MISSIONARY CONFERENCE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 851, 24 June 1910, Page 6

MISSIONARY CONFERENCE.

'*i ■ | WHAT WILL IT LEAD TOP The Rev. F. H. Spencer, of Wanganui, writes as follows;— Dear sir,—The World Missionary Conference now being held in Edinburgh may provoke the question, "What will it lead to?" and perhaps tho reply can-best bo given by giving an extract from one of tho issues of the Monthly News Sheet. (1) We are disposed to namo firsthand to lay special emphasis upon, the stimulus tn the mind of the whole Church. For eighteen months nearly 200 of. the Missionary leaders in Europe aud America have been actively engaged in a fresh consideration of the missionary work of tho church, and the opportunity of making an eifort to look steadily at the great work before the Chuich in the noncliriatian world with fresh eyes is an extraordinarily great and important one. J.t is difficult to* estimate the reBults which may 'follow if tho Christian Church should make full use of this privilege and sincerely attempt to see clearly, tho aims which it is pursuing, and to consider seriously tho means by which they may bo attained. A number of missionaries in sending in their replies have expressed their gratitude for tho suggestion and stimulus to thought which' lias come to them as a result of thinking out afresh the problems which they are facing. (2) The commissions havo been teaching us to look at the missionary 'work of the Church as a unity; The conviction is deepening everywhere that, if the work is to be accomplished, tho Church .must attain a larger unity. The first 6tep, however, is to see the work as a unity. Our natural tendency is to look at the work from our individual point of view, and one of ■ the delightful things about the conference has been that it has been teaching Americans, British, Germans, Scandinavians, Japanese, Chinese, Indians, and representatives of other nationalities to look at the work together, aud to see it with the help of those whose gifts and powers are different from their own. Fori all of us, if this opportunity is rightly used, it must mean a great, enrichment of mind and enlargement of vision.

(3). The commissions, by their systematic treatment of the subjects, will have laid the foundation of a science of missions., A basis has been laid on which those responsible for missionary administration can build up a' f.onstructivo policy. (4) Wo believe that we may definitely expect fresh light regarding the missionary work of the Church from the conclusions of the commissions. They have been enabled to seo something, and what they have seen will, we believe, be found to 'bo illuminating. Moreover, prayer has been . offered for many months throughout the world, that God would make known to the Church His mind and will regarding the evangelisation of the world, in proportion as we believe that God is better tlinn ourselves, that God is infinitely more concerned about tho evangelisation of the world than we are even in our highest moments of aspiration, we must believe that thero awaits us in tho conference a gracious and rich revelation of God's will, which nothing can obscure or hinder except our own belief."

In order that what has been prepared for tho conference in Edinburgh may be utilised in New Zealand, a council has been formed to bring together a conference at Waimarino next January 3, 4, and 5, to discuss how best to give effect to the findings of the Home Conference and several of the leading missionary advocates have been ■ engaged to forward this object.