W- ( (h THli Foreign Dpggioq Wof\ OF THE Moravian Church A PAMPHLET WRITTEN BY The Rev. Charles Buchner, Ep.Fr. IN VIEW OF THE GENERAL SYNOD IN 1899 for private circulation. BRADFORD: Bottomley Bros., Printers, Edward Street, OO^TZEDNTTS. Introduction by M.D. .. 5 Preface 7 I. — General Survey. Introduction 9 Survey of Work 9 Conclusions 11 II. — Financial Crisis. Statistics .. 11 Result of Statistics 12 The Income 13 The Expenditure 13 Moskito Coast Surinam South Africa (East) 15 West Himalaya 15 Furlough 15 Home Expenses .. 15 Conclusions from Financial Statement 16 Pressing Questions 16 Financial Committee (Budget, &c.) 16 Possible Retrenchments .. 17 Missions a Work of Faith l 7 Two Possibilities .. 17 (a) Retire from New Work ? .. 17 (b)ffl Retire from Old Work ? . . 18 ,, Greenland ? . . 18 ,, West Indies ? 18 ,, S. Africa (West) ? .. 19 Increasing the Income. .. 20 (a) From our Congre- gations 20 ( b ) From Friends 21 ( c ) From the Diaspora and Societies 21 (d) By Mission Agen- cies 21 (e) From the Mission Provinces 22 I Funding Part of the latter ? .. .. 22 Conclusion .. .. 22 III.—Constitutional Questions Historical Review . . 23 Lessons of the same . . 23 Recent Legislation of the German Province and its consequences .. 24 How to Alter the Consti¬ tution .. .. .. 25 Two Ways Proposed .. 25 Plan I. .. .. 25 Objections to it .. 26 Plan II. .. .. .. 26 Objections to it .. 26 What is to be Done ? .. 28 New Constitution of the Unity indispensable.. 28 Elucidation .. .. 28 Board of Appeal .. .. 2Q Devolution of Financial Work .. .. . . 29 Conclusion .. . . . . 30 IV.—Various Questions. Training of Missionaries. . 30 Outfits .. .. .. 30 Salaries .. . . .. 31 “ Common Housekeeping ” 31 Education of Children .. 31 Pensions . . .. . . 32 The Mission Department 33 Enlargement of the Same 33 Training for the Same .. 34 Linguistic Knowledge .. g 34 Requirements in the Mis¬ sion Fields .. .. 35 Constitutional Question .. 35 Various Special Questions 36 Conclusion .. .. 37 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Columbia University Libraries https://archive.org/details/foreignmissionwoOObuch INTRODUCTORY NOTE FROM THE Mission Department, The year 1899 will bring with it a General Synod, which will, presumably, be of the greatest importance for the whole of the Brethren’s Unity. In accordance with the surprising develop¬ ment of Mission Work in this century and especially in recent years, and with the general missionary character of our own Church for now nearly 200 years, many of the weightiest questions regard¬ ing the immediate future, which await the decision of the General Synod, lie in the wide domain of her Foreign Mission field. The Mission Department cannot, at so early a date, publish the Official Report on the inter-synodal decade, nor make proposals for the Synod. Y r et we consider it to be desirable to put into the hands of our ministers, missionaries, members, and especially the deputies to the General Synod, the fullest information on the subject, furnished with which they may give themselves to a thorough study of the matter, and to earnest prayer for the Divine guidance, so that they may arrive at sound decisions on these far-reaching and important questions. With this intention, we sanction the publication of the following essay, with the general contents of which we declare ourselves to be in agreement, without, at the .same time , in the slit fittest. detjree bindititf ourselves down to its details or proposals. Written by a member of our Board, the essay is well worthy of consideration, as being the outcome of experience gained during a pretty lengthy service in the Mission Department. The author has also devoted study to the development of our Mission- work in its entirety as well as in its various fields, and, above all, is animated by an earnest solicitude for the welfare of the work. But before the Mission Department can commit itself to any proposed line of action, it must first be in possession of the Reports of the Presidents of the different Mission Provinces as well as of the Minutes of the Conferences of Missionaries that are to be held this year. These views of experts on the spot must necessarily influence the decision of the Mission Department, as well as of the Synod. Hence the contents of this essay are not binding on the Mission Department ; but we are of opinion that it will he of great value for the impending Preparatory Synods and Conferences and for the instruction of the deputies to the General Synod. From this point of view T , we commend the essay to the consideration of all who love our Mission Work. Signed: The Mission Department. PREFACE. At tlie important general Synod of 1899, momentous question#, concerning alike the Constitution of the Unity and the management of the Foreign Missions, will come up for discussion and decision. On the result it will, humanly speaking, depend, whether our Unity, as well as the Mission Work will enter upon an immediate future of prosperous development, or not. Facing such an alternative, nothing could be more unfortunate than that the members of that Synod should approach their serious task in a state of unprepared¬ ness. Now, pressing home-business prevented the German Synod of 1897 from giving much time to preparation for the General Synod, so that I shall surely not be offending the deputies of the German Province when I say that they have had little opportunity as yet for informing themselves on these subject#. And so far as regards the deputies from the other Provinces, I am of opinion, that for them a satisfactory preparation is an impos¬ sibility, unless they have information offered to them from official sources. For a long time the author of the following essay has been increasingly impressed with the feeling of the necessity of imparting such reliable preparatory information as shall put Synodals in a posi¬ tion to avoid hasty and harmful legislation, which might be the result of want of knowledge of the subject in hand. The question arose in his mind, Should the information be given in an official form, as coming from U.E.C. and Mission Department, or unofficially as from an individual. The writer eventually decided in favour of the latter form, because it seemed unadvisable that the Mission Department should tie itself down to any course before receiving Reports, &c., that would materially affect a final decision. I therefore beg my readers to remember that the following ideas are of a purely individual character and in no wise official. True, the members of the M.D. are acquainted with them, but are in no way committed to any thoughts and proposals herein contained. This decision arrived at, it was necessary to set to work at once, in order that not only the German deputies, but especially the members of the other Provinces might have an opportunity of thoroughly studying the subject before discussing it in their Provincial Synods, and of giving instructions to the deputies