Harvest Field Messenger
(commenced 1923)
According to History of the Seventh Day Church of God, Chapter 9, "Andrew N. Dugger and the Church of God Surge of the 1920s" by Richard Nickels:
"In February of 1921 [that should read 1923], a new kind of paper was begun, the Harvest Field Messenger, an official Church of God field organ, giving news of the churches and field evangelism work. It was issued monthly, at 25 cents per year. With this paper, a storehouse of information is available as to the activities of the Church of God, in home and foreign missionary fields.
That same year, the old publishing house was tripled in size, as a new building was constructed with a full basement. As one of the first issues of the Messenger reported, in the previous five years, 1916-1921, the Church of God had been carrying on "aggressive field work in territories where the 'Third Angel's Message' and the gospel of the coming kingdom has never been preached." Each year the field force had increased. In the preceding nine months, over $8000 had been paid out by the General Conference in missionary work. Further, "thousands of people have been reached with the message, and more converts made during the past year than during any preceding year of our history in America." The work had grown such that there weren't enough ministers, so Dugger exhorted the brethren "to carry on a greater work than we have ever done before . . . The Church of God must now be up and doing."
Was the Church of God really growing by leaps and bounds? Or does it only seem so because of "better reporting" (the Messenger)? There is proof that real growth did occur, for the 1921 General Conference set a goal of 1,000 new members for the following year, which goal was exceeded. Dugger truthfully reported that "never before has the Church of God in North America launched such a drive for winning souls to the narrow way with Christ as now."