UNHAPPY PREACHERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 May 1929, Page 8

UNHAPPY PREACHERS

“Why is there a dearth of candidates for the ministry? Why have we to record the lapse of accepted candidates, and the secession of ordained men, who have left the Christian, ministry for commercial pursuits? Were they self-deceived, or were they dis-

illusioned in tiie ministry? It is an open secret that others will follow theffi. There is < something wrong somewhere.” These challenging sentences were the keynote of an ad 4 dress delivered to the Congregational Union in Sydney last week by the

Rev. T. E. Ruth. He frankly told the assembled churchmen that they must give serious thought to the conditions under which their ministers worked. Mt Ruth traced the steps by which a man reached the ministry. Having spent years in rigid training, in the acquirement of theological, ethical, and sociological principles, he accepted a charge. But the young minister, instead of “becoming an ambassador

of the Eternal Throne,” found himself a sort of -errand boy to an audience, the collector of his own meagre salary, a manager of bazaars, a sort of/bush lawyer. He whs expected to engage in the activities of committees, sub-committees, conferences, conventions—all dissipating the energy that should be devoted to the essential work of the preacher.

“They want to be preachers,” said Mr Ruth; “that is tlie last thing they are expected to be. They should be

free from anxiety about their personal affairs, but are not. The preacher who has to fight poverty has no energy left to fight the devil. They cannot be blamed if they are disappointed, and leave the Church for secular occupations. “That is the situation the Church

has to face. Its work cannot be advanced by an under-paid, under-fed and under-read ministers. If would be better to have fewer churches and better-paid ministers. If the churches want men .who will say only the things expected of them, in stereotyped fashion, they may as well use dictaphones.” ,

WHY THEY LEAVE CHURCH.