they send to the General Synod. The Morton Legacy and the effects it may have on our Mission Work have been purposely not touched on. For, firstly, it is by no means clear as yet, whether we shall eventually receive it, nor if we do,—when it will come, and to what amount. But supposing even that w 7 e should receive a considerable sum, the financial position of our Mission will hardly be favourably affected by it; since the money might not be available for old work, but only for the beginning of new stations. Thus it comes that the legacy will under no circumstances aid us in the solution of the difficult financial problems treated of in the essay, but will rather impose upon us fresh responsibilities, that can only give rise to new and serious difficulties. Yet we should be grateful to the Lord for shewing us by means of this gilt, that He will not forsake us or our work, but rather honour us by entrusting to us new work for His Kingdom. But let us soberly admit the fact, that if we receive the legacy, we shall be face to face with a task whose difficulty might well appal us. It would be a fatal result, should the legacy cause us as a Missionary Church to think that all our difficulties had passed away, and make us indifferent and careless concerning the great duties and tasks which, just at the present time, urgently claim our attention in our Mission field. Allow me still to add that the essay has been written under pressure of very varied official work,— a fact which must serve as an apology for any apparent want of thoroughness. Far be it from me, to wish to unduly influence any deputy to adopt my views, my object being solely to draw attention in good time to the importance of the impending deliberations. If I succeed in convincing our members of the importance of the work awaiting the General Synod, and in preparing the minds of deputies especially, for their work, my object will be fully gained. The Lord grant this, for it is His cause and glory we wish to further both at home and abroad. Signed : C. Buchner. Berthelsdorf Nr. Herrnhut, December, 1897. 9 I.—GENERAL SURVEY OF THE WORK. The progress of our Mission Work since 1889 introductory, bears testimony to the Divine blessing that has rested upon it. On the one hand we must indeed acknowledge the faultiness of our human work, but on the other hand we recognise in the results the hand of Him, to whom “is given all authority in heaven and on earth.” Thanks to this, the condition of our Mission Work has been one of healthy growth. None the less is it our bounden duty, in face of the approaching General Synod, to thoroughly examine the internal and external conditions of the work, in order to ascertain what will be the incumbency of the General Synod with regard to our missions, especially in view cf future action. For without doubt, the future will be full of importance and difficulties, and therefore our preparation for Synodal discussion and action must be the more thorough. I shall therefore now attempt to survey in survey of detail the present state of our Missions, in order present to be in a position to indicate those points, that state. will demand the special consideration of Synod. In doing this I shall have to mention matters that are neither generally known nor discussed. One fact forces itself upon our minds, when we comparey ounger Missionary Societies with our own, namely that of late years the former shew larger returns of baptised converts than we do. Thus in 1896— Rhenish Mission 8700 baptised heathen Hermansburg ,, 8160 y J yy Bale ,, 2260 J y y y Berlin I. 1050 5 J y y Moravian ,, 570 y y yy But this apparently unfavourable comparison must not cause us to draw incorrect conclusions. We should remember, in the first place, that in many of our Mission fields, the baptism of heathen is out of the question, seeing there are no 10 more heathen there, at any rate within our reach. This is the case in Greenland, the West Indies and Demerara. In Labrador there are certainly heathen in the North and South, whom we are endeavouring to reach;—yet their number is small. In Surinam, too, there are heathen in the interior, but in limited numbers. Yet in 1896 there were here 101 baptisms. From the "Western portion of South Africa, which is generally regarded as Christianised, 75 baptisms were reported. Of the older fields, there remain only the Moskito Coast, the Eastern Province of South Africa and West Himalaya, in which a great extension of the work amongst the heathen may be expected. On the Moskito Coast there seems at present to be a state of standstill,—45 baptisms of heathen. This is sufficiently explained by the political conditions there, as well as by the fact that the Reserve—our proper Mission field —is generally Christianised. A considerable extension is certainly possible towards the North and North West, towards Nicaragua and, perhaps, Honduras. The first step in these directions has recently been made from Sandy Bay, but the political conditions render the result problematical. In the Eastern Province of South Africa, where 118 baptisms occurred in 1896, we have before us a consid¬ erable field not yet Christianised ; but it is being narrowed down for us by other Societies, whose agents are not too particular in interfering with our sphere of labour, to the detriment of the cause. In West Himalaya there seems little immediate prospect of a large harvest. Apart from this, however, our church, as the oldest Missionary Church, has the task of providing spiritually for old, nearly entirely Christianised fields, a task from which she dare not draw back. But this task is rendered the more difficult by the fact, that, in the providence of God, these fields are of such a nature that we can hardly hope, that they will ever become self-supporting ; as for instance Greenland and Labrador. Then in the West Indies and Surinam, there are populations scarcely delivered from the curses of former slavery, which will require decades, if not centuries, before they can attain to such a moral, social and religious condition, as to make actual independence practicable. Thus our chief difficulty is , that ice have these two missionary tasks to perform , without letting one gam at the expense of the other. In view of this, we regard it as a merciful providence , that we have recently been positively forced to begin new work , which is big with promised blessing. There is the work in Alaska ; there is North Queensland ; there is Nyasa land ; there is Urambo in German Central Africa. In 11 German East Africa, the various Societies have mutually agreed upon well-defined spheres of labour, so that we seem to have here scope for establishing an extensive and cohesive work, and we await in faith the harvest the Lord will send. Generally speaking, then, the present inconsiderable numerical results do not denote decrease of activity, or negligence on the part of our missionaries, but must be regarded as the natural outcome of the present conditions obtaining in our Missions. And we may hope, ere long to be not too far behind other Societies with regard to numerical successes. The internal condition of our work is a healthy verdict of one. The difficulties we have to contend wfith, as our survey, will be hereafter seen, are not of an internal character but are, as we have seen, the consequence of external circumstances. Yet these difficulties are by no means insignificant, but are such as to justify us in asserting that our Mission Work is in a “ critical xtate .” Now the General Synod will, of course, not be able to convert this critical state at once into a favourable one, but it must instruct the Mission Department, what course to adopt, and what measures to take, with a view to improvement. We now proceed to prove the truth of our assertion, that our Mission Work is in a critical state. II.