file was produced from images produced by ,core ,historical ,literature in ,agriculture 7,,chla71 ,cornell ,university47 ,church ,cooperation in ,community ,life ,by ,,paul ,l4 ,,vogt ,,the ,,abingdon ,,press ,,new ,,york ,,cincinnati ,copyright1 #aiba1 by ,,paul ,l4 ,,vogt ,printed in the ,united ,states of ,america ,,to ,,my ,,father ,,and ,,mother ,,whose ,,public-,,spirited ,,and ,,lifelong ,,loyalty ,,to ,,religious ,,work ,,in ,a ,,country ,,community ,,has ,,been ,a ,,constant ,,inspiration ,,to ,,christian ,,service ,,contents ,,chapter ,,page ,,preface #g ,i4 ,,some ,,preliminary ,,definitions #i ,,ii4 ,,the ,,basis ,,for ,,community ,,service #bf ,,iii4 ,,the ,,economic ,,challenge ,,to ,,the ,,church #dd ,,iv4 ,,the ,,social ,,challenge ,,to ,,the ,,church #fi ,v4 ,,building ,,for ,,community ,,service #hd ,,vi4 ,,the ,,church ,,and ,,rural ,,public ,,thought #id ,,vii4 ,,adjusting ,,the ,,local ,,church ,,to ,,the ,,community #ajd ,,viii4 ,,interdenominational ,,readjustment #abd ,,ix4 ,,the ,,church ,,and ,,other ,,rural ,,agencies #adb ,x4 ,,missionary ,,programs ,,and ,,rural ,,community ,,service #aeb ,,xi4 ,,summary ,,and ,,conclusion #afi ,,preface ,many books have been written during the past few years on the rural church4 ,some of these have given excellent concrete illustrations of methods that are proving successful in solving local problems4 ,others have discussed the general rural church situation4 ,the rural life movement1 however1 has been so rapid that it is believed that a brief restatement of the place of the church in the rural life movement is desirable at the present time4 ,it has been the task and privilege of the writer for the past four years to be almost constantly in the field traveling from the ,atlantic to the ,pacific and from ,canadian border to the limits of ,florida and getting so far as possible first-hand impressions of rural church and community conditions4 ,it is the purpose of the present essay to discuss some of the general problems in rural life presenting themselves to the religious forces of ,america1 and to note some conclusions as to the next steps to be taken if these forces are to render the service in rural advance that it is believed is theirs to render4 ,suggestions as to local programs will be made only as evidence that when the church undertakes in an adequate manner the solution of problems whose solution is demanded of it1 it receives both the moral and the financial support of the people served4 ,the chapters on phases of the local program are intended only to help in preparing the way for the larger service contemplated4 ,as with individuals1 so it is with institutions4 ,it is difficult to discuss the place of different organizations in the rural life movement without arousing the antagonism of leaders in the respective organizations4 ,it is hoped that the point of view held will be accepted as one of sympathy for the efforts of all organizations concerned and that the purpose of the discussion is to point the way toward a larger cooperation resulting from a better understanding of the work that may be expected of each4 ,,paul ,l4 ,,vogt4 ,,chapter ,i ,,some ,,preliminary ,,definitions ,when one begins to discuss a subject it helps very much if his readers know what he has in mind in the terms used4 ,in the title selected for this text there are at least three words that need definition4 ,probably no reader will agree fully with any of the definitions given1 but an attempt to define should at least help the reader to understand better in what sense the terms are used by the writer4 ,the term community has come into such common use that it might be assumed that definition is unnecessary4 ,and yet when learned bodies get together to discuss community problems a large part of the time is usually taken up in attempting to define what the different speakers are talking about4 ,when the writer lived in the open country several years ago he went to ,mifflin ,center school and attended ,wesley ,chapel church4 ,the schoolhouse and the church were located at the same crossroads1 and these two institutions drew for their constituency from an area of about four square miles for the school and a somewhat larger area for the church4 ,brownstown school1 to the south1 ,hendrickson's to the east1 and ,whetstone to the west made up other school communities4 ,pleasant ,grove church1 ,salem1 and ,brownstown1 with a different territory covered by each1 made up church areas that did not coincide with the school areas bounding ,mifflin ,center school territory4 ,in like manner1 when trading was to be done1 ,upper ,sandusky and ,kirby1 five and six miles away1 were the centers to which everybody went1 generally on ,saturday afternoon1 when friends from other sections of the county might be found on the streets4 ,the boundaries of the trade center were thus much larger than those of either the school or the church4 ,in politics1 the center of interest of the particular township with which the writer was concerned was the old schoolhouse turned into a township house at ,mifflin ,center1 the location of the church and school4 ,the local political interests of the other communities mentioned were at the appointed places in the respective townships4 ,the seat of justice was for some time in the parlor of the writer's father's residence1 or in the front yard1 to which court was occasionally adjourned when weather conditions permitted4 ,in a larger way county courts were held at the county seat1 as were other of the larger political activities4 ,one could go on indefinitely illustrating the boundaries of interests of various kinds4 ,some of them centered in the ,state ,house2 others in the national ,capitol2 and many a wordy political battle was fought in the little country section over the question as to whether the protective tariff or the ,democratic party was responsible for the hard times the farmers and others were suffering4 ,there were even world interests involved1 as during the ,spanish-,american ,war or the ,venezuelan difficulty during ,cleveland's administration4 ,this concrete illustration both raises the question1 ,which of these is the community8 and also points the way to the answer4 ,none of the groupings mentioned can be considered the community4 ,yet each is a community4 ,a community is a psychical and not a physical thing4 ,it can only approximately be bounded by physical lines4 ,in the last analysis the true community is nothing more nor less than that group of two or more individuals who are bound together by a single interest4 ,thus two people living within sight of one another may be members of the same religious community and at the same time be absolutely separated from one another in their political affiliations4 ,also one person can at the same time belong to many communities4 ,but this definition1 if adhered to strictly1 would lead to confusion of thought perhaps more serious than a less accurate use of the term4 ,careful investigation of the relation of the different psychic communities to one another reveals the fact that geographically the areas of individual community interest overlap one another2 and that in the better organized regions the centers of interests coincide and it is only the boundaries of the several interests that are not coterminous4 ,the ,mifflin ,center illustration given above is good in that it had the religious1 educational and political interests centered at one physical spot4 ,the social and recreational life of a large part of this local area also was centered here4 ,in the other local groups mentioned there was a division of interest much more marked4 ,a more practical definition1 then1 of a community would be ,that aggregation of population which is bound together by a predominating proportion of its local interests4 ,if this definition is accepted1 then an inspection of almost any local aggregation1 in the open country at least1 will lead to the conclusion that there are few groups of people who have any large number of local interests in common4 ,perhaps the most powerful force to be considered in determining what is an open country community is that of the social life4 ,people in a given section habitually seek those with whom they are best acquainted when they get together for social affairs of interest outside the family circle2 and it is only occasionally that the mass will go out of these habitual associations in seeking social relaxation4 ,this social life may be sought at one time in the school1 at another in the church1 again at a picnic1 or in the home of some one in the neighborhood4 ,but the dominating factor is acquaintanceship rather than religion or education or business4 ,villages are more easily defined as to the number of interests holding the group together4 ,one principal objective in the modern local community organization movement seems to be to bring together at some central point the focal points of as many local interests as possible1 thus strengthening the community bonds and increasing the community consciousness4 ,as this end is achieved the necessity for the strict definition given above disappears and the community becomes that aggregation of people the majority of whose local interests have a common center4 ,this is the sense in which the term will be used in this discussion4 ,the term rural likewise conveys a different thought to different people4 ,indeed1 so likely has the term been to mislead that in a recent national survey of religious conditions1 the term was abandoned and town and country substituted4 ,the simpler plan is to arrive at a definition of the word rural which will include what the latter term connotes4 ,to confuse rural with agricultural is to ignore both the past and the present in movements of population and in organization of interests4 ,to an increasing degree the interests of the open country are centering in the village1 or even larger centers4 ,so that in discussing the problems of the agricultural population it is often necessary to make the center of discussion the organization of the village with an agricultural environment4 ,the better plan is to definitely discuss the problems of the open country under the term agricultural and retain the other term for all interests of groups of population in smaller communities1 whether in the open country or in the villages4 ,in general1 the division of the ,united ,states ,census will be observed and the term rural regularly applied to all groups of under two thousand five hundred population4 ,at a recent meeting of country ministers an attempt was made to define what is the problem of the rural church4 ,the definition as framed is herewith presented3 ,the rural task of the church is the nurture and development of all phases of human welfare in those communities where the general life and thinking of the people are related to matters which pertain to material natural resources4 ,this definition is inadequate from the administrative point of view in that it would exclude the small manufacturing community1 the educational center1 the summer and winter resort communities1 and similar specialized groups where population is small4 ,the problems of these small communities not directly related to material natural resources have many characteristics in common with those included in the above definition4 ,size of community has much to do with the type of problem presented2 and the one who understands the problems of the agricultural village is probably better able to deal with the problems of the villages of the type mentioned than is the one trained for service in a metropolitan center4 ,the term church is here used in the sense of including all religious forces in rural life4 ,the ,sunday ,school ,association1 the ,christian ,associations1 ,church ,federations1 and other groups allied to the church are included in the general term4 ,,the ,,manifold ,,functions ,,of ,,the ,,church ,the church is the only agency in existence that is concerned with man in all his relationships4 ,it is concerned with keeping alive in human consciousness the existence of a ,divine ,being and of man's relationship to that ,being4 ,it is the only agency that proceeds on the theory of the immortality of the human soul and that has a program of preparing the soul for a life after death4 ,in common with other agencies the church is concerned with the individual life of man on this earth and endeavors to lead human beings to that course of life which will result in the maximum of personal spiritual welfare4 ,and in common with other agencies it is concerned with man in his relations to others and to his material environment because these relationships have a vital effect on his spiritual life4 ,a full analysis of the functions of the church would include a discussion of those features of church work which have to do with man's relation to ,god and to an immortal existence4 ,but in a discussion of the church in relation to the community it is not necessary to consider man's relation to ,god nor to a future life except in so far as beliefs in such relationships influence his personal welfare on this earth or