New Light On The Early Ministry Of Arthur W. Pink (Part 1) – The Arthur W. Pink Archive (2024)

Published in Banner of Truth Magazine(May 2018), 13–22.

In the last 50 years, the writings of Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952) have influenced the resurgence of Calvinism in both in the United States and Great Britain.¹⁾For more on Pink’s role in the resurgence of Calvinism in the English speaking world see John J. Murray, Catch the Vision: Roots of the Reformed Recovery (Faverdale North, England: Evangelical Press, 2007), 29–44. Collin Hansen chronicles the emergence of neo-Calvinism in Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008). Pink was, however, a notoriously enigmatic figure. Anyone who considers it “an objectionable feature” and “bad manners” to talk about himself, as Pink did, is sure to leave a very short biographical trail.²⁾Arthur Pink, “Our Annual Letter” inStudies in the Scriptures(December 1945). Even after the publication of two biographies in the last 40 years, our knowledge of Pink’s life is still fragmentary.³⁾Iain Murray, The Life of Arthur W. Pink, 2nd ed. (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2004); Richard Belcher, Arthur W. Pink: Born to Write (Columbia: Richbarry Press, 1980). The most ambiguous part of Pink’s life remains his early years of ministry in America from 1912–1917. During this time Pink pastored five churches in five different cities: Silverton, Colorado; Garden Grove, California; and Burkesville, Albany, and Scottsville, Kentucky.

As noted, previous biographies of Pink provide only the faintest sketch of his life and ministry from 1912–1917. Richard Belcher’s biography, for instance, discusses Pink’s Silverton ministry in only three paragraphs and Pink’s time in California and Kentucky is covered in a single paragraph.⁴⁾Belcher, Arthur W. Pink, 40. Further, Belcher does not even mention that Pink pastored at Scottsville Baptist Church. Iain Murray’s biography provides more detail than Belcher’s but still provides only skeletal details about Pink’s early ministry. Murray affords Pink’s time in Silverton seven pages, most of which are reproductions of his sermon notes.⁵⁾Murray, The Life of Arthur W. Pink, 19–25. Murray impressively reconstructs Pink’s time in California and Kentucky from a few offhand statements in Pink’s letters and writings.⁶⁾Ibid., 26–38 Yet, as remarkable as Murray’s deductive work may be, the result is little more than a delineation of his whereabouts. In fact, Murray indicates that he is unsure when or even if Pink pastored in Scottsville.⁷⁾Ibid., 35–36. This article, aided by newly discovered historical documents, chronicles Pink’s life during this time and sheds more light on his early ministry and theological development during this season of his life.⁸⁾Regretfully, though Pink was an avid letter writer, his personal correspondence during this time either no longer exists or remains undiscovered. For a complete list of primary source documents I have discovered and catalogued see Appendix A.

Colorado (1910–1912)

Pink’s first pastorate was at Silverton Congregational Church in Silverton, Colorado. Reverend Augustus C. Hacke, Pink’s 36-year-old predecessor at the church, left Silverton on Sunday, July 31, 1910 after having accepted a call to the pastorate from a church in North Dakota. Little is known of Hacke’s ministry though he seems to have left the church on generally good terms.⁹⁾An interesting article appeared in the Silverton Standard a year later indicating that at his new church Hacke was the victim of an attempted murder plot. The Standard records that an “anarchist” placed a stick of dynamite in one of the windows of the parsonage along with a note under a stone near the front door that read “We are sick of you and M.E. Church. You are the leader. Leave town at once.” Thankfully, neither Rev. Hacke nor his wife was hurt in the incident (“Anarchist Attempt to Murder Rev. A.C. Hacke,” Silverton Standard [April 8, 1911], 2). The city’s local paper, Silverton Standard (henceforth: the Standard), advertised Hacke’s final service with an encouragement from him that “those interested in the work of the church” be in “full attendance.”¹⁰⁾Silverton Standard (July 30, 1910), 3.

Pinkarrived in Silverton on August 3, 1910. Three days later, the Standard published the followingannouncement under the heading “New Congregational Pastor”:

Rev. A.W. Pink, who was recently called from Chicago to fill the pastorate of the congregational church, made vacant by the resignation of its former parson, Rev. A. C. Hacke, arrived last Wednesday evening and will conduct the usual services next Sunday. Mr. Pink is a recent arrival in the United States from Nottingham, England. He is a young gentleman of pleasant address, manly bearing and impresses one with the thought that he is in every way most eminently fitted for the discharge of the duties of his new position.¹¹⁾“New Congregational Pastor,” Silverton Standard (August 6, 1910), 2.

