Opportunities For Effective Work
Guy McDonald, Beaumont, Texas
Brethren who love the Lord and his church, take note: Many opportunities are presenting themselves, and we should take advantage of them. The smaller and rural churches are presenting themselves as a challenge to sound gospel preachers. The "Institutional" brethren have shown quite an interest in these small churches heretofore, but have come to realize they aren't "financially" worth the trouble. All going out and nothing coming in makes "Jack a dull boy." Most of these little churches had saved up a few hundred dollars and were easy prey to the "fleecers", but what is the old saying about, "You can't fool all the people, all the time"? Some people don't think until they are separated from their money, then suddenly realize they have been duped. The money they had hoped to use to build class rooms, buy literature, and fix their run-down building with had vanished. They had forgotten to "count the cost" of the "Big Projects" in the beginning, and are now being told they must keep them up or all they have given will be lost. They hadn't been told this was a perpetual motion project, and are incapable of taking care of their obligations made by others. They are constantly reminded that the Catholics, Seventh Day Adventist and others are spending so many millions of dollars each year to teach error, and that "we" must out-do them. They are told this is the way to prove that Christianity is superior to denominationalism.
Well, as I was saying, the time has come to help these brethren, for they are getting their eyes opened, and their pocket books closed to the schemes imposed upon them. I predict many brethren will give up the error into which they have been led with proper encouragement from sound brethren. They will remember how the "liberal" congregations sent their "boys" out to expound (?) the gospel to them on Sunday mornings and then' forgot them the rest of the week. Also that the "mogul" was permitted to hold them one gospel meeting (?) each year to keep the steam up. But when the fuel is all gone, so is the steam; and there just ain't no more fuel. These good, honest and sincere brethren need help and now is the time to help. The doors of many of these churches have been closed to us for the past few years, but now we are being invited to hold meetings again, with little, or no pay. If we will only make this sacrifice these churches will be saved. Brethren, this is a test of our faith in God. Maybe this is His way of opening the doors for erring children. Let's help the little churches, and establish others while the "iron is hot".
Two congregations have been saved from apostasy, and one has been started in this area in the past few months because brethren have take advantage of opportunities.
Editor's note: We commend this short article by Brother McDonald as one that deserves extra careful reading and study. We think he has sounded here a note that ought to be repeated, amplified, and swelled into a mighty chorus. For during the past two or three years we have become sharply aware of the very thing he is describing. And there are literally hundreds (we wouldn't be surprised if there are thousands) of these smaller congregations, naturally conservative, which can be saved for the truth if brethren will act now.
One of the most incredible and preposterous aspects of the whole "sponsoring church" and "benevolent institution" craze which has infected the churches is the PRESSURE (that's the word we want to use) these churches and institutions have brought to bear on the weak, struggling little churches in the mission fields to squeeze a few miserable dollars from their sadly inadequate treasuries to be siphoned off to the "sponsoring" church or to some benevolent enterprise. All the way from Montana to Georgia, and extending into Canada, we have found weak little groups who have been so "blitzed" by the propaganda barrage from the "sponsoring" churches and brotherhood institutions that in bewildered confusion they have sent pitiable little contributions to these projects — while they themselves were regularly receiving monies from congregations in other parts of the country to maintain their very lives! In fact, one of the biggest of the "sponsoring congregations" has two or three paid elders whose major job is to travel the length and breadth of the nation for the sole purpose of gaining control of as much of the resources of other churches as they possibly can. Obviously, the new, weak little churches, although poor in financial resources, are nevertheless easy victims for the professional, calloused "pressure tactics" of men who are past masters at invading the churches and raiding their treasuries.
We are certain the tide has turned in these campaigns, and more we can expect churches to plan their own work, use their own resources, and discharge their own responsibilities under their own elderships. If faithful gospel preachers and churches will take a true interest in helping these little congregations which have been so ruthlessly victimized by the promoters for the past dozen years, we have not a doubt in the world that the good results from such efforts will be enormous. Careful, patient, and truly Christian consideration here will pay big dividends. Let us not overlook the opportunity.