat de- formities ask us to substitute for Christianityts vital bread a chunk of cloud bank buttered with the night wind; the Bible is summoned to appear at the bar of human reason; undisciplined liberalism goes nowhere so fast it arrives out of ~reath;there is unreasonable devotion to sensual satisfactions; a licentious social atmosphere prevails, There is an abnormal appetite for the specatcular--an2 ,, administration of laughing gas for the painless extraction of sin. Christianity is reduced to the status of humanism, social service, national or individual therapy, with the resulting tendency to undermine faith and destroy the passiop for souls, Jkny Itloose wild tgngues that hold not God in awet1 amid evile that would lead our greatest graces to the grave and leave the world no copy^

There is an intellectual recoil against amhing emotional and obvioua inadequacy of rationalism as a substitute is offered. Our lame, bleeding, aching, unregenerate humanity is set down in the midst of palaces, arts, philosophies, educational institutions, scientific marvels, political panaceas, but remains a bedraggled beggar still.

Just here we should take note of some I1 - PAST POTENCIES. "The past potencies of revival is testified to by Lecky, the historian: I1It was the revival under the Wesleys that saved civilization in England; and L: -:{as the great awakening under the leadership of Jonathan Edwards and others that sav~d the church in America.It

And Calvin Coolidg~, at the unveiling of the monument to Bishop Asbury, said: "It is noteworthy that the men who fought the Revolutionary battles ta a successful conclusion had seen an extensive religious revival,"

And forget not that John the Baptist saw a revival. Bad days of formalism, ancester worship, idle curiosity, heahless neglect of the unfortunate, financial oppression, violence, slander, Then came John preaching, Then the cities emptied into the Jordan bottoms to hear preaching. Would you not like to see such in this land?

Following Crornwellls triumph, the nation--England--"bound itself to God in holy obedience.It Viould you not like to see America . bind herself to God in holy obedience?

Think of the American Awakening!

"The Divine fire appeared in the most unlikely quarters, A large number of the aged were gathered in, Vhite-haired penitents knelt with little children at the Throne of Grace. Vihole families of Jews were brought to their Messiah. Deaf mutes were reached by the glad tidings, and though their tongues were still, theb faces sc shone that they became effective messengers of the Gospel. The most - more - Address--Robert G, Lee, fi~owerfor Revivalt1 hardened infidels were melted, some being led to Christ by the hand of a little child. Nor was the blessing confined to the land. The Spirit of God moved upon the faca of the waters, and a multitude of seamen saw a great light* It was as if a vast cloud of blessing hovered over land and sea. And ships, as they drew near the American ports, came within a definite zone of Heavenly influence, Ship after ship arrived with the same tale of sudden conviction and conversion, It was wonderful beyond words! In one ship a captain and the entire crew of thirty men found Christ out at sea and entered the harbour rejoicing.It

Let us give thought now to an asset in power for revivals often underemphac-. si~ed--~rnel.y:

111 - PERSISTENT PR4YER--"Pray ye ,It No spiritual power is existent apart from prayer. Prayer changes things withih and without. The greatest need in Christendom today is praying Christians.

"Secret intercessors make it possible for public laborers to do their work and win. They do as much for the Lord's cause who intercede like Moses on the mount, as they do who fight like Joshua in the thick of battle. Prayer based on God1s Word is the only weapon man can use today to touch the invisible foeu (Evans Roberts ) , "The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying, He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerlbss work, prayerless religion, He laughs at ow toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray" (S. Chadwick) . But let us--along with all other things--make IV - POliER3;2iL PROTEST,

17e must reprove and rebuke--with fearlessness, with willingness to be per- secuted, with love, with long suffering, Tie must make protest against "high- brow'1 objection to emotion in religion--because we live in a day of intellectual recoil against anything emotional and the very obvious inadequacy of rationalism as a substitute.

Tie must make protest against modernism with its four cardinal errors--a mutilated Bible, a minimized sin, a deified man, a humanized Christ. 1% must make persistent protest against the lax theology which teaches that the Lord Jesus did something or other which in some way or other is in some degree or other connected with the salvation of man. IVe must make protest against cool dignity in Christian work, We must make protest against teaching that sinners become saints through the educational process. Education before birth is putting last things first*

We must make protest against the growing tendency of society, business, and government to secularize the Lord's Day. We must make protest against the re- duction of Christianity to the status of humanism. We must make no puny protest against widespread agnosticism toward religious organizations. We must make protest against the tendency to omit Christian standards from business and from professions. We must make protest against the growing power of paganism in some American educational institutions--and against the notion, as taught, frequently, that ethics, religion, soul, God are only concepts--having their origin in man's experience with shadows, dreams, storms, natural forces. Vihich brings us4now to consider the

Consecrated lives--alive to God. Consecrated lives--dead to the world, Con- secrated lives--fearing God too much to fear anything human. Consecrated lives-- ready to live soberly, Consecrated lives--courageous.to live righteously. Con- secrated lives--failing not to live godly in this present world, Consecrated lives --having and holding the old-fashioned recognition of God enthroned in human lives, giving an eager desire to do his will and keep his commandments, Consecrated lives--on an absolutely frank endeavour to live like Jesus in this materialistic, money-minded, mechanized, self-confident, egocentered generation,

- more - Addres$-Rob@+~$p. Lee Qqtrer $p~Revival"

Edward GibbonsJ the historian, no champion of Christianity, reached the cow clusion that the first Christians beat the vforld and won an empire in their day by ''sheer goodnessrtt A fllrb~shipof men and WOmah of 8ubh per~onalpu~ity, pyre loveJ moral power and ~adikntjoy would be sought by multitudee of men afid women ageking release from sorrow and sin, Such fellowship is the final argument for Christian truth,

Of courser we must not forget that there must be

Preach the Bible i Preach it, not submit it for subdued discussion in the academic grovel Preach it, not with piping voice, but with trumpet tones" Preach iti not as epicures in philosophies, Kot as feeders of inflamed popular appetite for amusement, Not as administrators of laughing gas for the painless extractio~~ of sin, Not as dainty tasters of intellectual subleties, Not as experts in speculative cleverness dealing in the airy abstractions of Itan up-to-dateu gospel, Not as dealers in fine-spun metaphysical disquisitions. But with wooing urgency that lifts up the crucified Christ, and warns men of the ''math of God revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousnes sf' (~omans11 18).

There must be VII - PORTRAYAL OF A PERSON--Jesus. "Christ is the Way, and men without him are Caihs, wanderers, vag&bondn#

Christ is the Truth, and men without hin are liars, like the devil of oldj

Christ is the Life, and men without him are 'dead in trespasses and sinstfl Christ is the Light, and without him men are in darkmsrs here and hereafter)

Christ is the Vine, and without him men are withered branches prepared for the fire,

Christ is the Rock, and men without him are carried away with the flood,lt

This person is Heaven's bread for earth's hunger, Heaven's water for earth's thirst, Heaven's glory for earth's shame, Heaven's joy for earth's sorrow, Heaven's gladness for earth's grief, Heaven's grace for earth's guilt, Heaven's salvation for earth's dadnation, Heaven's love for earth's hate, Yeavents life for earth's death. Southern Baptist Convent Ion FKLIEASE: a,,., ,w,,, w ,, Off ice of Press Representative but not before 2:30, Mr, Albert McClellan Miami -- 1952

OUR NEED FOX AN ETHICAL REVIVAL

Dr. Stewart A. Newman, faculty member at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, is a native of Texas and a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University and Southestern Seminary, He hag been on the seminary staff since his graduation in 1935 and was recently elected as professor of philosophy of religion and theolom at Southeastern Baptist Seminary at Wake Forest, North Carolina, where he will begin his duties in September.

Introduction, These are times of almost unprecedented moral stress for the people of our country, When, by default, we have been catapulted into the place of world leadership, with its demands for integrity, wisdom and strength, there appears everywhere symptcms of weakness, lassitude, and moral failure. At a time when the most is expected of us, vqe give evidence of being qualified to furnish the least.

Any reference to this subject is sorely tempted to consume its interests in a review of the headlines which have for months monopolized the channels of publicity, the disclosures of moral defection in high places and low, which have so seriously damaged the confidence of our people in the institutions of government, industry and legitimate areas of public life, We take it that those who planned this program did not intend that we should make that kind of catalogue of sins, After all, they only arranged twenty minutes for this topic of discussion.

Here we must be content to observe that these revelations, as frequent and shocking as they have been, give evidence of being like a great iceburg in the ocean. We fear that what we have seen above the surface is but a fractional part of the festering mass of Morality which is laying waste ow body politic. Though never brought to light, their reality makes its sinister contribution to the moral sickness of our generation.

It is not difficult to find the major causes of the moral decadence of our century, There are several well known factors which have been stirred generously into the life of our people which, when present, always result in a baneful effect upon moral experience,

The first half of the twentieth century has known the devastating and de- moralizing consequences of two world wara, each of which was sufficient to upset the moral equilibrium of civilized people, When taken in such rapid succession they may be calculated to undo the constructive moral achievement of centuries of Christian effort. Another and more formidable factor--for it can be described as a cause --of the -cause of moral deterioration--is the volume of moral theorizing to wxithe twentieth century mind has been subjected, The nineteenth century was the spawn- ing ground of a school of pseudo-science called tfMoral Relativism", whose insistent suggestion at every turn was to the effect that there is no essential difference between what is right and what is wrong. If we are to judge by the actions of the human race in recent decades, these apostles of A-Moralism have been fairly successful in propagating their ideas!

Paradoxically, this sag in the moral fibre of our people has occurred at a time of the high water mark of professing Christianity. During the last fifty years the highest percentage of the population in the history of our country &s subscribed to some form of Christian faith. Under these circumstances there appears to have been the lowest ebb of moral sensibility, the least concern for glaring moral problems 2nd the most radical departures from Christian ideals of behavior.

From the brief survey of our moral situation, let us turn to a consideration of our own part in this picture. As a large and growing Christian body, we are boastful of the fact that we are in possession of the whole Gospel. To the exteht that this is true we stand in great advantage and at the same time we are faced with grave responsibilities, Vie have a part that we must' play in the moral re- construction of mankind. - more - Address--S. A. Newman, ltOur Need for an Ethical Revival"

I, First of all, because of our intense interest in and the measure of our success in evangelism, we stand in great need of moral revival. In our proclamation of the Gospel we have a formula that we insist upon: The spiritual regeneration of the human heart and the consequent change in the moral outlook and manner of life for each individual. We insist that the order of these events in the experience of becoming a Christian is sacred. Regeneration must always be the cause and moral character and conduct are the result in this equation. Occasionally we have to do with some who seek moral renewal in advance of an as a means toward spiritual renewal; this we condemn as heresy--the attempt at reformation without regeneration.

For this interpretation of the New Testament doctrine of salvation we have abundant evidence. I fear that we are not as careful to discern that the New Testament teaches that regeneration and moral transformation are essentially two parts of the same transaction. Tie have not always insisted that faith as the initial act of salvation is itself freighted with moral content and that ethical results are inseparable linked with this experience of grace.

In this respect we have come about as far as we have in differentiating between belief and baptism. We fiave insisted that baptism has so little to do with the experience of believing that we have been placed in the awkward light of sug- gesting that it is irrelevant!

Frankly, by this artificial distinction between spiritual recreation and moral renewal, we have produced two results in our converts, On the one hand there has been such neglect of the moral resultant as to have encouraged many to accept the "security of salvationt1without apparently having faced the moral aspects of salvation in their lives. On the other hand, the act of grace itself has been rendered virtually a mechanical process, stripped of its involvement in moral consequences.

In a word the invitation to salvation has often been made too easy; it has been interpreted to mean little more than a Itticket to heaven". We have bordered seriously on the situation Paul anticipated in the fifth chapter of Romans : The more sin, the more grace; therefore let me sin more and more in order to know the increasing and adequate forgiveness of Godf Southern Baptists have demonstrated to themselves that it is relatively easy to secure ttjoinerstl, By our own statistics, which tell us that only one of every three who have joined is more than casually interested in what he has joined, we should learn that we may not have been asking men to count all the costs of dis- cipleship. IWe have been much clearer in inviting men to accept Christ as savior than we have in insisting that they acknowledge him as Lord.

These conditions of sub-Christian moral character in our own Christian people force us into an awkward and vicious cycle, placing in jeopardy our prospects for further success in evangelism. In the eyes of the gainsaying world professing Christians -are Christianity, We are literally, 'Living epistles known and read of men!. Our influence on others for good is always measured by the consistency of our Christian profession and practice,

One of the most tragic accounts of the Old Testament is the record of Lot trying to save his family by persuading them to leave Sodom. "Lot appeared unto them as one that mocked1', Genesis 19: 14,

Our only qualification for helping any person to become a Christian is to be the living abode of the Holy Spirit of God. What poorer place for Him to dwell than in the life of a Christian of shabby moral character?

