Preface
The
plan and the outline suggested in this book has
been put to the test for more than fifteen years in the Central
Baptist Church of Little Rock, Arkansas. Back in the 1920's, I became
dissatisfied with the quarterlies of the Southern Baptist Convention.
At the best, they were but thin milk and water, and at the worst
contained some modernistic and social gospel statements. Because of
the modernism and the infidelity of the literature of the Southern
Baptist Convention, the Central Baptist Church began the use of the
Bible and the Bible only in its Sunday School in the fall of 1931. We
found such a plan eminently successful in the Sunday School, but we
faced great difficulties in the Training Union.
We
asked other independent churches about their plans and found that none
had seemingly found a solution to the problem. We tried first one plan
and then another, but without any success. After several discouraging
attempts, we finally disbanded our Training Union groups and had only
the Sunday night preaching services. We were losing some of our young
people that way, and so began again to consider ways and means of once
again establishing a Training Union. There was no thought of going
back to the use of quarterlies as commonly used
After much prayer, a new plan was devised that would supplement the
Sunday School. In the Sunday School we studied the Bible book-by-book.
Why not, in the Training Union, study the Bible doctrine-by-doctrine.
In that way all our people would be developed in a full rounded
systematic study of the Bible. We decided to use Pendleton's Church
Manual as an outline. In a few weeks we had divided Pendleton's Church
Manual into fifty-two lessons and were ready to set up our Training
Union again. The plan took hold of our church, but the growth was
slow. The change was a radical one and took time for development, but
as the plan "caught on," the spiritual power of the church developed.
Our people, and especially the young people, became indoctrinated and
the whole life of the church showed improvement. In my personal
opinion, nothing has helped build a spiritual backbone in our church
so much as this series of studies.
In
the years that have come and gone since the plan was adopted, there
have been some minor improvements, but the original plan is still the
basis of the study. We believe that the plan can work in every church
and that the plan, if carefully and prayerfully carried out, will
result in, not only holding the young people of the church, but in the
general strengthening of the entire body. We suggest the adoption of
some such plan to every Baptist church.
The
outline for the entire year is published and every member supplied
with a copy. While we include the material from Pendleton's Church
Manual, the Bible is the source book for every lesson. This plan
supplements the Sunday School lessons and provides a well-rounded
course in Systematic Theology. At the end of the year, every member in
the course would be indoctrinated as no other method in use at the
present time could indoctrinate. The course would be repeated year
after year, using the same outline. New members would be added to the
course from time to time, and older members would become more
thoroughly acquainted with the Bible. In a very short time all who
participate in the Training Union would be able to give "a reason of
the hope" that is in them.
In
publishing this book, we send it forth with a prayer that God will
bless its use and that "the faith which was once delivered unto the
saints" will become a living reality in the lives of our Baptist
people.
M.
L. Moser, Sr., Pastor Emeritus
Central Baptist Church
Little Rock, Arkansas