—THE CRITICAL FINANCIAL POSITION OF OUR MISSIONS. STATISTICAL. We give first some figures concerning financial position, reaching back to 1888. Year Income Expenditure Surplu s Deficit £ £ £ £ 1888 ... 19,500 ... 19,402 . 98 • • • 1889 ... 20,028 ... 19,895 . 128 • • • 1890 ... 28,140 ... 23,489 . 349 1891 ... 24,247 ... 23,726 . 521 • • « 1892 ... 24,784 ... 24,778 . 44 1898 ... 23,887 ... 25,235 . ... 1348 1894 ... 24,789 ... 30,287 . ... 5498 1895 ... 24,807 ... 28,735 . ... 3928 1890 ... 26,114 ... 81,392 . ... 5278 12 The comparative cost of the different Mission fields between 1888 and 1896 is as follows : — 1888 1896 Greenland £575 £802 Labrador 822 439 North American Indians 443 591 Moskito Coast .. 1,418 3,524 Demerara 120 220 Surinam 1,684 4,081 S. Africa (West) 522 S. Africa (East)... 1,257 2,381 Nyassa ... 1522 Australia 245 17 West Himalaya 290 996 West Indies 1,640 1,726 £7,994 £16,821 The increase of missionary expenses at home is as follows : — Training of Missionaries £434 £1536 Pensions 2,511 3,968 Education of Missionaries’ Children ... 6,468 5,952 Management 1,858 2,877 Extraordinary Expenses 134 242 £11.405 £14.570 From the above we gather, that the receipts have increased by about £6,500 ; but this has not kept pace with the increase of expenditure, £12,000. Of this £12,000 increase of expenditure, £8,850 has been incurred in the Mission fields, while £8150 are due to additional expenses at home. Figures may easily mislead, unless very carefully considered. Let us note a few important facts, deducible from the above statistical tables, viz :— A. The 'pleasing increase of our Income. B. But the ' 'Expenditure has also increased , and at a greater rate. WHAT THE ABOVE STATISTICS SHOW. [Note :—It is evident that the increased expenditure is not due, in the lirst instance, to the extension of the work, but to greater outlay on the older fields. One of the latter,—the Western Province of South Africa—becomes, however, again self-support¬ ing.] 18 ('. If the deficit is not to become chronic , some means must be found to equalise Income and Expenditure, by either increasing the former, or reducing the latter. Now with regard to A., The Income , we would the income, make the following remarks : — 1. We cannot be grateful enough to the Lord for the considerable increase ; it is a wonder in our eyes. Yet the subscriptions from our own Congregations have not been augmented, but remain at about the same level as formerly. In America, indeed, there has been a considerable decrease, owing to the fact that the interest of the Haga Legacy has been more and more exclusively devoted to the up-keep of the Alaska Mission, for the reason that our American congregations are not able, unaided, to maintain that Mission. Formerly the general fund received from the Haga Legacy about £2000 p.ci., while last year only £400 came from that source. Again, if the yearly subscriptions of our own members have not been increased, we should, while regretting this fact, still bear in mind, that it is just they, who have ever exercised much self- sacrifice in the matter of wiping off deficiencies. However it seems not unreasonable to hope that, with the accession of the spirit of a willing mind, especially in America, in the way of regular contributions, extraordinary efforts towards meeting dificiencies may become unnecessary. A very encouraging feature is the increasing generosity of friends of our work, outside our own circle. This is, under God, to be attributed to various efforts in this direction. Here special thanks are due to our ministers in the German Diaspora and to the London Association in Aid of the Moravian Missions. Income from legacies, naturally, varies very much, yet we notice wdth gratitude, that these have not gone back during these nine years. I!. Now as to expenditure :— The increase here of £12,000 is certainly expenditure, striking, being greater than the increase of income by about £5,000. It is true, that we may hope, that in the immediate future, after certain necessary tasks, especially in Surinam, have been accomplished, there may be an easing off of expenditure. Yet this is a hope, that may possibly be disappointed. At any rate, it will be safer to assume that, in the immediate future, the expenditure will remain at its present height. 14 This leads the Managing Board to ask themselves, whether they have not perhaps gone ahead too rapidly and incautiously. At any rate they are not astonished, when friends of our Missions give expression to such a thought. Now the Board cannot, and does not •wish to, deny that, in special cases, errors may have been committed. This occurs the more easily, because in the absence of an estimate ol the annual outlay, it is difficult to foresee the financial needs of a newly commenced field, as well as to determine those of all the different fields during the coming year. Neverthe¬ less the increase of expenditure, especially to such a height, cannot, in the first instance, be attributed to any mistakes made, but to existing conditions. This becomes plain, if we remember that it is not the new under¬ takings, as already mentioned, which have caused the greater outlay,—for example, the main expense of the Nyasa Mission is borne by the Crakau Legacy,—but that nearly all the older fields have made unexpectedly high demands on our funds. Particularly the Moskito Coast, Surinam, South Africa (West) and West Himalaya have required considerably greater help. To explain this circumstance in detail would lead too far. Just a few words to explain the causes of this, in order to show that the Board could not well have acted otherwise than it did. We were bound to extend the work on the Moskito moskito coast as much as possible. Yet the forming of coast. four new stations would not alone account for an increase of £1,250 in the expenditure. It was the political occurrences, quite unforeseen, which compelled us to act as w r e did, if the whole work there was not to be abandoned. The action of the Nicaraguan government, in bringing about the ruin of the country by high taxes, &c , had the immediate effect of increasing the expenses of this Mission. Surinam may be said to be Christianised, Surinam. excepting the interior. But now, as our church is in a certain sense the National Church for the Negroes, it became more and more incumbent upon us, to provide for the cure of souls in the whole country, and this involved the forming of no small number of stations. In addition to this, it becomes ever more imperatively necessary, that we should include the numerous Chinese and Coolie immigrants within the scope of our work in this country. 