11. In the secohd place, our people need a moral awakening because we i-iold in trust the Christian ideals for the life of this nation and for the world.

It is no mere platitude to insist that our country has come to the time of the most exacting test of its way of life that it has known in its history. This is occasioned, not from without, but from the inexorable demands of our history, itself.

The Christian faith furnished the chief inspiration of the founding fathers in their establishment of the American way of life.

The raw materials of its citizenry were the people of the Old World, dis- illusioned and disgusted by the accidents of their background and unequivocally

- more - P. 2 comitted to the vision of that manner of life that man, under God, should be privileged to engage upon.

Upon the simple postulates of individual worth and personal integrity they wrote the law of our land as they conceived it should be--the reflection of the character of a righteous God and his purposes for the human race.

Law, as an institution of social order was, for the beginning of our nation, the description of the norm for human character and conduct, that which was to be expected of mankind when it was true to God's purposas for it. Thus, to be a law- abiding citizen of America a person has always been expected to order his behavior along lines which appoximzto the life of a devout Christian; he was expected to live about like a Uethodist steward or a Baptist deacon.

In those formative years our fathers were keenly aware of the differences between what they had previously known and what they now enjoyed. They were just as cognizant of the efficient causes that had made this difference real; they knew that it had not come about by accident. They knew and accepted the basic presuppositions upon which the new was built, They clearly saw that any success for the new undertaking must be measured in the extent to which each citizen was sympathetic with the ideals set before him and the extent to mhich he was willing to incorporate info his own life a reasonable approximation of these values described.

The historical fact with which I~E must deal is the matter of our chief concern: The great-grandchildren of these pioneers sesm to take for granted the entire proc?ss of ?rmocratic social organization and control, We have inherited a form of governxnt; ifire do not seem to realize, or even care whether each of us must achieve for h;.rr.self a responsible part of this way of life.

We seem to h-ve come so far from the original intent as to imagine that dem- ocratic government is the very convenient arrangement under which each citizen may do exactly as he pleases !

If Christian citizens of the twentieth century do not arise and re-define the essential qualities of true democracy, who is qualified to do this for the nation and for the world? We know, what others only dimly imagine, that upon the throne of the uni-xrse is a living God; we know that the limits of man's liberties and man's brighbcst prospects shall be found in his acknowledgment of what God thinks is right for him to do. By bitter experience to thc contrary, we are prepared to bcliexrc that life lived under any other circumstance becomes not only intolerable but &,possible for any appreciable period of time,

llRighteousnesslt descrtbed not only what shall make the history of any nation glorious, but the minimum conditions under which any nation may expect to exist, That kind of rightcousn~ssdoes not constitute a defensive weapon of harrow na- tionalism, It holds up before man a "forced option1l. Man does not have to eat, but man has to eat if he expects to livc. llan docs not have to be right, but he must bc right, if he expects to be at all,

In this as in all other aspects of our religion, we turn to the individual human hcast. As Christians we are faithful in our stewardship of life's essential ingredients only as IVG continuously reaffimn the moral spiritual ideals for human existence and as we seek to inspire in each member of the race personal partici- pation in thcse values.

We must again bcgin to live by thc standard of the inestimabl-e worth of the individual soul, WG must again bcgin to act as if there were on the throne of the universe a pe,rsonal God, absolutc in sovereignty and power.

111, In the thi~dplace, because of the essential character of our religion, we must be true to thc fullest moral implications of our relation to Jesus Christ.

With confidence and conviction Christians address themselves to the moral vacuum of our ci-.ilization, We are not abroad in the land seeking merely to add devotces to a cult about which we are for the time being enthusiastic, It is not just another hman enterprise, with its success or failure subject to the vagaries of the accidents of history,

Neithcr are ytro promoters of a system of heavenly bookkeeping, a mysterious machination of arbitrary judgment, tauntlingly labelled by a gain-saying world, llPie in thc skyl1. - more - P* 3 Address--$. A, Nevman, I1Our Need for an Ethical Revival"

Rather, we are privileged to share in some small way in the creative enter- priea of the- eternal Gcd, This is a project which is dignified by the simple but profound description of its beginning: "And God made man in his own imageM. It is the project of human history over which there has been inscribed this epitaph: "By one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all hava sinnedn. It is that enterprise for which there: is, never- theless, hope, for "God was in Christ reconciling the v~orldunto himself". In a word, ours is the religion of Incarnation and the Cross. There came a time when it seemed appropriate for God to vindicate completely his ways with the world. At that point in human history when God would do business in a way and to an extent that he had never done before, his method of unequivocal identifica- tion with the human race was in the perfect moral person, the sinless Jesus Christ. In the righteousness of God and the moral excellence of a man, mankind has in- stinctly exclaimed: "Here God is at WorkM!

Likewise, within the vstery of the unfathomable depths of the Cross, some things become increasingly clear. It is not just a beautiful tradition of our faith, where mav centuries ago a noble gesture of example vms made, Whatever else it may mean, for Christians it makes bold the fact that what was basically wrong in the universe was met squarely by what was right--and the outcome of that enccunter is tremendously important to every creature.

To be a Christian is to have to do with the personal God of the Incarnation and the Cross. To have to do with him is to be brought, by all the energies of his Grace, into his glorious likeness. Conclusion. As to our method, we do not require that every man be a Chris- tian, We are qualified to look with pity and with proffered hope to any life which would otherwise eke out an existence far beneath the privileges that that term, "Christianu, describes. Southern Baptist convention RELEASE : For A. Ms. , Wednesday , Office of press Representative May 14. (Radios hold till Mr. Albert UcClellan 10 p.m. May 13 EST) Mimi --I952

TIE WORLD IS LOST AND WE ARE WITKSSES

by Paul Brooks Leath

Paul Brooks Leath, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Thomas- ville, Georgia, is a nativ~of Texas and a graduate of Baylor University, IVaco; Southwestern Baptist Seminary, Ft . 'aorth, and New Orleans Baptist Seminary. He was a full-time evangelist for ten years, He was in a Louisima pastorate for two years before coming to Thornasville in 1950.

One group of people, more than all others, received most interest and attention from Jesus. That group was that stratum of society which was un- touched, unreached, and unwanted.

To Him they were tlsickll, For He said, It.. .They that be whole need not a Physician, but thay that are sick." To Him, likewise, they were llsinnersll, For, in another verse, Jesus said, It. ..for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

To Him they were lllostll. Jesus sent disciples to the lllostllsheep of the house of Israel, Jesus said, "For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." The Pharisees and scribes objected to Jesusf eating with sinners and receiving them.

Some of Jesus I most memorable storias are thos~conc~rning the sheep, the coin, and the son. The thing that stands out most vividly in these stories is that the sheep was lost, the coin was lost, and the son was lost.

Paul thought similarly to Jesus and said, I1Eut if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that ara lost."

So, according to two tremendous personal testimonies, according to the witness of the Holy Spirit who wrote this volume, and according to our own personal experiences and obscrvations, we say with conviction--the world in which we live is lost.

One writer in using various descriptive terms such as these just employed, said that "lostN is the descriptive word; "eternal" is thc durative word; tldeathtl is the denotative word; llguiltflis the indicative word; vperditionlt is the prospective word; llpunisbmentu is the conscious word,

One thing particularly, and one thing only stands as the reason for the lost condition of man. That one thing is sin. Sin is an accusing witness, a betray- ing presence, a binding cord, a blessing robber, a crouching beast, a grievous malady, an obscuring cloud, a rest-destroyer, a tripper-up, a terrible desolator, a written record.

Some poet mote,

"Sin promises life's bright bloom But gives the bitter ashes of the tomb; Promises strength, but givcs a crumbling rope of sand; Promises honor, but gives dishonor's scarlet band; Promises peace, but gives eternal thirst, Promises bright visions, but gives fangs accursed; Promises feasting, and a kingls salute But gives black tables of dead-sea fruit Promisss realms, but gives a prison cell; Promises heaven, but gives the tooth of hell. For beauty's gosture and her loom of light For starry reason and for manly might, Sin gives the skulking step the furtive eye The curse, the groan, the death that can not die."

- more - Address--Paul "The World is Lost and

Look at the tragic picture of this lost man as Paul gives it - "For the wrath of God is revealed fron heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which nay be known of God is manifest in them: for God hath showed it unto then, For the invisible things of him fron the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse," (Note: in the sermon this antire section Roxans 1:18-32 will be quoted from memory. I see no need of typing it here. )

The portrait in Romans 3 is just as disturbing, for Paul says-

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.I1 (Note: in the sernon the section Romans 3:10-18 will be quoted fron nenory also.) Fron the heart of a contemporary man, a Hindu gives us the sunmary - Itweary are we of empty creeds, Of deafening calls to fruitless deeds: Weary of priests who cannot pray, Of guides who show no man the way; Weary of rites wise clen condenn, Of worship linked with lust and shame; Weary of custom, blind, enthroned; Of conscience trampled, God disowned; Weary of men in sections cleft. Hindu life of love bereft; Woman debased, no more a queen, Nor knowing what she once hath been; Weary of babbling about birth, And the nockery men call mirth; Weary of life misunderstood, A battle, not a brotherhood; Vkary of Kali Yuga years, Freighted with chaos, darkness, fears; Life is an ill, the sea of births is wide, And we are weary- who shall be our guide?"

But, is there a relief for our weariness? Is there aq chance for our world to be found since it is lost. Since it is sinful, it needs to be made righteous. Blinded, it goes on ruin and death. Sinful, it goes on headlong In sin, Where lies the remedy?

As Christians, we can unhesitatingly say that there is a renedy. We have seen it applied, Vie know it is valid and authentic, Experience has confimed the truth of the written word of God before our eyes. Will we not all ask and agree with Isaiah as he writes-

ttWho hath believed our report; to whom is the am of the Lord revealed. . .II (Note: in the semon the 53rd chapter of Isaiah is to be quoted here. )

The crux of the matter lies not in the transforning power inherent in the Gospel of Christ, nor in the validity or trustworthiness of the message to be preached. But in the said, lamentable statement of Jesus- ". , . The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.I1

It is evident, then, that ~lraneed somebody like shepherds who will labor until spent in bearing the precious message of Christ to men.

The events in the Lmediate background of the Ascension episode give added emphasis and inpetus to the comand of Jesus in the first chapter of The Acts. Since Jesus was to have a last word with His discip1.e~at this the; since the hearts of men were in such desperate need, would not Jesus then give to them the most inportant truth and utter the most urgent comand of all to His disciples? - more - P* 2 Address--Paul Brooks Leath, "The World is Lost and We Are Witnessestt

I believe He tvould. He did. Here it is- ". . . It is not for you to know the tirnes or the seasons which the Father hath put in His own power, But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is cosne upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Sanaria, and unto the utternost part of the earth,"

We mist consider briefly then, that WITNESSING was to have been the NORMAL AND IJATURAL thing for then, Everyone of us reacts the saye way. When some one does sonething wonderful for us we tell about it. How much more would we tell of what God has done for us in -the redemption story! That is why Peter and John could not contain thenselves when reprisals were directed against then. It was that thcy had scon some unusual person, and they aust relate and tell of the encounter; they had heard something ~vonderful, and thcy must pass it on; something wonderful had happened to then, and they could not refrain fron telling it. Such is the experience of every believer,

WE? are to believe likewise by the Scripture record, that WITTJESSINff was the NERVE CENTER OF CHRISTIAN ACTIVITY. Fron this center of evangelisn and winning the lost, all other life radiated. It vras the proclanation of the Gospel that had created the first nucleus of believers; consequently, the saqe thing would enlarge it, Tragically it is realized, that stagnation, disintegration, and death seize tho church when it goes on the defense, But when it aggressively unsheathes the sword of evangelism, no energy can hinder it. We are defeating our ovin cause to win souls and then train them just for the sake of training then- even to the point of making then top-ranking theologicans. We must win souls; train the new converts to go win others; train these to go win others; and so on, Tihen this is not the habit, any church life becomes anemic and undernourished.

On the basis of the circumstances surrounding this comand of Jesus, let me say that WITNESSING AND WINNING THE LOST IS THE WED OF THE HOUR, What were those crises iminent in the first century world?