his relationships to his fellow man4 ,thus this discussion falls in the field of sociology rather than in the field of theology or psychology4 ,a casual observation of the forces at work in human relationships1 especially in the smaller communities1 leads quickly to the conclusion that beliefs both with reference to ,god and to a future life have a vital effect on social conduct4 ,but it is the effect instead of the truth of beliefs that is the subject matter to be considered4 ,having thus defined the field of our discussion both as to subject matter and as to the phase of the interests of the church to be considered1 it is next in order to note the size of the task4 ,according to the census of #aibj1 #ej1hff1hii people in the ,united ,states lived in rural territory1 that is1 in communities of less than #b1ejj population4 ,this was #dh4a per cent of the total4 ,for the first time in the history of the country the records showed a larger proportion of the total population living in urban centers than in villages or in the open country4 ,the population in incorporated villages of less than #b1ejj population was #i1hfd1aif1 or #i4c per cent of the total1 while that in unincorporated or open country communities was #da1jjb1gjc or #ch4h per cent1 as compared with #h4h per cent and #dd4h per cent respectively in #aiaj4 ,the total rural population increase was but #a1eah1ihf1 or #c4a per cent4 ,incorporated village increase was #a1gde1cga1 or #ba4e per cent1 while the unincorporated community population actually decreased #bbg1cee1 or 4#f per cent4 ,these figures indicate two conclusions of importance to our discussion4 ,the first is that the villages of less than #b1ejj inhabitants are sharing with the large centers in the general increase in population4 ,their increase proportionately is not so marked as is that of the extremely large centers1 but it is sufficiently marked to indicate that they offer opportunities that attract more than does the open country4 ,this village growth must be reckoned with in determining policies of location of church buildings and the type of local church program for community service4 ,the second conclusion is that the open country is still at a disadvantage so far as its possibilities of supporting a large population are concerned4 ,actual depopulation of the open country1 the enlargement of the size of farms1 the abandonment of acreage once under cultivation1 which preliminary figures issued by the ,census ,bureau indicate1 show that not yet is the demand for agricultural products such as to make a much larger open country population possible4 ,this fact also points the direction for readjustment of rural community life4 ,the data from the religious census of the ,united ,states1 taken in #aiaf1 while not classified as rural and urban1 give hopeful figures as to the progress of religious institutions in this country4 ,while the total population of the ,united ,states increased during the decade #aiaj-bj1 #ad4i per cent1 the church membership from #aijf-aiaf increased #ai4f per cent4 ,the total church membership increase1 #f1heh1gif1 was #ej4b per cent of #ac1gaj1hdb1 the increase in total population4 ,these figures of church membership increase1 covering a period before the ,european war began to affect this country seriously1 indicate that the general rising ethical standards of ,american life have had their reflection in the larger personal as well as financial support of the religious forces4 ,while data are not available as to the proportion of rural and urban population belonging to church1 the census gives figures as to the church membership in communities of over #be1jjj population4 ,according to census estimates1 #cb4g per cent of the population lived in cities of over that population in #aiaf4 ,the religious census shows that #cf4e per cent of the church membership lived in communities of that size4 ,contrary to popular impression1 the larger centers actually have a larger proportionate church membership than do the smaller communities4 ,the facts show that the problem of advance of the ,christian ,church is more of a small-community problem than it is of the larger centers4 ,while the proportion of the total population belonging to church increased from #ch4a per cent in #aijf as compared with the #aiaj population to #ci4f per cent in #aiaf as compared with the #aibj population1 the magnitude of the unfinished task is still almost staggering4 ,if the proportion for rural ,america were the same as for the country as a whole1 there would be #bj1adc1bib people not belonging to church4 ,church membership1 of course1 is not the only criterion of the influence of the church2 nor would all denominations admit that all the people should belong to church1 since some would not accept children not yet having reached the age of accountability4 ,but in any case ,christian ,america is not ,christian even in church membership4 ,this does not take into account matters of social and economic relationships which the spirit of ,christianity has not yet penetrated and by which church members as well as nonmembers are bound4 ,more than #ej1jjj1jjj rural folk rising to a consciousness of their inherent solidarity and community of interest1 and more than #bj1jjj1jjj of these not affiliated with any religious organization1 present a challenge for trained leadership unequaled in the history of the world4 ,urban interests have grown powerful4 ,urban life has rapidly advanced for at least the more favored groups until it has far outstripped conditions in rural communities that go to make up the best in modern civilization and culture4 ,germs have been found in the ,old ,oaken ,bucket in the country1 while the scourge of typhoid has been banished from the city1 and the ,church in the ,dell has crumbled in decay1 while the metropolitan pulpit has taken the best leadership for its own4 ,the country has been unable to compete with the urban centers for educational1 religious1 or social leadership because wealth has accumulated in the cities4 ,rural population has declined because the prizes in wealth accumulation were in the cities and because it was easier to secure those things there that people have learned to value as most worth while1 in good housing1 medical attendance1 education1 and recreation4 ,while city poets have sung the praises of country life1 many people who have lived in the country and endured the long hours and little pay from husbandry have1 like the ,arab1 folded their tents and slipped away2 and when once they have tasted the advantages of urban life1 