Pink did not waste any time settling into the work of the ministry.¹²⁾Where Pink lived during his stay in Silverton is unknown. The church owned a furnished parsonage but it appears he chose not to make use of it. After Pink’s arrival several advertisem*nts appeared in the local paper indicating that the parsonage was for rent. (Silverton Standard, [September 3, 1910], 3 and [November 19, 1911], 5). The Silverton county property records have no information about Pink’s residence during this time. The Congregational Church schedule, which was printed every Saturday in the Standard, recorded the following schedule of services just ten days after he arrived.

Congregational Church
Saturday, Aug. 13, 1910.
7:30 PM – Christian Endeavor meeting.
Sunday, Aug 14, 1910.
10:30 a.m. – Morning worship and sermon.
11:15 a.m. – Sunday School.
7:30 p.m – Evening worship and Gospel sermon
Monday, Aug 15, 191
At 8 p.m. – Bible study class (meeting at Wilkinson’s residence).
Thursday, Aug. 18, 1910
At 7:30 p.m – Prayer meeting and study of the Sunday school lesson.
You are cordially invited to all these services.
Rev. Pink, pastor.¹³⁾“Congregational Church,” Silverton Standard (August 13, 1910), 2.

Murray comments that “less than two weeks after his arrival, Pink can hardly have introduced all these meetings.”¹⁴⁾Murray, Life of Arthur W. Pink, 24. While it is true that Pink inherited this series of ministry meetings, he did however make some modifications. Hacke’s general practice was to hold the “Christian Endeavor” meeting on Tuesdays and the mid-week Bible study on Thursdays. Pink, however, intensified the schedule. He changed the Tuesday night “Christian Endeavor” meeting to Saturday, he added a Monday night Bible study (which would soon change to a Friday night meeting at 7:30 PM),¹⁵⁾The location of the Bible study also changed from Mr. Wilkinson’s home to Mr. Alex Allan’s home. and he altered the Thursday meeting to include a review of the Sunday School lesson. He also specifically designated the evening worship time for “Gospel Sermons.”

The difficulties of pastoral ministry emerged shortly after Pink’s arrival. Just seven days after moving to Silverton, Pink was asked to officiate at the funeral of George Leland Hollingsworth, a man described by the Standard as “one of Silverton’s oldest residents and earth’s [sic] noble men.” The funeral was “one of the largest ever held in the city” and no doubt a trial by fire for Silverton’s twenty-four-year-old freshman pastor.¹⁶⁾“Another Pioneer Has Passed Away,” Silverton Standard (August 13, 1910), 2.

During the next twenty-one months as pastor of Silverton Congregational Church, Pink officiated at least eleven funerals—some of which were the result of tragic accidents and unexpected infant deaths.¹⁷⁾“Grover Lacy Meets a Horrible Death at the Liberty Bell Mill,” Silverton Standard (November 19, 1910), 2; “Death Claims Little Edward Myers,” Silverton Standard (October 28, 1911), 2. Pink no doubt grew quickly from experience, officiating at no fewer than five funerals in just the first four months of his ministry.

Inone instance, the Standard recorded Pink’s eulogy for a seventeen-year-oldgirl who died from a serious illness:

The church was most profusely decorated with flowers. In the closing paragraphs of the eloquent funeral oration delivered by Rev. A.W. Pink which was a beautiful tribute to her memory and full of comforting words for the sorrowing relatives. He spoke as follows:

“The many chums of our departed sister, her friends in the Sunday School and her fellow workers in the Christian Endeavor feel that they have parted with a dear friend and a valued worker. Her bereaved parents feel that there is now a vacant place in the home which will never again be filled. Yet amid the encircling gloom there is a light, in the severest sorrow there is a sympathizer, in the bitterest grief there is a comfort. Oh, that we may turn to the one who promises to bestow rest upon the weary and impart peace to the troubled heart.