A godless, imperialistic military power! A tragic and perplexing economic picture ! Social structures rescrbling the caste systel-.s ! Unbelievable imorality l What was Jesus' word to thern in the face of these barriers which they were to encounter? Was it to oppose irperial Rorne with their own ailitary night? Was it to inpose a first centure uN~~rDealtt econonic program in which Christiansbe- cane street preachers of this new econonic order along with the Stoic philos- ophers who stood on the street corners? Was it to continually thrust the "Golden RuleH or the Semon on the 1Lount into the faces of pagans who passed by?

No1 Enphatically no!

The scripture records what happened. It was the incessant, ir.1passfoned preaching of the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus at Ephesus that caused the devotees of Diana to destroy their books and break their idols!

What caused Agrippa, Festus, Felix and other Ro.mn officials to tremble? Was it the warning that a new cilitary conquerer stood on the horizon? No! It was the reasoning of Paul along lines of temperance and judgrlent.,.preaching and testifying of the truths of the gospell What was it that changed morals at Ephesus, Colosse, and Corinth? It was the preaching of the Cross!

To these disciples tvho looked at Jesus asking for soEe unusual demonstration, Jesus gave no military authority, no economic gun-powder, no social sword by which they could live. But rather the comand to preach the gospel message in sinple witnessing. In this efrort, the Holy Spirit was to empower and make effective their viork.

He gave them something that could change imperialistic governments, social structures, and economic patterns. Our world faces surging tides of immorality; it is confronted with tho formidable foo of Communism. Does it need comittees, endless groups to advocate capitalism, democracy, and horicanism. No! It needs evangelists, Christians whose hearts are aflame with the gospel of Christ

- more - P* 3 Address--Paul Brooks Leath, "The L'orld is Lost and We Are Witnesses1' to win souls to Jesus as the Holy Spirit gives direction, For Christians can not be Christians and Communists at the same time.

"Give us a watchword for the hour, A thrilling word, a word of power A battle-cry, a flaming breath A word to arouse the church from rest That calls to conquest or to death To heed her Nasterls high behest The call is given; ye hosts arise- Our watchword is: EVANGELIZE !

"The glad evangel now proclaim Through all the earth in Jesus1 name; The word is ringing through the skies- EVANGELIZE ! EVANGELIZE ! To dying men, a fallen race Make known this gift of gospel grace; The world that now in darkness lies- EVANGELIZE ! EVANGEL1ZE ! Southern Baptist Conventionb RELEASE : &..ls, %&s,, May 3-L Office of Press Representative Mr. Albert bdcClellan Mimi -- 1952

CHRIST f S IILTERNI~TIVE TO CO~~SM

by R. Paul Caudill

TEXT t Matthew 9 r 35-38

Dr. R, Paul Caudill, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessse, is a native of North Carolina and a graduate of Mars Hill College, Wake Forest Colle$e, and Southern Seminary, He held pastorates in North Carolina, Kentucky and Georgia before coming to Memphis in 1944, Ha has been the author of roadm man comments j intcrnhtional Sunday school lesson cammen- tam- -c has been chairman of th2 relief cclnmittee of the Baptist World Alliance since 1947. ###

"The only thing that matters now," says Dr. Frank Lauback, is whether America will wake up or blow up." These arresting words, coming as they do from one of lirnericafs foremost religious observers, are enough to cause even the most imperturbable American grave concern, for, they reflect a lamentable condition that embraces not merzly our o-m nation,. but even the most r?mote areas of the world. After visiting some sixty-eight nations, in the interest of applied Christianity, Dr. Laubach makes a passionate plea for the Christians of America to kccp their heads in the clouds but their *feet on the ground." Dr. Laubach says, as discerning men everywhere are beginning to see, that the fearful scourge of communism is something that must be deelt with in every nation under the sun, and that here in our own beloved America, our danger of this growing menace to our freedom is tregically real.

Few of us, perhaps, realize the scope of the gains of comunism. We are told that, as of this moment, thcro are no less than eight hundred millions of people who arc in some measure caught up in the vortcx of this woeful idealogy that is sweeping dovmward ev3rything in its path to an all time low in the realm of the moral and the spiritual. What is more, some of thc gains that havc been most forcefully registered are in areas that one might least expect. In Rome, for instance, within the shadow of the golden domes of the Vatican, end tho colonnaded court where hundreds of thousands gather from time to time, as holy events are celebrated, we find some of the strongest gains of comunism, In France whcrc the chamber of dcputies is all but hopelessly split by fac- tionalism, we are told that the picture is little bett~r. In Belgium, too, therc have been strange rumblings of thc wheels of the Juggernaut of Communism, and open evidence of the growing strength of the party therc. No one needs to be rcmindod of the grim and almost bizarre spectacle of pitiful China as the people kow-tow before the handful of political mobsters who have Seized control of the roins of state, and who by promises, fair and foul, have succeeded in organizing a government and an army that is all but in- exhaustible in manpower,

One thing should be noted too, in passing: The areas of Europe in which the greztcst gains havc been made by the Communists are in countries that have been dominated by a state religion. In no instance has Communism been able to gain any considerable footholr' in a country where evangelical Christianity hes been strong and virile, and where there has been any appreciable measure of separation between the church and state,

%2t, it mEy be asked, is responsible for the fanatical gains of communism around the world? What is thero about its character, its mission that has made it flourish like a grccn bay tree wherevcr it has taken root?

In the words of Tihitaker Chambers, it is a conviction shared by the minds and hearts and souls of those who profess to be followers of this way -- a conviction that it is necessary now to change the *~nrorld. This conviction has produced a vision, a vision of a world without God -- a world in which the rational mind of man, by means of science and technology, controls the universe. Every age, says Chambers, has had its vision, but always until now the vision has had to do withboth man and God, or rather with man in his relation to God, But this tim the visi~nmakes no place for God, And communism is unique, so far as today's world is concerned, because those who espouse the cause of communism havc been able, thus far, to act on their convictions, yea, to die for them nhero necessary. Operating on the ncellt~hesis,with a cell here and a cell there, communists believe devoutly that one day their cause shall prevail throughout the world,

What is man's Bnsver to the alluring dsinrs of this fearful ideology, this woeful doctrine of comrnrmism thnfr $8 riding high the crested waves of the sea of krass materialism? Man's answer is Christ's answer. Christ's altcrnative -- the alternative of the way, the truth and the life, Address - R. Paul Caudill '1 istls hltzrnative to

If those of us in Europe and elsewhere who have professed to be followers of the way had lived our rclision, like a sword up to the hilt, there would have been no ground for the devout adherents of comunism to stand upon in all the world. But we have not done this. We have permitted, rather, our Chistian idealism to become vapid and hollow and have failed to 2pply it to thc cvsryday, commonplace problems of life, Whatever else may bc said of Karl Marx, it must bc admitted that however far he may have fallen short of his goal, he was soeking to lift some of the excruciating burdens from the weary backs of the sorrowing masses of humanity, He, was endeavoring, to say the least, 50 plcad the cause of the untouchables of lif~who, footsore and weary, were plodding down the lonely road of social and economic slavery, It is true that he missed tha road in his quest by delivuring his captives to a greater s1av:ry -- bondage to krass materialism which makes no place for God in 211 the world hc made.

In a word, we need to lay hold of thz mind of Jesus, if we would cope with the dead- ly wnancc of communism, so that :ve may corns to see as he saw, and to Zivo as he lived, in a cooperative effort to lead all men to him *om to know is life abounding.

Jesus saw People -- he saw the mu?.titudos as no one before him nor since has seen them. For we read in Matthew the ninth chapter and the thirty-fifth verse that I1When-- he --saw thc! multitudes, he was movsd with compassion on them, because they fainted, and werc scattered abrozd, as sheep having no shcpherd.11 Nothwithstanding his deity, and his role as lhessiah, and the popular ecclnim which he cnjoycd on the part of the pcople wherever he writ, he was ever mindful of the pcoplc as a whole, the common pcople, the people who bore the brunt of the social and economic bondage of his day.

It is at this point that vre comc to thc head and front of our offending as Christi~z; We have not trained our eyes to see people for thcir own sakc, and to realize that all are created in God's image, and that we who have the nystery of the faith are charged with an inescapable responsibility to share the gospel with those who do not have it, irres~ectivcof their race or nation.

And it is likewise at this point that we find the answer to the ever-increasing nu- ber of cults and diverse religious sects that have sprurg up here in our Southland, in a territory that should have been claimed long ago by those of us who know him as Saviour and Lord. IISe have built our churches, and cngnged in worship, careful often that the members of our own family, and our friends, should come to know Christ as Lord and Master; but we have often seen little beyond thosc of our own circle of concern. We have failed miserably to see people for peaplel s sakc, The sharecropper, the itinerant workman, the sorry dwellcr of tho repulsive slum section of our citics -- thcsc we have often passed by Iton the other side" as if we fcarcd that we might become contaminated by thcir miscrablc plight. And this concern for people strikes to the v?ry heart of our mission as Christians, Somctime ago a young woman of obvious culture and gentle refinement came to tny office for consultstion regarding hcr life's work. Tho young lady, a studcnt in the hospital school for laborntory technicians, had become chall~ngodby the call of the mission fields across the sea and was all but moved to abandon hor present coursc of training and enrol as n student in the University School of Medicine in thc hopes of going to Africa as a. m~dicalvoluntccr in Christian missions. Upon hearing the story of the hopes and fears of thc young woman, I asked her this pointcd question: "Are you a Christian? And can you givz me one solid reason why you know that you arc a Christian?" The young woman, obviously strained by my unexpected approach to her problem was apparently lost, for a moment, in thoughtful silence. Then she turned her face toward mine end with a calm and dispassionate manner said, "Yes, I am a Christian, and 1 know that I: an a Christian because I lova~pe~ple.~~I1You love peoplo?If I asked; "What kind of people? People who are rich? People who are cultured and refined as you? People who move within your social group -- on your sidc of the railroad tract?" Then it was that the young lady, all but bursting in tears said, "1 love pcoplc -- any people that God has made; people who are rich qnd people who arc poor -- just people."

It was tho teeming crowds thzt touched the heart of Jesus and called forth his deepest note of pathos as he thought on thcir lost condition. See him as he stood weeping over lost Jerusalem: ''Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that stonest the prophcts and killest them that 2ro sent unto thee, how oftcn I would have gathered thy childrcn together even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not." And it was this deep and ever manifcst love for people that led men to him with their woef'ul cmes of life: Blind Bartacmaeus by tho Jcricho road; a leper when he was come down from the mountain where he hod just dclivsred the scrmon on tho mount; a father whose little daughter lay sick unto doath; a sorrowing sistcr whose brother had just died! Wherever he wont, what- cv:r hc did, his eyes rvore constantly fixed upon people--rich and tho poor, the great and the small, People 1

But Jesus saw more than pcoplc. He saw thcir sorry plight. He beheld the grievous burdens which lay upon thcir hclplcss ~acksimprisoning thorn with r. bondage that was as real as any slwcry evc:r known to mm. In thc words of Idatthew, !'But when he saw the (more ) page 2 Addross - R, Pzul Caudill Ll%ernztivc to Comunism inultitudcs, he was noved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as shccp having no shepherd" (9136).

This is in keeping wl.th the true nature of Jcsusl mission 2s he interpreted it in the synagogue at Nazareth, following his baptism: ''The Spirit of the Lard is upon me,'' he said, "bccmse he hath anointed me tc preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to prcach deliverance to tha captives, and recovering of sight t~ the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to prcach the acceptable year of the Lord" (~ukc4~18, 19).

And it is at this point that we have failed miserably as followers of thz Lord Christ. Tie have not manifested the concern th~twe ought for the woes of the people. That is why communism with its spurious claims has arisen like an ugly monster and made such a devastating inroad among the nations of the world. We ought to look behind the scenes and seok to ascertain the why of communism, We need to uncover what in the realm of medicine would bc called the etiology of this woeful disease which tends to paralyze increasingly the whole moral and spiritual nature of man.

Some time ago, while cnroute from Edinburgh to Glasgow, Scotland, I came upon an aged man whom I engaged in conversation for no littl3 of the journey by bus. I found him to be n retired miner, one of those myriads of fine people who spend the greater part of their lives underground working in the coal mines. He told mc of how at the ten- der age of thirteen he was sent down into the mines, long before the sun had risen, t~ begin his dcyls work, and how, when he came up from below, the sun was set because the day was done. "1 rarely sew the sun in those days, It he srzid. Then the old man went on to tcll me of the miserable conditions under which he worked, and of how he would lie all day long on his side in water a foot and one-half deep, picking out lumps of coal to be used for the fires of the more well-to-do, and of how, on thc long winter evenings as he would walk to his home, miles away, his clothing would be frozen stiff, ell along the journey. And the old man added, as ho concluded his story, tff~yc,itis different now.,.. itis diffcrcnt now.1t I do not know how many times this pathetic instance of child labor could have bccn duplicated, had I mado a tour among tho families of miners in the coal regions of Scotland, but I do know that child labor was on2 of tho most serious pustulea upon the back of soci~ty,in the not too distant past, and that it was such conditions that created the social and economic tcnsions out of which the germ of communism was spa~.mcd.

