The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1926, Page 43

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

43

the Gospel to their brethren and sisters in the flesh
and have begun to gather a fund for this purpose
which is nearing the sum of $2,000.

North America’s Field. — There are more than
fifty million people in the United States who are
not affiliated with any Church. ‘To bring these mil-
lions into the fold should be our task at home.
Because of our numbers and resources we North
Americans should be ready to shoulder the task of
reaching at least 60 per cent. of the foreign
non-Christian people, which would mean about
600,000,000 persons. There are said to be at least
this number of heathen in the foreign mission-fields
now occupied by American missionaries.

The Unfinished Task. — To the half billion
Christians Christ has given the command to lead
the billion non-Christians to Him. Possibly 25,000
missionaries, including wives, teachers, etc., com-
prise the force now in the field, which means one
missionary to each 45,000 non-Christians. Will the
Christians not be obliged to increase their mission-
ary forces if they expect to comply with their Lord’s
request ?

Missionary Zeal. — George Sherwood Eddy tells
the story of how, at one time when there was a
famine in Burma, one of the native Christians
brought five dollars to the missionaries to carry on
the work of spreading the Gospel among his heathen
brethren. When the missionary told him he must
keep it for food, he replied, “We can live on rats,
but they cannot do without the Gospel.” He tells
also the story of an old woman in China who, being
unable to walk, was carried in a sack on her son’s
back to the mission-station that she might give to
the mission with her own hands the collection which
she had saved from a poverty so severe that she had
to mix earth with her scanty food. — When we hear
of such a passion for souls among the newly con-
verted heathen, shall we not pray that the same
Lord who gave sight to eyes of the blind when on
earth, would come now and anoint the eyes of our
people, so that they may see the souls that are pass-
ing out into eternity without ever having heard of
Jesus, the Savior, and also learn to see that the
money which is so uselessly frittered away by them
is not theirs, but God’s?

Pastors as Missionary Leaders.

We have not a few pastors who have seen the
vision and are trying to make use of every proper
means to make their churches world-serving agencies.

They are leading their people out of the narrow
bounds of their own parish into the joy of a larger
service in the world-wide kingdom of Christ. And
when we realize that the pastors are the spiritual
leaders of our people and that with them largely
rests success or failure of any program the Church
may enter upon, we can only thank God over the
increasing number of ministers. who are leading
forward in this great movement which constitutes
the chief work of the Church. The fact that every
year shows a larger number of pastors who have seen
this vision and are taking over this leadership is
a most encouraging factor in the whole missionary
situation.

Of course, not all pastors have become interested
in the missionary cause in a satisfactory measure,
nor do all see the value of missionary education. It
seems almost impossible that there should be such
among us, but hard, cold facts can leave no doubt
ix this matter. An earnest zeal for missions is not
to be found in every one of our pastors and seminary
students. We have been told by- those who were
there that the training-schools for officers during
the late war had the purpose not only of teaching
the theory and practise of warfare, but also of in-
spiring the young men in attendance with enthu-
siasm for leadership. So among our pastors and
seminary and normal students it is necessary to
carry on the important work that shall, on the one
hand, inform them as how best to inspire the
Church for the conquest which ought to be hers,
but which, on the other hand, has the purpose of
awakening in them a holy desire to bring this in-
spiration to those whose leaders they are to be.

Of course, as long as not all our pastors and
teachers are interested and properly informed, we
must not find it strange that a far larger number
of uninformed and uninterested laymen is to be ~
found among us. In all our churches there are men
used to carrying great responsibilities and dealing
with great practical problems. That these men have
never been led to see the magnitude and importance
and urgency of the cause of Christ i in the world very
probably is not their fault. It is their ‘misfortune
that this was neglected by their spiritual leaders,
and it certainly is the misfortune of the Church
that men of such possible power and influence have
been left in ignorance and their lively interest has
not been enlisted. When we think of the definite
and constructive work along the lines of missionary -
education that is still left-to be done among us, we
are almost overwhelmed by the stupendous magni-
tude of the task. But let us not despair; He that

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