Memberships by John Norton Loughborough

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jul 22, 1875

Memberships.

By John Norton Loughborough

The payment of one dollar, by any person who is a member in good standing in a Seventh-day Adventist church, or paid by any person favorable to the extension of these truths, who may be recommended to membership by a S. D. A. church, constitutes the person paying the $1.00 a permanent member of the T. and M. society of the State in which he resides, where said society is organized. But, as the T. and M. society is a State organization, of course removal from one State to another would not constitute them members in the new State. It is expected therefore that they will become members in the State they may enter by paying into the T. and M. funds of said State, the sum of $1.00 for membership.

Why, it may be asked, should we pay money to become members of a missionary society? You do not pay this $1.00 for the privilege of doing good. It is your privilege to do good any way you can of course, buy all the tracts you please, and distribute reading matter on your own hook, still it is advisable that all move in harmony, and by system. The dollars obtained by membership or from donations that may be made from time to time to the T. and M. funds either by members or any one favorable to the enterprise, are invested in the purchase of tracts and documents for free distribution by the members. These documents are sold by our publishing houses at greatly reduced rates, so that a member even, who should choose to buy their tracts for distribution, of the society, would get them much cheaper than they would were they not members. They are not obliged to buy the tracts, however, but it is their pleasure, and expected of them, that they will take the tracts and documents of the society gratis, loaning, giving, or selling them, as they find the opportunity. What they receive from sale of documents, or as donations from those disposed to give to help the enterprise, is to be paid over by them to the librarian of their respective churches to be placed in the T. and M. funds.

The librarian of each church, who is appointed to his or her office by the director of the district, is expected to keep an accurate list of all persons who have paid $1.00 each into the T. and M. funds of that church. The librarian should give a copy of this list into the hands of the district secretary of his district.

The district secretary should have a list book, in which should be entered a list of the names of all persons in the district who have paid $1.00. Each and are thereby members of the State T. and M. society. These lists kept by the district secretary should be arranged by churches, those connected with the society of such church being placed by themselves, and the scattered individuals who are members in the district, being placed under their respective post offices.

The district secretaries are expected to forward a list of all paid members in their respective districts to the State secretary. These lists should be arranged by churches and post offices, so that the State secretary may have on her books an exact list of all members in the State with their locations.

It is expected that the librarians, and T. and M. members will save the names of all S. D. Adventist members of the T. and M. society, and in addition to this as many names as may be, of persons who are favorable to the work and may be recommended to membership as above. As soon as any individual has paid his $1.00 for membership, report the name with his P. O. address, to the district secretary. The district secretary should immediately add it to his list in its appropriate place, and forward the names to the State secretary that she also may make the proper entry on her lists. Let no librarian send the names of persons who have simply promised to pay. They are not members and should not be recorded as such until the $1.00 is paid; but when any pay their $1.00 report them immediately. If all are faithful to their duty in this matter the State secretary will have the name before she gets the financial report of that district for that quarter, and there will no occasion for questions like the following, which I received a few days since: "Dist. No. --, reports $2.00 as paid for membership during the quarter in that district. Where are the names? Is it not the duty of the district secretary to send me the names as soon as they are paid?" Still another question: "Has dist. No. -- no paid members? I have never received any list of members at all from that district. When will these officers learn their duties?"

You see what appears to be a small neglect occasions some perplexity to our willing secretary. I hope as we pass over this missionary ground again and learn what to do, that we shall all be prompt in doing the work assigned to us, that we may not add to the labors of our secretary any unnecessary burdens.

Some may not see why we should be thus particular about these lists. There are several reasons. 1. As to the whole State. If means is to be raised, the number of members compared to the amount to be raised will give us a basis for action in the matter in the whole sum. 2. The number of members in any district compared with the whole number of members, would give us some basis for the quota of means from that district, and so in carrying out the same matter in dividing up the quota of the district as illustrated in another article. 3. As far as an individual church is concerned the list will show at once who are members and who are not, and to whom you may look as workers in collecting on lists, or in doing any missionary work.

Again, were it proposed to make a united and simultaneous effort, as is often the case, to secure a certain number of trial subscribers to any of our periodicals, it is very easy to ascertain in what proportion per member the said amount could be obtained, &c. These are arguments in favor of keeping an accurate list of members both in the State, district, and librarians' record, which we might add is the only business like way of doing business in any organized society. As children of light, let us be as wise as the children of the world.

J. N. L.