The people of the Philippines, their religious progress and preparation for spiritual leadership in the Far East,

236 THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES
missionary or Filipino pastor who stifles or neglects this important teaching of the people is a positive menace to the
Kingdom of God, and should not be retained in the ministry."
The pastors and local preachers had to bear a heavy financial
burden in those transition days. "We gave appointments,"
Dr. Lyons reported, "to 230 men and women workers of all
classes, of whom 200 get no pay at all. The others average
less than ~:30 a month." In the Manila district only one
church was at that time self-supporting. It had IIoo members, yet it could raise only P35 per month for the support of
its pastor.'
Self-support in the immediate future became a primary
objective for every missionary and then for 'every pastor. No
particular method can be given credit for the success which
was finally achieved; it was the result of "constantly hammering away." "The congregations," reads the report, "were
shown how much they used to spend as sinners... that real
Christianity was in the beginning built on sacrifice; that sacrifice consists in giving out of a heart of love, of the things
which we need. If they have the matter presented in this
kind way there are few who are not willing to help."
Pressure other than words was applied wisely but continuously. In Pangasinan "local churches were not given
pastors until they were ready for some support. Monthly
subscriptions were taken and ran from one cent to:P2 per
month, or from one half bundle to twelve bundles of rice per
year." Even when the crops failed the mission did not come
to the rescue. "The people in many places were without rice,
necessitating their depending upon wild roots for sustenance.... The pastor sought employment in San Isidro for three
months." The people thus faced the fact that the responsibility for the church was theirs forever.
The fear that this campaign for money might result in
driving people away from the church proved wholly groundless. The result was indeed exactly the opposite. In Pangasinan in 1913 the missionary made a personal canvass of
the members of churches, asking for monthly gifts for the
'M. E. Annual Report i9I1, p. 53.