vangeltstic Services * * JAN 16 1915 guaaestions as to plans, ZlDetboSs, Btc*, bs tbe General assembles Committee on Evangelistic Morfe, Compiled b£ IRev. 5. ff. Carson, !>♦ E>. Cbatrman ot tbc Xtteraturc Committee. L BV 3790 .E92 i*et ^J PRINCETON, N. J. *# Presented by \"t:ily bv those who know the meaning and the power of prayer. When the indications warrant it, carry the work from this circle of prayer into the Church. Say little about what has been done, but begin at once to carry out your matured and prayer-baptized plans. Third — Hold general meetings for prayer. These should be held first once a week. Then two or three meetings in a week, and the week before t';. stic -ings are held there should be a meeting even- night. The burden of prayer in these meetings should be for the enduement of power for the workers and for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all the services. The Bible readings should be on such subjects as the Holy- Spirit, Prayer, The power of ' I to save, etc. Fourth — Appoint special services for prayer. Have a day of prayer. In many cases a night of prayer would be a great blessing. What we make a sacrifice for counts. Have a sunrise prayer meeting. Appoint cot- tage meetings. A number of them should be held on one day or one evening. In a series of meetings which we had the joy of conducting in a town of about 8,000 inhabitants, we had twenty-three meetings at the same hour in the homes of the town. The meetings were from ten to eleven o'clock. At eleven-thirty a general meeting for prayer was held in the church. That was the beginning of the power of the services. That night over fifty cards were signed and in the following five days over three hundred cards were signed. In these cottage meetings definite requests in prayer should be made. Fifth — Pledge all you can to daily prayer and per- sonal effort. Sixth—Before your meetings are held have the homes of the people visited. Let the pastor do as much of this as he can. Let the conversation turn on the meetings and, if the way be opened, pray with the family for the meetings and for a blessing on that home through the meetings. Seventh — At the first service in the series of meetings an after meeting should be held for conference with the workers, for asking and answering *any questions as to methods and for final instruction to the workers. Eighth — Divide the workers into groups of ten and have a superintendent for each group. This sv.perin- tendent must be held responsible for the attendance and the work of his ten workers. If any drop out, he must select others to fill the vacancies. This suggestion is for churches which do not adopt the suggestion made elsewhere for the appointment of ushers and assistants. Ninth — Arrange some meetings for children. Rev. E. P. Hammond says; " No revival is what it ought to be if a good deal of attention is not given to the chil- dren." The children's meetings should . be among the most earnest and spiritual of all. Saturday afternoon would be a good time for a children's meeting. Tenth — Provide plenty of Inquirer's cards for each worker. The worker should have more than enough to supply all persons sitting in his section. Eleventh — The music is a vital factor in an evan- gelistic service. Have plenty of hymn books, one for each person, if possible. Get everybody to sing. Train a chorus choir, the larger the better. Get the best leader, always a Christian man. A man may be a good musician and have a splendid voice and yet be of no value in evangelistic services because he is not a Christian and so cannot sing for the purpose of winning men to Christ. The soloist must be spiritual, one who will be a channel through which the Spirit can work. Twelfth — Be persistent. Do not weary in well do- ing. Dr. George B. Wright says: " I knew a meeting to be held three weeks without apparent result ; at nine o'clock on the evening which began the fourth week, not a person had been forward ; at quarter past nine, forty were seeking salvation and a great work followed. Re- sults belong to God, so do not be discouraged if they are 58 not seen at once. Work faithfully and pray earnestly and leave the rest to Him." CHAPTFR XVI. preparation for trje Services. The fields that have been best prepared for the sow- ing always yield the largest and richest harvests in things spiritual. The farmer cannot secure a harvest by simply sowing seed. He has to prepare the ground. God says : •' Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you.'' (Hosea, 10: 12.) The first step in the preparation is with the pastor himself. " It will not do," says Dr. Chapman, "to be- moan the deadness of the Church, and cry out against the worldliness of the people, if there be coldness in the heart of God's chosen leader. No searching sermons will avail much, and no words of rebuke will have much weight, if the heart of him be wrong who is set as the leader of the hosts." Dr. William N. Newell, in his book on revivals, says of the pastor's relations to the revival: "You must search out the depths of your own life and character in the light of God and man. You may have been dull and selfish in your Christian work, professional and un- believing in your prayers. Your example may have brought religion into disrepute. You may have cherished hard feelings. Is your leading desire for a revival legitimate ? You may desire a revival on account of your own reputation and the outward prosperity of the Church. A neighbor of mine once held a protracted 59 meeting with the avowed design of establishing his own mission. You may strongly desire the salvation of souls, with small appreciation of their guilt and with slight re- gard for the honor of Jesus." The second step is to secure the sympathy and co- operation of the elders and officers of the church. Fre- quent conferences with them should be held, There should be conferences for the searching of heart, when the officers shall forget others and consider only their own needs. Having taken these steps, the pastor and officers are prepared to present their plans to the faithful few in the church, the Gideon's band, who will be loyal. Then in- crease the number, bring into your plan some of the young people. Unite all these in special meetings for prayer. Then you are prepared to present the plan to the whole church and to begin your preparatory preach- ing. Two things must be borne in mind. First, that God waits to visit His people and that He will fulfill His promises. There must be absolute certainty about these things. Second, we must expect results from God. " Attempt great things for God. Expect great things from God." The special services having begun, the chief atten- tion must be given to the presentation of the truth. " It has always pleased God to magnify the preaching of His Word, and such names as those of Wesley, Whitefield, Edwards and Finney shall always be conspicuous because they have been such fearless preachers of His truth and have so clearly given His thoughts to those who were hungering atter them. 11 He only is a faithful preacher in the time of re- 60 vival who magnifies Jesus Christ. Indeed, there is no promise ef the Holy Ghost to the