have not returned4 ,no civilization can be wholesome or permanent so long as any one great group is permanently handicapped in its struggle for economic or social welfare4 ,so long as any group is evidently at a disadvantage the shift of population from the less-favored to the better-favored groups will continue2 that is1 unless castes are formed which compel people to remain permanently in one group or the other4 ,and this does not happen in modern democratic society4 ,and so long as there is a continuous shift of population in one direction or another we have evidence that conditions are such as to induce the shift4 ,it is the existence of conditions such as these that makes the challenge for a trained loyal service on the part of those selected to attend to matters concerned with rural public welfare4 ,it is the purpose of the following pages to outline briefly some of the conditions to which the church must give attention if it is to meet the demand now made upon it by modern rural life4 ,it is not intended to be a treatise on practical theology in the sense ordinarily accepted in courses on that subject4 ,very little attention will be given to matters of organization or administration of the local church4 ,it is believed that if only ministers of the gospel can once attain an adequate grasp of the purposes of religious service1 the matter of method of accomplishing results may be left largely to the pastors themselves4 ,on the other hand1 emphasis upon method1 which seems to be demanded by many ministers instead of knowledge of ends to be attained1 is more than likely to lead to overorganization1 or organization not adapted to objectives4 ,one of the essentials in all leadership is that of having definite objectives toward which to work1 and it is the purpose of this text to call the attention to objectives and to organization1 both local and general1 adapted to the attainment of objectives rather than the methods of attaining them4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,basis ,,for ,,community ,,service ,the past few years have witnessed a marked widening of the concept of the functioning of the church4 ,but there is still considerable question concerning the basis for the program of church work that now bids fair to become conventional4 ,not long ago the writer attended a convention of a state social welfare association4 ,over three hundred and fifty persons were in attendance representing the leading agencies for the advance of social welfare in the entire commonwealth1 both urban and rural4 ,careful inquiry revealed the fact that but one minister had registered1 and he was on the program4 ,on the other hand1 it is the rare occurrence for those professionally interested in social service to be present at a convention of representatives of religious orders4 ,in practice there is still a clean-cut dividing line between those interested in social progress and those engaged in so-called religious work4 ,the social workers are not irreligious2 many of them believe their service to be of the highest type of religious expression4 ,the representatives of the church are welcomed by social workers into their councils1 but it is feared that often these representatives are not taken seriously because for so long they have had a program that affected social welfare in but an indirect way4 ,the time has come when representatives of the church should accept their rightful position as leaders in all movements that tend to make human existence more ,christ-like and to make the kingdom of heaven on earth more of a reality4 ,the reason for the attitude of both ministers and people toward the church has been the emphasis placed upon individual regeneration as the sole and all-important method of advancing the ,kingdom4 ,the conversion of the individual would lead him into right conduct4 ,when all individuals were converted then the kingdom of heaven would indeed be at hand4 ,but the advance of social science has made clear the fact that the individual is very largely the expression of the group in which he lives4 ,custom1 convention1 fashion1 public opinion1 and other group influences go far to determine what individual thought and action will be in any given group4 ,the ,tennessee mountaineer has a different standard of what constitutes true religion from that of the ,new ,england ,unitarian4 ,the code of race relationships in ,mississippi is not the same as that in ,wisconsin4 ,the standards of the boy's gang determine largely the dress1 the ideals1 and habits not only of youth but of the coming man4 ,even in the life of the individual different standards exist suitable to the several groups in which he carries on his habitual activities4 ,the capitalist who corrupts ,legislatures with impunity in business or who prevents child-labor legislation may be a model ,christian gentleman in his home and church life4 ,it is admitted that in the last analysis the group mind can have its existence only in the individual minds that compose it4 ,but it is also true that when we consider the minds of individuals working in groups with the consciousness of what the reactions of others are1 the results are different from what they are when the individual acts alone4 ,moreover1 individuals as a class react in much the same way to stimuli that affect all of the members of the group at a given time4 ,if the price of milk is raised so that there is suspicion of profiteering1 common resentment appears4 ,if the leadership of a political party is threatened1 the politician1 even though he loses leadership1 rarely bolts his group4 ,instead he finds some excuse for standing by the party organization4 ,it is not necessary to alter the minds of all individuals by conversion in the conventional manner either to change public opinion1 alter physical conditions1 or change the form of social organization4 ,when these changes are effected in the minds of the controlling elements of the group1 then the entire public mind and social organization are altered and the social process goes on stimulated in newer and1 it is hoped1 better directions4 ,one or two illustrations should make this point clearer4 ,several years ago it was the custom to use common drinking cups on railways4 ,when first legislation was passed to prevent such use1 considerable public opinion opposed it as foolish4 ,now1 it is difficult to get any one to touch a common drinking cup even in the home4 ,before the elimination of the saloon powerful and sometimes very respectable forces were lined up in favor of its continuance4 ,but as soon as the fight