IV.

THE PASTOR'S LEADERSHIP OF HIS CHURCH.

III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHURCH.

The development of a church of Christ is an object of sufficient difficulty to tax the ability, and of sufficient importance to stimulate the energy of the most consecrated pastor. A vast amount of talent is latent in every church. This fact causes perplexity, anxiety, and sorrow to every thoughtful pastor. How shall this talent be discovered, developed, and consecrated? This is a question to which the most careful thought and earnest action should be given. The answer to it is to be found partly in the complete organization of the church, as was suggested in a former article. Some specific reply, however, should be given, and some suggestions made which may lead to the discovery and development of the dormant powers in the members of our churches. To this task this article is devoted.

place, to the develThe first suggestion

I. Attention is directed, in the first opment of the social life of the church. made under this head is the importance of creating and diffusing a welcoming atmosphere in the public services of God's house. It is difficult to define, although very easy to feel, the presence or absence of this atmosphere. It is worth much when men and women are made to feel that in the church of Christ they are treated according to what they are, and not according to what they have; that it is not the size of a man's bank account, or the character of his clothes, or the character and

style of his living, but the uprightness of his

which he shall be held.

the consecration of his life which determine the esteem in The church is not a club, meeting in the winter time in the city and in the summer by the sea

shore or among the mountains. Its members are not to be selected by the rules which govern secular organizations; its spirit is born of the love of Christ and the desire to serve Him. The world divides society horizontally, selecting each layer most in harmony with its spirit and purpose; a true church, like the gospel of Christ, divides society vertically, cutting through all the layers and permeating all with the meek and lowly mind of Christ and inspiring all with His constraining love. When this spirit has been generated and widely diffused it will do much toward correcting false ideas regarding social distinctions among the members of any church. It is not claimed that the social distinctions can be obliterated in some of the relations of life; but it is affirmed that in the house of God there should be neither rich nor poor; both should kneel together before God in worship, and should stand together before God in work, remembering that He is the maker of all.

In the application of this spirit some points should be noted. Much will depend upon the manner and spirit of the ushers in any church. Strangers coming to a church judge the spirit of pastor and people by the man whom they meet in the vestibule or the aisle. This is inevitable; this is fitting. Great care, therefore, should be taken in selecting and training the men who are to be the interpreters to strangers of the spirit and life of the congregation. They ought to be men who have learned tbe spirit of true etiquette in its noblest school, the school of Christ. The Great Teacher laid down a universal law which underlies all genuine courtesy. The golden rule is the highest law of etiquette. The man who does not possess its spirit should not occupy this position. The position is in every respect a trying one. In churches where pews are rented they must be reserved for their regular occupants until the expiration of the recognized. time. But some pews are likely never to be fully occupied. by those who rent them. All these things the usher must: bear in mind so that strangers may be seated at the earliest:

possible moment. He must accommodate the feeble and timid who do not wish to walk far up the aisle; he must also have regard for the comparatively blind and deaf who wish to see and hear the minister; he must consult the wishes of those into whose pews strangers are put. He must also be ready to take messages from strangers to the pastor, and be ready also to introduce them to him at the close of the service. Indeed, for many reasons there is no position in connection with public worship-save that of the preacher himself, or possibly the sexton, who is in some respects of more consequence than any other officer-more important than that occupied by the usher. Many persons have turned away from places of worship because of thoughtless treatment or intentional discourtesy on the part of the ushers; while, on the other hand, many have enjoyed the entire service and determined to return because of the opposite treatment on the part of this important personage. The usher should be recognized as under the direction not primarily of the trustees but rather of the pastor and deacons and other religious officers of the church. The work of ushers should be performed by them not in a commercial but in a thoroughly Christian spirit. The solemn directions of James regarding the man with goodly apparel, the gold ring, and the poor man in vile raiment must be scrupulously observed; to do this an usher needs to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove, because of the rights and sometimes the predjudices of pew-holders. There should be a head-usher who shall have entire charge of the work. Gentlemen of good social, business, and religious standing, gentlemen with good address, courteous manners, and kindly faces should be appointed to this service. It is difficult to overestimate its importance. The idea must be emphasized that this is religious work and must be performed in a thoroughly religious spirit.

Another consideration is the importance of a cordial greeting to strangers by pew-holders. Courteous and Christian service may be rendered by pew-holders as they mingle

in the vestibule with one another and with strangers. Instead of permitting strangers to wait until the arrival of the hour when all pews are free to the ushers, pew-holders ought to give strangers the hand of cordial welcome and the word of hearty greeting, and, so far as there is room in their pews, a fraternal invitation to pass in at once to seats in their pew. This invitation at the beginning of the service can be emphasized by courtesy during the service and by an invitation at the close to return whenever the stranger may be so disposed. Much missionary work may thus be done while going down the aisles or lingering about the doors of the house of God. We lose many opportunities for sowing the good seed of the kingdom by neglect at this point. The same spirit should be manifested to persons sitting in adjoining pews. Why should a formal introduction be necessary among regular attendants at the house of God? Why should men stand aloof when they are known to one another perhaps as members of the same church, certainly as attendants on the same ministry? This formalism is as ridiculous as it is unchristian. It is difficult for a pastor to speak with becoming calmness when contemplating such unbecoming stupidity. Old church members often err at this point toward new members coming into the fellowship of the church; but the new members, in turn, err in precisely the same way toward newer members. New members wait for the older members to speak to them; in the meantime scores, possibly hundreds, of others who are greater strangers than they have come into the congregation to whom they ought to be the first to speak. An illustration will make the thought clearer. A few years ago a charming old gentleman took a pew in a city church. He had come from the South, and had made his home in the North. He said to the pastor after he had been six months in attendance: "I wish the gentleman behind me would speak to me." The reply to his great surprise was: "The gentleman behind you has already expressed a similar desire in regard to you. You have been in the congregation three months longer than he,

and he has wondered why you have not extended him a cordial greeting." He had never dreamed that he was neglecting his duty in this way; he had thought of himself as the stranger to whom all others ought to speak. Thousands more in our churches are doing the same thing; they are waiting to be spoken to when they ought themselves to speak to those who are greater strangers than they. We need here, as everywhere in Christian work, sanctified common sense. It is difficult to have patience with those who are all the time waiting for a chance to be offended. Men with grievances are a grievous trial to any minister; it must be admitted that in most cases they themselves are at fault. Why should they go about watching for slights? On the other hand, why should others be afraid to extend a cordial welcome ? Men who are afraid their social position would be compromised by welcoming strangers in the house of God, even though those strangers may be of a different social grade from themselves, must have a social position which is very unstable. Those whose position is established and recognized, so that it is beyond dispute, never hesitate to reach out the hand to welcome a man whatever his position may be. When men have a sincere love for Christ all social distinctions vanish, at least in the public worship of God.

Still another point of great value is the manner and spirit of the pastor himself. He can do much to create and diffuse this welcoming atmosphere. The tone of his voice, and, indeed, his whole manner in conducting the service will help or hurt in this direction. As tending toward an expression of the pastor's kindly feeling, in this regard, it is well to put cards into the pews, giving a statement of the hours when he can see those who desire to meet him on any matter of importance, and especially those who wish to talk with him regarding their personal salvation. Even though the blanks on these cards for names and addresses may not be filled up by persons in the pews, the presence of the card greatly helps to foster the spirit of which we speak. It has