‘The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away.’Why he has removed our sister we cannot tell. Yet he has His own good reason. It may be the Lord has removed her in order to spare her further suffering. The Lord is not unmindful of us. He has promised to lay upon us no greater burden than we can bear and so just like a little bird released from its prison cage, the soul of our sister has flown from its tired body, for it may be the Lord wanted her above.”¹⁸⁾“Death Claims Miss Helen Wyman,” Silverton Standard (August 5, 1911), 2.

Other pastoral duties typical of a Silverton pastor were also a part of Pink’s routine. He conducted at least two weddings and also spoke at the Silverton High School baccalaureate service.¹⁹⁾See “Forney-Moffitt Nuptials,” Silverton Standard (August 20, 1910), 3 and “Town Topics,” Silverton Standard (January 6, 1912), 3. The speech was delivered at the Congregational Church on May 14, 1911, in place of the Sunday morning sermon.²⁰⁾“High School Commencement Next Friday,” Silverton Standard (May 13, 1911), 2. According to the Standard Pink’s comments on the occasion were “very eloquent, interesting, and instructive.”²¹⁾“Town Topics,” Silverton Standard (May 20, 1911), 3.

Pink also traveled regularly. A month after his arrival he attended the Mountain Conference for Ministers in Denver. During his ten-day absence, the superintendent for Colorado, Rev. Hopkins, filled his pulpit.²²⁾“Town Topics,” Silverton Standard (September 10, 1910), 5. Pink also took trips to Fruita, another trip to Denver, and also one to “the coast.”²³⁾Fruita is a city in Colorado roughly 130 miles north of Silverton. It may be that during this time Pink attended the 1911 instantiation of the Mountain Conference for Ministers. These trips are mentioned in “Town Topics,”Silverton Standard(June 3, 1911), 3; “Town Topics,”Silverton Standard(August 12, 1911), 3; and “Town Topics,”Silverton Standard(September 16, 1911), 5. Not all of Pink’s trips were for personal edification or to attend Bible conferences. Near the beginning of his ministry he began traveling to Eureka, a town eight miles northeast of Silverton, to hold Sunday afternoon services every other week.²⁴⁾“Town Topics,”Silverton Standard(September 24, 1910), 5.

Withrespect to his preaching during this time, Pink notes in a 1947 issue of Studiesin the Scriptures:

“During our first pastorate, we were much engaged in combating the error of salvation by personal culture and reformation; and therefore we threw our main emphasis on the truth contained in our Lord’s words, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:3, 5, 7), showing that something far more potent and radical than any efforts of our own were required in order to give admission into the kingdom of God; that no education, mortification, or religious adorning of the natural man could possibly fit him to dwell forever in a holy heaven.”²⁵⁾“The Great Change: Part 1,”Studies in the Scriptures,January 1947.

Two other topics also took up a great deal of his time: apologetics and eschatology. Pink’s interest in apologetics began early in his ministry. His third sermon at Silverton was entitled, “Is the Bible Inspired?”²⁶⁾“Congregational Church,”Silverton Standard(August 21, 1910), 2. which remained his Sunday morning topic several weeks in a row.²⁷⁾“Congregational Church,”Silverton Standard(August 27, 1910), 2. The evening worship sermons for August 21 and 27 were listed as “The Value of the Blood” and “The Great Remission” respectively. Likewise, on April 1, 1911 a special article in the Standard appeared entitled “Is There a God?” advertising Pink’s upcoming sermon series on apologetic issues.

Is there a God? This is a question that has confronted the minds of all the intelligent thinkers in every age. Does our belief in the existence of God rest upon credulity or reality, speculation or verification? If there is a God, is He personal or abstract, in other words is the Panthiestic [sic] or Diestic [sic] explanation of the Universe the true one?If there is a personal God is it possible for us to know Him?Can we possess anything beyond a mere intellectual belief in His existence?Is it possible for us to come into direct touch and living communion with Him? Is there one God, or three Gods? Does the Christian doctrine of the trinity teach Holy theism or can it be harmonized with one Supreme Being?Is God interested in our affairs, or is He indifferent about our welfare?Is God some great Despot refusing to notice our lives or is He solicitous of well-being.

The Pastor of the Congregational church wishes us to announce that (D.V.) next Sunday evening April 2 he will commence a series of sermons upon “God,” in which he will deal with and seek to answer the above questions. As this is a subject which cannot fail to interest thoughtful minds he hopes these Sunday evening services, which start at 7:30, will be well attended. Next Sunday evening “The Existence of God.”²⁸⁾“Is There a God,”Silverton Standard(April 1, 1911). It is uncertain whether Pink himself wrote the article but it is safe to say he had at least some contribution.

