108
Pastoral Ministry
for wise improvement? Misused talents, wasted hours, neglected op-
portunities, duties left undone, sickly churches, the flock of God not
strengthened by having their portion of meat in due season.—
Appeal
and Suggestions to Conference Officers (Ph 2) 20, 21
.
The conference president’s job is not to do the work, but to
see that others are working to the best advantage—The church
militant is not the church triumphant, but is composed of erring men
[105]
and women. As in an army soldiers must be trained and disciplined for
active service, so must the soldiers of Christ be educated for usefulness
in His cause. It may be far easier for the president of a Conference
to labor himself than to direct the work of others; but it is his duty to
take an oversight of the field, and see that all are working to the best
advantage. The younger men should be developing their talents, and
preparing for future usefulness; and the older and more experienced
ministers should not be left to expend their energies on work that others
could do as well as not, and would be willing to do if they were only
told how.—
The Review and Herald, April 22, 1884
.
Conference presidents should educate ministers to educate
members—The president of a State Conference is, by his manner
of dealing, educating the ministers under him, and together they can so
educate the churches that it will not be necessary to call the ministers
of the conference from the field to settle difficulties and dissensions in
the church. If the officers in the conference will, as faithful servants,
perform their Heaven-appointed duties, the work in our conferences
will not be left to become entangled in such perplexities as heretofore.
And in laboring thus, the workers will become solid, responsible men,
who will not fail nor be discouraged in a hard place.—
Gospel Workers,
419
.
Have an encouraging attitude toward your president—
especially when he makes mistakes—While your president ne-
glected his work and failed in his duty, your attitude was not such
as to give him any encouragement. The one in authority should have
acquitted himself as a man of God, reproving, exhorting, encouraging,
as the case demanded, whether you would receive or reject his testi-
mony. But he was easily discouraged, and left you without the help
that a faithful minister of Christ should have given. He failed in not
keeping up with the opening providence of God, and in not showing
you your duty and educating you up to the demands of the time; but