On to New Fields
Church Members Taught to Stand Alone—As I traveled
through the South on my way to the conference, I saw city after city
that was unworked. What is the matter? The ministers are hovering
over churches which know the truth while thousands are perishing out
of Christ.
If the proper instruction were given, if the proper methods were
followed, every church member would do his work as a member of the
body. He would do Christian missionary work. But the churches are
dying, and they want a minister to preach to them.
They should be taught to bring a faithful tithe to God, that He may
strengthen and bless them. They should be brought into working order,
that the breath of God may come to them. They should be taught
that unless they can stand alone, without a minister, they need to be
converted anew, and baptized anew. They need to be born again.—
Manuscript 150, 1901
.
[382]
Go Work for Souls—Instead of keeping the ministers at work
for the churches that already know the truth, let the members of the
churches say to these laborers: “Go work for souls that are perishing in
darkness. We ourselves will carry forward the services of the church.
We will keep up the meetings, and, by abiding in Christ, will maintain
spiritual life. We will work for souls that are about us, and we will
send our prayers and our gifts to sustain the laborers in more needy
and destitute fields.”—
Testimonies For The Church 6:30
(1900).
Conference Workers Called to New Fields—As a general rule,
the conference laborers should go out from the churches into new
fields, using their God-given ability to a purpose in seeking and saving
the lost.—
Letter 136, 1902
.
Aggressive Work Called For—Our ministers should plan wisely,
as faithful stewards. They should feel that it is not their duty to hover
over the churches already raised up, but that they should be doing
aggressive evangelistic work, preaching the Word and doing house-
to-house work in places that have not yet heard the truth.... They will
329