one who presents any other theme. The Apostles themselves were the ideal preachers. They went everywhere, speaking only of Jesus and the Resurrection.'' Press the truth for immediate decision. During Mr. Moody's meetings in New York, the Rev. R. R. Booth, D.D., then pastor of the University Place Pres- byterian Church, was deeply impressed with the value of the services in this respect, the pressing for an imme- diate decision. Dr. Booth said: " Such a thing as an inquiry meeting had never taken place under my sober ministry in my staid church, but I resolved I would ap- point one. One Sabbath morning I preached from the text, 'Come, for all things are now ready.' I said to them : * This sermon presupposes and involves an invi- tation, now and here. It does not imply that you are to go away after the sermon and spend two or three hours exposed to the influence of the world, the flesh and the devil, but that now and here you are to have an oppor- tunity of accepting Christ.' The inquiry meeting was appointed and ten persons came in and acccepted Christ; and one of them was a dear young man for whom I had long been yearning." Dr. Booth related this incident at a minister's con- ference in New York, and then said: " Brethren, have we not to revolutionize the whole system of preaching, and change somewhat our mode of operations? The trouble is our sermons do not mount to the climax. If they are mere orations and theories of Christianity, an invitation at such meetings is incongruous and absurd. But when the sermon says Come, from beginning to end, 61 when it is appended to the cross, when it is bleeding with tears and sobs all the way through, then we can say, ' Come to Jesus." This action and testimony showed a hearty belief in revivals. How, indeed, can their worth be questioned ? With this preparation carefully made and preaching after this type, the Church will be revived and sinners brought to the Saviour. CHAPTER XVII. ®I)e Committees. Reference has been made in several places in this volume to the various committees that should be appoint- ed in connection with an Evangelistic Campaign. The committees that are suggested in this chapter are for a union meeting. All these committees should be appoint, ed for a local church, changing the membership and other elements to suit the local conditions. I. The Executive Committee. Dr. Chapman sug- gests that " if not more than five churches are co-operat- ing, a pastor and a layman from each church. If there are between five and twelve churches, one pastor or one layman from each church. If more than twelve churches are represented, twelve men selected with reference to the various denominations and their relative strength." The Executive Committee is to arrange for all meet- ings and to supervise the work of the other committees ; where a single church is conducting the meetings the Executive Committee may be composed of the pastor and the chairman of the other committees. II. The Advertising Committee. This is an im- 62 portant Committee. Wideawake business men should be on it. Generous provision should be made for advertis" ing. Notices of all sorts should be widely circulated. Posters in the street cars are a splendid medium of ad_ vertising services. A bulletin board should be placed in front of the church. Do not place much on this bulletin. The local papers should be used in advertising the ser- vices. The Committee should see to it that matter is furnished to the papers some weeks previous to the open, ing of the services and then every day during the services. Make announcements for only a few days at a time. III. The Committee on Canvassing. Divide your region into districts, and have efficient canvassers visit every house and store and factory and office. They had better carry visiting cards, which you may have printed, leaving a space for the names to be written' This should be done the week before the meetings com- mence. During the last week of the meetings this Com- mittee may be used to make a religious census of the city, or, in case the services are conducted by one church, of the section of the city in which the church is situated. The following blank has been used successfully in taking this census: 1 C3 •-. O V a it! 13 82 So a 5 How many church members. a B u * o a How many children m Sunday school- 63 IV. The Music Committee. The music is vital. The church hymnal may be used, but the general opin- ion is that for the peculiar work of these services the familiar gospel hymns are preferable. Form a large union choir of as many good voices as are obtainable. Select a good leader to drill the choir, and engage a good organist to be present at all the meetings. Keep the same organist for all the services. Erect a platform in the building where the services are held sufficiently large to hold all the members of the choir, and let them be grouped closely about the leader and the preacher. V. The Devotional Committee is to arrange the Union Preparatory Meetings, select leaders, topics, etc., and is to plan for the special prayer meetings that shall be held during the series of meetings. There should be women's prayer meetings. These should be held in the lecture room of the church in which the afternoon serv- ices are held. They should commence forty-five minutes before the hour of the afternoon service and should ad- journ five minutes before the time for the general service. There should be cottage prayer meetings held at some morning hour. Sunrise prayer meetings should be held at least once a week. VI. The Finance Committee is to receive and pay the bills presented by the other committees. It is -to arrange for local incidental expenses. First — By assessments on the churches concerned f in proportion to size and financial strength, or— Second — By private subscriptions before the meetings commence. This is most important. The fund will pay all the expenses of the various committees and trav- eling expenses and hotel bills of the evangelists. The 64 free will offering is a matter to be looked after by the Executive Committee. VII. The Committee on Ushers and Assistants. This is one of the most important committees. Much of the effectiveness of the services will depend upon the fidelity, faithfulness, intelligence and spirituality of this committee. Earnest attention is called to the sugges- tions which follow. The plan outlined is one that has been used in many of the largest and most successful evangelistic services held in this country. Chief Usher — Who has the superintendence of all the work in the building during the meetings, and has charge of assistant chief ushers, aisle ushers and door- keepers. Assistant Chief Usher — Who has charge of a certain number of ushers and assistants. The number of as- sistant chief ushers to be regulated according to the size of the building. Aisle Usher — Whose duty it is to aid in showing the people to the front of the building — to do personal work with those standing near the door, and to collect from the ushers and assistants the cards signed by inquirers. Doorkeeper — Whose duty it is to see that the doors are opened at the time announced. To collect tickets at all services where tickets are used, and to see that people do not pass out of the building during service, except in case of sickness. The doors are to be kept closed during the singing of solos and during prayer. The number of doorkeepers to be regulated by the size of the building. One of the number to be chief door- keeper. 