000 - Forward

FOREWORD THIS volume is one in a series of texts in religious education known as the “Judson Training Manuals for the School of the Church.”

These manuals are arranged in three groups, namely, general, departmental, and parent-training. The general group includes vital teaching, story-telling, church-school buildings, expression through worship, handwork, community service, educational leadership, appreciation of the Bible, and kindred worth-while themes in the field of religious education. The departmental group covers courses for every department of the school of the churchCradle Roll, Beginners’, Primary, Junior, etc. The parent-training manuals emphasize religion in the home, and the necessity of training for the God-given, heavenblessed privilege of parenthood.

It is the aim of these manuals to popularize the assured results of the best psychology and pedagogy, and to make them the willing and efficient servants of all workers in the school of the church.

Both the editors and the writers want these books “ to live where the people live,” and to be of real value to those forward-looking folks destined to be the leaders in religious education. To this end, each course will be: (1) simple in language; (2) accurate in statement; (3) sound in psychology; (4) vital in pedagogy; (5) concrete in treatment; (6) practical in purpose; and (7) spiritual in tone. For many years Albert H. Gage, the author of this manual, has done efficient evangelistic work with young people. He has been a pastor and a director of religious education helping pastors. He speaks and writes “ as one having authority.” “ Evangelism of Youth “ is real experience, more specifically a reel of the author’s own experience, shot through and through with good educational theory and practise. The book carries across a message of vital importance to pastors, parents, and church school officers and teachers.

It is a plan-book with a purpose, high and holy.

God is at work in each individual life. The great question is, Will we help or hinder him? The book gives intelligence and direction to evangelistic fervor and points the way to the regeneration and conservation of youth.

PREFACE

“ THE church that cannot save its own young people cannot hope to save the world.” In these words of Athearn we have stated the biggest problem of the local church.

Every program of evangelism must include youth. Yet this has not been done in most evangelistic efforts. Any adequate program of evangelism must be based upon adequate religious instruction and must be supplemented by thorough training in Christian ideals and service.

Evangelism and education belong together. One cannot succeed long without the other. The purpose of this book is to help churches and parents win youth to the Lord Jesus Christ. Every plan and program has been thoroughly tested in actual experience.

There are several churches that have followed quite closely the entire program as outlined in this book. There is an increasing number of pastors and Sunday school teachers who are catching the vision of an education program which is shot through with the spirit of evangelism. This book is sent out with the hope and the prayer that pastors, teachers, and parents will become familiar with the Seasons of the Soul, that they will understand God’s way of dealing with youth, and that they will plan church and home life so as to cooperate with God in making Christian the youth of our land.

It will be a great day in the church when youth with all its powers and possibilities is won to the life and service of Jesus Christ.

INTRODUCTION THIS book is not a compilation of theories concerning the advent of child life into the kingdom of God, but is a chaste and beautiful narration of actual experiences in the awakening of the soul of youth to the realization of spiritual verities. It recognizes the fact that there are Seasons of the Soul, times when the soul thrills with a mystic quickening which makes it sensitive to the touch of God. Like the seasons in nature, they cannot be commanded, they are to be used, and they may be missed altogether. Students of child life and development have discovered that there are periods of unusual susceptibility when the tentacles of the mind reach out in every direction for knowledge and the soul is athirst for the knowledge of God. It is as natural for a child to want to know about its heavenly Father as to know about its earthly parent, but untaught in the periods when it is so easy to learn, self dominates, sin creeps in, and the tragedy of it all appears as the soul stands on the threshold of manhood or womanhood a stranger to its Maker.

Evangelism, from the beginning, has been the proclamation of the glad news of redemption from sin, the making of Jesus Christ known as the soul’s Saviour. When it is estimated that in our Sunday schools only twenty-fivepercent, of the pupils unite with the church while in the school and only twentypercent, after leaving the school, and more than half go away without having accepted Christ as Saviour, it becomes of utmost importance that there should be most careful proclamation of this gospel in such a way as to appeal to young life “ Evangelism of Youth.” The vital relating of the soul with its Saviour should be the constant purpose of the Sunday school, and its atmosphere ought to be such that it would not seem impossible at any time to conduct a decision hour, but special days ought to be arranged for an ingathering-time when harvests from careful seedsowing might naturally be expected.

We have come to a new day when religious education and evangelism go hand in hand. Religion is, however, more than the imparting of facts, and Christianity is more than the learning of the story of Christ and his times. Two factors constantly stand out in the teacher’s task: the instruction which imparts information about Christ and the constant effort to awaken to action the desire of the soul to accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Master.

There is nothing in history so winsome as Jesus. He has been, and still is, the world’s great attraction. To all who have contacts with young life is given the privilege of making Christ known. This is not so really accomplished in any public spectacular way as by the attractive power of consecrated personality: “ In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

Just how best to evoke an expression of this supreme choice, and what best to do after it has been made are admirably treated by the author in his discussion of Decision Day and the Pastor’s Training-classes. For sane, practical methods dealing with the spiritual life of young people nothing has come under my observation that approaches the wholesome suggestiveness of this little volume. The author has embodied in it the actual experiences of years of successful working with the plans herein outlined, and the whole treatment is shot through with a flaming passion to see the souls of the young folks surrendered and dedicated to the service of their Lord. The advent of these chapters in this form is most opportune, when the facts of child conversion are receiving so great emphasis. They ought to be welcomed by thousands of pastors and Sunday school workers who are interested in turning the faces of the young toward God.

H. F. STILWELL, Gen’l Supt. of Evangelism, The American Baptist Home Mission Society.