Counsels on Stewardship -- Study Guide

Spirit of the Pioneers

[Statistics below were current when this guide was prepared in 1979. Adventist membership in 2000 is near 11 million.] CS-SG 4.1

From about 100 scattered believers to more than 20,000 local churches with more than 3 million Seventh-day Adventists around the world. How did it happen? CS-SG 4.2

From a small printing press in Paris, Maine, to 51 publishing houses, producing literature valued at more than US$100 million in 278 languages and dialects. What made it possible? CS-SG 4.3

From our first church school in Buck’s Bridge, New York, to more than 530 colleges, universities, and secondary schools, 3,800 elementary schools, and 20,000 teachers serving nearly half a million students. What energized such growth? CS-SG 4.4

From our first Sabbath schools in Buck’s Bridge and Rochester, New York, to more than 37,000 Sabbath schools with nearly 4 million Sabbath school members. What is responsible for such growth? CS-SG 4.5

What has been the secret of the Seventh-day Adventist movement? CS-SG 4.6

The three angels’ messages? Yes! CS-SG 4.7

The everlasting gospel? Of course! CS-SG 4.8

God’s financial plan? Very important! CS-SG 4.9

The presence and blessings of God? Definitely! CS-SG 4.10

But the greatest human ingredient has been the SPIRIT OF THE PIONEERS. Courageous, ordinary, Holy Spirit-filled people, sharing the gospel with boldness, giving time, talents, money—even themselves—because they loved the Lord. CS-SG 4.11

As you study these lessons and read the experiences of the pioneers, try to recapture this spirit. The spirit of the pioneers is not dead. It is alive and well. Perhaps you will rediscover it within yourself. CS-SG 4.12