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fact that this whole movement is essentially
the Interchurch World Movement, which has
already been rejected by our Southern Church,
under a different name. The National Council
is merely the child and the successor of the now
defunct China Continuation Committee, which
after years of experiment many found to be
unsatisfactory. That there is close connection
is shown by the clear statement of leaders, both
of the China Continuation Committee and of
the National Council. The report of Commis
sion V (Chap. 3, p. 29) of the National Confer
ence reads: "When the China Continuation
Committee was organized after the Conference
of 1913, it was an experiment * * ? ?. It will
be one of the chief duties of the Conference of
1922 to plan for a National Christian Council
which shall be able to take over the work of
the China Continuation Committee and develop
it," etc. The connection of these bodies ? the
China Continuation Committee and the Na
tional Christian Council ? with the Interchurch
World Movement is shown by the printed
statements of their report. The minutes of the
China Continuation Committee Conference of
December 16-29, 1919, declare that the China
Continuation Committee is the Interchurch
World Movement's "representative in China."
The China Continuation Committee also ac
knowledges that it is largely financed by the
Interchurch World Movement. Its report
says, "The Committtee acknowledges the help
received from the Interchurch World Move
ment of North America in connection with the
China for Christ Movement. Without this
timely help the movement could hardly have
been launched."
The connection between the movements is
thus made plain. Now if the Interchurch
World Movement is undesirable for the church
at home, how can it be desirable for the church
abroad? If it has been wisely rejected there,
why force it on the Chinese Church here?
Therefore for this reason, also, the Mission felt
constrained to disapprove the movement.
VI. In spite of disclaimers to the contrary,
the facts show that the National Council, when
once firmly established, will really be a super
Government over all the churches and missions
in China, and will possess a tremendous power
which it is needless and unwise to put into the
hands of any set of men, however good. The
body claims to be merely advisory, but it must
have executive power, otherwise it will be an
empty shadow, an expensive, useless fifth
wheel to the missionary wagon. And indeed
the promoters of the Council, apparently un
conscious of their inconsistency, plead for this
power. They say plainly that they must "be
able to act;" that they should have authority
requisite to make their "findings" effective.
Provision is also made to make the Council,
when once elected, as nearly independent as
possible, by transferring to it the functions of
the Missions and thus minimizing the super
visory authority, on the one hand, and by
loosening the control of the Home Boards, on
the other.
And let no one imagine that this power will
nqt be centralized but will be exercised by all
the one hundred members of the Council ; for
it has been truly said that the Council is too
large to operate effectively; its members are
widely scattered and on account of loss of time
and expense involved the Council can convene
only once a year. So that the actual manage
ment. of affairs will be in the hands of a few
men, a small committee, who will permanently
wield this tremendous power, and once ap
pointed be practically independent. Appeal
from their decisions will be almost impossible.
That these statements are true the reports of
the Conference Commissions clearly show. The
reports recommend that the administration of
mission work should be taken from the Miss
ions "as early as possible," and largely dele
gated to executive committees; and "that Ex
ecutive Committees be relatively small," and
shall "be empowered to act," authoritatively
within well defined limits. (See report of Com
mission V, page 27.) This is proposed by way
of education and preparation for still further
centralization of directing authority in the
hands of a small committee of the National
Council.
That it is proposed that the governing com
mittee of the Council should be in large meas
ure free from the control of the Boards at
home is seen from the further recommendation
made that "ifi so far as possible the support
ing Boards give to their Missions freedom of
control in administrative matters." It is thus
clearly provided that administrative control on
the field should be turned over by the Boards
to the Missions, and it is at the same time pro
vided that this control should be transferred
from the Missions to the small committee of the
National Council. (Report of Commission V,
section 6, page 27.)
Regarding the nature of the Council's func
tions, which is supposed to represent and ulti
mately control ? both churches and missions, it
is plainly said, "it should be advisory in char
acter * * ? but should be able to act," etc.