against the saloon had been carried to the point of its legal elimination many of those who once supported the barroom because of the profit to them became its opponents4 ,formerly the saloon was a center for the corruption of many if not most of the youth in the community4 ,now1 most communities are bringing up a far higher grade of young people morally than they once were because it is no longer necessary to fight against this center of immoral infection4 ,the lesson these illustrations should teach is this3 that the conventional method used by the churches during the past half century of depending almost entirely upon individual regeneration through personal appeal as a means of salvation of the race has handicapped the church and limited its effectiveness4 ,when it is once understood that the mind and the character of the individual can be influenced in as many ways as there are social contacts1 and when the means of approach through all these contacts is understood1 then the effectiveness of the church will be immeasurably increased4 ,social life must be saved not only through individual regeneration but also through the establishment of a right attitude on the part of the individual and as many individuals as possible4 ,on the other hand1 individual attitudes can be established in large part by bringing about1 through means now fairly well understood1 good economic conditions and social organization4 ,the sad part about the traditional limited method of approach to improvement of group life has been that in probably the majority of cases impulses were aroused by personal appeal to do good and then through ignorance of objectives in group advance those impulses were allowed to die4 ,the backslider is an excellent illustration of the results of periodic renewal of impulse to right living4 ,in most other cases the impulses thus aroused have found their expression in a hypersensitiveness in regard to certain phases of personal conduct4 ,emphasis upon personal moral conduct to the exclusion of effective interest in social progress characterized much of the product of the personal evangelistic campaigns carried on periodically during the past two or three generations1 while the real work of making the world better has been directed by men and women not particularly subject to these periodical waves of religious impulses but imbued with a steady abiding faith in the worth of social action4 ,they have had the good impulses1 but these impulses have been steadied and rendered permanently valuable because faith based on knowledge of objectives was available4 ,if the serious errors of the past are to be avoided it will be necessary for those intrusted with responsibilities of church leadership to vastly increase their knowledge of problems of group life and of methods of control of group life4 ,the following pages are designed to aid the prospective religious leader1 either professional or lay1 as far as possible in understanding some of the problems that must be dealt with in making human life what ,christianity hopes for4 ,results already have been achieved sufficient to place beyond question the principle that the church must approach life from every possible angle4 ,the effort to produce right attitudes in the individual must be continued1 but the methods used must be varied and multiplied4 ,furthermore1 before the sound point of view with reference to the method of approach to the problems of the church can be obtained it will be necessary to have a clear understanding as to the place of the child in the moral order4 ,those who derive their theology by reading and interpreting isolated passages of the ,scriptures sometimes arrive at unexpected1 and1 from the point of view of rational living1 eccentric and positively harmful conclusions4 ,some devoted readers find in the writings of ,paul something about ,whereas in ,adam all die1 in ,christ all are made alive2 and in ,christ's words the utterance to ,nicodemus1 ,except a man be born again he shall not enter the kingdom of heaven4 ,they have drawn from these doctrines that all men are born with sin inherent in their natures and that there is no good in the soul until conversion has taken place4 ,so long as these doctrines find a place in the preaching and practice of churches the method of world salvation will be radically different from that for which the writer is contending4 ,in brief1 if the words of ,christ are taken at their face value when he said ,suffer little children to come unto me1 for of such is the kingdom of heaven1 we have an entirely different basis of approach to our problem than if we assume that all are lost except those upon whom the mystical influence of conversion in the traditional sense has operated4 ,if the assumption that children are born good is accepted1 then we are brought to the question1 ,how may these innocents be kept so8 ,the answer is1 ,by training them to control their natural impulses1 good in themselves but likely to lead into wrong if not properly directed2 and by cultivating the natural tendencies to good that find expression in every normal child4 ,they must also be brought to an understanding of what ,christ means to them as their ,saviour and ,guide4 ,then this must be supplemented as rapidly as possible by the organization of group life1 in such a way that evil influences will be eliminated4 ,the saloon was not many years ago the center of corruption of thousands--yes1 millions--of the growing youth of this country4 ,the elimination of the saloon has made possible the development of millions of young people free from the particular type of sinfulness for which the saloon was responsible4 ,in like manner1 the elimination of commercialized vice has rendered our cities incomparably safer for our young men and women than they once were4 ,the substitution of wholesome amusement for young folks in good environment for the unregulated commercialized amusements once the sole source of recreation has exerted a moral influence too far-reaching to be estimated4 ,the introduction of cooperation in industry has eliminated the sin accompanying the fights between capital and labor in those industries where it has been introduced4 ,these illustrations show how it is possible1 by continuing the improvement of social and economic conditions to create such an environment as will destroy the sources of individual corruption and degeneration and will make the growth of the child a continuous succession of stages of spiritual improvement and growth4 ,conversion can thus conceivably become a conscious personal