All about us today, throughout the world, arc minority groups, and majority groups, who arc bcset with grievous plights of evsr nameable order. Do we as Christians behold them? Thnt is the question that haunts me day and night. Therevor Jesus went, he was touched by the woes of men. The leper, the blind beggar, the sick, the captive, the sin-stained soul--these drew his deepest concern both by day and by night. Their sickness was his sickness; their hunger his hunger; their woe his woe!

But we have not followed in his footsteps. Satcd with plenty, and with a feeling of security in our own salvation, we ~RVEgone nbout our ways on a ilbusiness as usualtt basis while thc hungry, distressed throngs hevc yearned for sympathy and for understanding, and, most of ell, for the grace of God which alone can fulfil the deepest needs of man. In the words of Dr. Laback: I1Out of the 2200 million people in the world, 1700 million, usually in debt all thcir lives, are in went, more or less oppressed and exploited, and increasingly unhappy and determinded to be free from want. They are not in the United States, except a million or two migrant workars and many of the Negroos; they are nct in Canada, the Unitod Kingdom, or in the Scandinavian countries. But in all the rest of the world there are multitudes dissatisfied x~dgroping for some way up and out of the dark drudgery and pain of empty living." The historic rise of dictatcrs like Joseph Stalin nnd Itarshzl Tito is marked by povorty and squalor of circurnstancc and unbelievable yearnings for a better circurnstancc in life. One cannot help but wondcr what would have bccn the course of history in the twcntioth century, if these intellectual giants and Napolcanic leaders had but known tha bencdictine hands of Christlike loving concern during the years of their painful longings end 211 but hopeless days of gloom. Christ saw the dejected state of men, I tall you, adhe knew their woes. He would have shared the last - crumb in his knapsack with the worst sinner! And I tell you that we who profess to know Christ had better scc these tecming multitudes, and hear their cries, and be touched by their miserable plight. For, aftzr all, they are people, the kind of people ovcr which Jesus wept in his loving concern.

But Christ saw more than the sickening plight of men; he saw thcir all but infinite possibilities for redemption and growth and development in the way, the truth znd the life. Hc was touched by their miserable economic and social plight, to be sure; but he went beyond this to the root and scul of thcir real misery, the sickcnina sinful state of thcir mind 2nd soul lifc, Aft :r all, rnzn's social 2nd economic plight is the result of sin today, even as it was in the beginning when mm was first placed in the garden of life. ;Ye nre where we are today, in our miseries, because of ow corporate 2nd individual sins. And we have not helped man, essentially, when we have placed bread in his hand, and clothes about his body to warm him in winter, unless, at the same timc, we have led him to drink (more) Page 3 Address - R. Paul Caudill IfChrist's Lltwnativc to C~xanunisrn~~

of the waters of szlvation. They alone satisfy. They alone can bring spiritual health and color to the palid cheeks of ths rnind and soul life.

Once again, Jesus saw tho all but Infinite Possibilities cf People. He believed in the inherent dignity cf each and cvery individucl and in the priceless wor'bh cf every living soul. "For what shall it profit a mm," said he, Hif he shall gein the whole world, and lose his ovm scul? Or what shall a nan give in exchange fcr his soul?11 (Mark 9:36, 37). IIi~renot two sperrows s~ldfor a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the grcund without your father, But the very hairs of your head are all number- ed. Fear ye not therefore, ye arc of inure value than many spa~rows~~(Matthew 10329-31).

Sonehow, in the de~dsningmass of things we have all but lost sight of the priceless wcrth of ths individual md of his zbility, under God, to dcvelop intc the i'ullness of the stature of tho full grown man in Christ ! Somehow we havc lost our basic regard for man. ;'~cT"E,for instance, is there zny considcrablc evidence of grms concern on our part for the mounting casualties cn thc blocd-drenched fields of Korea. Who, spat from wifes and ~wccthe~wtsand mcthcrs and friends of those on thc battlefield, manifest any grcst concern for thcir sacrifices? The great majority of us continue to go our ways drinking the cup of casnnl ploasurc to the full. The saloons, the honky-tonks, and the gay-lit nightclubs continuc to ~.bcundas though we wcrc not zt war. In fact, the conflict in Korca is zpparzntly regarded by thc multitudes as littlo more than a border- inci.dcnt! We continuc to lose sight of th~individual, 2nd whet his life might have countsd for in the cause of Christ had his strzngth and talznts bacn cmployed to kingdom ends.

All about us arc wayward souls who yearn for thc fellowship of kingdom men, and for the truth that is in Christ and the Christian way of life. They are not always conscioua of the meaning of their deepseatad yearnings, but the restlcssn~ssis there and they will never find peace until they rest in him.

But not ell of those who arc lldistresscd and scattered as sheep having no shepherd" arc among the poor. Not all of them arc tatteredemalion -- not all me human flotsam, Many of them ere high up in the brackets of this world's goods, In fact, there are msny l1up and ~uts"just as there are multitudes cf "down 2nd outs." And those who are well-to-do in this wcrldts gcods, but who are out of Christ, may have as deep yearnings for him as the poorest of the poor.

Men arc capable of laying hold on th<-~tfor which they arc laid hold on by Jesus Christ. By creztion, God has granted unto each of us all but limitless possibilities in the realm of growth 2nd development. Like a caref'ully tended plant, man can be made to develop into a fragrant perscnality of flower-like beauty. And we must come to see this truth, and understand it clezrly. All of us are what we arc, as Christians, by the grace of God. It is he that gives 6s both tho will and the capacity to do. Apart from the inspiraticn of his redeeming love we are but as filthy rags.

1kmy of the truly great leaders of all time have sprung from the lowly walks of life. Our Savicur himself grew up in the home of a humble carpenter of Nazareth. Even those who hzve been snatched from the abject squalor of circumstance may, under the guiding hand of Christian love grow and develop into winsome personalities of grace.

What, thcn, is our chiefest need in tho light of thcsc astondin2 truths as revealed to us by the insight of our Lord? Simply this: We need to pray a3 wc have nevcr pr~yed before th~tGod will give us workers that zri. equal to the task. In the words of Jesus, !'The harvest truly is plenteous, but the l~borers?re few; pray ye therefore tho Lord of the harvest, th~the will send fcrth labcrcrs into his harvest.'I (Matthew 9:37,38).

Even today, after 107 years of cooperative fcllowship in the gospel, Southern Bap- tists have a total foreign missicn force cf only smo 850. There are today in the city of Memphis more workers in a single dapzrtn2nt store than wwe havc sent out to the foreign mission fields in more than a century of cooperative Scuthcrn Baptist cffcrt. Other denominations, fzr less in number, have put us tc shzme!

There are scores md scores of young men and young wcmcn who vrou.Ld gladly volunteer for our world missionary undsrt&ing if we would only pray for them to be Ifcast forthu as workers, and back up cur prayers with worthy offerings in behalf of world missi~ns.Instead of hundrads of missionaries, Southcrn Baptists ought at this moment to have thousands of missionaries scattered throughout the wrld until they have reached, with the messzge, every outpost of civilization.

Jesus said, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you," (~ohn15:7). 7Je have his ~rornise. Vie have also his cum- mand to pray, tc pray for workers to labor in the white fields of harvest that abound throughout the h-bitablc world. Will wc accept his challenge? Dare we to get down upon our kncas with Christlike humility, and pray for workers, and pray that we who have the resources with which to send the workers cut will demonstrate cur love for him with worthy (nore) aae~L -Address - R. Paul C nudill "Christ s i~lter.nativeto Communism" tithes and offerings.

The manner in which we answer this question mpy determine the caurse of civilization for the coming years ! Nothing short ef a sweeping revival of New Testament religion can save cur nation, 2nd tho nations of the world, from the fearful cnrush of the Juggernaut cf ccmmunism which has already nade sick untc death more than 800 millicns of thc people of the world, Southern Ba~tistConventio 9 Off ice of ~iessRepresentative Albert McClellan Miami -- 2952

LIMITING THE VORD OF GOD

by C. Oscar Johnson

Dr. C, Oscar Johnson, pastor of the Third Baptist Church, St. Louis, lhissouri, is a native of Tennessee and a graduate of Carson-Newman College and Southorn Seminary, Louisville. A former president of the Baptist World Alliance, Dr. Johnson has been at the St. Louis pastorate since 1931. He was pastor in California and Washington before coming to Missouri. ###

TEXT: nInto all the worldf1 (Matthew 28:20).

One of the greatest evils in modern Christian churches today is complacency, In- difference is another word for the same sin. We are too easily satisfied with things that are only means to an end rather than the end themselves. %en I was asked to speak on this program I was told to speak about nOur Program and the JVorld Program.It Immediately I thought there is but one program which God has and that is a world program. Everything that eveyy Christian does is related to the world program which God has' for the salvation of the lost. The church needs today to see its relationship to all the Christian forces in the world, If a church is to have that conception the minister must not only have it, but he must constantly and earnestly present it to his congregation.

There ara many ways in which we set limits on the word of God, God1 s word is boundless; it is eternal, and it is all inclusive. The ways by which we may limit the word cf God in its pow2r and influence are many, We can speak of only a few of them. Perhaps there is no more serious limitation influence today than that of lack of vision. durely where there is no vision, people perish, That is true not only in the lands where they have never heard of Christ, it is true of a church whore their vision is so circumscribed that the horizon does not include the county. Vision is that conception of the Kingdom of God which girdles the globe. Nothing else will satisfy. Nothing else will be adequate. We are suffzring today from nearsightedness. We see in a small circle. It is our own particular program that occupies all of our time and effort. We are limited and thus limit God beceuse we do not see thc vision which is indicated in the 16th verse of the third chapter of John, "God so loved the world,ll God's children must so love the world. Christian followers of the Christ must be constantly lifting their eyes. The field is the world and when we lift our eyes and our vision is clear enough, we cannot see a limited gospel or a limited word or a limited God. Surely the boundless mercy of God extends to all the boundaries of the earth. It is, thareforc, necessary that we shall somehow get across to ourselves and to our people that we are greatly limiting the outreach of the word of God as expressed in the Great Commission because our vision is so limited. We g~tglimpses of the successes of the Kingdom in spots, but what we need is a world picture of how the Kingdom of God is going forward, We are liable to say that our vision has been obscured by the clouds of the present day. There are clouds; they do obscure. The cloud of militarism is today vzry black over the world, Some Christians are losing hope because of this cloud. The cloud of commercialism and materialsim has become a vcry potent factor in limiting the word of God and our vision. There is a cloud of indifference and complacency which makes short-sighted Christians, church members, denominations. It is ours to clarify that vision to get abovo the clouds to find the light that shines through them that we may see and do the will of God.

Again, we w limiting the word of God by our lack of faith. Of course, we speak glibly of faith. We talk about our faith and the faith of our fathsrs. We sing that grand old hymn often thoughtlessly, "How sweet would be their childrenst fate if we like them could die for Thee." What n statement; how often sung. But is it a really gripping faith that we have? I consider with you that little group to whom Jesus spoke those last words. Thsy were a small group, They had recently gone through severe tes+,- ings, but to them he made the most profound statement any group evor received8 V(io ye into all thc world." If they took that seriously it required a greet deal of faith. Later dovelopmcnts proved that they had the faith. They believed what Jesus said. They believed it was possible to do it. They went at the task heart and soul. Does this same faith characterize our preaching today? Do we instill that kind of faith in our people? Do we really believe that the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ? Do we have faith to beliove that we can tackle these limitations of vision and othcr things and conquer; the faith that Jesus had in his father is an example. He trusted him to the last. He prayed in a garden. He died upon a cross, but (more) Address - C. Oscar Johnson miting the Word of God" he spoke at last saying, ''It is finished." He had faith in the purpose for which he came. He placed faith in these disciples; he does today. He has a right to expect faith that is necessary for our day as those disciples had the faith necessary for theirs, we could remove mountains, dispel clouds, overcome fears and win for Christ. We are limiting the word of God by our lack of faith. We speak about a faith that saves. That is true, but this same faith operates in those who are saved to the end that all may hear the gospel and believe. We must have faith in the gospel; faith in its power to save; faith in the founder of the church; faith in his word so clearly spoken. Because we lack the faith and so maw in our membership have so little of it, the Church goes limping. Our convention is limited because with all our numbers we do not demonstrate a real conquering faith. Somehow we must recapture that faith which so characterized those early disciples. They had faith that what Jesus said was true. They went out to live on that basis.

