Missionary Survey As An Aid To Intelligent Co-Operation In Foreign Missions

Excerpt

CHAPTER I.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A DOMINANT PURPOSE.

The modern demand for intelligent co-operation
The same demand in relation to Foreign Missions
The need for a definition of purpose
The failure of our present reports in this respect
Is definition of purpose desirable?
It is necessary for formulation of policy
Societies with limited incomes cannot afford to pursue every good
  object
The admission of diverse purposes has blurred the purpose of Medical
  Missions
The admission of diverse purposes has confused the administration
  of Educational Missions
The admission of diverse purposes has distracted Evangelistic
  Missions
Hence the absence of unity in the work
Hence the tendency to support details rather than the whole
The need for a dominant purpose and expression of relations
The need for a statement of factors which govern action
The need for a missionary survey which expresses the facts in
  relation
This demand is not unreasonable

PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS.

1. All survey is properly governed by the purpose for which it is
  made
The purpose decides what is to be included, what excluded
A scientific survey is a survey of selected factors
This is not to be confused with the collection of facts to prove a
  theory
The collection of facts is independent of the conclusions which may
  be drawn
2. The survey proposed is a missionary survey
The difference between medical and educational surveys and missionary
  survey
3. The survey proposed is designed to embrace the work of all
  Societies
4. Definition of aim necessarily suggests a policy
We have not hesitated to set out that policy
We make criticism easy
5. Survey should provide facts in relation to an aim, so as to guide
  action
6. Twofold aspect of survey—survey of state, survey of position
Survey is therefore a continual process
7. Possible objections to method proposed—
  (i) The information asked for statistical
  All business and organised effort is based on statistics
  Every Society publishes statistics
  (ii) The admission of estimates
  The value of estimates
  (iii) The difficulty of many small tables
  Why burden the missionary with the working out of proportions?
  The tables should assist the missionary in charge
  (iv) The objection that we cannot obtain all the information
  Partial knowledge the guide of all human action
  (v) The tables contain items at present unknown

CHAPTER III.

SURVEY OF THE STATION AND ITS DISTRICT.

The Work to be Done, and the Force to Do it.

We begin with survey of the station and its district If the station exists to establish the Church in a definite area then we can survey on a territorial basis The definition of the area involves a policy I. When the area is defined we can distinguish work done and work to be done, in terms of cities, towns, and villages; in terms of population The meaning of "Christian constituency" The reasons for adopting it Example of table, and of the impression produced by it Example of value of proportions Tables of proportions The difficulty of procuring this information The value of the labour expended in procuring it II....