The Story of Feed the Minds

From a  'Campaign' to a 'Movement'

Plans to turn the Campaign into a continuing long-term effort had surfaced midway through the Campaign. Differences persisted between the Bible Society and the rest. By the end of 1966, however, the Archbishop of York’s Fund, a new organisation with no track record, had defined its objective as enabling the churches overseas thereby coming extremely close to SPCK and USCL, who were well aware of the problems of overlap and duplication and already reflecting on the possibilities of bringing their two mission operations closer to each other, so that by March 1967 there was fairly general agreement that the 'Campaign' should become a 'Movement' with three objectives:

• To bring together SPCK, USCL, CLC and AYF for joint consultation and planning of literature support.
• To develop an integrated British response to the literature needs of churches overseas.
• To form a single UK unit to represent British participation in international bodies, notably SLAC and CLF.

The BIble Society was the least enthusiastic and after much discussion withdrew from further involvement to concentrate on the scriptures, contrary to the wishes of Donald Coggan who was determined to keep the slogan (Feed the Minds) for the Movement and who overcame the Bible Society’s reluctance to concede it.

SPCK and USCL, in conjunction with CBMS and the AYF, decided to march on together, agreeing to handle all promotion jointly, retaining Feed the Minds as the public image and funding slogan, and concentrating on the wider literature field under the aegis of JACLO (Joint Action for Christian Literature Overseas). In November the Campaign Committee was adjourned sine die and John Pearse, who had been seconded by the Bible Society to the Campaign, became Director.

Despite its failings and trials it was a significant forward step in Christian unity and co-operation. In its Annual Report for that year SPCK described it as ‘the dominating event in the Society’s Church Relations work this year’ stressing that without any reduction of sovereignty or independence for the Societies, it would enable Britain to offer the services of a joint literature organisation to the churches overseas and to speak with one common voice at the international level of Christian literature development, though not without recognising the urgency to educate their own supporters to the need.

Ray Nicholls, an Anglican priest and former CMS missionary in Kenya, became the principal architect of the new structure, meeting with the various parties throughout 1967 and preparing several papers to clarify the thinking. Building on the mutual trust and confidence engendered by the Campaign, Nicholls argued that an adequate British response to the needs of the WCC/CLF called for a single integrated operation with organic union, and though sensitive to historic loyalties and other difficulties he saw no way in which you could have four different bodies (AYF, SPCK, USCL. CBMS) with four separate committees making grants to the same organisation on the recommendation of a fifth committee made up of the same half-dozen people (JACLO). Closer cooperation with a view to some form of integration was essential. That was his philosophy, that was his goal as he embarked on the task of persuading others.

First came the practical considerations. One was the uncertainty as to the future of the AYF and FTM when the Campaign was wound up. Another was the problems for the Home Committees of SPCK and USCL which found their attention divided between serving their own Society and sharing in a joint operation. Nicholls’s scheme sought to respect both, distinguishing those activities which belonged distinctively to one Society as a result of character, churchmanship and historical connections, from those other activities in which both Societies had an interest, to which both were contributing, and which was larger and growing. Societies could retain the right to handle anything in the first category. Matters in the second would be determined by one Committee on which they would be fully represented and conducted under appropriately headed notepaper. The Scheme had many merits

• eliminate duplication in committee work.
• a tangible organisation to continue the AYF within FTM and develop the response to the Campaign.
• simplify and unify the UK response to the WCC/CLF appeal.
• clarify fund raising and ease potential sources of confusion, tension and competition.
• offer a single point of contact for overseas agencies  with a simplification and reduction of correspondence.

The proposals went ahead much as Nicholls suggested. In John Pearse FTM had one person to handle the transition, cover matters relating to FTM directly and service the joint Committee. Costs were  underwritten by SPCK and USCL. FTM branding was standardised. All publicity and promotion, including providing speakers, literature, film strips and other educational material were to be done jointly, and in due course the two Societies agreed to soft-pedal their own promotion. Grant requests were evaluated and determined in one Committee and all grant applications received by USCL, SPCK, the CBMS Christian Literature Fund and the Archbishop of York’s Fund would be channelled through JACLO (on which they would all be represented) and using FTM rather than JACLO for promotional purposes.