Again, we are greatly limiting the word of God by our giving. There are in certain quarters people who do not think of giving as a spiritual exercise, They have divorced it from spirituality. This is not scriptural; it is Lhe real expression of genuine spiritual attitudes and yet even though we are proud of the treasurer's reports when we have millions of dollars, a little study of the figures reveals that our denomination and our local churches are all greatly limited because by and large the great majority of the membership of our churches are limiting the word and the power of God by their laxity in giving. Through the entire New Testament the entire plan of God is laid down by which the kingdom should be extended. He did not set up a church and then leave it without a plan for extension. That plan is carried over from the Old Testament and we should at least reach the minimum laid down in the plan of God from the beginning. One-tenth of our income belongs to God. The other nine-tenths are entrusted to us to be used for further development. Beyond that there are tithes and offerings which we are to make to him out of an appreciative and generous heart for his marvelous grace and mercy. The people today who are thinking in terms of the kingdom do not begin to compare with the figures that represent our total expenditures for government, crimes, cosmetics, drink, tobacco, etc. Christians are giving money to all of these other things and often giving in a very stingy fashion for the extension of the word of God through the church. Unless we can get this great spiritual truth planted deeply into the heart of every follower, the church will continuo to lack in those great things which make possible the ever widen- ing circles of Christ's influence and teaching.

Again, the word of God is limited by the lives of his children, After all the greatest testimony he has is a convert. Those who have been converted; been born again; have come into new life. These are the testimonies in a world that will see and believe because of our lives. I need not in this presence indicatc that today by and large the membership of our church is a vcry poor sample of the kind of life that Jesus said a Christian should live. We may be eves so versed in the scripture; we may carry out all the practices and doctrines, but unless our lives parallel our teachings and beliefs, Our program is greatly limited, The word of God is clear in this. IVc are to live lives above reproach. We are to live livcs deeply spiritual and unless we do we cannot hope to be effective as Kingdom promoters. It is a sad state of affairs when we have in our church membership approximately 2,000,000 in the Southsrn Baptist Convention whose connection with the church was not important enough for them to even notify the office of the pastor when they moved from the community. This is a very sad comcnt upon the kind of lives that make up our churches.

Brethren, wa face no more serious situation than this in America. We need somehow to bring the standard up and then bring the people up to the standard. Some of our brethren around the world have been forced through circumstances to demonstrate a virility in Christian living which I am sorry to say is not characteristic of American Christianity. We must live what we profess or else our test,imony is not valid. Somehow those early Christians gavs their all including their lives in the service of Christ. They counted not thsir lives as dear unto themselves, but they gave them willingly unto the Lord. Many of them literally gave their life's blood for their faith and for Christ. We are, today, greatly handicapped because there is not ~noughdiffcrancc between members of the church and non-members of the church. Every church in a community should be made up of people whose very lives would be a shining and glowing sermon all the week long of the things which the preacher proclaims from the pulpit and the preachers themselvzs are not excused. Our lives, certainly, should be shining lights above reproach; no dimness; no darkness in them. It should be our constant aim to live daily in close companionship with our Lord even as he lived close to his father all of tha days he spent on earth. Tho early disciple could challenge their accusersto point out the sin of vhich they might be guilty. Even as Jesus said, !!For which of these good deeds do you stone me?" If we do not live in this prcscnt gxeration so that others may seo our good works and glorify God, we are fall- ing short of what Jesus has a right to expect from us. If nothing elss happens at this convention, it is my earnest concern that it may result in the dedication of this great body to go back determined by thc hclp of God to live lives worthy of our living Christ in the communities where we live. This is a place in which we are limiting the word and powcr end gospel of God. (more > page 2 Address - C. Oscar Johnson miting the Word of God"

1Ne are limiting the word and power of God today by our lack of prayer. There was a day when people agonized in prayer. The praying group at Pentecost spent several days in earnest prayer before the power descended and they wzre filled with the Holy Spirit. The prayer life of ths pastors today is even very limited. The time we spend in acutally agonizing before God ov,m a lost world would be an embarrassing revelation. We are reminded that one of the Old Testament prophets said, "God forbid that I should sin against Israel by ceasing to pray.for them. If the pastor does not have time to spend in prayer even as his Lord did so ofton, then what can we expect of the people whom we try to lead? The word of God is powerful; it is mighty. The commission is world-wide. Prayer is effective. Therefore, we must not bc guilty of limiting God or his word because we do not pray, Things would happen all over our convention and all over the world if the people of God really spent time in prayer; in earnest prayer; in agonizing prayer for the lost of the world; for the advance of the kingdom and for the program of our church.

A recent count was taken vhen 300 pastors were present and the amazing revelation from those 300 pastors was that ths largest percentage of them spent betwcen five and ten minutes a day in prayer. Brethren, this ssriously limits us, It limits God because we do not pray. All over our land thme is need. Our Lord set the example in praying. Sur?ly we should follow him, not only in preaching his gospel but in following his example of prayer.

Those churches and people who spend ~uchtime in prayer are the churches where God is pouring out his spirit in abundant demonstration. Our prayer meetings which should be the source of power often are very meagsr in their attendance. Somthing should come to cause us to, at once, corroct this sad error and be praying follow~rsof our Lcrd.

Tie are limiting the word of God and the power of Christ by our lack of love. The whole program of Christianity is based upon love. It was God's own love that sent Christ. It was Christ's love for us that took him to the cross. It was his love for humanity that caused him to die and to rise again that that love might bz shed abroad in the hearts of people of the world. Our lovc must not be limited to those of our onn kith and kin. Our love must include all of those whom Jesus lovcd and we understand in the scripture that ho loved all men, We are urged to love especially those of the household of faith. Often we find this is not true and .hen rre begin to Love people who arc not of our own household, then we are becoming more like the master. The world is dying for love. All of our preaching, all of our church building, and zll of our educational program will go ineffectively if we do not love as Jzsus loved. His word is sharper than a two-edged sword but his love is thz motivating power that sends men out and uses them for the salvation of th? lost.

Surely, if we need anything today, ws nced a real world-girdling, world-encircling, and world-embracing love; a lovc that will disrngard nationality and race and social position, but love in spite of all of thosc handic8ps and weaknesses that men may have. It was said of the early Christians: I1Behold, how they lovc one another." This should be characteristic of Christians of our time. Not only are we to love one another, but we arc to love the unlovely. We arc to love those evm who are our encmies. This is a hard saying, but surely Jesus meant it when he said that we should love them. We should not despitefully use them even though thoy despitefully use us. We must continue to love thcm because who are we and what would 7.c: have been except for the lovo of Christ? Really and truly the tie that binds all the followers of Jesus together is lovc. Without it we break up, in our own family even into various sects and groups. With it we are a mighty force; a mighty army moving on, not with swords, bombs, and guns, but with tho greatest power in the world - lovc; love that can ovzrcome all enemies; love thet can win when everything elso fails.

So, we are today to think of a world program; to think of how it is limited today becausc vre circumscribe it with our own littleness and with cur own narrowness, This fellowship is something of which we should be proud, It is something which should stir us up and drive us on to the accomplishrnant of that task which Jesus gave those very first disciples. This is the hour when the demonstration of these mighty forces is needed. We can do it. Vie can win the lost. We can evangelize the world if we believe the word of God; if vie accept the challange of God; if we love men as Jesus loved them; if we become agonizing in our praying. All of this will bring to us the revival which we have longed to see 2nd for v~hichour Lord waits in hezvcn. To thet end we here and now dedicate ourselves to more consistent living, to more enthusiastic following, to more joyous and complete coo?eration, with all of those who arc seeking to advance the kingdom of our Lord and to win the world for which he gnve his live. ### Friday Ahnoon ORDER OF BUSINESS The Church: Its Moral Testimony No Session (I john 3:8) Song and Praise SIlhrrQly Nlght Scripture and Prayer-Edgar M. hdali, Baptist Youth Rally-T. L. Holcornb, Chair- Alabama man; Billy Graham, Guest Speaker Committee on Baptist Pape-A. L. Good- SOUTHERN rich, Chairman Special Music -Hardin-Simmons University Committee on Circulation Campaign-Louie Choir, Hardin-Simmons University, Abilcne, D. Newton. Chairman Texas-Euell Portu; Director Report of Committee on Committees "Lost In The Night" ...... Ch*istiansen B.APTIST Report of Committee on Boards "Resting In Denominational Calendar - W. L. Howse, fIis Love" arr. by Porter Chairman ...... -.-. Negro Ministerial Education -Edward A. %Beau Savior" ...... Chrissbnsen McDoweIl, Chairman CONVENTION American Baptist Theological Seminary-L. Sunday Afternoon S. Sedberry, secretary - Special Music-Hardin-Simmons Uni~rsity Mas Meeting-J. Howard Williams, Texas- Choir. Hardin-Simmons Universitv.,, Abdene. Speaker; Subject-"Salute the Church" Texas-Euell Porter, Director Hymn Sing and Guest DirectowSpecid "Lift Up Your Heads Ye Mighty Gates" ...... Leiserling Musical Features "0 Thou In Whose Presence" .... arr. by Cain "Balm in GiIead" ...... Dawson Sunday night Address-James W. Middleton, Louisiana Baptist Training Union -J. E. Lambdin, Friday Nlght Secretary Song and Praise Evangelistic Service-Directed by C. E. Mat- American Bible Society-Thomas T. Hollo- way, Secretary thews, Superintendent of Evmgehq Home Christian Home Hour - Joe W. Burton, Mission Board Tennessee Song Service--Loren Williams Special Music-Bison Glee Club, Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Oklahoma, War- Special by International Choir, Wayland CoI- Convention Theme ren M. AngelI, Director lege, Plainview, Texas-Shelby Cob, Di- "Sweet Hour of rector Prayery'...... -... am. by Angel1 '6 Blessed Redeemer" ...... -.-..Lees "God Give Us Christian Homes" ...... arr. by Angel2 Offering CHURCH" Address: "The Home and the Church" "MAGNIFYING THE James L. Sdivan, Texas Massed Choir-Julian Spradlty and Loren Williams, Directors "Christ Ioved the church and gave himself Sa?urday Morning "The Heavens Resound" ..... Besthoven Song and haise "Let the Lower Lights for it" (Ephesians 5%) Scripture and Praver-4. C. Kiser..-- .Tr.. Be Burning" ...... -. BLs-McCd loA Ada 'When I Survey the Miscellaneous Business Wondrous Cross" ....-....-an: by Siw Committee on Relation with Other Religious The Church Musician, May, 1952 MAY 14-18, 1952 Bodies-T. C. Gardner, Chairman Song L' Send The Light" ...... -., ...... Gabtisl Audio-Visual Education Committee-J. Norria MIAMI, FLORlDA Palmer, Chairman Sermon by Baker James Cauthtn-"Christ Committee on PubIic Affairs-3. M. Damn, Spe*+s to the Nations" Executive Secretary lnvltation Hymn-"Wherever He Leads I'll Compliments Special Music-The Graded Choirs, Ma- Go" pattah Baptist Church, Miami, Florida-Dr. Committee on Order of Business John HaIdeman, Pastor, Robert L. Jones, J. Pow= Tuc~xu,Florida, Choitmcin Minister of Music Social Service Cornmission-Hugh A. Brim, GROVE^ JONES, North Carolina BROTHERHOOD Executive Secretary JAMES N. MORGAN,Texas Historical Society-Norman W. Cox, Execu- M.u STANFIELD,Oklahoma COMMISSION, S. B. C. tive Secretary Southwide Assemblies-John L. Hill, Director H. B. KUHNLB,Kentucky 1548 Poplar Avenue of Promotion - L. Rmm POLK,Alabama Memorial Service-Austin Crouch, Tennessee L~msH. M~LH~,Georgia Memphis 4, Teanessee SUGGESTED ORDER OF BUSINESS Thursday Afternoon The Church : Its Spiritual Endowment SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENT1 N The Church: Its Eternal Foundations (Acts 1 :8) (Matthew 16:If-18) May 14-18, 1952 Song and Praise Miami, Florida 7 : 15 Song and Praise Scripture and Prayer-0. B. Mylurn, Ken- tucky DR. J. D, GREY, President, Presiding 7:25 Scripture and Prayer-W. W. Long, Georgia Relief and Annuity Board-Walter R. Alex- Dr. Loren R. Williams, Director of ander, Executive Secretary Music for Convention 7: 33 Woman's Missionary Union-Mrs. George R Southern Baptist Hospital report -Frank Organists: Wilbur F. Martin, California Martin, Tripp, Administrator Mrs. Evelyn M. Faucher, Florida Virginia Pianist: Forrest H. Watkins, Florida Southern Baptist Foundation-4. H. Bolton, 8 :00 Special Music-Furman University Sing-, Secretary wednosday Morning Furman University, Greenville, South Caro- Election of Officers lina-DuPre Rhame, Director Song and Praise Special Music-Miss Jo Ann Shelton, Soloist, "Springs In The Desert" ...... Jennings Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Ok- Scripture and Prayer-John R. Fergumn, lahoma Cdifornia "Jesus, Son of God Incarnate" Mozart Address--Carl E. Bates, Texas Secretaries' Report on Registration "How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling lhwrday Ntght Committee on Order of Business-J. Pow& Place" (from Requiem) ,...... Brahm Tucker, Chairman, Florida The Church: Its Supreme Miasion 8: 10 Foreign Missions--M. Theron Wn,Execu- Welwme Address--RaIph Femll, Florida (Acts 1 :8) tive Secretary Response-R. E. Milam, Oregon 7 : 15 Song and Praise 9:15 Addresr-Monroe F. Swillcy, Georgia 7: 25 Scripture and Prayer-J. Woodrow Fuller, Song Texas Address of President-J. D. Grey 7: 35 ' Special Music - Stetson University Choir, Recognition of Fraternal Messengers and Stetson University, Deland Florida-Harold Visitors Giffin, Director 9: 30 Song and Praise 7 :45 BAPTIST BROTHERHOOD - George . W. Special Music--Stetson Univer~ityChoir, Stet- Schroeder, Executive Secretary son University, Deland, Florida - Hamld Giffin, Director 9:40 Scripture and Praye-R. Maurice Hall, Mis- 8:10 Home Mission Boa&-J. B. Lawrence, Ex- souri ecutive Secretary Convention Sermon-Ramsey Pollard, Ten- nessee--Robert E. Naylor, South Carolina 9 :20 Addre-W. A. Criswell, Texas (Alternate) 9:50 Radio Cornmission--S. F. Lowe, Director Frlday Mornlng Wednesday Afternoon 10: 10 Miscellaneous Business The Church: Its Doctrinal Significance (I Timothy 2:I) The Church: Its Eternal Background 10:20 Special Music-Furm~n University Singem, Furman University, Greenville, South Car+ Song and Praise lina-DuPre Rhame, Director Scripture and Prayer--A. L. Lo&, Ok- 2 :00 Song and Praise . lahoma "Lacrymosa" (from Education Commission - R. Orin Cornett, 2: I0 Scripture and Prayer-W. D. Wyatt, Nm Executive Secretary Mexico "Requiem" ) Mozart ...... -...... Committee on Resolutions 2:20 Appointment of Committee on Committees "Prayer" (from "Hansel Committee on Time, Place, Preacher and Committee on Resolutions and Gretel") ...... Humperdinck Miscellaneous Business Special Music-Bison Glee Club, Oklahoma 2 :30 Executive Committee Administration Report ...... -Porter Routh, Executive Secretary "The Omnipotence" Schubert Baptist University, Shawnee, Oklahoma - Warren M. Angell, Director 3: 10 Executive Committee Report on Promotion- 10 :30 Address-Kenneth S. Latourette, Pmident "Hallelujah Amen" -...... Handd Merrill D. Moore, Director of Promotion American Baptist Convention "Morning Hymn" ...... Hamchel "Ole Moses Put Pharoh 3: 50 Miscellaneous Business In His Place" ...... -,...... Jpifi'tilnl 4:OO Special Music 11:00 Sunday School Board-T. L. Holcomb, Ex- Seminaries 4:lO Address-W. Douglas Hudgiq Wrippi ecutive Secretary Address-H. Leo Eddleman, Ktntucb Southern Baptist Convention 1951

