Reformed Presbyterian Minutes of Synod 1929

20 MINUTES OF THE SYNOD OF THEWith reference to our weak congregations and an insufficientleadership, we are face to face with the alternative of disorganizingweak congregations or providing leaders and buildingthem up into self-sustaining ones. The latter is the Scripturalcourse and to follow it, we must raise up a ministry rightlytrained as leaders, give them an adequate support and insist thatthey build up their congregations. We are not up to a pastgeneration in this matter.We are in need of a new faith in the work God has givenus to do. A suitable motto is, "It can be done." A solution ofour Home Mission problem demands that we learn to think ofour congregations as growing rather than dying. It is not God'swill that we should perish. "This Church must glow and growand go forward and I must help to make it so," is a philosophymuch needed.Moreover, we should have a new view of the world's needof our message. It is not wrong for us to expect fruitage. Weshould want to see our Church grow. We should want all theworld to profess with us the great truths we hold. Should wenot put ourselves as leaders under the necessity of so preachingand teaching as to be able to report a net gain from the world ?A budget of souls would do much if strictly adhered to, tocure our indifference. It would send us to our knees and tofastings. Is it possible some of us are expecting our congregationseventually to die? Is this loyalty to the great truthsgiven us to hold and preach ? Should we not expect our congregationsto grow ?To disseminate our message, each congregation needs atwelve-months-in-the-year evangelistic program, which uses thelarge per cent of the congregations as a working force. Eachcongregation should be a force to work with. If a persecutedchurch has recorded of it that its members went everywherepreaching the Word, should not an unpersecuted church so livethat every member is a missionary?In order to make the Home Church a growing church, wemust believe tremendously in the mission God has given us. Inevery center, there should be the work of evangelization followedwith a program of indoctrination.During the year, we have given much thought and attentionto the Home Mission situation. Congregations calling in vainfor leaders, who in their judgment would be able to meet theneed. The number of available candidates for the pastorateis inadequate. Some congregations went without more than afew weeks' shepherding during the year. They may have beentoo exacting in some cases, yet it would be foolish to attempt toforce on a congregation as a leader, some one they felt was unsuitableto the work.We are today witnessing the tragedy of dying fires insome of our fields because of the utter discouragement of thepeople. gation—preach There is only Only one an way, evangelistic thing Christ's will stop message way, this to discouragement—growth.and make receive a growing converts congre­into