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  • SEBTS Chapel - Elmer S. West, Jr. March 4, 1964

    SEBTS Chapel - Elmer S. West, Jr. March 4, 1964
    Description:
    The opening prayer emphasizes a plea for God's forgiveness for our lack of obedience to Him and for our disobedience against Him (00:06-02:22). An introduction was given of Elmer West as the pastor of a church in Washington D.C., having formerly served for ten years as personnel secretary of the Foreign Mission Board (now the International Mission Board). Also stated, he received degrees from the University of Richmond, Colgate-Rochester Crozer Divinity School, and the University of Chicago. He completed his education from the North Carolina Baptist State Hospital, but his ultimate education came from marrying a missionary, the daughter of Dr. Watts who taught in Palestine (04:09-05:47). The title of this address is "Missionary as Servant" (09:02-10:13). Words such as pastor, teacher, administrator, organizer, popular speaker, etc. often characterize those who lead in the church, but "servant" is hardly ever one of them; yet, this is the description of Jesus Christ Himself, who came not to serve but to be served and to give His life as a ransom for many (10:14-10:45). Without a servanthood in missions, our churches will grow larger in size while shrinking in membership (17:00-17:27). West urges the denominations of Protestantism to come together in Christ for the propagation of the Gospel to those who have never heard it (17:28-28:24). He also strongly exhorts Americans to humility in hearing from our brothers and sisters overseas, valuing and benefiting from their input instead of just sending more American missionaries and funds their way (28:25-30:50). West calls for a reassertion of the high qualifications of missionaries, opposed to the growing "eases" of missions and saving the lost for some (30:51-41:43). [A brief loss of volume occurs between 35:35-35:43.] We have to give up our comfort and sacrifice much for Christ's name, but everything we gain will be more than worth the cost of what we gave up (41:44-43:47). The closing prayer ended with this emphasis as well, asking God to do this great work in and through His Church (44:01-45:04).
    Subject:
    Missions
    Creator:
    West, Elmer S., Jr. and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
    Owner:
    archives@sebts.edu
    Location:
    Wake Forest (N.C.)
    Language:
    English
    Date Uploaded:
    02/12/2026
    Date Modified:
    02/13/2026
    Date Created:
    1964-03-04
    Resource Type:
    Audio
    Identifier:
    SEBTS_Chapel_Elmer_S_West_Jr_1964-03-04