Organized 1845 23,400 ministers 28,289 churches 7,373,498 members 5,253,695 Sunday school enrolment 1,554,660 Training Union enrolment 375,525 baptisms 19 institutions and agencies 22 state conventions 21 orphanages 26 hospitals 69 educational institutions $222,838,109 total gifts $37.268.1 72 total mission gifts Agencies and institutioizs of the Southern Baptist Convention EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 127 Kinth Avenue, North, Nashville, Tennessee PORTERRow, Execntive Secretary-Treasurer MEHULL D. MOORE,Direc~or of Promotion and Associate Secretary ALBERTMCCLELLAN, Direcfor of Pubiications GEORGEB. FRASER,President Foreign Mission Board New Orleans Baptist Radio Commission M. THERONRANKIN, Exec. Sec'y Theological Seminary S. F. LOWE,Director 2033 Monument Avenue ROLAND0. LEAVELL,Pre~ident Baptist Radjo Ccntcr RICHMOND20, VIRGINIA 120 washington Avenue ATLANT~,GEORGIA NEW ORLEANS13, LOUISEANA Historical Society Home Mission Board Golden Gate Baptist 3. NORM~NCOX, Eyer. Sec'y J. LAWRENCE,Exec. Sec'y Theological Seminary 127 Ninth .\venue, North 16? Sprin: Strcet. N.\\'. B. 0. HERRING,Pre~ident NASHVILLE,TENNESSEE ATLANW3, GEORGIA I908 Addison Street Commission on the American Sunday School Board BERKELEY,CALIFORNIA Southeastern Baptist Baptist Theological Seminary T. L. HOLCOMB,Exec. Sec'y L. S. SEDBERRY,General 161 Eighth Avenue, North Theological Seminary NASHVILLE3, TENNESSEE SYDNORL. STEALEY,President Secretary and Treasurer WAKEFOREST, NORTH CAROLINA 1800 1Vh1te.s Crcck Pile NASHVILLE,TENNESSEE Relief and Annuity Board Southern Baptist Hospital WALTERR. ALEXANDER,Exec. Sec'y FRANKTRIPP, Superintendent Baptist Brotherhood 500 Baptist Building 2700 A-apoleon Arenue GEORGE- - R . SCHRDEDER.Exec. Scc'y DALLAS1, TEXAS NEW ORLEANS15, LOUISIANA Con~mcrceTitle Buildlng MEMPHIS,TENNESSEE ! Southem Baptist Theological Southern Baptist Foundation C. H. BOLT OX^ Exec. Sec'y Public Affairs Committee Seminary 12i Xinth Avenue, North J. M. D~wsox,Exec. Sec'y DUKEK. MCCALL,President NASHVILLE3, TENNESSEE 162s Sisteinth Scrcct, T.W. I '825 Lexington Road Education Commission WA~HIXGTON,D. C. LOUISVILLE,KENTUCKY R. ORINCORNETT 1Zi Zinth Avenue, North Woman's Missionary Un Southwestern Baptist NASHVILLE,TEENESSEE Auxiliary to Southern Baptist Convention4@ I Theological Seminary SociaI Service Commission Mrss ALMAHUNT, Exec. Sec'y ! E. D. HEAD,President HUGHA. BRIM^^. Exec. Sec'y MRS. GEORGEMARTIN, President Seminary Hill Station Box 38. St, Matthews Station W. hI. L.Building 1 FORTWORTH, TEXAS LOUISVILLE,KENTUCKY BIRMIKGHA~~,ALABAMA 3 SOUTHERN BAP 14-18

MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM

22 State Conventions 38,289 Churches 7,373,498 Members 375,525 New Members Last Year 5761,510,838 Total Church Property $385,000,000 Total (Estimated) Institutional Property

The Southern Baptist Convention met June 20-24, 1951, in San Francisco, California. It will meet next year, 1953, in Houston, Texas, May 6-10. Southern Baptist Convention SPECIAL REWSE Office of Press Representative Jk. Albert McClellan Mimi --1952

RSPORTSRS: To help you accurately report the Southern Baptist Convention -8, Miami) we respectfully submit the following It Baptist TerminologyI1 which we trust will be of value to you.

A GUIDE FOR NEWSPAPERMEN

1. There is no such thing as Itthe Baptist church," except when it refers to one particular church. It is "the Baptist when referring to a collective unit, (e. g. the Southern Baptist churches, or the Southern Baptist Convention).

2, The title of the convention is ltSouthern Baptist Convention," not tlSouthern Baptist General Convention" or "Southern Baptist Convention of Churches.I1

3. The convent ion has ttsessions,ltnot meetings or conferences.

4. This is the 95th session of the Southern Baptist Convention, although the convention was organized in 1845.

5. The churches send "messengerstt to the convention, not delegates, representatives or spokesmen.

6. The individual messenger may speak and act -only for himself, In no way may he comit his church to any program or plan of the convention. But most of the churches go along with what the Southern Baptist Convention decides to do. 1110s-t of the convention work is accccplished t!irough co,mittees, boards and various agencies.

7. Funds from the various churches are channeled through the BAPTIST COOPERATIVE PROGRAM, when such money goes for activities of a general nature (i.e. foreign missionaries, home missionaries, educational institutions, hospitals, etc. ) . 8. The title of llexecutive secretarytt in Bagtist terminology means that the individual is the top executive for that particular group,

9. There are also twenty-two state coliventions, independent of, but in cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention, These state conventions own many institutions such as orphanages, hospitals, and colleges. Southern Baptist Convention Office of Fress Representative MJ. Albert NIcClellan Miami -1952

Born: Princeton, Kentucky, December 18, 1906

Parents: George Lindsay Grey and Lucy Ann (~eeney)Grey

Brothers: Leonard and Goebel

Sisters: Nyra and Edna

Childhood Residences: Princeton, Kentucky, 1906-1908; Caldwell County, Kentucky, 1909-1915; Paducah, Kentucky, 1915-1925.

Education: Diploma, Tilghman High School, Paducah, Kentucky, 1925 Union University, Jackson, Tennessee, B.A. Degree, 1929 Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Th.M., 1932 Honorary Degree, Union University, D.D., 1938

Religious Experience :

Converted, 1918. Baptized into Second Baptist Church, faducah, Kentucb, 1918, Ordained Irnrnanuel Baptist Church, Paducah, 1925.

Denomination Experience: Moderator, New Orleans Baptist Association, 1944-45. Member, Home Mission Board, S,B.C., 1942-1950. ],!ember, State Baptist Board since 1939. President, Louisiana Baptist Convention, 1948-50, First Vice-Fresident, Southern Baptist Convention, 1949. President, Soutl~wideAlumni, Southwestern Seminary, 1940-51. Member, Executive Committee, Baptist World Alliance since 1950. Baptist Hour Preacher, April, May, June, 1349.

Pastoral Experiences: Student Pastor at Brunswicl:, Charleston, Villiston, Oakland, Somerville, Ten- nes see, 1925-29. Vickery Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, 1929-1931. Tabernacle Baptist Church, Znnis, Texas, 1931-193h. First Baptist Church, Denton, Texas, 1434-1937. First Church, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1937-

Other Religious Work: Speaker Ridgecrest Baptist Assembly, North Carolina, during week sponsored by B.S.U., Sunday School, Training Union, Home Missions, and Music in recent years. Frequent director of Simultaneous Revival Campaigns throughout South. Chairman of Committee of Order of Business, S.B.C., 1951.

Marriage: Lillian Gaines Tooke, Yaducah, Kentucky, September 16, 1927.

Children: Twin daughters, Mary Beth and Rartha Ann, born New Orleans, La., Sep- tember 3, 1941,

Clubs: Kiwaniz International, Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, N. 0. Round Table Club.

Hobbies: Deep sea fishing and travel.

Miscellaneous : Tour, %st Indies, 1939; 6 weeks tour, Europe, 1947. Southern Baptist Convention Office of Press Reyresentative Mr. Albert LlcClellan Miami -1952

MISCELLANEOUS FACTS ABOUT J, D. GREY'S BEGINNING IN DZNCMINAT IONAL AFFAIRS

In 1930 during first full-time pastorate, Vickery, Texas, at age 24 preached annual sarmon for the Dallas County Baptist Association just before Dr. George W. Truett preached a sermon,

In 1932 pr~acll~dconsecration sermon at Texas Training Union Convention, Mineral 'Wells, when nearly 200 young people dedicated their lives to special service,

First appearance on the program of the Southern Baptist Convention at Washington, D.C., 1333, read the scriptures and offc~edprayer.

1934-37 member of Zxecutive Board, Texas Eaptist Convention.

1938 given an honorary degree flDoctor of Divinity1I by Alma Mater, Union University, Jackson, Tennessee, just ni.ne years after graduation. Youngest graduate to receive this dagrce from Union.

