The Call of the World Part 8

How to determine a nation's share of the world task is a very complex problem, and mathematical statements have many serious limitations. In the first place it is no doubt true that whenever the Christian Church really sets out seriously to obey Christ's command there will be such a pouring forth of the power of the Spirit as will upset all numerical computations. Again, the varying conditions in different parts of the field make any uniform standard impossible. In parts of Africa and Asia where the populations are scattered, perhaps one missionary to every 5,000 people will be necessary. In other fields a large and sudden increase in missionaries might precipitate an anti-missionary uprising, which would greatly r.e.t.a.r.d the growth of the Kingdom.

Mission boards are by no means unanimous in judgment as to the most effective way to present the appeal. The condition of the native Church is another factor which is variable in different lands. Account must be taken of quality as well as quant.i.ty in the work.

Since this is a spiritual enterprise and dependent upon superhuman forces, no arithmetical statement can be considered as authoritative and final. The great resources in this task are the spiritual energies which G.o.d alone can give. But the following study at least has the virtue of being a definite and concrete statement of some factors in the problem. Men are thinking and acting in the realm of the concrete in business and professional life. The call of G.o.d is not less sacred when it is stated in terms of every-day life which grip and hold the mind and conscience. The task may be accomplished much more rapidly than now seems probable. That is clearly a possible thing with G.o.d.

But stating the best judgment of some of the most spiritually-minded men in the conflict as to the visible resources needed is not limiting G.o.d.

Therefore as a temporary estimate, leaving the way open for adjustment and reconstruction as new light is thrown on the problem, the following statement may be helpful.

It is the conviction of many that the smallest force of missionaries which can make possible the evangelization of the world in this generation is one for every 25,000 of the population.

Looking at North America's share of this world task, the following are factors in the problem.

1. In view of the fact that North America is now furnishing nearly one half of the Protestant foreign missionaries and about one half of the foreign mission contributions, and also in view of the fact that the resources of North America are greater than those of many other parts of Christendom, it is probably fair to estimate North America's share of the non-Christian world as 500,000,000 people. This includes the portion of the world now being evangelized by American missionaries on the field.

2. Toward the evangelization of this vast number of people there are now abroad, representing the churches of the United States and Canada, approximately 6,000 single missionaries and missionary families. On the basis given above these 6,000 missionaries can evangelize one hundred and fifty millions in this generation. This leaves three hundred and fifty millions still to be provided for or seven tenths of the whole number for whom America is responsible.

3. In view of the above facts, in order to occupy their field the churches of North America will therefore need to multiply by two and one third their output, that is, to send out and maintain 14,000 additional missionaries, making 20,000 in all.

4. For the support of the missionaries from the United States and Canada now on the field the Mission Boards spent in 1912 about fifteen millions of dollars, or an average of a little more than $2,000 per missionary. This does not mean that each missionary received a $2,000 salary. Missionary salaries average only half or less than half of that amount. The balance was spent for all other expenses such as traveling, equipment, etc. If we accept this amount as approximately what will be needed for each new missionary sent out, the United States and Canada must increase the amount of money given to about forty-three millions of dollars annually.

_Can America furnish the men and the money?_

There are about twenty-two millions of Protestant church-members in the United States and nine hundred thousand in Canada, about twenty-three millions in all. In order to secure the required number of missionaries American churches must send out and maintain about one in 1,150 of the membership. This is clearly possible and has been largely exceeded by the Moravian Church. This leaves 1,149 out of every 1,150 church-members to carry on the work on this continent.

A majority of the volunteers will come from the colleges and theological seminaries. There were 195,724 students in these inst.i.tutions in the United States in 1909-10. It would therefore take about one in fourteen of these students to furnish the 14,000 workers required to secure America's share of the missionaries.

As far as the financial problem for America is concerned the support of 14,000 new missionaries involves increasing our annual offerings from about $15,000,000 a year to approximately $43,000,000 a year.

When reduced to actual figures the average per church-member is pitifully small. To secure the entire budget for 20,000 missionaries would require an average gift from the twenty-three millions of church-members in the United States and Canada of a little less than two dollars per year or two postage stamps a week! And this for the redemption of the world! Many thousands of Christians and hundreds of churches should go far beyond this average.

"Shall America Evangelize Her Share of the World?" This is the ringing challenge flung down to American Christianity.

O America, America, stretching between the two great seas, in whose heart flows the rich blood of many nations, into whose mountain safes G.o.d has put riches of fabulous amount, in whose plains the Almighty has planted the magic genius that blossoms into harvests with which to feed the hungry mult.i.tudes of earth, nursed by Puritan and Pilgrim, defended by patriot and missionary, guided by the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, sanctified by a faith as pure as looks up to heaven from any land, O America, let thy Master make thee a savior of the nations; let thy G.o.d flood thee with a resistless pa.s.sion for conquest; let thy Father lead thee over mountains and seas, through fire and flood, through sickness and pain, out to that great hour when all men shall hear the call of Christ, and the last lonely soul shall see the uplifted cross, and the whole round world be bound back to the heart of G.o.d!

