The Free Church Understanding of the Ministry in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

"I want to begin by explaining the reasons for my choice of subject. They are three in number. In the first place I believe that the Free Church ministry is something worth knowing about; in the second I believe it to be a matter which has received less attention than some other aspects of our history; in the third I choose it because you as Baptists have invited me, a Congregationalist, to address you. It would be inappropriate for me to speak to you on a theme drawn from Congregational history, presumptuous to choose one from Baptist history, and eccentric to deal with one unconnected with either. Now one of the. things which is plainly distinctive about our two churches, along with others who have been associated with us, but over against the larger part of the Christian community, is the form of our ministry."