15 These two demands of the work, as well as the extension of the Mission among the Bush Negroes of the interior, have been long recog¬ nised by the Board and by the missionaries as a necessary advance. Add to this, that the threatening and aggressive attitude of the Boman Catholic Church is a great source of anxiety and danger, and it will be plain, that it was our duty to take in hand energetically, and at once, work, which we had thought to undertake at a later period. It was a case of either Now or Never. We only regret that we were not in a position to adopt even more energetic measures. In the Eastern District of South Africa we had, s. Africa by establishing stations in Kaffraria, committed (east). ourselves to the occupation of great stretches of country ; which had to be gradually provided with stations, and worked. Here, too, we would fain have proceeded more slowly, had it been possible ; but we had for neighbours just those English Societies, which, in spite of all entreaty, will not coniine themselves within boundaries mutually agreed upon, but ruthlessly interfere with the spheres of others. We were thus in a position similar to that in Surinam. We were compelled to push forward more quickly, than we would otherwise have done. But apart from this, it must be remembered that work carried on in the midst of heathen must, if it be in a healthy condition, be continually advancing. In the case of West Himalaya, various west circumstances rendered it advisable to put forth Himalaya. greater effort; else the work was in danger of gradually stagnating. The expenses of missionaries’ journeys home, furlough to recruit, are a considerable item of the increased expenses. expenditure, especially in the case of Surinam. The last General Synod decided, that the mission¬ aries should enjoy more frequent furlough in Europe. This was no doubt a step in the right direction, but a costly one. With an extension of the work itself, the home expenses at home must needs rise in a correspond- expenses. ing degree. The Mission Department and the Mission Agency required to have each a greater staff, and agents to act in the interests of the Mission had to be appointed in various districts ; more Mission literature too had to be provided, for awakening or sustaining the interest in our work. 1G C. The examination of our financial condition conclusions impresses the fact upon us that our Missions are from the in a “critical” state. Synod must recognise financial this True, we must not forget how wonderfully statement. the Lord has helped in many a recent crisis. The first great Mission deficiency was quickly wiped off, the second gradually, and the third at one stroke. Therefore we should not be of little faith in view of the future, with this proof before us of the Divine acknowledgment of our work in the past. But though we have this encouragement, yet the good¬ ness of God calls upon us, above all, to ask what is our duty under the present circumstances. The more carefully we consider this, the greater may our confidence be, that the Lord will not withdraw his hand from us in the matter of needful financial support. Two questions particularly will have to engage pressing the attention of Synod: — /' 1) How can we increase questions. our Income ! (2) Ought we, and must we, think of curtailing oar work / To ensure satisfactory replies to these important finance questions, the Synod will have to appoint a committee, Committee, to examine carefully into the financial budget, &c. condition of our Mission funds. It can be only agreeable to the Mission Department, if this committee ascertains the exact property of the Missions ; how it is invested ; whether the various funds are properly applied ; and other similar facts. Above all it will have to consider, whether our system of finances and book-keeping is fully adapted to present requirements or not. Here the question will press for decision, whether we can go on without forecasting a yearly estimate, which would enable Mission Department to form a rough idea of the expenses of each coming year, and to act accordingly. Any decision in this direction would, we must remember, involve an increase in the machinery of management, a result deplorable from the point of view, that, heretofore, our present management, as compared with that ofother Societies, has been distinguished by its simplicity and inexpensiveness. Nevertheless, in view of modem business methods and of the great extension of our work, a yearly budget will be well-nigh a necessity. The accounts would also have to be auditedand passed by a chartered accountant, as is the custom with other Societies. This would mean a great amount of additional labour to Mission Department, and some means would, therefore, have to be found, to relieve them of the technical work. Of this, 17 more hereafter. At any rate it is clear that a Synodal Committee of experts would greatly simplify the work for the debate in full Synod. But the chief questions for Synod will remain retrenchment, those two above mentioned. So we proceed to consider the second one first: “ Can we, must we, ought we to retrench ? ” Now our Mission Work is doubtless a work of missions, a faith. Some, therefore, think that it is a sign of work of faith, want of faith, to harbour thoughts of giving up any part of the Work, or of retrenching. But on the other hand, there are others, who can work in full and joyful faith, only after they have carefully and soberly counted the cost, and sought Divine guidance. And then, God may command us to take an apparently retrograde step. The will of God must be decisive for both these classes, and we must seek it in connection with the question of retrenchment. We have said that our task is twofold, viz :— two (1) to maintain the old work, and (2) to preach possibilities, the word in the regions beyond. We might, therefore, either abandon old fields, or we might limit the work in new fields. Ought we, and are we willing, to abandon recently retire from begun work ? new Now we have seen, that we are behind other undertakings. Societies in the matter of accessions from the heathen, and we regarded it as a merciful Divine leading, that, especially in Africa, new fields had been opened up to us, with the hope that, within a measurable distance of time, we may again begin Mission Work in its fullest sense. I hold, therefore, that we may not abandon