acceptance of ,christ and of the principles of ,christianity as the normal basis for right living without a noticeable break in the course or direction of life rather than the intense emotional cataclysm that so often characterized the change in hardened sinners4 ,when children good by nature are brought up in an environment physical and spiritual that has been brought into harmony with the laws of ,god1 then the problems of evil will be reduced to those arising out of natural causes over which man has not achieved control2 and children will be looked upon as the natural and rightful members of the church instead of being kept out of the church until they reach the age of accountability4 ,the burden of getting out of the church should be put on the child instead of the usual responsibility of deciding to come into it4 ,it is customary for leaders of the church to assume credit for practically all the good things going on in the direction of human improvement by assuming that1 though the church does not have a large membership1 comparatively speaking1 its influence has inspired the good work being done in social progress4 ,it is well to face frankly the fact that1 whatever may have been the situation in the past1 at the present it is questionable whether the church has been the source of even the larger portion of this inspiration4 ,the public schools1 including the higher institutions of learning1 have been socializing the future leaders in social progress so that their inspiration has been drawn from a concrete knowledge of social problems and from the belief that humanity can1 by proper effort1 control conditions of living4 ,then pragmatic results have furthered this belief until inspiration has come from the achievement of results themselves rather than from any recognition of ,christian influence in social life4 ,the ,christian religion is doubtless responsible for those things most worth while in modern life1 but other sources of inspiration have developed for which ,christianity does not get the credit4 ,the conclusion of the whole matter is that in the past two or three generations two marked divisions have grown up1 the one a section or wing inside the church which has placed sole emphasis upon individual regeneration as the method of social progress2 the other largely outside the church1 with emphasis upon social reform as the method of advance4 ,what is needed is a widening of the field so that the methods of social improvement proved to be of value by social workers will be adopted as valid methods of bringing about the kingdom of ,god4 ,on the other hand1 social workers must give more attention to the regeneration of the individual4 ,when each of these groups recognizes the value of the program of the other1 then it will be difficult to distinguish longer between churchmen and social workers4 ,the two groups will1 in fact1 join hands1 and by unifying and coordinating efforts will work more effectively in attaining a common aim4 ,the basis1 then1 for the program for the church which will touch all phases of human interest in a vital way is that every human interest has its effect on the welfare of the soul4 ,and a program that fails to take into account every approach to the individual can at least be but partial4 ,again1 it will be necessary to revise popular impression as to just what is spiritual4 ,the farmer who after having a most unusual spiritual experience at a revival service angrily opposed a local movement for consolidation of schools because such a move would increase taxes had an idea of religion that was strictly personal--and anti-social4 ,the church leader who feared that the encouragement of social-center activities by the church would ultimately result in a condition in which the social activities of the church would overshadow the spiritual1 had in mind a distinction that must be met and understood if the church is to broaden its program without losing its identity as a religious institution4 ,the minister who1 while praising a community-club movement which had brought to the community many improvements and a better moral condition1 stated that it was injuring the church1 either saw a real conflict between spiritual and social welfare or had a misconception as to what is spiritual4 ,the problem seems to arise out of a tendency which has crept into theological thought to limit spiritual things to mystical personal experiences4 ,with this definition of spiritual things there seems to have come a tendency to look upon any type of activity that was of a practical nature1 such as providing for the recreational needs of the community1 organizing a campaign for better reading facilities for country people1 or for better farming1 as not spiritual1 and consequently be sedulously avoided by the church4 ,perhaps there is no thought in ,american rural life to-day that causes more trouble to the aggressive rural minister of the modern type than this4 ,his young men and women want to broaden the scope of the church1 but the trustees1 and those whose word counts toward the selection of pastors and their removal1 often oppose anything being done by the church which is not customary and accordingly1 as they think1 not spiritual4 ,christ said ,i am come that ye might have life1 and have it more abundantly4 ,if this statement is accepted at its face value1 then we have the foundation for judging every activity in which the church may partake4 ,does the activity tend to increase the material and spiritual welfare of the community1 so that the influences that tend to the extermination of the group are less8 ,if so1 then it conforms to the purposes of the coming of the ,christ4 ,on the other hand1 if the activity does positively lessen the resistance of the community1 reducing it ultimately to a lower scale of living characterized by those things that are recognized as harmful1 then it is not a legitimate part of church work4 ,it also follows that if such harmful conditions exist in the community without a protest on the part of the church or without some definite effort to eliminate them1 then the church is not living up to the high calling expected of it by the ,master4 ,the term spiritual is1 accordingly1 much more inclusive than has been popularly supposed1 and one of the great contributions of social science during the past few decades has been to bring to the public mind the knowledge that man and his spirituality cannot be dealt with individually but must be included in all those relationships that affect the soul of the individual4 ,while the succeeding pages have to