March, »935
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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^Managing CHURCH TROUBLES B y W . B. RILEY Minneapolis, Minn. W. B. Riley, pastor o f the First Bap
It is the conviction o f this preacher that if a study can be had in the church, it is better to have it there. When I was a young man, I foolishly promised my wife once that I would put my study in the home. I did so, and for six weeks I lived in the midst o f sweeping, bed-mak ing, dish-washing, baby-crying. I got one sermon— rather a poor one—made in the six weeks, at the end of which time my wife had sense enough to see that it was a failure for both of us, and gently sug gested that I move back to my study again, a suggestion cordially received and instant ly acted upon. There are two classes o f preachers in every criticism— the man who is a failure, and the man who is an eminent success. The first is criticized because o f his failure, and the second because he has
tist Church, Minneapolis, Minn., and founder and President o f the Northwestern Bible and Missionary Training School, celebrated the fif tieth anniversary o f his ordination to the min istry on December 25, 1 9 3 0 jtf/ H e writes that in those fifty years, he has not had one minute o f time out o f the pastorate. It is fairly certain that in that half century he has faced church troubles in practically every form, and he makes the remarkable statement, to the praise o f God, that he has not failed in fifty years to find a solution fo r every one of them. A t present he is delivering a series of fifteen addresses on "Pastoral Problems” to the senior students o f Northwestern. The article to fol low is one o f those fifteen addresses. Later, Dr. Riley expects to put them in textbook form for use in Bible schools and theological seminaries. —E ditor .]
I t is a pathetic fact, but fact it is, that the greatest single problem facing the pastor is the problem of possible church troubles; in fact, we might say, of certain church troubles. The pastor who goes through any considerable number o f years without meeting these problems is the rare excep tion. In truth, in our somewhat extensive acquaintance, we have never met him. Church trouble is something like death; it may be escaped for a time, but sooner or later it will come. The rise o f church trouble is not necessarily menacing. However, the escape from evil results will depend in no small measure upon the way the situation is managed; and in a large degree that management is, and will always be, with the pastor. It is as impossible for a bank to go through troubles and leave the president undisturbed as it is for a church to pass through the same and leave the pastor untouched, or for a family to experience trouble without involving the parents. In advising upon this subject, we are going to depart from our usual custom and deal in “ Dont’s.” D on ’ t P rovoke T hem Do your work, and do it well. The majority o f complaints and criticisms launched against a pastor involves his methods o f work quite as often as the preparation and delivery o f his message. An indolent pastor is certain to come in for criticism. The moment hard-working people find that the preacher is rest ing on his oars, they become restless and critical, and justly so. Industry is a sine qua non o f success in the ministry. The chief business o f a preacher is to preach, and good preaching without careful preparation—hard study, in fact — is impossible. Too often young preachers become the men o f all work about the house. They run errands, take care o f babies, wash the dishes, buy the groceries, and do a dozen little jobs, and leave the essential work undone—and undo them selves in consequence.
W. B. RILEY
jostled all the old comfortables out of their easy-going gait and changed the course o f the rut in which they had run for forty years. The man who gets by without criticism is a sort of hybrid, neither a failure nor a success. The most questionable compliment that ever is paid to a dead preacher is that he had not an enemy in the world; don’t covet that estimate. Do your work well, preach the Word, be a good pastor, acquire success, and take the criti cisms that come with it. Suppress your w ife’s ambition, and quiet her tongue. Mark what I say: “ Suppress her ambition and quiet her tongue.” I do not mean, “ Silence her tongue.” In many instances that would be impossible; but quiet it. The woman who is the preacher’s wife, who thinks she has to hold all the feminine high offices in the church, is just as certain to produce church troubles as she is determined to preside in the Ladies’ Aid, or Mission Circle, or to direct the choir. In small churches, the preacher’s wife can do an im portant work, provided she is destitute o f ambition to hold office, and provided she can hold her tongue. Other women can talk, and’ do talk; but what the pas tor’s wife says goes further, is more contorted, and can create more trouble than the tongues o f a dozen beside, for the people naturally identify husband and wife, and accord ing to Scripture, “ they are . . . one.” It is not the best f ortune when she is the “ one,” the whole one, which some times happens. If you will take my advice, you will seek the girl who would gladly serve Christ without official dis tinction, and who, while she was a student, was neither a backbiter nor a trouble-maker. Protestantism practically demands a married minister. Your wedding day will have more to do with your future ministry than any other human event. Don’t trust your own judgment, therefore! “ I f any o f you lack wisdom, let [Continued on page 91]
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