even one of these new fields. To my mind, to do so would be to sentence our Clmrcli to abstain from Mission extension. This would cause us to fall out of the ranks of Missionary Societies proper; we should stagnate, than which there is no condition more fatal. In order to be a truly Missionary Church, we are bound, I think, to continue this new work with all our might, and in courageous faith. From these points of view, I decidedly oppose every proposal to restrict our new work. 18 Let us proceed to consider the other alternative, retire from viz i Shall we take measures to economise in the old mission old fields by restricting work ? fields. To begin with, no one will think of abandoning or restricting work on the Moskito Coast or in South Africa (East). Nor could we well put the drag on necessary and prudent advance in Surinam and West Himalaya. With Greenland it is different. Here I Greenland, believe we must approach the question of retiring from the field. For not only is there no hope of the extension of our activity in this field, but our present work is considered to be unnecessary by the local ecclesiastical and government authorities, and increasingly so. It is true that sentimental considerations and memories render such a proposal unpopular amongst ourselves. Yet, if we can be convinced that the Danish Missionary Society or Church would and could sufficiently care for the spiritual welfare of the Eskimos, we should be hardly justified in refusing to hand over this Mission to them. Only by a deputation from Mission Department on the spot, and through correspondence with the Danish authorities, could it bo ascertained, whether the above proviso can be fulfilled. At any rate. Synod will have to decide and give instructions on the general principle, whether further steps are to be taken in this direction, or whether the whole question is to be dropped. A somewhat similar question is presented to us west indies, by our West Indian Mission. The Synod of 1879 introduced a scheme, by which this Province was to attain financial independence in ten years ; but the Synod of 1889 had to modify the amount of the yearly diminution of the grant from the Mission fund : nay, had even to afford further pecuniary relief. We gladly admit, that our Missionaries in the West Indies have, in a self-sacrificing manner, done their utmost to achieve the financial independence of their Provinces. At first, success seemed to be their reward, but the commercial crisis them has dashed their hopes to the ground. At present, financial independence is for them an impossibility. Nay, if the work is not to be ruined, immediate help from the Mission Fund is imperative. Yet, cn the other hand, the constitutional independ¬ ence, inaugurated by Synod, has advanced so far, that it is impossible to retain the West Indies, like other Mission fields, as a sphere of labour under the management of Mission Department 19 for the measure of home rule obtaining there, relieves the Mission Department of the responsibility for actions beyond its control. It is therefore necessary to find a way of placing the West Indian Mission on a generally well-defined basis. At present this is possible only either by disfranchising it and throwing its expense altogether on to the Mission Account, or by granting it such a subsidy, as shall enable it to remain constitutionally independent. At any rate, the present state of things must be altered, for the sake both of the West Indian Mission and of the Mission Department The former alternative seems excluded, if only because it is impossible to withdraw the liberty, once constitutionally accorded to the West Indian Mission. It seems to me, that there is nothing for it, but to set aside a part of the property of the General Mission fund for the benefit of this particular field, so as to render it in all respects an independent Province. In this case, the Mission Department would, however, still be bound, for a considerable time, to supply, to some extent at least, European or American ministers. This plan would involve, of course, a handing over of a consider¬ able capital. What amount, it is impossible at present to calculate even approximately. The West Indies would thus become a financially independent Province, but owing to the loss of interest of the ceded capital, this w T ould not imply a saving on the General Mission Account. Yet the advantage would lie in the financial clear¬ ness and in the impossibility of unforeseen expenses in this direction falling upon the yearly General Account. Nor can there be any donbt but that, with the resulting certainty and with the possibility of preparing an annual budget, the West Indian Provincial Boards would be better able than heretofore, to regulate the work of main¬ tenance and extension according to their means. This would be one way of meeting the not unjustifiable reproach, that we are spending a great part of the annual subscriptions for Mission Work, upon old fields, which are no longer really Mission fields. A third field that might be financially separated, south Africa with a view to easing the Mission Account, is the (w t est). Western portion of the South African Mission. This Province has latterly been able to meet its own expenses, so that, apart from the missionaries’ journeys, only the expense of the new Kaffir Mission in the neighbourhood of Enon falls upon the central fund. Should no unforeseen circum¬ stances arise, we may expect it to continue to pay its own way. It 20 would, therefore, be opportune to put this Province on a more independent footing, not only excluding its expenditure from the Mission Account, but even demanding the contribution to the General Mission fund of a certain percentage of its surplus, if any, as an acknowledgment of the benefits of its Missionaries’ Pensions and Education of Children. The balance of any surplus would go to increase the property of the Province itself. Thus the most difficult questions remain those in connection with Greenland and the West Indies. increasing Now let us approach the question: Is it the income, possible to do anything to increase the Income / First as to our own members. From Germany Moravian we can hardly expect any such increase. There endeavour, are so many calls from new Christian under¬ takings, arising from within and without our Church, than we can expect additional help only in cases of special need. True, few among us give to the utmost of their ability ; but yet so much is done in our German Congregations for our Missions, that we should not be justified in adopting all kinds of measures to whip them up to greater effort. Nor is it wise to apply the spur to a horse, that is already in full gallop. If incitement to greater effort is still necessary, I think we must leave it to the operation of the Spirit of God. So far, all our appeals have met with a hearty response. I do not venture to decide, whether our British Congregations might do more, than