WORK OF THE CHURCH

Otago Witness, Volume 1851, Issue 3809, 15 March 1927, Page 75

WORK OF THE CHURCH

INSPIRED LEADERSHIP NEEDED. AUCKLAND, March 7. ' “The Church to-day is being hindered in its work by too many men who are mere parrots or echoes of those who have gone before them,” said the Rev, W. Ready at the Methodist Conference today, when the principle of encouraging candidates for the Ministry with an aptitude for specialised religious educational work among the young was being, considered. i “We take our religion like children take pleasure ou a merry-go-round,” Mr Ready continued. “We follow one another around and are afraid of being individualistic. We are afraid to be out of the rut and to do anything that our consciences urge us by inward pressure. There is too great a tendency to display intellectual laziness which should be discouraged.” The Rev. E. P. Blamires said they were on a clay road, and the only concrete highway to the higher development of the Church was by spiritually inspired leadership. They could not deny that the conditions facing the youth of the country were far different to-day from what they were a generation ago. To do more for the young people they would have to increase educational opportunities. The question of defining the status and duties of such appointments was referred to the committee.