65 Regarding the number of ushers, you would better have one for every fifty or sixty people who can be seated in the building where the meetings are to be held. The great object in appointing so carefully the ushers and assistants is to be found in the fact that, first, through the ushers, the evangelist has the audience properly seated, and after that through them he may keep control of the audience in the minutest detail ; secondly, through the ushers and assistants, at a certain stage in the meeting, present a personal invitation to every person in the audience to receive Jesus Christ as Saviour, and then through them place the inquirer's card in every hand The ushers and assistants should be on duty at least fifteen minutes before the doors are opened. The ushers will stand in the rear of their sections and direct people forward. The usher is expected to take his seat as soon as his section is filled and remain in his section through the entire service. VENTILATION. Every usher should be familiar with the working of windows and doors in his section, and if they will not readily and noiselessly cpen and close report the fact, so that they may be fixed. It is exceedingly important that there be good air. Open or close windows or ven- tilators only upon instruction from the platform, or from the chief usher. ASSISTANTS. The very best and most consecrated people you have should be selected for assistants. They should be of 66 the calibre of Sunday-school teachers. They will be in a position where they can be marvellously used in the service of God, and the importance of their duties can- not be overestimated. Select assistants from all churches, three to every 100 people for the seating capacity of the building. The qualifications for an assistant are: i. The ability to attend every evening service (Saturday excepted) and to be present before the open- ing of the doors. 2. Spiritual character and earnestness and willing- ness to do anything for Christ. Either men or women, young or old, will answer, provided they have the above qualifications. There should be one assistant for every thirty to forty-two people (seating capacity of the building). The diagram below represents a section of three rows, thirty-nine seats, "A" being the assistant, who is ex- pected to reach with cards, encouragement, etc.— that is, to shepherd — the twenty people inclosed within the lines, the others being reached by the ushers. o o o en ° ° ° o o o i O o o O j ; O A o o O : : O o O : o o o > O O O w r m o o o They should provide themselves with cards and pencils directly on entering the building each night, and be in their places before the general doors are opened. 67 The position of each usher should be in the rear of the section assigned him, where he should reserve a seat in the end of the row. CHAPTER XVIII. &fter tl)£ Sermou in an Gfrjangelistic Service, By the Rev. R. A. Torrey, D.D. From a Chapter in a Volume by Dr. R. A. Torrey on " How to Promote and Conduct a Successful Revival." The moment the last word of the sermon is uttered there should be opportunity for decisions. This oppor- tunity may be given in a variety of ways. You may ask the audience to bow a few moments in silent prayer, in- sisting courteously, but firmly, that no one go out for a few moments, If the interest is deep enough, you may then ask "all who wish to be saved," or "all who have made up their minds now and here to accept Christ as their personal Saviour, to surrender to Him as their Lord and Master, and to begin to confess Him as such before the world," to rise (or come forward and give me your hand, or come kneel at the altar). If you think the in- terest hardly warrants that, you can ask * 'all in the audience who are burdened for unsaved friends," or 1 'all who are anxious for the salvation of some friends in this audience," to rise. When they have risen, invite all who wish to be saved right now to rise. It is not well usually in the general meeting to ask all Christians to rise, as this makes it awkward for the unsaved, and they may not come back again. Another good way is to say, "We are going to sing a hymn and I don't want anyone 68 to go out until it is finished. The Holy Spirit is work- ing in this meeting '' (don't say that unless He is), " and anyone moving about may disturb some one just on the verge of a decision for Christ. Now, while we sing the second verse, all who will accept Christ (don't say, 'if any one will ') arise." Stop when the second verse is sung andicall for decisions. Then sing the third and the fourth, etc., in a similar way. If you are fortunate enough to have an altar in the church where you are preaching, it is often better to have them come to the altar. If you have no altar, you can have the front seats emptied and use them for an altar. A solo may be used, in place of a congregational hymn. Still another way is to say, as you close your sermon, "We are going to have a second meeting, to give those who have been converted here to-night and all who are interested an opportunity to accept Christ now and enter at once into the joy of the Christian life. We want every man who is interested in his soul's salvation and all Christians to stay to that second meeting. You can't afford to go away." It is usually better to have the second meeting in another room, if there is one that the people have to pass as they go out. Have wise workers posted at every door of this room to invite and urge the people to come in as they pass. W T hen the interest is very deep you can have the second meeting in another building. Have the singing in the second meeting begin at once as the people come in. When all are in, have absolute silence, and then silent prayer. Perhaps two or three audible prayers by men and women whom you can trust as really knowing God may follow. (Don't take any chances at this point and let some crank spoil your meeting). The next thing 69 to do varies with circumstances. You may call for an expression at once. If the interest is very deep, call at once for those who wish to accept Christ to rise or come forward. On other occasions ask "all who have ac- cepted Christ and know that they are saved and are walking in fellowship with Christ " to arise. Now you and your workers see who the persons to deal with are. Next ask those who wish to become Christians to arise. It may be well to sing one or several verses as this is done. One and another and another and then many will arise. Wherever it is possible, it is well to have now still a third room, into which those who have risen as desiring to become Christians shall go. Have a wise man in charge of this room until you get there yourself. Have him put one worker, and only one, with each in- quirer. These workers should be trained for the work. Every church should have a training class for this pur- pose . When you have gotten all you can into