they are doing. For one thing, it is difficult to determine, how much our own members do, since so many non- Moravian friends help. Further, I have no standard, whereby to measure the ability of the Congregations. But could not our American Congregations do more than here¬ tofore ? Certainly, their home financial affairs differ widely from the German. Many American Congregations have a hard struggle for existence. Yet, making allowances for this fact, it would appear that the contributions to our Missions from the American Province are not in a proper proportion to the number of Church members there. This our American brethren themselves seemed to feel, when, on commencing the Alaska Mission,they expressed the hope, that the expenses of that Mission might be nearly entirely met by contributions from their own Congregations, and not by having to reduce the contribution of the Haga Legacy to the General Fund. 21 Unfortunately, however, that contribution has had to be con¬ siderably reduced. Synod may he fairly expected to do what it can, to rouse up our Congregations to new and increased willingness to support the Mission cause. Help from kind friends outside our Church has non-morayian been on the increase. This is the more remark- FRiENrs. able, when we consider how many claimants there are for help. We do not resent this latter fact, but we are bound to keep our own cause energetically before the outside public,—it goes without saying, in a gentlemanly and Christian fashion. If we do this, there is no reason, why our income from this source might not be increased, without detriment to other Societies. For it is a pleasing fact, that interest in Foreign Missions is gaining ground generally. For Germany, the chief hope lies in the diaspora Diaspora ; and that this work should increase and and flourish, is of great importance to our associations Missions. Therefore Svnod will have to allow in aid. the Mission Department to extend financial support to this work, as far as ever possible. In England, the London Association in Aid of our Missions does splendid work. Our hearty thanks are due to this Society, and we hope it may continue to be able to raise such large amounts. The success of this Society in England leads us to ask, whether a similar one might not be advantageously formed in America. Synod should consider the feasibility of such a plan. We must not here forget the valuable aid of the Zeist Society, which is re¬ organised, and works especially for Surinam. We pray for God’s increasing blessing on their endeavours. Of late years, a Mission Agency has been mission established, -which, besides relieving the Head agency. Mission Office of some burdens, may eventually be very cautiously employed, as a sort of business concern in aid of our Missions, and thus produce income. Taking all these points into consideration, it appears to be not impossible, that we may increase our Mission Income at home, if we put forward our best efforts. Let the Synod devote particular attention to this subject. 22 Further, Synod will do well to touch on the -contributions question, whether our Mission Provinces could op the not do more towards Self Support. I think the mission Mission Department will be able to supply ample provinces data for an intelligent consideration of this question. It would be very desirable, that Synod itself send a word of exhortation on this subject to Congregations consisting of Converts from Heathenism, and thus strengthen the hands of the Mission Department in this matter. This lias, I think, been a weak point in our system, and, though many things are now in a better way, yet there is still much loom for improvement. It might also be advisable for Synod to appoint a committee, to enquire into the trades carried on at the Mission Stations, as to whether they be justifiable, whether they are propevly managed, and how they are paying. A question of principle will here lie before Synod, viz : whether, and in how far, it is light for the Mission to carry on trade, and if so, to wliat extent men, who have received a business training, should be thus employed, without having ministerial duties to perform. I cannot leave this subject without at least funding of a mentioning a thought, that has again and again portion of the occupied my mind. Is it not a mistake in our income from financial arrangements, that all subscriptions the mission from the Mission fields are, without further ado, provinces. carried to the General Account, instead of being partly utilised to form a funded property for each contributing Mission ? The result of this neglect is, that, wdien a Mission Province comes to be made independent,— e //., the West Indies—the General Fund is called on to make a great sacrifice. Now, if we were to allow'each Mission Province to retain say 5 or 10 per cent, of its income from its members and business concerns, some of them would gradually be acquiring property, that would facilitate their making themselves independent. And this would surely act as a spur to the various Provinces to increase their income to the utmost. To some extent, this plan has been adopted in a few cases. What is wanted, is an authoritative statement on the subject. In closing this chapter on the financial con- conclusion. dition of our Missions, we shall be compelled to admit, that many a difficult question on this subject awaits its solution by the Synod. 23 III—CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTIONS. The Synod will also have to deal with a critical historical state of things from a constitutional point of view. survey. This assertion will be fully proved to be correct, when we now proceed to examine the developments of the last decade. Up to the year 1857, the constitution of the Unity was clear and defined, inasmuch as the U.E C. was the recognised supreme authority in affairs of the whole Unity not only, but also of the individual Provinces. In that year, the British and American Provinces received each an independent Provincial Board. A natural consequence of this change was a further constitutional development, the end of which we have not yet seen. In the Synods of 1869, 1879, and 1889, further alterations were made, the 1889 Synod particularly bringing about a change, that could be regarded as only the first stage in a new development, viz : the depriving of the members of the Mission Department of a vote on German Provincial matters. Thus the hitherto compact U.E.C. was split up into two portions, the one, the Get mm Board, and the other alongside of it, the Unity’s Elders’ Conference This development was admittedly logical and necessary, in justice to the German Province, which had been at the disadvantage since 1857 of not having its own independent P.E.C., like the other two Provinces. Now it is clear, that this action of the 1889 Synod was bound to have further consequences. At the same time, a resolution was passed in 1889, which could only increase the