1939 want on three weeks cruise of Viest Indies and Central America, holding services cn boa~dship on Sundays.

1940 elected member, Executive Bozrd, Louisiana Baptist Convention.

1942 member Budget Control Committee, State Convention.

1943 elected member Home Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention, for the State of Louisiana.

1945 elected to preach annual sermon of Louisiana Baptist Convention.

1947 extended tour of Europe and attendance at Baptist 6orld Alliance, Copenhagen, Denmark.

1948 elected Tresident of Louisiana Baptist Convention; re-elected for second tem,17@.

19491 April-May-June preacher on Baptist Hour radio broadcast - first speaker to be el.ected for entire thr~cmonths series,

1349 elected First Vice-President, Southern Baptist Convention,

1950 elected Chairman of Committee on Order of Business for Southern Baptist Convention to meet in San Francisco, California, June 20-24, 1951.

1950 elected member of Executive Committee of Baptist World Alliance,

Conducted revivals in every state of Southern 3apti.st Convention except Oregon-Wash- ington, California, Arizona, New EJlexico, and Kansas.

Has spoken at Conventions, Assemblies, Conferences or other special Baptist gatherines in every state of Southern Baptist Convention except Ivashington-Oregon.

Been featured speaker at Ridgecrest Baptist Assembly, Ridgecrest, North Carolina, during various years 10s following conferences: Baptist Training Union, three timesj Sunday School Leadership Week, twice; Home ?kission Board Conference; Baptist Student Union Conference; Southwide l~usicConference.

1948 elected President, Southwide Alumni Association, Southwestern Baptist Seminary. Has served three consecutive terms.

Over the years has contributed special articles for nearly every Sunday School Board prblication, for Southern Baptist Home ILissions, and various state Baptist papers.

Has sup2lied pulpit on various occasions for some of the largest churches outside the Southern Baptist Convention; such as: Tremont Temple Baptist Church, Boston; First Baptist Church, ldinnca?olis, Ninnesota; Templc Baptist Church, Los Angeles, California. Southern Baptist Convention RELEASE: I+nytime Office of Press Reprcscntativc ilr , i~lberti4cClellan ibiiami -- 1952

SOUT=RN BAPTISTS COITINUE TO GROT;)]

J, P, Edillunds Sccre tary, Dsp2 rtsnent of Survey, Statistics, end Information of the Baptist Sundzy School Bead

Thc consistent progress of Southern Baptists through the years is clearly cvidcnt in thc follosdng factual statci,~cnt. It took Southcrn Baptists 28 years to reach their first million; 34 years t3 rcach their sccond million; 13 years, their third million; 12 years, their fourth million; 8 years, their fifth million; 6 ycars, thcir sixth million; and 4 yecrs, thcir seventh million, Our present members:.7ip of 7,373¶498 indicztes that we should eeach our eighth million in three years, by the close of 1953,

In e report rccently relcascd by the Contral~ep~mtmentof lcscarch and Survey of thc National Council of Churches, it w?*s rcported that the membership rolls of the 67 larger religious bodics inckecsed 59,8 per ccnt from 1926 to 1950, compared with e population growth of 28.6 per ccnt nvcr the aame period. 'While these major bodics, including Southcrn B~ptisLs,increased 59.8 per cent, Southcrn Baptists alone increascd thcir mcmbcrship 98,8 per cent from 1926 to 1951. During this same twenty-five-year pcriod, Southcrn Baptist Sunday school cnrolrnent incrcascd 92,8 per ccnt. Training Union enrolment incrc~~scd2ll,9 per cent, Total gifts increased from $40,106,852 to $222,838,109, or 455.6 pcr cent.

Southcrn Bq tists continued their consis tent progress during 1951, The number of associations increascd from 976 to 992. Churchos increascd from 27,788 to 28,289,

Church membership increascd 4.1 per ccnt to a prcscnt inembcrship of 7,373,498, Active pastors increascd from 19,237 to 20,348.

Sunday school enrolmcnt increascd 4.6 per ccnt to a prcscnt membership of 5,253,695, It wzs rcported that 27,340 churches hzve Sunday schools.

Trainix Union cnrolmcnt continued to advanco, increasing 7,9 per ccnt, to a presant mcmbership of 1,554,660,

1~ total of 16,101 churches rcported a. ti.i4.U. membership of 1,087,427,

The number of Brotherhoods increased to 5,729, with a mcmbership of 185,587,

The value of church propsrty increased more than $100 million, climbiPOg to a total of $761,510,838,

Total gifts for all causes wcrc reported as $22,838,109, an increase of 13.0 per cent over 1951. Per capika gifts were $30.22, an increase of 8.5 per cent. Total mission gifts increased 1196 per ccnt, for a total of $37,268,172, or $SrOS per capita.

Southcrn Bcptist hospitals reported 244,480 patients during 1951, of which 23,078 were non-church members, They ministered to 20,865 charity patients. Southern Baptist hospital propcrty is now valued nt $56,397,980,

Thc 69 Southcrn Bcptist cducntional institutions rcportcd a total enrolnent of 47¶626, of which 4,108 wcrc in s~minarics,md 32,480 in senior colleges and univcrsities , They rcpor t a tot21 endowment of $46,852,219 and property valued at $98,839,391. The church~sreportcd an estimz.ted 663,615 tithers, and 7,893 churches with state paper in the hdget. Of pcrticulzr significance was the fact that 3,557 Catholics joined Southern Baptist churches in 1951.

]An indication of progress inzy be nobd in the decrease of churches with quarter- time preaching md the incrcase of church~swith full-time preaching, Quarter-time churchcs decrcascd 11.5 per ccnt, nlzile churches with full-time preaching increased 8.5 per ccnt, ##if# - Southern Baptist Convebn Office of the Press Representative Mr. Albert McClellan Miami -- 1952 RELEASE : Anytime

F'LORIDA BAPTISTS

by W. G. Stracener

"Still an adolescent at ninety-eight , someone has dubbed the Florida Baptist Convention, Organized for co-operative kingdom endeavors in 1854, it is crowding toward the cehtury mark with enlarging vision and expanding service. A glimpse of its growth for the past ten years will show one something of the thought behind that tfadolescentn characterization.

A brief comparison of the record of Florida Baptists for 1951 with that of 1941, just one decade aTo, reveals both the progress and the present state of the work. In 1941 there were 773 churches. Today there are 942, an increase of 23.1 per cent in the number of churches, not counting numerous missions established within the past few years, Ten years ago the churches reported 165,247 members. fn 1951 they reported 296, - 704, or a growth of 79.5 per cent in total membership. And this increase took place while the total population of the state grew 46 per cent.

In 1941 there were 7,715 persons baptized into the fellowship of Florida Baptist churches. Last year the baptismal waters closed and opened over 18,877 candidates, an increase of 144.6 per cent in baptisms,

A decade ago 120,544 people were enroled in Sunday schools. The latest annual report shows 224,927, a growth of 86.5 per cent.

During the same perzod there has been added a 95.2 per cent increase in Training Union enrolment, from 39,086 to 76,298 members,

Woman1 s Missionary Union enrolment has advanced from 36,175 to 43,303, an expan- sion of 19.7 per cent.

An enrolment increase of 416.5 per cent has taken place in Vacation Bible schools, with 79,177 in attendance this past year as compared to 15,328 in 1941.

Gifts of Florida Baptists to world missions throuqh the Cooperative Program have grown from $143,666.48 in 1941, to $918,362.55 in 1951, for an increase of 539.3 per. cent.

Due to the very effective work of Executive Secretary John Maguire, his staff of regionalmissionaries, and the co-operation of our churches, the past two years have been an almost unparalleled record of enlistment of our churches in mission giving. Year before last every church except one had part in some mission giving, - all but two of those gave something through the Cooperative Pmgram. This past year saw every church in the convention giving to missions. Florida Baptists welcome to this state from all over our Southern Baptist Conven- tion territory the messengers who will be coming to the Miami meeting of the convention in May.

^ <-- .*. Much of the most effective work being done by Baptists cannot be seen sufficient- ly to be properly appreciated on any hurried trip through Florida. Our city and rura mission work, work among the Seminole Indians, among the migrant workers in citrUS and vegetable crops, among the foreign language groups, in order to be fully grasped, must all have more time and study than the average visitor can allow.

A visit during the summer months would reveal our widespread camp and assembly program. The Harmony Bay music camp, unique in its field, might be observed spend- ing six to eight hours daily hard at work training youthful leaders of music from the churches over the state.

Points of interest in our Baptist work which messengers should see as they travel through Florida would include:

The Florida Baptist Convention Monument in Memorial Park, Madison. The Baptist Building in Jacksonville, John 0. Stetson University in DeLand. Florida Baptist Children's Home in Lakeland; Baptist Home for Children in Jacksonville. Baptist Bible Institude in Lakaland. W, G. Stracener, "Florida--- Baptiststt

The Good Will Centers in Tampa, Miami, and Key West. Baptist Student Houses at Flbrida State University, Tallahassee.

Those with a flair for history will find points of keen interest throughout the state. Of course, they already bave St. Augustine, the oldest city, and Tallahas- see, the o~lySouthern capital which did not fall to Federal forces during the War between the States, on their itinerary.

The travel folders and road maps give your plenty of information on the places and sights of general interest. You may have to come and see for yourse1f.i.n order to believe it, but Florida Baptists want you to do just that. Welcome to Florida. Southern Baptist Convention FiELEASE: For A,ls. of Monday, by 5. Office of Press Representative W,Albert McClollan Miami --1952

MIAElI, Fla.--Southern Baptists arp coming in largc numbers to Miami next week to attend the 9bh session of thc Southern Baptist Convention. Meetings will begin and continue through May in the May# TvcrS000 visitors ara expected to throng the vacation city for the convention. Business is the sole reason for the rnceting--but of the messengers will use thc trip to Miami as an opportunity for a vacation in

annual Pastors' Conference, Theme of the meeting will be mrnunlsm.

0 ' +\, 44~~~

And while the men are conferring the fairer sex will hold its annual Woman's , + Missionary Union meeting in the They* convene +- -34 \ r Four thousand lady delegates from 24 states, Alaska, Hawaii, China, Japan,, Africa and South America are expected to attend the meeting.

Regular sessions of the convention will be held Wednesday through Sunday. Dr. J. Do Grey, New Orleans, president. of. the convention, will preside over the business sessions. s2U~" g---lwLZ1w&kewe;~u11~~ wJ!kba&~-g.

A special service is planned for to stress the place of the Christian home in our society, will be the principal speaker of the afternoon; the program is being arranged by Dr. Joe

.- W. Burton, editor of the Department of Home Curriculum, Sunday School Board, - "hm-ville, Tennessee*

An United Baptist Evangelistic Rally Sunday evening will conclude the Southern Baptistsf stay in the city. I--- will highlight the night s program,

The public is invited to attend any and all of the sessions and rallies of the convention,

And so another Southern Baptist Convention will go down into the pages of history, With business over, the messengers mill begin their pleasure vacation in the State, Southern Baptist Convsntion RELFASE: For A,Ms, of Friday, Office of Press Repre~ent~tive WAY 9. Mr. Albert 1cClcllan Miami -1952 M-P h!IA?!!I, Fla. -- thousand Southern Baptists will arrive in Miami, Sunday and Monday, May for the y&th meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. More than half wi be "rnessengaho are the official ropresentatives of Baptist churches. It will be the tbo since its organization in 1845 the Convention has met in This is probably the largest annual religious convention nu- merically i a.

The denomination has churches and members.

"Magnifying the ChurchH will be the Convention theme which is based on the general emphasis of the dcnonination.

Dr. J. D. Grey, New Orleans, is president, of the group and will preside over all sessions, - - , is chairman of the Committee on Order of Businew;"'hTSnnessee, is executive secretary-treasurer of,Me Convention s 31 member Executive Committee. 6, 'phaiman of local arrangemsnts.

and heaciqurters nil . The hi hl'ght of the meetings will be a united Baptist evangelistic service in the Auditorium, Sunday night, bk~yepclosing day of the Convent ion. Organizeeof Baptists from the-. .a+- Baptist churches will attend. The week of Baptist activities will open Sunday afternoon in the Municipal Aud- itorium when g,000 Baptist women begin their thrcc-day Wornants Missionary Union Convention, an auxiliary of the Southsrn Baptist Convention. 1Irs. George R. Martin of ?:orfolk, Virginia, president, will preside over these sossions to close Tuesday A second pre-Convention neoting will be held in the D~&i.t Gfmrch v& 000 Baptist ainisters will hold a one-day Pastors' Conference beginning kQ C. C. Warren, Charlotte, North CaTolina, will preside, The conference will consider the social and political issues of the day as well as pastoral problems of the minister, These annual Pastors' Conferences are part of an extensive pastoral training program that mkes Southern Baptist pastors among thc best trained thc world. The denomination now has 8,000 young ministers in training in their ,@)colleges and rninzrius. . ,I- ,.,C.-pd+ 7 norring at P:30 a.m. and will continue t throughThe 'Sunday Convention night. pro-ne~daY . @ are expected to att~ndduring the week. address. The

Al.

