How my heart aches to see presidents of conferences taking the burden of selecting those whom they think they can mold to work with them in the field. They take those who will not differ with them, but will act like mere machines. No president has any right to do this. Leave others to plan; and if they fail in some things, do not take it as an evidence that they are unfitted to be thinkers. Our most responsible men had to learn by a long discipline how to use their judgment. In many things they have shown that their work ought to have been better. The fact that men make mistakes is no reason why we should think them unfit to be caretakers. Those who think that their ways are perfect, even now make many grave blunders, but others are none the wiser for it. They present their success, but their mistakes do not appear. Then be kind and considerate to every man who conscientiously enters the field as a worker for the Master. Our most responsible men have made some unwise plans, and have carried them out because they thought their plans were perfect. They have needed the mingling of other elements of mind and character. They should have associated with other men who could view matters from an entirely different point of view. Thus they would have helped them in their plans.... What folly it is to trust a great mission in the hands of one man, so that he shall mold and fashion it in accordance with his mind, and after his own diseased imagination! Men who have been narrow, who have served tables, who are not farseeing, are disqualified for putting their mold upon the work. Those who desire to control the work think that none can do it perfectly but themselves, and the cause bears the marks of their defects. {TM 304.1}

(304) Hvor mit hjerte smertes ved at se konferensens formænd tage den byrde i at udskille dem de tænker de kan forme til at arbejde med dem i marken. De tager dem der ikke vil afvige fra dem, men vil handle slet og ret som maskiner. Ingen formand har ret til at gøre dette. Lad andre planlægge; og hvis de fejler i noget, så tag det ikke som et bevis for at de er uegnede til at være tænkere. Vore mest ansvarlige personer må lære ved langvarig disciplin hvordan de skal bruge deres dømmekraft. I mange ting har de vist at deres arbejde burde have været bedre. Det faktum at mennesker fejler er ingen grund for hvorfor vi skulle regne dem som uegnede til at være opsynsmænd. Dem der tror at deres måder er korrekte, begår også nu mange bommerter, uden at nogen opdager det. De fremstiller deres succes, men deres fejltagelser vises ikke. Vær da venlig og hensynsfuld over for ethvert menneske der samvittighedsfuldt går ud på marken som en arbejder for Mesteren. Vore ansvarlige mænd har lavet nogle ukloge planer, og har udført dem fordi de tænkte at deres planer var korrekte. De havde behøvet sammenblandningen af andre bestanddele fra sind og karakter. De burde have kontaktet mennesker, der kunne se sagerne fra en helt anden vinkel. Således kunne de have hjulpet dem i deres planer... Hvor letsindigt er det at betro en stor mission i hænderne på én mand, så han kan forme og danne det i overensstemmelse med hans tanker, og efter hans egen sygelige fantasi! Mennesker der har været indsnævret, som har tjent ved bordene, som ikke er langtsynede, er diskvalificeret til at sætte deres præg på arbejdet. Dem der ønsker at styre arbejdet tænker at ingen kan gøre det bedre end dem selv, og fremkalder mærkerne af deres mangler, på de udholdende. Til videre studium: Vejledning for menigheden, bd 3, side 338, 376, (Testimonies, vol 9, side 187, 284), Evangeliets Tjenere -norsk-, side 226, 227, 357, 358, 360, (Gospel Workers, side 303, 304, 484, 485, 488.