Editorial December 25, 1902 Issue

Preparation

We are informed that some of the smaller churches, when electing new Readers, have been impressed with a lack of available material within their own ranks, and have felt compelled to draw upon other fields, a condition that should not exist after three years of active public work. The principal lesson to be drawn from this seeming lack of material is that there is need of more specific as well as more general preparation for every branch of Christian Science work, and that the healing of the sick is but a part of our ministry.

Another phase of the question, which must be carefully considered, is the danger of creating within our ranks a certain class who would, in time, come to be looked upon as professional Readers. It does not seem that the establishment of such a class could be conducive to the growth of those comprising it, nor to the growth of the individuals who felt relieved thereby of the necessity of qualifying themselves for the work within their own field.

Christian Scientists, in these early days of denominational growth and expansion, should realize that the call, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men," may come to them at any moment, and they should be prepared for it. No matter how small in membership a church may be, nor how limited the experience of its members in public affairs, it should have within itself material for all its needs.

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