Pink probably addressed each of the questions mentioned in the article above. He also preached on “The Personality of God” during this series.²⁹⁾“Congregational Church,”Silverton Standard(April 29, 1911), 3. From his later writings it is clear that at least one source for Pink’s apologetic sermon material came from an unusual book entitled, The Unrealized Logic of Religion by W.H. Fitchett.³⁰⁾Pink, arguing for the existence of God in the August 1947 issue ofStudies in the Scripturesstates, “What follows is an enlargement of some notes we made nearly forty years ago from a book entitled,The Unrealized Logic of Religion.“The Doctrine of Revelation: The Existence of God,”Studies in the Scriptures,August 1947. Forty years prior to 1947 was the period of Pink’s Silverton pastorate.

Pink’s interest in eschatology and dispensational premillenialism also peppered his preaching and teaching ministry. On January 14, 1911, a notice appeared in the Standard indicating, “Last Sunday morning Rev. A.W. Pink of the Congregational church, commenced a series of special sermons upon the interesting and important subject, ‘The Second Coming of Christ,’ or ‘The Lord’s Return.’ It is hoped that these sermons will be listened to by increasing numbers and that the interest already awakened may be deepened and widened.”Pink’s series on eschatology lasted nearly three months. “The Lord’s Return” is listed as the title of his sermon for each Sunday between January 15 and March 5.³¹⁾March 12 is the first morning sermon not entitled “The Lord’s Return.” Yet since there are no sermon titles listed in theStandardthrough March, Pink could have continued preaching on the subject until the start of his series on the existence of God at the beginning of April.

Also during this time Pink changed the Friday night Bible study to a lecture series on the book of Revelation held in the home of one the church’s members, Alex Allan. The first reference to it occurs in the Saturday, January 14, 1911, issue of the Standard and indicates that on the previous day Pink lectured on Revelation 9.³²⁾“Congregational Church,”Silverton Standard(January 14, 1911), 4.Whether he had previously taught through chapters 1-8 is uncertain. Yet, this series of Friday night lectures on Revelation would continue for at least the next five months, the final lecture on Revelation 22 being delivered on May 26.³³⁾“Congregational Church,”Silverton Standard(May 20, 1911), 3. While the Friday Bible study continued throughout Pink’s time in Silverton the only other topic which the Standard records that Pink addressed was a lecture on “The Prophecies [of] Jesus Christ.”³⁴⁾“Congregational Church,”Silverton Standard(June 3, 1911), 3. The lecture took place June 9, 1911. The Silverton simply states “The Prophecies Jesus Christ.” Whether Pink was lecturing on the propheciesaboutChrist in the Old Testament or on the propheciesofChrist (such as Matthew 24) is uncertain. Perhaps Pink’s work during this season set the stage for his 1918 publication, The Redeemer’s Return. Even if Pink had no intention of publishing his material on Revelation and his series on the Lord’s Return, it no doubt served as his initial attempt to systematically formulate his thoughts on the matter.

Whether or not Pink’s teaching boretrue fruit, the Silverton community was receptive to him. His first sermon, preached four days after his arrival, was commended by the Standard as a “masterful effort,” which regrettably reached the Standard too late for publication.³⁵⁾“Town Topics,”Silverton Standard(August 13, 1910), 3. Regretfully the sermon never appears to have been printed in a later issue of theStandardeither. Also, following Pink’s 1910 Thanksgiving sermon the Standard published the following note: “We regret that lack of space compelled us to omit the publication of extracts from the able and eloquent sermon delivered at the Congregational church last Sunday by Rev. A.W. Pink on the text, ‘While earth remaineth seed time and harvest shall not fail.’”³⁶⁾“Congregational Church,”Silverton Standard(November 26, 1910), 2. In his later years, Pink developed a strong antipathy toward holidays. At this time of his life, however, he seems more open-minded to holiday celebrations. During the Christmas seasons, theStandardnotes that the church sponsored a Saturday service entitled “Church Children’s Annual Christmas Tree exercises” (“Congregational Church,”Silverton Standard[December 24, 1910], 2). Pink also participated in a “Special Easter service” on the April 16, 1911 (“Congregational Church,”Silverton Standard[April 15, 1911], 3).