BOOKS FOR FURTHER READING

Love, J. F., The Mission of Our Nation. Fleming H. Revell Co., 158 Fifth Avenue, New York. $1.25.

Coolidge, The United States as a World Power. Macmillan Company, 64 Fifth Avenue, New York. $2.00.

Van d.y.k.e, Henry, The Spirit of America. Fleming H. Revell Co., 158 Fifth Avenue, New York. $0.50.

Reinsch, World Politics. Macmillan Company, 64 Fifth Avenue, New York. $1.25.

Stead, W. T., The Americanization of the World. Horace Markley.

New York, $1.00.

CHAPTER IV

A MAN'S RESPONSE TO THE WORLD APPEAL

The efficiency expert is a familiar figure in modern big business. His function is the checking up and scaling up of commercial enterprises.

His one study is business organization, methods, management and output. His life is built around such problems as these: Are the capital and force at work in this business bringing adequate returns?

What combinations are possible so as to reduce expenses without reducing returns? Is there waste? Is there duplication of effort? Is the product satisfactory as to quality and quant.i.ty? Is there anything the matter with the organization? Has the business too many officials or too few? Are there unimproved opportunities? Is the advertising all that could be desired? In short, his function is to study business with a view to securing a maximum of efficiency with the expenditure of a minimum of time, force and capital.

Why not apply the same methods and skill and intense application to the work of the kingdom of Jesus Christ? There is no business in the world comparable with it from the standpoint of immensity--there are hundreds of millions of people involved, and not a foot of soil where a man lives is excluded from the plan of Jesus Christ. There is no enterprise which promises such inspiring and enduring returns from the investment. Its complexity and baffling difficulties are a challenge to the pa.s.sion for mastery that is central in every real man. Christian men might well ponder deeply and then take as a guiding principle in life that sentence of the late Mr. J. H. Converse of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, "When Christian business men devote the same skill and energy to Christian work which they now give to their private business concerns the proposition to evangelize the world in this generation will be no longer a dream."

It may be well to approach the study of this final topic in the spirit of the favorite sayings of two famous modern generals. One of the principles of a great German tactician was, "First ponder, then dare."

The motto of another well-known general was, "Know your geography and fight your men." It is of the utmost importance that there be developed in the Church of Christ such a militant temper as shall make it capable of carrying out the plans of Christ to naturalize Christianity in every land. It is an urgent necessity that Christ's soldiers ponder world conditions in order that they may release their lives for the carrying of the gospel to the world. Men must know the geography of the kingdom of G.o.d if they are to apply the principles of strategy to the carrying out of the last command of Christ.

Some of the outstanding facts related to the evangelization of the world have pa.s.sed in review in the preceding chapters. The time for action has come. What is needed now is not more rhetoric but more reality of conviction; not more facts, but deeper purpose. The crucial question in this whole discussion is how every man may relate himself in a practical way to the winning of the world to Christ. The carrying of the gospel to all the world is every man's opportunity.

There is no monopoly of a chance to serve in this war. This is the one opportunity which makes it possible for every life to influence the whole world. What then are the moral and spiritual demands which a world like ours makes upon men?

The answer to this fundamental question takes us back to the principles stated by our Lord. How did he expect men to relate themselves to this, his world task? What were his missionary commands?

Stated in their logical and chronological order they are:

"Lift up your eyes and behold the fields!"--Study.

"Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he thrust forth laborers into his harvest."--Intercede.

"Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel."--Give and Serve.

Reduced to their simplest terms then, the missionary principles of Jesus demand four things of men. If men relate themselves to the whole task of our Lord a fourfold program, in which every man will have a share, must be carried out in every church.

A program of Education.

A program of Finance.

A program of Service.

A program of Intercession.

It is one of the tragedies of language that the great phrases get frayed out with constant use. They lose their grip and their power to stimulate thought and action. For the sake of variety these familiar ways of expressing the missionary obligation are stated in a different way, yet so as to retain the fundamental principles enunciated above. The world to-day demands of men:

WIDENING HORIZON--STUDY

UNWITHHOLDING CONSECRATION--MONEY AND SERVICE

UNENDING PRAYER--INTERCESSION

I. WIDENING HORIZON

The hour in which we live makes it imperative that men study world conditions. It is almost impossible to keep pace with changing conditions and new opportunities unless one is constantly in touch with the progress of the Kingdom throughout the world.

There are at least seven good reasons why every man should plan to devote time to the study of missions.