the inside room, turn the outside meeting into a meeting for testi- mony and prayer, which either you or some wise worker manages. It is a great advantage to have a choir leader who can do that. The unconverted ones who have not gone into the inside room can be gotten hold of person- ally in this testimony meeting or afterward. Don't have any holes in your net anywhere if you can avoid it. Sometimes, in the second meeting, it is well to ask all who were converted after they were fifty to rise, then those who were converted after they were forty, thirty, twenty, ten, before they were ten. Then ask all who will accept Jesus to-night to arise. Then all who really desire to know the way of life. A good method to use occasionally in the second meeting is to ask all who 70 were converted after they were fifty to come forward and gather about the platform, then those who were converted after they were forty, etc. This will gradu- ally thin out those who are seated, and the unconverted will find themselves being left behind, and it will set some of them to thinking. Especially will this be true if a man sees his wife leaving him, or a son sees a mother. Some one may think that there is too much method and manoeuvering in all this, but it wins souls, and that is worth manoeuvering for. Jesus, Himself, told us to be "wise as serpents," and also said that "the sons of this world are in their own generation wiser than the sons of light." Evidently Jesus would have us ex- ercise all honest ingenuity in accomplishing His work, especially the work of soul winning. It is lawful, as Paul's example shows, to catch them ' 'with guile" (2 Cor. 12:16). The methods suggested will suggest still others. The great purpose of all these methods is to get many to commit themselves and to bring them to a decision to accept Christ. Much good preaching comes to noth- ing because it is not driven home to the individual and the individual brought then and there to an acceptance and confession of Jesus as Saviour and as Lord. When one has been led to accept Jesus, an immediate public confession (then and there) should be insisted upon. (Rom. 10, 9:10.) CHAPTER XIX. $!)£ 2tfter meeting. This is the time when the most important work has to be done. As soon as the second meeting is an- 7i notmced, the workers will go to the front of their sec- tions. Urge people who seem impressed or interc ted to remain ; especially see that people who have risen for prayers, or who have signed cards, remain. If ninety-five out of a hundred start to go, it is natural for the five oth- ers to follow, even if they have been spiritually interested- It is the worker's business to see that they do not go out. As soon as possible bring people from the rear toward the front, and from the sides to the center, and sit with them in the after-meeting. See if there is not some one whom you can help. It will not do to have very timid people for workers unless they are willing to overcome their timidity for Christ's sake, and do this work thor- oughly. If possible, shake hands with people whom you do not know, as well as with those whom you do, among the inquirers, and speak words of good cheer and en- couragement. Pray with them when you have the op- portunity. Sometimes a kind word at the close of the last meeting may win a soul for Christ. The Bible should be freely used in the after-meeting. Let the leader read some portion that bears directly upon the purpose of the meeting, which is not instruction nor edification, but salvation. The praying in the after-meeting, like the address and the testimony, should be but for one thing — the sal- vation of the lost. When an inquirer has come to the point of accepting Christ, kneel with him and ask him to pray aloud. Do not get into any discussion with inquirers and spend no time in answering curious questions. Dr. A. C. Dixon quotes an incident that illustrates Mr. Moody's tact in dealing with the curious. "A man came to Mr. 72 Moody in an after-meeting with a long list of hard ques- tions. Mr. Moody said, ' I will answer your questions if you will promise me to do one thing.' • What is it ? * ' Promise me you will do it before I tell you.' ' No sensible man does a thing like that.' ' Will you prom- ise me, then, that you will try to do it ? ' ' Yes, I can make that promise.' ' Well, give your heart to Jesus Christ and then come to me with your questions.' The man went away disappointed, but two nights afterwards he returned with a radiant face and told Mr. Moody that he had done what he had asked him to do and that, for twenty-four hours, he had been oue of the happie t men on earth. ' Where are your questions ? ' asked Mr. Moody. * I haven't any,' he said. ' The moment I ac- cepted Jesus Christ they were all answered, or appeared so insignificant that they were not worth answering/ Philip might have spent hours answering the eunuch's questions about Isaiah, but he began at the same Scrip- ture and preached unto him Jesus. Let us follow his example." I quote again from Dr. Dixon's splendid article on "The After-Meeting" in Dr. Torrey'swork on " How to Promote and Conduct a Successful Revival." " A whispered word, or even an elbow touch from a friend may do more than twenty sermons in leading to a de- cision. An earnest business man in New York City told me it was not the sermon, nor a word, but just a touch on the shoulder which led him to confess Christ before men. He had already accepted Him as Saviour and just needed this little encouragement. He said: 'While the evan- gelist was inviting all who loved Christ to confess Him by going forward and giving him the hand, I felt a gen- 73 tie touch on my shoulder. I looked around and saw the face of an old friend looking wistfully at me. He did not utter a word, but I knew what he meant, and I went right up and gave him my hand. This was the begin- ning of a business man's Christian life." CHAPTER XX. IjotD to &ib Jhtqmrers. By the Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman, D.D. Always use God's Word and if your experience is quoted at all only let it be used to emphasize the Scrip- ture. In the general meetings you will find it easy to put the question very kindly and courteously to the peo- ple, "Are you a Christian?" If the answer is "no" help them in every way you can. You will find about you four classes of inquirers. i. CHRISTIANS WHO LACK ASSURANCE. The first epistle of John was written to help this class. Emphasize I John 5: 13. 2. BACKSLIDERS. Read the prophecy of Jeremiah for yourself and give them its spirit. Use Jeremiah 3 : 12, 13. Read Hosea, 14th chapter, especially the opening verses. 3. THOSE SLIGHTLY CONVICTED. Read Romans, 3: 10, 23. It is useless to give the consolations of the Gospel until there is consciousness of sin. 74 4. THE DEEPLY CONVICTED. Read Isaiah 43: 25 and 44: 22. John I: 11, 12. Tell them they may be sure of their salvation. Read John 3: 16, John 5: 24, John 6: 47, Romans 6: 23. The following excuses may be presented ; if so, an- swer them with God's Word: 1. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND. "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." Romans 3: 11. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them because they are spiritually dis- cerned." I Cor. 2: 14. 2. AFRAID OF FALLING. "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Phil. 1 : 6. "Kept by the power of God through faith unto sal- vation, ready to be revealed in the last time." I Peter 1: 5. 3. AFRAID OF TEMPTATION. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; but will, with the temptation, also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." I Cor. 10: 13. "For, in that He Himself hath suffered, being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted." Heb. 2: 18. 75 4. INCONSISTENT CHRISTIANS PRESENT. "But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at naught thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. So, then, every one of us shall give account of himself to God." Romans 14: 10, 12. "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest, for wherein thou judgest another thou condemnest thyself ." Romans 2: 1. 5. WHEN TO BELIEVE. "Choose you this day whom you will serve." Josh. 24: 15. "Come, for all things are now ready," Luke 14: 17. "Behold, now is the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of salvation." II Cor. 6: 2. CHAPTER XXI. &i)t Snqturofs (tarb. These cards are to be distributed by the ushers and assistants. Sometimes the cards will be used two or three times. The purpose of the cards is to secure the names and addresses of all who show any interest, in order that they may be visited and any impression that may have been made upon them deepened. Cards are to be handed to each person. The ushers are to hand the cards to those near the ends of the seats and the assistants to those immediately around them, both at the sides and in the front and rear. Watch the people in your section carefully, observing those 76 who rise for prayer, helping others to rise if you think they are impressed or hesitating, and make it easy for them to indicate their interest, both in rising and sign- ing the cards. When the ushers and assistants collect the cards, let them look at them immediately to see that the address and the pastor and the church are indicated. If any line is blank, try to get the information without being intrusive, and fill out the card with the information that is lacking. Do not try to iufluence any one as to what church he shall attend. When an announcement is made concerning the distribution of the cards, the ushers should pass all through their sections, first dis- tributing them and afterwards collecting them. The assistants should stand up in their places — do not try to do it sitting down. Be on the alert to help carry out every suggestion that may be made from the platform. A good form for the inquirer's card is this: I have an honest desire henceforth to live a Chris- tian life. I am willing to follow any light God may give me. I ask the people of God to pray for me. Name Residence Church or pastor preferred Usher's name Not every one who signs this is a convert, but lie is an inquirer, and as such is in an attitude in which he can be easily won. Dr. Chapman says that in his pas- toral experience he was ableito reach nine out of ten of all who had signed the cards. 77 CHAPTER XXII. &ftcr ifje ittestinga. By the Rev. J. F. Carson, D.D. Evangelism is a broad work. It means the estab- lishment of essential righteousness in individual human souls. That carries with it the enlightening of the mind, the quickening of the conscience, the energizing of the will, the purifying of the affections, the exalting of the aims and aspirations of men, so that the whole being shall be brought into harmony with the will of God. The criticism is often heard that many of those who unite with the church after a series of special meetings do not hold out. That criticism is, in most instances, a criticism of the church. The special meetings accom- plished their purpose but the church failed in her work. It is the business of the church to follow up the special meetings with instruction and help to all converts. With the close of the special meetings the work of the church begins. During the meetings some have been impelled to begin the Christian life, some to re-dedicate themselves to God for more zealous service. It is a critical time. " The sheep are gathered, but not yet safely folded." The shepherd must know now, if never before, what it means tor a good shepherd to give his life for the sheep. The work that follows special services is boundless and the pastor and session who are not prepared to do that work had better not have any special services. To neg- lect the work that should be done after the special meetings will be for the pastor to find that the last state of some of those who were impressed in the special ser- 7S vices is worse than the first. How may the baneful ef- fects of reaction be prevented ? Form the new converts and all others who wish to grow in spiritual things into a class or classes for the study of the Bible and for conference on spiritual things. Instruction is needed. This is vital. Have the convert make a confession of his faith by uniting with the church. Whether this should be done before the instruction in the class is given, or after, must be determined by the individual conditions. In no in- stances let the convert feel that he has been put on pro- bation. Find or make some kind of work for all who have been quickened. Modify the existing organizations in the church, if necessary, or organize new ones to meet the new conditions. Have all begin at once to support financially the work of the church. This must be done with great tact and by personal conference. Get each convert to begin to appropriate a definite portion of his income to the Lord's treasury. Have each establish a family altar in his home. Let the pastor ask the privilege of calling some evening for the purpose of dedicating such an altar. Personal counsel must be freely given. Opportuni- ties for conference must be given. All this will require time. The weakness of much of modern evangelism is its passion for immediacy, its sensitiveness to the inter- ests of the passing hour. The real and effective evan- gelistic service is a long one, it continues long after the special meetings have closed. 