One of the more interesting facets of Pink’s time in Silverton is his engagement in vocal performances throughout the community. Pink mentioned in a 1935 letter that he was a trained musician “both vocally and instrumentally.”³⁷⁾Arthur Pink,Letters of A.W. Pink: During the Period 1924-1951(Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1978), 62. Murray also noted that prior to Pink’s conversion, a friend and professional opera singer urged Pink to pursue the same profession, “having a high opinion of Pink’s baritone voice.”³⁸⁾Murray,Life of Arthur W. Pink, 10.

Pink put his baritone voice to work in the Silverton community. The Standard records that he performed solos at different community functions at least eight times during his tenure. Each year the women of the Congregational church put on a musical program with “both vocal and instrumental selections.” Among the performers in the 1910 program Pink is listed twice—performing a “selected” solo near the beginning of the program and singing “Down the Vale” as the penultimate performance.³⁹⁾“Congregational Concert,”Silverton Standard(December 3, 1910), 2. A similar evening of “Musical Entertainment” sponsored by the “Ladies Union of the Congregational church” was held the following year September 20, 1911. Pink again performed two more vocal solos (“Musical Entertainment,”Silverton Standard[September 23, 1911], 5). He also performed solos in both the morning and evening worship services December 11, 1910.⁴⁰⁾“Congregational Church,”Silverton Standard(December 10, 1910), 3.Further, Pink sang in musical performances outside of church functions. In one instance he was part of a “Dickens Program” and was a featured vocalist in the performance.⁴¹⁾“Town Topics,”Silverton Standard(February 3, 1912), 3.

Pink resigned from the pastorate just nineteen months after his arrival in Silverton. The announcement ran in the February 10, 1912 issue of the Standard: “Last week at a business meeting of the members of the Congregational church Rev. A.W. Pink tendered his resignation, the same to take effect in sixty days.”Murray speculates that perhaps Pink left the church due to the fact that “in the course of his studies he had come to Baptist convictions.”⁴²⁾Murray,Life of Arthur W. Pink, 26.The Standard, however, recorded that “ill health prompted this action on the part of Mr. Pink and it is his intention to go to California when the resignation goes into effect.”⁴³⁾“Town Topics,”Silverton Standard(February 10, 1912), 3. This same “ill health” may have been what prompted Pink’s month-long trip “to the coast” in August–September of 1911 (“Town Topics,”Silverton Standard[Aug. 12, 1911], 3 and [Sept. 6, 1911], 5).

It appears there were no hard feelings at Pink’s resignation. The Standard advertised Pink’s farewell reception by saying, “everyone is invited to attend and have a jolly good time.”⁴⁴⁾“Town Topics,”Silverton Standard (April 20, 1912), 3.He delivered the farewell sermon on April 28, 1912, and departed for California early the next week.⁴⁵⁾“Town Topics,”Silverton Standard(April 27, 1912), 3. The May 4, 1912Standardreads, “Last Friday evening the members and friends of the Congregational church tendered Rev. A.W. Pink, who departed on Monday’s train for California, a farewell reception. During the evening songs, recitations and numerous other amusem*nts were indulged in after which light refreshments were served to those in attendance” (3).

Pink’s successor was Charles F. Barrett of Delaware, Ohio. The congregation called him “to fill the pulpit… for the coming year.”⁴⁶⁾“Town Topics,”Silverton Standard(April 27, 1912), 3. Little is known about Mr. Barrett. The titles of his morning and evening sermons for June 2, 1912 were published in the June 1 paper as “The Question of questions” and “Silverton’s Most Popular Sin.” “Congregational Church,”Silverton Standard(June 1, 1912), 4.Barrett’s ministry, however, was short lived. A scant four months after Barrett’s call to ministry, the Standard ran another announcement that the Congregational church called J. Bunting Johnson, a native of Wales, to minister to the congregation. Apparently Rev. Johnson’s ministry was short as well. Ralph C. Byers served the church from 1913 to 1919, and, according to the church records, “possibly did more spiritually for all than any of the earlier ministers. He was particularly concerned for the youth of Silverton.”⁴⁷⁾“History of the Church.”http://www.silvertonchurch.org/history.htm. Accessed October 4, 2012.

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