existing inequalities. The British and American brethren had the by no means unjustifiable feeling,that their repre¬ sentation at the General Synod was too small, as compared with that of the German Province. Thus : —the British Province had 9 deputies and 2 official members, America had 9 deputies and 1 official member from each of the Provincial Boards, while the German Province had, in addition to its 9 deputies, all of the members of the German Provincial Board, qua members of the U.E.C., which was an advantage of 5 or 6 votes over the other two Provinces. In order to, in some measure, effect an equalisation, it was decided in 1889, that only those German members of the U.E C., who were at the same time members of the Unity Department, should have seat and vote at a General Synod, and, in addition, one member elected by the German Board. Thus the number of German representatives was 24 reduced to 12, viz : 9 elected deputies, 2 members of the Unity Department and 1 of the German P.E.C. Nevertheless the provision is still in force, which is laid down in Sect. 68, 1, that the U.E.C. acts in the name and by the commission of the General Synod and is responsible to the same for its actions , as well as the one in Sect. 70, 1, that the U.E.U. manages, conducts and super¬ vises the general Mission Work. Now, it is a curious procedure, to appoint a Unity’s Board, that is to possess unrestricted power to act, and at the same time to be responsible for its actions, while it is practically impossible for it to answer for itself, inasmuch as it is not, qua Board, represented at Synod. Thus the Constitution of the Unity is unsatis- result. factory and untenable from two points of view.— In the first instance, because the position of the U,E.C. is a wrong one, the respective duties and privileges of its two component parts (German P.E.C. and Mission Department) being ill-defined, and further because the U.E.C., which the 1889 Synod brought into being, neither is nor can be a Board responsible to the Synod. As it is, the whole responsibility rests in reality on the Mission Department alone, which stands, therefore, also in a false position, to the detriment of the cause. A further defect is this, that the British and American Provinces can exercise no influence worth mentioning, on the conduct of the Mission Work, which is after all of equal importance to all portions of the Unity, unless they happen to be represented in the Mission Department by brethren, who are either Englishmen or Americans ; for there is, so far, no law, that each of these Provinces is entitled to a represent¬ ative upon the Board. This is evidently unfair to them, nor is it of advantage to the Mission Work. Consider further, that a result of the 1889 consequences constitutional alterations was, that in 1898 and of new 1894 the German Province carried out several german changes and recastings of its own Constitution. provincial What concerns us most here in this connection, is legislation, that the new German Provincial Constitution defined anew the duties and privileges of the various sections of the Board, and, therewith, also of the Board in its entirety. In this new arrangement, business of the greatest importance to the Mission Department, viz : the oversight of the Diaspora, was now allotted to the Ecclesiastical and Educational Department (Kirchen and Schulen Abteilung) of the German Province. In this way the Mission Department is prevented from 25 having any say on some questions, deeply affecting the welfare of the Missions. Certainly this anomaly is, through the urbanity of the brethren of the German P.E.C., not so baneful, as it might be ; yet difficulties arise from this false condition of things. On the other hand, the Mission Department is compelled by the Constitution to attend the sessions of the German Unity’s Directing Board ( Unitdts Direction), whose business, according to the new German Constitu¬ tion, scarcely affects Mission matters at all. The natural conse¬ quences are drawbacks and irregularities, that are far from being advantageous. A solution of this contradictory state of things must be found by the General Synod. Imperfect as this exposition of the case may be, it will yet have made it clear, that the present Constitution of the Unity is simply impossible caul must be altered. But what alterations shall be made '? the remedy. The writer does not intend to make a definite proposal. That is a matter for the U.E.C. to undertake, and we hope it will undertake it. Nevertheless it might be useful to give at least a few thoughts on the subject, with a view to prepare the way for the decision of this question, which is of the utmost importance for the future. Experts in constitutional questions have tw t o possible mentioned two diametrically opposed proposals, ways. viz:— (D- To practically ahroyate the Constitution of the Unity , by allottiny to each Province its separate Mission Work and its separate Mission Board; or (2) To entirely separate the Mission Whirl; from any connection with a single Province , and to constitute the Mission Department the Supreme Board of the Unity. If, according to No. (1) the Mission Work is to be proposal distributed amongst the three Provinces, for No. (1) independent management in each case, it is clear, that the greater portion of the work must fall to the lot of the German Province, if only because the majority of the Missionaries are Germans. It would lead us too far, to enter into the details of such a partition. Without doubt, this arrangement would have the advantage of being a perfectly clear one, as to constitutional questions. Each portion of the Mission field could easily befitted into the consti¬ tution of that Province, to which it had been allotted. 26 There are, however, weighty objections to this objections to plan. We have still those in all three Provinces, plan no. 1. who are warmly attached to the idea of onr being a Unity, not only in spirit, but also constitutionally. To such, to give up the Constitutional Unity means the loss also of the Spiritual Unity. Again, is it not a particularly strong point of our Mission Work, that it is an international undertaking? So far, at any rate, it has enjoyed this advantage over other Societies. Now this international character would be completely destroyed by adopting Plan No. 1. Tois is not merely a sentimental objection, but a very practical one, as our Mission history, especially in recent times, plainly shows. Lastly there would be great difficulties in the way of the practical carrying out of this plan, which only those, who are acquainted with all the circumstances, can fully appreciate. Only one such point shall be mentioned here:—that, namely, the German Province could not possibly develop any great Missionary activity without pecuniary help from Great Britain, while, on the other hand the British Province could not, at any rate in the immediate future, supply the number of men required for