II. Inner Mission Work.

CHAPTER XXII.

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER OF THE WORK.

I. Works of Mercy Joined with Ministrations of the Gospel.

The term "inner mission work," or "inner missions," sometimes used also in the singular after the manner of the German term, "the inner mission," is new to many warm friends of missions in this country. The work itself, so far as its main features are concerned, is not new; but it is not generally known under this term. The latter is a German copy, and it is at least a debatable question, whether it is equally pertinent to conditions and relations in and among the Christian churches in America. Even in Germany the significance and pertinence of the term has at times been called in question, and other names have been suggested, but not generally adopted. The adoption of the term, "die Innere Mis sion," was suggested by the nature of the work proposed, namely, the reformation and moral and spiritual renewal of the national church itself, "die Volkskirche," which had lapsed into an alarming condition of degeneracy. The idea was to arouse the believers, the living members of the state churches to a sense of the dire extremity of the nominal Christendom about them, which had become

'Compare "Was jedermann heute von der Inneren Mission wissen muss," (p. 11), by Dr. P. Wurster and Pastor M. Hennig. Also, The Inner Mission, by Dr. J. F. Ohl, pp. 13 and 67.

a virtual heathendom in consequence of the fearful ravages of the revolutionary wars and allied causes, and of the urgent need of doing something to save the perishing and revive the dead members of the parishes and communities. In view of such conditions the term "inner mission" is significant and pertinent. But in our country of independent, or as our German brethren say, "free churches," where the churches are quite distinct. and separate from the state, relations are very different, even if the conditions of bodily, moral, and spiritual needs are substantially the same. Here, while the inner mission principle finds application also to many lapsed Christians and needy members of Christian churches, it is in the main, so far as the term "mission" is applicable, a battling of the churches with the world outside, with the unfortunate and suffering, and, in large part, ungodly masses that have no sort of connection, organic or otherwise, with the Christian Church.

So much by way of introduction. We are not, however, much concerned about the name. We must hasten on to get a glimpse of the work itself, its underlying principles, and the leading lines and methods of inner mission work.

a. How distinguished from home mission work. In the early part of this treatise we gave the following brief definition of the work: Inner mission work is mission work that is carried on in our own country (in contradistinction to foreign mission work), and consists in combining, by systematic endeavor, works of mercy (various Christian philanthropies) with evangelistic effort in behalf of the salvation of the physically and spiritually needy classes of our population. In order to make any proper distinction between home and inner missions, a distinction that will not be more confusing

than enlightening, emphasis must, according to our opinion, be laid upon the feature of "combining, by systematic endeavor, works of mercy" with the ministrations. of the Gospel. It is an erroneous and misleading distinction that is made in Bulletin No. 1 of the Lutheran Inner Mission Society of Philadelphia, organized in 1902, in these words: "The latter" (home mission work) “is directed to the gathering and spiritual care of the scattered members of the household of faith; the inner mission seeks to reach the imperiled, the indifferent, the ignorant, and the fallen;" whereas with the succeeding sentence we are in accord: "It is still further differentiated from home missions by the fact that in this labor of love it combines a large benevolent activity with the communication of the Word." Home mission work actually and necessarily includes much more than is mentioned in the first declaration. It is not limited to the scattered members of the churches, but reaches out and goes after the unchurched masses outside, so ministering in every way possible to "the imperiled, the indifferent, the ignorant, and the fallen."

The point of distinction, as it seems to us, lies in the fact, first, that in the work of home missions, at least as it is carried on in the Lutheran Church, the charity work is more incidental, while in the inner mission work it is more prominent, a leading feature, one of the main and engrossing methods, carried on by systematic endeavor and in organized forms; and, secondly, that home missions have for their immediate and ultimate aim the establishment of self-supporting churches, while the inner mission endeavor is only a handmaiden and helper to the home missionary enterprise in compassing this aim and end of the Church.

From all this, and in the light of the history of the

work, it is clear that it is not easy to draw the line of distinction with anything like absolute accuracy, and it is hardly a matter of wonder that the distinction is not consistently maintained or that it is sometimes made in a way that is rather confusing and misleading. The fact is, the activities in the two spheres overlap and are intertwined; there are many points of contact and co-operation between home mission and inner mission work.

b. Identified, in part, with home mission work. Inner mission work falls short of its true aim, in fact it ceases to be Christian mission work at all, when it fails to preach the Gospel and to saturate all its charitable activities with the leaven of the Gospel. But this very ministry is the distinctive office of the Church and is the chief reliance in home mission work. What wonder, then, that very much of that which goes by the name of inner mission work is done also by home missions, and vice versa? It is not strange, therefore, to find that, in nearly all the Protestant denominations outside of the Lutheran Church, inner mission activity on a very large and extensive scale is included in their home missionary department. It was most natural, with them, so to classify it. And there are some cogent reasons for embracing the two lines of Christian work in the one department of home missions.

And yet the two lines of work may profitably be kept apart and managed as separate departments. Especially is this so in the case of the Lutheran Church whose home missionary enterprise in this country is so unique, urgent, and extensive, and whose inner mission work is just beginning to develop in organized form and on a far larger scale than it has heretofore been attempted.

2.

Occasion for Inner Mission Work.

The question as to the conditions that have given occasion for this line of mission work lead us to take a very brief, bird's-eye view of its historical development and of present day conditions about us.

a. A summary view of the history of the work.1 An important thing to note is that inner mission work is not a new idea. At times it is magnified as though it were a discovery of modern times. It is as old as the Church. It is embedded in the life of the Church and has been realized, in varying forms and measure, in every era of the Church's history. It was not wanting even in the Old Testament dispensation. And in the fulness of time Christ set the example of its ampler development. The Apostolic Church is a model for all time in this line. of endeavor. The spirit of Christian brotherhood and helpfulness reigned supreme. If one member suffered, all the members suffered with him and hastened to his relief. Nor were the ministries of mercy confined to the membership of the Church. They were freely bestowed also upon unbelievers and strangers. There was little organization, no complicated machinery, no charitable institutions outside of the churches, but marked spirituality, living faith, ardent love. As occasion demanded some orderly arrangement and distribution of labor, helpers were appointed, deacons, and later deaconesses, too, to look after the temporal needs, while the apostles and evangelists devoted themselves unintermittently to the ministry of the Word.

During the post-apostolic period, in the times of general persecutions, the martyr churches had abundant

For the literature of the subject look up this department in the Bibliography, given in the Appendix.