79 CHAPTER XXIII. Personal iDorH. By the Rev. J. F. Carson, D.D. All Christians recognize the importance of personal work. The whole story of the growth of the Church em- phasizes its importance. It was the personal work of Andrew that brought Peter to Christ. Philip brought Nathaniel. It was the personal work of M. Kimball, the Boston business man, that led D. L. Moody to Christ. Lord Shaftsbury was won to Christ in a godless home by the personal work of a nurse girl. H. Clay Trumbull was brought to Christ through a letter from a friend — a letter definitely asking him to give himself to Christ. John B. Gough was won to God by the personal work of Joel Stratton. While all Christians appreciate the value of personal work, yet there are comparatively few who ever make an intelligent personal effort to lead any one to Christ. This work has not the attractions that some other work has. Dealing with the one man seems insignificant as compared with preaching to a thousand. But it may mean more. John B. Gough said of the one loving word of Joel Stratton that won him: " My friend, it may be a small matter for you to speak the one word for Christ that wins a needy soul, a small matter to you, but it is everything to Him." It is forgetting this truth that causes personal work to be neglected. It is this personal work that tells. Winning one soul at a time usually results in the winning of a multitude of souls in the process of time. The failure to engage in 80 personal work is not due in many instances to a lack of appreciation of the need of such work, nor to an unwil- lingness to engage in it, but to a sense of inability to do it, a lack of knowledge as to some practical method. This places a responsibility on the pastor and leader in spiritual work. There should be instruction given on the subject of personal work. Form a class and give instruction on such themes as: " How to use the Bible in dealing with individual inquirers, " How to approach men about Christ," "The way to pray," "How to deal with doubt." The Book of Acts is the text book on personal work. Study the methods of Philip, Paul and the other Apos- tles, each one finding his man or woman and then seeing the work spread in Samaria, Lystra, Antioch, Philippi and elsewhere. Personal work pre-supposes five things. First, that the worker is himself saved. There must be a saved man behind the offer of salvation. Some time ago I preached a simple Gosp. ;1 sermon in the Westminster Re- formed Presbyterian Church of Newburgh, N. Y., where my dear friend, the Rev. Dr. J. R. Thompson, has been the honored pastor for nearly forty years. At the close of the service a good woman of the church greeted me with the word: " Sir, I am persuaded that you could not point out the way to Christ so clearly unless you had traveled it yourself." The only way you know is the way you have traveled. You cannot lead one to Christ in personal work unless you know the way by personal experience. Personal work pre-supposes, second, that the worker leads a consistent life. Emerson said: " What you are Sz speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say." What you are is what the man you deal with hears. A clean, consistent life is essential to personal work. Personal work pre-supposes, third, that the worker has a deep realization of the value of a soul and of what it means for a soul to be saved or lost ; that he believes in Christ's power to save souls, and above all things else longs for their salvation. The one who does personal work must love men and have compassion for the lost. Personal work pre-supposes, fourth, that the worker is a man of tact or wisdom in dealing with individuals. ' Personal work pre-supposes, fifth, that the worker is a man of prayer and that he has had the definite experi- ence of baptism with the Holy Spirit. These things being assumed, what suggestions can be made as to doing personal work ? I quote the follow- ing eighteen points from Dr. R. A. Torrey's book on "How to Work for Christ." These are his hints to per- sonal workers. I. As a rule, choose persons to deal with of your own sex. II. As a rule, choose persons to deal with about your own age. A young man as a rule can get hold of young men better than any one else can, and a man of mature years can handle a man of his own age better than a young man, or even better than an old man. III. Whenever it is possible, deal with a person alone. No one likes to open his heart freely to another on the most personal and sacred of all subjects when there are others present. IV. Let your reliance be wholly in the Spirit of God S2 and in the Word of God. Have no confidence in your- self. V. Do not content yourself with merely reading pas- sages from the Bible, much less with merely quoting them, but have the one with whom you are dealing read the passages himself. VI. It is oftentimes well to use but a single passage of Scripture. VII. Always hold the person with whom you are dealing to the main point of accepting Christ. VIII. Be courteous. Many well-meaning but indis- creet Christians by their rudeness and impertinence re- pel those whom they could win to Christ. IX. Avoid unwarranted familiarities with those with whom you deal. There is no place where good breeding counts for more than in personal work. X. Be dead in earnest. XI. Never lose your temper when trying to lead a soul to Christ. XII. Never have a heated argument with one whom you would lead to Christ. XIII. Never interrupt any one else who is dealing with a soul. XIV. Don't be in a hurry. XV. Get the person with whom you are dealing on bis knees before God. This rule has exceptions. Some- times it is not possible to get the person to kneel, and sometimes it is not wise ; but it is wonderful how many difficulties disappear in prayer. XVI. Whenever you seem to fail in any given case, go home and pray over it and study it to see why you failed. Never give up a case because of one failure. ?3 XVII. Before parting with the one who has accept- ed Christ, be sure to give him definite instructions as to how to succeed in the Christian life. XVIII. When you have led anyone to Christ, follow him up and help him in the development of his Christian life. In a little book issued by the International Commit- tee of the Young Men's Christian Association, the follow- ing suggestions are given : Pray for opportunities. Watch for opportunities. Center on one man. Where possible, study the man in advance, and the best time and way to approach him. Make an engagement for an interview with him, under the most favorable conditions, without necessarily informing him in advance of the object. Seek to attract ; avoid antagonizing. Remember we are to win men. Act according to Paul's method; I. Cor. ix: 19-22. Avoid cant; be natural. Realize that you are doing a great thing for the man whom you are seeking to win to Christ. Deal with the man alone. Find out what he believes rather than what he does not believe, and thus learn most hopeful ways of approach. Ascertain also the stage he has actually reached in his experience, e. g., does he yet recognize his sinfulness and helplessness. Endeavor to meet his difficulty as it really exists, and not necessarily according to some preconceived plan of your own. Use your Bible in the interview, and, where expedi- ent, have the man read from it for himself. 