do with the social aspects of the spiritual life of man1 it must never be forgotten that the regeneration or the quickening of the individual is at least half of the task in community progress4 ,the life of the honest1 upright man1 whose soul has been set on fire by contact with the flame of divine love1 whose heart has been brought into harmony with the divine will of ,god1 becomes in itself a point for the radiation of impulses for right living4 ,and when these impulses are directed into useful channels through a broadened understanding of sound objectives in social progress1 then real advance is possible4 ,there are many other phases of thought that act as a hindrance to the advance of the spiritual kingdom in rural ,america1 but these illustrations will be sufficient to show what must be cleared away before the broad program of the modern rural church can be whole-heartedly accepted4 ,in fairness to the writer it should be kept in mind1 as stated in the definitions given at the opening1 that this text has nothing to do with those vital elements of religious organization and service which are intended to keep alive man's belief in a divinity and in immortality except in so far as these beliefs affect community relationships4 ,the discussion of these subjects falls1 rather1 into the realm of theology4 ,it is hoped that at least the principles underlying the movement toward broadening the program of the rural church have been clearly1 if briefly1 stated1 and that the movement toward a larger concept of the religious forces as a factor in rural progress will continue to spread at an accelerating speed4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,economic ,,challenge ,,to ,,the ,,church ,as one travels through the rural districts of ,america and observes differences in the standards of living he is convinced that human welfare depends very largely on economic conditions4 ,the broad1 well-tilled fields of ,iowa1 surrounding large1 well-built houses1 big red barns and other outbuildings1 form a marked contrast with the patches of corn in irregular fields cleared from the brush and scrub trees on hillsides in ,tennessee or ,kentucky1 and the hovels and rundown farm buildings which go under the name of homes for the hill people4 ,healthy1 well-dressed1 happy children attending good schools of the most modern type in the corn belt undoubtedly have the advantage of the boys and girls in the hills who often do not learn to read and write before they are ten years old1 if at all1 and when they do go to school must be taught by poorly trained teachers for short terms1 ending before the holidays1 and in one-room schools often attended by nearly a hundred children4 ,religious service and leadership in the one section under the direction of college and theological seminary men can hardly be put in the same class with the highly emotional expression of religious impulses of the mountain section led by once-a-month absentee pastors with no education1 or1 worse still1 by wandering so-called evangelists of doubtful morality4 ,one could go through the whole list of contrasts between the economically well-favored sections of the country and the less favored agricultural sections and in no way would the advantage be on the side of the latter4 ,efficient social and religious institutions cannot be built on poor economic foundations4 ,so long as a section of the country cannot afford to pay more than five hundred dollars per year for teachers or preachers1 it cannot hope to have the leadership possible to another section where ministers to rural people can easily secure eighteen hundred to three thousand dollars per year4 ,good buildings cannot be erected1 nor can any of the material comforts which go to make up the foundation of civilized life be enjoyed4 ,for the sake of the church1 as well as the people1 the church must attend to the economic foundations of rural life4 ,it is unfortunate for many parts of the ,united ,states that the ministry has become so separated from real life by the mystical trend in religion that it has rendered practically no service in laying the foundations for the continuance of the communities themselves4 ,the shift of population from rural to urban centers which the census records show has continued1 if anything1 at an accelerated speed1 indicates the seriousness of the problem4 ,a part of the shift is doubtless due to improvements made in methods of production4 ,so far as this is the cause there is no reason to be disturbed over the tendency1 as it is useless to try to keep young men and women in an occupation that does not offer opportunity for earning a living4 ,part of the shift may be due to the living conditions in the country4 ,this is but an indication of the task of the church on the social side and can be changed as economic welfare permits4 ,but the fact that rural population has been leaving the farms and that agricultural lands have been abandoned by thousands of acres1 indicates that urban opportunities have far outbid the rural in financial returns1 variety of openings1 and in working conditions4 ,the farmer's income must be increased as compared with other groups before there can be a well-balanced relatively stable ,american life4 ,until this is achieved those who are trying to build up rural institutions as strong as those in urban centers will be engaged in a hopeless task4 ,eminent1 conscientious ,christian gentlemen1 leaders in religious thought1 and occasionally country ministers1 have accused those who maintain that the church should have a vital active interest in improving economic welfare of trying to make hog-cholera experts out of preachers1 thus taking them away from their real tasks4 ,it is believed that knowledge of hog cholera and of the agencies that can help the farmer to prevent it will not injure the standing of any rural minister4 ,it is maintained with reference to care for economic welfare that it is the business of the church to encourage economic improvement so far as possible 7#a7 by giving advice and assisting in demonstration work when no other organized agency is in a position to render this service1 and 7#b7 by opening the way to other organized agencies to perform this service4 ,this is the prime business of the agricultural colleges through their extension service4 ,but it has been the experience of agricultural colleges that they have the greatest difficulty in establishing relationships in those agricultural sections where their service is needed the most4 ,the minister of the gospel1 being one of the two or three paid