any considerable sphere of work. And the experiences, made in Alaska, seem to prove that America would have difficulty in providing both men and means. The result of all this would be highly detrimental to our hitherto successful Mission Work. For these and other reasons, I conclude, that this plan is not practicable; and Synod will hardly adopt it. Nor is the second plan to be recommended, plan no. 2. which, in the main, proposes to constitute a Mission Board, that, while entirely independent of the three Provinces, shall yet form the Supreme Board of the Unity, conduct¬ ing the whole work of the Unity, seeing to the execution of the resolutions of General Synods, and forming the final Court of Appeal. This plan is theoretically sound, and is also the objections logical consequence of the previous development. to And yet it appears to me to be even less plan no. 2. practicable than the first plan For one thing, the Mission Work is, to such an extent, part and parcel of the German Province, that to suddenly separate the two would have the most disastrous results for both parties. In this case, theoretical consistency would spell great injustice. If a separation 27 is to take place at all, wisdom and justice demand that it should be connection has been of so long a standing and of so intimate a by a very gradual process indeed, especially in such a case, where the nature. At present—and I thank God for this—the Missions require, for their prosperity, the most intimate connection with the German Province, and, in equal measure, the German Province would miss a great spiritual stimulus, were it to be deprived of the privilege of exercising direct influence on the Mission Work. But there are further objections to this proposal. Our Mission Work requires to have a broader basis to rest upon, than the Mission Department, even if numerically increased, can offer. The conduct of so great an undertaking may not safely be left in the hands of a few men. No other Missionary Society works without a considerably large Committee, to support the Board of Managers. To have a Mission Department without the broader basis of another Board,—say U. E. C.,—were to my mind an unfortunate, not to say dangerous, arrangement. Lastly, let us see how this proposed constitutional alteration would work out in practice. No small difficulties confront us at once. This combined Missionary and Unity’s Board would have to be located in one of the three Provinces, in order to be in touch with the Moravian Church generally. Wherever it were located, it would soon become evident, that there would be friction between two such Boards, as a Mission Board and a Provincial Board, existing side by side without any mutual connection. The work of the Missions is not done solely in the Mission fields, as we are often inclined to think, but also, necessarily, to a great extent, at home. It would be an utter impossibility to so confine the sphere of the Mission Board, that it would not have an effect on the Province, of such a nature, that, unless the Mission Authorities were in closest touch with those of the Province—a condition excluded by plan No. 2—friction would be bound to occur. This unpleasant result would, immediately and in an accentuated form, shew itself in Germany, where the Mission Work has been hitherto dovetailed into the Provincial Work. It might be possible that in England and America, it would be easier for the two Boards to exist at first amicably side by side. But even here, so soon as a Mission Board would have gained a firm footing of independence, relations between the two Boards would be sure to become strained. There would be no choice ; for the Mission Board would be morally compelled to act as energetically as possible on behalf of the Missions. Neither, therefore, will this plan do. 28 There is, in mv opinion, no other way for it, but what is to to retain the fundamental features of the present be done ? constitution of the Unity, and to endeavour to remedy any existing defects. To begin with, let us admit, that, as things are, it is an impossibility, at least just now, to produce a constitution of the Unity, that shall be in every, respect, clear and logically irreproachable. Certain inequalities are bound, in any case, to remain, and if we wish, as many must do, to retain a constitutionally established Unity, we must be willing to make a sacrifice in this and that point, and to be content with ‘ the Better,’ since we cannot have ‘ the Best.’ Now four things seem to me to be indispensable four in a New Constitution, viz :— indispensable 1 . An intimate connection between the requirements Missions and the German Province must, under of a any circumstances, be maintained. But care must constitution, be taken, to considerably increase the represent¬ ation of the other Provinces in the management of the Missions. 2. The U. E. C. must, really and in the fullest sense, be the General Directing Board, and, therefore, all its members must have seat and vote at General Synods. Only then can and must U.E.C. (not the Mission Department) be the Board, responsible to Synod. 8. As an integral part of the U. E. C., the Mission Department must, to a certain extent, be independent in details of management. 4. To this end, the General Synod must clearly and intelligibly indicate and define the incumbencies and privileges of the U. E. C. and Mission Department respectively ; and, so far, as regards the latter Board, Synod must, while forbidding it to interfere in Provincial matters, exonerate it also from all responsibility in this respect. In order to carry out point 1, it would, elucidation presumably, be best, to join the Mission Depart- of this plan, ment and the Germany Provincial Board together, so as to form, as hitherto, the U. E. C. ; but in matters of special importance, as for instance the commencement of new Mission Work, to make constitutional provision for the co-opera¬ tion of the other Provinces. If, as proposed in point 2, full voting power is to be accorded to all the members of the U. E. C. at General Synods, the number of voting members from the other Provinces must be increased. This might perhaps be best effected 29 by giving a vote to every member of the English and American Provincial Boards. And if this should not suffice, other additions could be made. As to points 8 and 4, it ought not to be too difficult to devise a working arrangement, according to which the Mission Department ■would have the necessary independence, while at the same time, the supreme Board, the U. E. C., would possess the right of final decision. By this arrangement the Mission Department would, on the one hand, be able to have the assurance, that any important German Provincial legislation affecting the Mission Work would be passed by the German Provincial Board only after preliminary discussion of the same in the U.E.C., while, on the other hand, such Missionary matters as distinctly affect the German Province (e.