84 Avoid technical, religious terms, not commonly un- derstood among unconverted men. Avoid the spirit of controversy. Do not be satisfied with meeting a man's objections; but also clearly present to him the Gospel. Be in constant prayer, and rely implicitly on the Holy Spirit. Press the man to an immediate decision, if possible- Never give a man up. CHAPTER XXIV. QV Committee of ©ne §unfcrek ®l)e Storg of a ftemarkabU fcOork in ODne arijnvcl). By the Rev. J. M. McElhinney, Assistant Pastor of the Central Presbyterian Church, Rochester, N. Y. On the first Sabbath in October, 1900, Dr. Henry H. Stebbins, pastor of the Central Presbyterian Church, Rochester, New York, suggested to his people as a fit- ting and triumphant close to the nineteenth century that at least one hundred people be brought into the fold of Christ, one for each year of the century. One of the elders of the church, hearing the suggestion, said to himself, "Why cannot a committee of one hundred be se- cured to carry this into effect?" His confidence in the plan was so strong that at a meeting, a few days later, of St. Paul's Brotherhood, a band of twenty-one young 85 men in Central Church organized for Christian work, he produced one hundred cards printed and numbered, and received their unanimous and enthusiastic endorsement. The cards were equally distributed throughout the Brotherhood, with the understanding that each member should sign a card for himself' and that he should com- mit the other cards to persons who might be depended upon for the work. FACE OF THE CARD. 194 Central Church, 1900. COMMITTEE OF ONE HUNDRED. By affixing my signature to this card, I desire mem- bership in above Committee, and agree to fulfill to the best of my ability the object of the Committee. (See other side.) Address — Note. — Return this card to any member of St. Paul's Brotherhood of this church. BACK OF THE CARD. The object of this committee is, if possible, to bring into the membership of this Church at least one hundred at the next communion, which occurs the first Sunday morning in December, and will be the last reception to new members in the present century. This is putting into effect the suggestion and desire of Dr. Stebbins as stated by him Sunday morning, October 7, which was as follows: "As a fitting way to close the present century, 86 why not have anew member to represent each year in it?" Membership in this Committee means that you will be responsible for at least one. The above card embodied the plan, which was after Dr. Stebbins' own heart. At the meeting of the Broth- erhood, above referred to, he expressed his great grat- ification at the adoption of such a method, and predicted for it the largest success, since it was the realization of an ideal which throughout his ministry he had cherished as the preferred Gospel method of winning men, women and children to Christ. While these cards were being circulated for signa- tures, letters were sent to teachers of the Bible School and members of the Christian Endeavor Society, copies of which are here inserted. CENTRAL CHURCH. Rochester, October 12, 1900, Dear Friend and Associate in the Bible School of Cen- tral Church : I am still possessed with the suggestion I threw out at the communion table last Sunday morning, that we, as a church, and in our several departments of work, should aim to make the most of the few days that remain before the end of the century. So I, naturally, turn to you for the willing and generous co-operation which I know you will manifest. The field I associate with you is the class which it is your privilege to instruct. I pre- sume there is not a class in the school in which there are not members who either are not Christians or, if Chris- tians, are not members of the church. I heard one teacher say the other day that after a careful canvass 87 it was found that fifty per cent, of his class were not church members. Now what I propose is a short, sharp and decisive campaign, covering the forty-nine days that remain after next Sunday before the next Communion, the first Sun- day morning of December, which will be our last Com- munion of the century. I would urge, with that end in view, that you secure as large an attendance as possible of your class ; that absentees be looked up ; and that the work of the class be followed up by the call or the let- ter, or both, as shall seem desirable and possible. I would specially urge that more than ever you steep the lesson in prayer, and focus it upon the apparently un- converted members of the class, and upon those con- nected with the church. Do not discount the child of it. You remember Jesus's words: "Suffer the little children to come unto Me." Let us not limit God in the work proposed. Remember that things impossible for man are entirely possible for God. I know the time is short. It is not too short, however, if we will only redeem the time and ask God so to teach us to number the remain- ing days of the century as to apply our hearts unto the wisdom that cometh down from above, the wisdom of God which, allied with the power of God, is abundantly equal to the glorious accomplishment of what I am ask- ing you to take in hand. I shall be only too glad to confer with you and other- wise to co-operate with you in this most important matter. In the hope that at the next communion you and I, and all of us, may witness an accession to the church of at least a hundred persons, one for every year of the century, I am, Cordially yours, Henry H. Stebbins. A letter of similar import was sent to each member of the Christian Endeavor Society. As an aid to the workers, many of whom were in- quiring for names of persons who might be helped to a decision for Christ and the Church, lists of names with addresses were prepared and classified. One list con- tained names of men who had been in attendance upon large classes in the Bible school ; another list contained names of women in adult classes in Bible school ; another, names of persons who were reported to be members of churches outside of Rochester: another, names of persons who at some time signed cards ex- pressing thereby a desire to lead a Christian life; an- other, names of persons who seem interested in spiritual things ; and still another, names of those who had at- tended young men's receptions. These names, with an earnest bracing word from the pastor, were distributed with discrimination among the Committee of One Hun- dred. At the same time a letter was addressed to each person on the various lists. A copy of the letter is here- with given. November 2d, 1900. Dear Friend : I want you to stop after the service next Sunday evening and take a cup of coffee with me in the church parlor. That, however, let me frankly say, is not the only, nor the chief thing, I want. I want to meet you S9 socially, in order to become better acquainted with you, and I want to become better acquainted with you, in order that I, in connection with the young men in the church, especially the St. Paul's Brotherhood, may do everything in our powsr to encourage you along lines with which you are presumably in sympathy. The fact that you come to church, or to Bible class, or to a Sun- day night reception, is an indication of a degree of in- terest. You may be a member of a church outside of Rochester. If so, we would like to have you join the Central by letter. Or, if you are not a church member, you may be a Christian. If so, we would be glad to have you join our church on a confession of your faith in Christ. We shall have one more communion this year. It will be the last of the century. We are making a special effort to induce as many as possible to get into line at that time, We would like to have you among the number, so drop in next Sunday night. In the hope of seeing you, I am, Very truly yours, Henry H. Stebbins, Minister. Early in November the Committee of One Hundred had been secured, with thirty-nine additional persons. The pastor sent the following letter to each member