The faith of thc Baptist dcnonination has been summarized by one of its outstanding theologians, the late E, Y. Mullins, as follows: (1) the theological axiom--The holy and loving God has a right to be sovereign, (2) the religious axion--A11 men havc an equal right to access to God, (3) the ecclesiastical axiom-- All believers have a right to equal privileges in thc church, (4) the moral axion-- To be rcsponsible, the soul must be free, (5) the rcligio-civic axiom--A free church in a frcc state, (6) the social axiom--Love your neighbor as yourself, Southern Baptist Convention Re1 ease : Anytime Office of Press Represent ~tive E11r. Albert I'lcClellan Miami - 1952

Southern Baptists do get ebout--perhaps they qualify for gad sbouts. DO tell 1 But we hnve Scripture for that--Jer. 2:36.

Last year we met in San Francisco. Those who wished to indulge in foreim travel on the basis of the expense account had no plzce to go but Alc~traz--znd few had visas for that island pair o' dice. This year it was different--everyone wcnted to rhumba over to Cuba, so by bozt and by cir they rumbled. 1I2,ny arc the wild tales unfolded-- Bone sought chicken fights--senoritas pulling hair--some tripped over gringo bones in Plorro Castle--some learned Spanish; "caballeros" and "perros calientesw --seine loaned money to stranded fellow travelers. ?!!e stayed at the Roy31 Talin I-Iotel--not a pala in sight until we left--then all the bellboys (7) had a palm, They raise much cain in Cuba--tbey also raise much cane. Ask Bnutista--*he is the nzn."

The mission work is not easy--no work is, I presume. But ,ny iinpressfon was that we need to throw reinforcements, both mnterial and personnel, into our GubzLnwork, and do it now. We hnve been there a long time, and at the rnte we are going it will be a long the before we see the results we h~vea right to expect. This is not the fault of the Cevoted men and wo;nen now understoffing the st~tions--rather it is beczuse rws are doin it st a starving rate,

The interior of Cuba is beautiful in many ways, Floavers, exotic and zbundant. We got a privz.te cer, and wont on our ovrn one d~y(I speak Spnnlsh like 3 native ~xcuhox) but Tony, the driver, was both o 1ingj.ist :ad r;n explorer--not to mention his skill at the wheal. They drive wildly in Cub.--~nd Tony was free, frantic and fluid in his advice to other drivers, and in his description of their ancestors (pointers, setters and ~pitz).

Saw a sign, "Isnac Habiff is hers." I presume the masons were at work, or so I speculated,

Many of our compatriots of the S.B.C. were roanin$ obout. Thousnnds of poor alli- gators had no plcce to hido because of us--bags, belts, bill-folds 2nd brognns. They told me m alligntor bzs five toes on his front feet and four on his hind fcet, not that it makes any difference. A man zsked me if I did not wznt to buy soine alligator teeth. I thought it was downright personal of him. Sow did he know I had lost 2 filling? Plus1

Back in I\~Iiz-ni,and :,s Pepys would s2y, ''T'ient to church nnd heard sermon. It was Angell-ic, and returned home feeling superior. So to bed and dreamed of white flowers ard mother. "'

Sunday afta~noonI was deserted by my femne, who hnd business .~tthe Id.1I.U.--so I strolled abmt the Bayfront Pnrk, kicking pigeons out of my way nnd looking 2t lovers lounging under the leaves, Pigment;;tion parched and per-oxide, they had thct my mi look, Went over to the Shell where is an out-of-doors FiIimi version of I-lyde Pnrk. They were having a song-rest and a quite eff ieient sister rli,-,s leading then. "Any song you tvnnt now, just call it out 2nd wo will give it a try,'' she chirped. "Drink to me only with thine eyes," someone yelled. !'Jell, they started it, Put before they could drink a mallow, soinething stopped her, 2nd she left in 2 hurry. I saw it happen--remind me to tell you, some time. q<** Un-conventionalities--S* VJ. Storer

Sundey night by permission of Mrs. Storer, I went to the Bay Shore Auditorium where the W.III*U. had their sessions. lie met there in 1946 but the place hns be~ngreatly enlarged 2nd is now air-conditioned. Comfortable chairs cnd things quite "spiffyn. Mrs. Joe Dawson spoke, I always love to hear her. She has somet;.~ingto say--and knows how to say it. ***

Monday thc alarming brothers began to light and hive. ?Tothing gives me the pip like some frothy fellow who slaps you on the bock 2nd shouts, "How's the work going? Where are you now? Have you seen Diotrephes lately? They tell me he's on his last lap-- well, I'll be seeing you." Not if I can help it he tvon't,

The Convention begins. There are those who szy -the Convention closed Tuesday night, One must admit that the I:J.AI.U. really had n convention. It ran rvith dispatch and design--and the program was uniformly high, This mere creature of male persuasion can speak only as an observer on widely separated sessions--but h~ h~dexperienced reports from the distaff side of the house--and she said it wzs taps for the past sever21 years.

2116 place of meeting is some five miles from dov~ntown, a converted hangar. Right on the waterfront, the wind Blows in--whilst the wind blows out.

Miami has done everything in its po~vcrto make the visitors 2nd messengers Can- f ortable. So far as I hear, there is a very minimuin of griping,

One thing is noeded--less corn from the Joe Niller joke book reed by some of the brothers. But I presume it is hard to be fresh in times of exuberznce when extolling the transcendent things of Florida sun, sand and moonshine.

The music is ably directed by Loren ifillizms, Minister, First Baptist Church, Tulsa. I take great pride in having him 2s lily dear friend and coworker, The manner in which he h2s arranged the music for the Cor_ventionls prosra;.: is siinply a reflection of the way he does it at home. I'lhnt a blessins it is to h

Ue had a pungent nnu pointed address by the President, J. D. Grey. It was easily understood 2nd vrcs received with faror by the great crowd of people filling to over- flovfing the hangar. The sermor, was one of t'lose founded on the rock of grace, and R:lmsny ?oll;lrd left no doubt rts to t be fundament(a1 soundness of his foith nor of his earnestness in presentation,

Hcnrd in the Columbus Botel. One bellboy--these bellboys look like veterans of Tllorld '\Tar I--wns saying to another, "I am sura gl,z.,d to see 3 hotel full of vimn wesring clothes." No "beach brownies," I presume he meant.

"Slovenly Joseph's" was o trysting place for thirsty throngs of Baptists. Never thought to see such n bunch of Bxptist heavy drinkers. due, I venture, to the bottleneck which each fzced on le(?vin~the sessions at the hangar. * **<

Said a California messenger to rne--"YJe hzve everything thzt Florida has oxcept coconuts." I got to thinking about the coconut traes, and ITewton (not Louie) discover- ing the law of gravitation. Suppose it had been a coconut which hzd dropped on his b ean ! **:$ I marvel and I envy! Some of OUT brothers hzve such stretchable and vigorous vocal chords--they can start on the loud pedal and keep it down to the floor board without ever rousing a hoarse. I said a 'hoa~se"--not a horse.

Theron hnkin did such a gracious thing in presenting Howard Jenkins, the president of the Foreign llission Board. But no more devoted and gallant gentleman lives than Howard Jenkins.

These younger nen, God bless them! How wonderful thclt we hzve them taking in their strong hmds the torchss long held by those of us who cre older. IJith only three sessions missed since my first in 1914, I hme wotchcd the finny comrzdes pass from the stz~eof ecrth to the mansions not mede with hands. But what a throb of joy to see thesc grand young men thrust their sturdy backs under the load and give ths best of their tbught to doing a better job than we oldsters have done. So says Jmos the less; and thanks be to God for them,

Some of our sessions are too long, No matter how good the speakers me, after a hdf dozen wonderful addresses, my mind gets groggy and much of the rest of me gets calloused.

One of the brothers got very red faced over a slip-of -the-tongue, "fox pav~." Well, tho best way to sove face is to keep the lower pnrt of it shut.

Best story I heard. !'\Then Daniel Vebster was a boy in the district school he was not noted for tidiness. Finally the teacher in despair tcld him that if ho cppeared again with such dirty hands she would thrzsh bin. He appezred agcin ill the same condition. "Daniel," she said, ''Hold out your hand.' Dzniel spat on his pzlm, rubbed it on the seat of his pants, 2nd held it cut. The tezcher surveyed it in disgust. "Daniel: she snid, "if you czn find me another h~ndin t' is school thr:t is dirtier than that I will 1st you off*"' Daniel promptly held out the other hand nnd she had to keep hex word. id1 his life when it was necesssry he produccd tho evidencc and won his case,

Excuses for non-zttendance are always easily found. 'Ccnft get in," "Tired out," "Heurd this before," etc. So scores of the brothers found a scriptural justification (first three verses of John 21) in taking advantage of t: e fishing boats adjacent to Dinner Key.

Too big1 There 2nd how can the S.B.C. ineet? To find enough hotels to bed the brethren and a place large enough in which to convene is n nezr impossibility. And certainly in all fairness, the annual sossions of the S.B.C. can not be intelligently deliberative. ile rnust either accept the carefully prcpcred reports 2nd odopt tho included recommendations; or on the other hand, revise or reject vin a mzss emotional appeal.. ).either is, ct lecst to my mind, satisfactory, Because we Cxa not Presbyterian in our form of organization, nor dzre we surrender to the mob method of damagogery. But, what to do cbout it? So fLlr3s I know we hzve hcd no Solomonic solution. That one met be found, however, is an absolute necessit7r, and quickly,

The good brother offering an amendment limiting the tam of the President to one year, laid down a neat bunt but w2s thrown out at first by n step. IIis next time at bat, however, he singled sharply to right, 2nd got on b2se without hitting the dirt.

Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what ha is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is. !'?e *"mike" ** lovers ought to remember thct; - more - P* 3 Un-conventionalitios--J. X. Storer

Tha real "Baptist Hour' is too largely ignored. It comists of the hundreds of hours each Lordta Day when fron hundreds of Baptist pulpits, the pastor's sermon is sent out on the ether waves. Our Southern Baptist Convention territory, with the exception of the extreme western portion, is literally blanketed by our Baptist message as voiced by the beloved pastors of the local churches. That is the real "Baptist Hour," and what a mighty and effective hour it is,

Dr. Lee's address on Thursday morning was n mrvel of word witchery and an exposition of a comprehensive plea for the knowledge of and living through of the 7Jord of God. There is no one like him.

Such a group of the brothers wanted to be hospital-k-zed.

There are long lines at the nhot-dogv counters after each session. They say that the hot dog was invented by a poor butoher trying to make both ends meet, One thing is for sure, too many of them gum up the S.S.C. works,

Said Dr. Alexander, introducing a lovely lady, "She mans the R& Board's booth," Many churches, t 00, are manned by women,

Prom the numbers of nominations for Vice-president, it must be the only paying job in th9 gift of the S.9.C. electorate,

After several of,the somowhat acid exchanges relative to parliamentary law, 1 am reminded of a proverb, "m ounce of courtesy is worth o pound of apology."

There is another proverb: "If God will defend me from my friends, 1: will take Care of my enemies." As one often in the nomimtive case but never in the possessive, I heartily endorse this provcrb.

Newspaper hawker: "Buy a paper and read all about the convent ion when you get home:' Such procedure is followod by so many of the brethren--who lobby in the hotels and feed the fish from the boats.

To ay way of hearing, tho music presekted by Stetson and Oklahoma Baptist University was a hi& tio. Jlith tho deciding vote cast for Miss Jo din Shelton, of 0.B.U. lly swl, what a voice this girl has!

In speaking of our Southern Baptist Colleges, Dr. Cornctt said there are only two courses which a student cannot find--enginoering,and agriculture, Not so sure but that the sessions of th~S.B.C. give advanced instruction in engineering, and spada work.

Jimmy Landx, pastor, First Baptist Church, '~ricbitzFalls, Texls, is to be the preacher of the Convention sermon at Eouston. Fo bctter choice could possible be found thsn he.

ROTT: This has cot been edited. Xach state editor acepts full r~sponsibi1ity.--A,&