Of the missionary societies (other than USCL and SPCK) the only one consistently to apply this principle was the Methodist Missionary Society (subsequently the Methodist Church Overseas Division, subsequently the World Church Office of Methodism) which had a literature budget of £20,000 administered by David Temple, their Overseas Literature Secretary and their representative on JACLO. He firmly believed that support for literature should be handled ecumenically through JACLO, virtually disbanded his Committee and handed the money over, after which it was always regarded as an annual contribution. 

Despite their general support, and often a readiness to respond to FTM requests for specific projects, particularly related to something with which they already had a link, most missionary societies were saw their primary responsibility as nurturing a one-to-one relationship with their constituencies. Support from the churches denominationally was virtually nil except for considerable help from the Baptist Union with the arrival of EUROLIT. 

Nevertheless, with the backing of their respective committees, SPCK and USCL successfully worked out a detailed programme of co-operation in the Home Appeal with the missionary societies and the AYF to enable FTM to move into a new era as from January 1, 1968, whereby the four institutions (SPCK, USCL, AYF and CLC) would co-ordinate consultation and planning to develop an integrated British response to the literature needs of churches overseas, to represent British participation in the Supporting Literature Agencies’ Consultation (SLAC) and to present a united British appeal, under the banner, ‘Feed the Minds — Joint Action for Christian Literature Overseas’.

On the positive side the topic was now much more firmly, and clearly, on the agenda of the churches and missionary societies than when the Campaign began. SPCK and USCL, in their new role, were officially recognised in the eyes of both and able to present a new set of challenges and opportunities. JACLO could build on and develop the work SPCK and USCL had been doing separately for 250 and 150 years respectively. The foundations for future development were well and truly laid and there were other positives, not only the common application form and branding but also the understanding that each participant had authority to act on behalf of all once agreement had been reached.

Weaknesses and Loopholes

There were however serious weaknesses and one or two loopholes. 

1. Both SPCK and USCL, for example, reserved the right to continue their own work (with their own branding) where they wished. This inevitably continued to sow confusion among both British contributors and overseas applicants (not to mention new members of staff), some of whom were likely to be receiving grants from SPCK or USCL (or even both) as well as Feed the Minds, and who were never quite sure who they were dealing with.
2.  All grants involving contributions from SPCK and USCL had to be approved individually by the contributing Society. The days of making a block grant to FTM for use by the FTM Committee (even though it included SPCK and USCL representatives) was some years away and remained a vision to be realised. 
3. In the case of the missionary societies,the idea that they could bring literature requests which they received from their partners into the common arena was never anything more than ‘a hope’
4. The freedom for SPCK and USCL to make appeals for their own funds provided they did so without any reference to FTM was a price to be paid to get everyone on board and to move forward, but it undoubtedly weakened the appeal, lost the personal interest of some of their faithful supporters, continued to confuse the general public, created tensions with the passing of time and made further unity more difficult. 

A Firm Foundation

None of this is to suggest that any of the Societies deliberately set out to sabotage the agreements. On the contrary, SPCK and USCL supported the venture wholeheartedly from 1968 and immediately and enthusiastically set about laying a firm foundation for future growth and development. 

When John Pearse retired in 1973 USCL released their Overseas Secretary, Jim Sutton, to succed him, added his remit to the General Secretary of USCL and appointed him to be the official member of the JACLO Grants Committee. Similarly in 1973, Ray Nicholls left SPCK and was succeeded by George Lunn, and the triumvirate effectively formed the FTM staff until Jim Sutton retired in 1980 at which point George Lunn and Alec Gilmore (then General Secretary of USCL) took joint responsibility for the future of what became FTM Mark 3.

All parties recognised that overlapping and anomalies would not disappear overnight but were perhaps too committed to the venture to appreciate the need to maintain the momentum. As a first step to integration, it may have left much to be desired but was undoubtedly a step forward even if it was little more than the reduction of four trumpets and five tunes, first to three and then to two trumpets but still three tunes until USCL decided to disconue all promotion and fund raising on ts own behalf, effectively turning USCL into a straight grant making body, mainly through Feed the Minds from its resources and investments. 

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