Day 9

      Let me now suggest at least the beginnings of a missionary policy which, I believe, could lead our Church to rapid growth; and, for the reasons which I have stated, this should begin, but not end, at home.  These things are, of course, in addition to prayer and study.

Every Christian shall be taught that it is his duty to win others to the Lord.  That great missionary bishop of India, Azariah of Dornakal, taught this, and built a vital and effective diocese ina  few years.  He knew that the missionary command is part of the Christian life, and that no adult should be baptized and confirmed unless he sees this.  After a baptism or confirmation the person receiving the rite would place is hand on his own head and say, “Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel.”  Each one was to reach one.  Each one in his own way was to spread the Gospel.  What happened in Dornakal can happen anywhere when we see that the task of the Church begins, but does not end, at home; and that we must build our strategy on the basic unit of the Church, which is working, witnesses individual.  Every Christian is to bear witness and every Christian is to win souls for Christ.

An analysis of several congregations has convinced me that the majority of people who are brought into the Church are brought in by the laity.  The initial contact and the introduction to the fellowship comes through laymen, even though the great part of the instruction may come from the clergy.  Think of the natural occasions when we have the bear witness to our friends and acquaintances; at dinners, in the store, at the club, on the train, at a PTA meeting.  And the general rule here is that you should seek to win those in your natural field of interest.

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