In The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany by Mrs. Eddy there is a report of the Annual Meeting of The Mother Church held in Boston on June 12, 1906. The concluding remarks of the incoming President are worthy of repetition : "Friends, our progress may be fast or it may be slow, but one thing is certain, it will be sure, if we are obedient to the loving counsel of our ever faithful Leader. The Christ is here, has come to individual consciousness; and the faithful disciple rejoices in prophecy fulfilled, 'Lo, I am with you alway way, even unto the end of the world.'" My., p. 44;
The constituency of a Church of Christ, Scientist, is its membership. It follows that any progress manifested by the church is contingent on the individual member's obedience to the loving counsel of its Leader, Mrs. Eddy. Yet to be obedient to this counsel it is first necessary for the members to be familiar with the counsel she has given.
It may be assumed that the application form for admission to membership in a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, includes a question as to whether or not the applicant subscribes to the Rules and By-Laws in the Manual of The Mother Church by Mrs. Eddy, and that an affirmative answer is expected. However, while there may be no question that a "Yes" is given in good faith, there are occasions when it might be well to discuss a little more fully certain specific By-Laws to determine the applicant's awareness of demands which our Leader thought wise to present to her students. She did so not only to assist them in their own spiritual progress but also to ensure an expansion of the healing mission of her Church.