(Page 29.) What is this but asking for power
to carry out its own recommendations and de
cisions? The plea for power is repeated on
page 31, section 3: "The National Christian
Council (that is, its relatively small commit
tee) should be able to act on behalf of the
bodies represented." The paragraph goes on
to state that many activities are being under
taken, and "therefore the Council should be
able to direct these activities." Again, it is
clearly stated that the Council should be
clothed with executive authority, and with
power to act: "It would seem that the Coun
cil elected by, and responsible to, the Confer
ence, should be entrusted with executive func
tions." Only one limitation to such power is
suggested, and that is an entirely vague one,
viz. provided that the exercise of such execu
tive power "does not violate the principles
agreed upon by the Conference electing the
Council." In case of dispute, who is to be the
judge as to whether the "relatively small com
mittee" of the Council has overstepped its au
thority? If decisions of this small committee
(which is not in close touch with most Mis
sions, and which will be largely out of sympa
thy with the conservative element in the mis
sionary body and the Chinese Church) prove
to be unjust and oppressive, what relief or ap
peal will there be to those who suffer injury?
There would be little relief from the National
Council because the offending committee would
be a part of that Council. The only appeal on
the mission field possible would be to the next
General Conference, which now only convenes
once in ten years.
For these reasons: (1) The great expense
of the undertaking; (2) the fact that our
Church already has abundant agencies to con
duct its work which God is greatly blessing;
and that there already exists a cordial spirit of
fraternal harmony and cooperation which will
be best conserved by not forcing a merely ex
ternal, mechanical oneness of organization on
the Chinese Church and on the Missions: (3)
that one inevitable result of the whole move
ment will be the spead of unsound doctrine,
because union carries with it the virtual re
jection of standards of doctrine; and because
the forcing together of conservative and radi
cal men in one institution will be productive
of strife and bring harm to the Cause ; (4) be
cause this movement is really the lntercliurch
World Movement in another form, which our
church has already rejected as unworthy of
support ; (5) because of the opposition of many
influential Chinese pastors and elders; (6) be
cause the National Council, while claiming to
be only advisory will really have enormous
administrative power, and actually asks for
that power; for these and other reasons which
might be given, but which it is not necessary
to take time to recount, our North Kiangsu
Mission felt that in justice to the Chinese
Church and to our beloved Mother Church at
home, this movement for a National Council
ought not to be approved. We therefore re
spectfully present these facts for your careful
consideration, believing that you will see the
reasonableness of the position of the Mission.
The Mission asks that you do not give your
support to this movement for a National Coun
cil with all that it involves; and that in view
of the crying need for funds to carry on the
Church's work already in hand, you do not
make any financial contribution to it.
Respectfully submitted,
(Signed) Henry M. Woods,
Hugh W. White,
S. I. Woodbridge,
Jas. B. Woods,
Delegates of the North Kiangsu Mission to the
National Christian Conference.
DO YOU EVER PRAY?
By Rev. "William Ray Dobyns, D. D.
In the closing hours of our conference on
Foreign Missions at Montreat last August 1
spoke on "Intercession," and I raised then,
and I raise now, the serious question, ' ' Is pray
er a lost art?"
Some months ago I commenced gathering a
group of daily intercessors in behalf of our
Church's greatest work, namely, that of evan
gelizing thirty-three millions, to whom no one
else is preaching. These people live where
Christ is unknown, in Africa, Brazil, China,
Japan, Korea and Mexico. If we do not give
the Gospel to these they will never get it!
Fine men and women are waiting to go, and
at each meeting of the Executive Committee
appointments are made of persons longing to
be sent, only to be told, "We cannot send you
now." They ask, "When will we likely go?"
The Committee can only answer, "we cannot
tell." We are acting under the injunction of
the General Assembly of 1922: "The Execu
tive Committee is enjoined to exercise the ut
most caution in assuming additional obliga
tions, either by sending out additional workers
or otherwise enlarging the work, that are not,
in the Committee's best judgment, fully cov
ered by additional income, over and above the
previous donations of those offering special
contributions for such special objects."
In this stand-still, some of us believe we
should call on God, and earnestly implore Him
to move the home Church to give, of her
abundance, the necessary means for sending
these waiting scores to the fields, where the un
reached millions are dying without Christ.
It has been appalling to see how few per
sons, comparatively, have taken any interest in
this conceit of prayer. Over a hundred are
now registered "Among the Intercessors" at
their own request, as in covenant to thus pray.
When, at Montreat, to a crowd practically fill
ing the auditorium, this serious situation was
presented, and "prayers" urged to enroll, only
seven persons ever responded! Is prayer a