of the Committee : November 22d, 1900. Dear Friend : I congratulate you upon your consent to be a member of the '* Committee of One Hundred.'' I cordially ap- preciate your co-operation. I hope you have already secured at least one person who, through your instru- ct) mentality, will, on the last Sunday morning of Decem- ber, be welcomed into the membership of the Central Church. Be not weary in your well-doing. Live very near to God. Rely upon the Holy Spirit to guide you, to teach you what you ought to say, or write, or do, and to incline to Christ those whom you are trying to win to Him. Avail yourself of the conference room (Mr. McElhinney'3 study), where, before and after every service, some one will be in attendance to furnish you with the names of those possibly available for church membership, and to facilitate your work. You can also meet there one and another for whom you are making special effort. The session will begin its series of meetings to receive applications for church membership, on Sunday eve- ning, December 2d, in the church parlor, after the regu- lar service. And such a meeting will be held on every Sunday evening till, and including December 23d, as well as after the services on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, commencing with December 4th, and continu- ing, with the exception of Christmas evening, till, and including Friday, December 28th, the evening of the •ervice preparatory to the communion. I suggest that you arrange to accompany to one or another of the meetings of the session, only the earlier the better, the person or persons whom you are so fortu- nate as to influence. I shall be glad to have you intro- duce them to the elders. God bless you in your endeavor, and may you, at the communion on the last Sunday morning of the cen- tury, have the exquisite delight of seeing the one or 9i more whom you have led to Christ, welcomed into the Church. Sincerely and hopefully yours, Henry H. Stebbins. To the members of four of the large Bible classes the pastor sent a letter urging those who were members of churches outside of Rochester to procure their church letters and place them with Central Church, urging those who were Christians, but not church members, to unite with the church, and appealing to all who were not Christians to decide for Christ and take a stand for Him only, in His church. Feeling that the Bible school was a field " white unto the harvest," the superintendent addressed a letter to the teachers, directing their attention to the day of special effort appointed by themselves. The letter is as follows : November 27, 1900. Teachers of Central Church Bible School : You are invited to attend a half-hour devotional service after the prayer meeting on Wednesday evening, November 28, to be held in the room of Class 24. In accordance with their action the teachers throughout the school are requested to make special effort next Sunday, December 2, to secure from the available non-church members of their classes an expression of faith in Jesus Christ, and to make an appeal to them to unite with the church on the last Sunday of the century, December 30, 1900. 92 Trusting that you will be guided of the Spirit to draw many to the Master, I remain, Sincerely yours, J. M. McElhinney. It is said that the unexpected always happens, which surely was verified in the publication of the following circular : To the Men of Central Church : The pastor and elders of Central Church are doing their utmost to revive the spiritual life of the members of the church and congregation. Cannot we assist in the effort ? Will you not join us in enlarging the at- tendance and increasing the interest in the regular services by attending the Wednesday evening meeting ? We can do that much without great sacrifice of time or comfort, and it seems certain that we will feel paid for the effort involved, without reference to its possible influence on others. Let us surprise Dr. Stebbins and the faithful few who have held the mid-week meeting together by their almost uninterrupted attendance, by being present in a body on Wednesday evening, the 5th inst., and on every Wednesday night thereafter, if possible. Shall we see you next Wednesday night ? H. A. Brewster, H. H. Pryor, P. V. Crittenden, M. D. Knowlton, J. A. Seel, C. S. Hastings, I. H. Dewey, R. A. Hamilton, L. L. Williams, Trustees of Central Church. 93 Our choir, numbering about fifty, was not over- looked, as the following letter sent by the choirmaster will show : Rochester, Dec. 18, 1900. My Dear Friend : First and last I have written to you about various matters connected with our choir work. I am moved now, however, to drop you a line about membership in the Central Church. I belong to the St. Paul's Brother- hood, that is trying to secure at least a hundred new members, one for every year of the century, before our next communion, which will be on Sunday morning, Dec. 30. Naturally I turn to my choir as my particular field. I am glad to know that so many of us are already in the church. You, I believe, however, are not con- nected with this church, although you may have belonged to a church somewhere else. If so, I know this church will be glad to have you bring your letter, unless you are connected with a church in Rochester, in which case we would not disturb your relation. Or, if you are not a church member, you are very likely a Christian, and if so, it is your privilege to belong to the Christian Church. In whatever way either Mrs. Walton or I can serve you, whether by going with you to see Dr. Stebbins or by going with you to meet the elders, please be assured of our readiness to do so. In the hope that our choir will be generously repre- sented among the new members, believe me, Sincerely your friend, Geo. W. Walton. 94 One more letter was written to the entire member- ship of the Church, numbering over two thousand, with a mailing list of over twelve hundred separate addresses. It is as follows : My Dear People : My heart turns to you in eager desire that you and I together should make all we can of the few remaining days of this year of the Lord, this century of grace. I want the approaching Christmas, the last Christmas of the century, to be the best. I want the New Year, the first year of the new century, to be the happiest we have had. I want us to go as thoroughly furnished as possible into the twentieth century. I want our church, as she passes from the century in which she was born into the century during which we trust she is to grow up into Christ in all things, to have on her most beauti- ful garments. It is our privilege to help to array her. Let us do so by investing our lives with the beauty of holiness, by our faithful attendance upon the ten re- maining services of the year, especially the service preparatory to the communion, Friday evening, De- cember 28th, and the communion itself, Sunday morn- ing, December 30th; by a generous Christmas offering, and by doing all we can to induce our children, our scholars, our friends, to be of the number who are to be welcomed into our church membership at the com- munion. Your pastor, in the bonds of Christ and the Central Church, Henry H. St