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September 1926
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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Light on the w Governing the General Assembly o f the Presbyterian By a Rationally Known Lawyer'Preacher DR. MARK A . MATTHEWS Pastor, First Presbyterian Church Seattle, Washington Dr. Matthews, as a former Moderator of the General Assembly, and a law yer before he became a minister, has given a keen analysis of conditions in the Presbyterian church. His assurance that the great majority o f that great church are loyal to the Word of God will be very gratifying to every faithful preacher, elder and member. We are exceedingly grateful to him for this contribution, and— as a Presbyterian minister of fifty years’ standing— the editor cordially commends it for wide distribution and thoughtful consideration. -
Church
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H HE church IS trying to reconcile rumors and pub lished articles concerning the Baltimore Assembly and its doings. Permit a brief analysis and word of assurance. Baltimore Assembly Conservative (1 ) The Baltimore Assembly was overwhelmingly con servative and true to the infallible, inerrant Word of Qod. The election of the Moderator was a personal affair and was not consummated upon a doctrinal basis. Both candidates were peerless in thought, life and loyalty to the doctrines of the church. Neither one was. an evolutionist, a Modernist, or a compromiser of principles. Both were fundamental, loyal, orthodox, sound, sane Presbyterians. Both believed God’s infallible, inerrant Word, and were not only true to the five points of Calvinism, but to every point of Calvinism and the blood-bought Gospel of Jesus Christ. It would be a piece of vicious propaganda for irresponsible Modernists to claim comfort in the election of. the Moderator. Such claims should be denounced by all sane, loyal Presbyterians. Importance o f Rotary System (2 ) The adoption of the minority report, establishing the Rotary System for membership on the Boards, was a decided victory for sound, conservative, Presbyterian government. The rotary rule, established by the last General Assembly, makes It impossible for a Board member, who has served six years, to be re-elected until one year has elapsed. This rule will bring to the Boards new life, new money, new interest, better cooperation and a broader vision. Without, in the slightest degree, reflecting upon the past, but cer- tainlv with ever-increasing interest, the new men to be elected under this rule, will be decided contributions to the work of the Boards. The next General Assembly will have to elect a new class in each of the Boards, provided the men whose terms expire next year have served for six years. More than a year ago, the Council adopted the rule re quiring the names of the retiring classes to be published in the Assembly’s daily bulletin twenty-four hours before the new nominees were presented to the Assembly. That rule is still in effect. The nominees have to be presented in the report to the Standing Committee twenty-four hours before the day of election. No doubt, the next General Assembly will make a rule, requiring the election of the classes in all Boards to occur on the first Wednesday of the Assembly. Therefore, the names of the retiring classes will have to be published on Monday, the names of the nominees will have to be presented on Tuesday, and, the election will have to occur on Wednesday.
All who are interested in the church and in the develop ment of the Boards, should begin now to think of brainy, consecrated Christian men who ought to be nominated and elected to fill the classes on the respective Boards. The Boards are creatures of the Assembly. They are the agents of the Assembly, and it is the business of the Assembly to elect the directors of such agents. It is also the sworn duty of commissioners to the Assembly to study the personnel of the Boards and to elect men to the respective Boards who will give their time, their thought, their prayers, their inter ests, their money, and their talents to the work of the church through the Boards. This new legislation of the General Assembly, creating the Rotary System, is one of the most advanced steps the church has taken in years. It will do Incalculable good, and bring ever-increasing contributions to the Boards. Do not receive, with any credence, the propaganda against this legislation. Do not recognize, with any degree of favor, the propaganda minimising the Importance of the action creating the Rotary System for the Boards. The Reason for the Deficits (3 ) The deficits, occurring in the several Boards, is due to, at least three things: (a) The confederation of the Boards, which has not yet been perfected, reduced the income of some of the Boards, especially the Board of National Missions. You cannot make a speech, preach a sermon, or write an article under the title "National Missions," and have it produce the same drawing power nine separate Boards created, when their separate interests were presented to tke church. To illus trate the point: We magnified in speech, sermon and letter the needs of the Board, of Church Erection, and volunteer givers contributed to that Board 1250,000.00 per year. Last year, those same givers contributed 350,000.00. Nine speeches for nine separate causes, with nine separate psy chological appeals, will produce more money, more interest, and better results than one speech under one title including the nine objects. Therefore we must find a way to overcome this difficulty. (b) The combination or confederation will have to be perfected before the general expenses can be reduced. If you want centralization of power and centralization of organization, you must pay for it. You must be patient and give the General Assembly and the Boards time to work out scientific, economic centralization. You adopted the sys tem. Now, be fair with the system; be fair with the (Continued on page 546)
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