leaders in a local community1 enjoying a measure of the confidence of the people1 and having a large part of his time available for pastoral duties1 has the opportunity and the obligation to tactfully bring to the community the assistance of these other agencies now provided by the ,state4 ,when he has done this he can rest assured that he has accomplished something that will become the foundation for a far higher1 more satisfying rural life4 ,although ultimately the problem of production in agriculture will probably be a most serious one1 because of influences such as soil-mining1 deforestation1 and depletion of soil through erosion1 the immediate problems are1 rather1 the adjustment of production to demand so that the farmer will be on a more equitable income basis with other elements in the population4 ,when there is newspaper talk of again burning corn for fuel1 when wool is a drug on the market1 and when farmers' organizations are urging the decrease in the acreage of cotton1 it is idle to talk of agricultural welfare being synonymous with ability to increase crop acreage or production per acre4 ,agricultural colleges and other ,state agencies have devoted the large part of their efforts to study of problems of production4 ,the results of their services to date have been to so improve production as to hasten the population movement from the farms to the cities4 ,this tendency to aid production to the point of exceeding equitable demand has been of economic value to the great centers but it has not encouraged the continuance on the farm of a large population1 nor has it enabled the farmer to compete with the townsman in maintaining a satisfactory standard of living4 ,it would seem that the producing ability of the farmer has been his misfortune1 and that his friends who have taught him to produce more have been his worst enemies4 ,when a manufacturing plant closes down because it cannot sell its goods at a given price1 or when a retailer refuses to handle goods below a price believed by many to be excessive1 little is said4 ,but when the farmer tries to adjust his production to demand by limiting production there is widespread criticism of his conduct4 ,there should be continuance of efforts to retain the fertility of the soil1 to improve methods of cultivation1 and to prevent destruction of wide areas through erosion4 ,the patrimony of the nation must be preserved through wise policies of reforestation and reclamation of waste lands4 ,but the great immediate task is that of adjusting production to demand so that the rural population may advance in material welfare along with other groups4 ,in a competitive organization of industry the farmers success is gauged by his net income rather than by the number of bushels of corn or bales of cotton he produces4 ,a sinister tendency in the higher-priced general agricultural sections is that of increase in the number of farms operated by farm tenants4 ,certain writers have attempted to prove that this tendency is taken too seriously4 ,but the evidence of the ,united ,states ,census from decade to decade indicates that the danger is real2 and that the sooner a policy of control is adopted the better4 ,the handicaps to agriculture through this increase are manifold4 ,in a large proportion of cases1 as shown by studies in typical areas1 the landowner does not live on a neighboring farm1 nor is he a retired parent or other relative of the tenant farmer4 ,he lives in the neighboring city4 ,consequently1 the rental from the farm goes to help build up the material welfare of the urban center4 ,the contributions of the absentee landlord to church work go to supplement the salary of a city pastor on a scale far beyond the competing ability of the rural church where his land is located4 ,his contributions to benevolences are paid for out of the income from his four-hundred-acre farm but are credited to the city church of which he is a member instead of to the rural church in the community where his land is located4 ,because of the transient nature of his residence the tenant1 who remains on the farm on the average less than two years1 has but little permanent interest in the life of the community and lacks the stability to become a valuable factor in building up strong rural institutions4 ,the landlord1 as previously suggested1 has been known to oppose measures for consolidation of rural schools because such consolidation might increase taxes1 and has been known to threaten tenants with dispossession if they should vote for consolidation4 ,the constant moving of the tenant has handicapped the children in getting a good common-school education because of the breaks in their training resulting from this constant changing of residence4 ,the tenant house1 with all its implications of class-distinction1 has come to the country side in increasing numbers4 ,and slowly but gradually a landed aristocracy is growing up in rural ,america as marked as the landed aristocracy based on the purchase of a few acres of ,manhattan ,island several generations ago4 ,and with the tenant has come the farm laborer1 alien to the community1 transient1 and as much a member of the proletariat as if he were working in a great factory in the city4 ,the ,i4 ,w4 ,w4 movement in the wheat fields and lumber camps of the ,northwest is but the beginning of the wage-earning consciousness as it spreads out from urban centers4 ,the short term of tenant operation is lowering the standards of agriculture4 ,instead of farming on a long-time schedule1 expecting returns on a system of husbandry reaching through the years1 the tenant is inclined to produce such crops as can be disposed of at the close of the year1 regardless of the effect of such a form of agriculture upon the fertility of the soil4 ,tenant contracts as yet offer little inducement for the tenant to remain permanently on a given farm or to keep up needed improvements4 ,the tenant for the time being may even make larger profits as a tenant than as an owner4 ,but the tendency everywhere for rents to rise1 and the consequent increase in the value of the land1 will ultimately bring the tenant to the position of securing from his labor on the farm an income not much in excess of what he would receive from working as a day laborer4 ,the result in the long run will be that the best agricultural sections of the country will be occupied by a population lower in ability than in a landowning section and constantly kept down by poverty4 ,this prediction may be deemed fanciful by some1 but the writer believes that it is worthy of the most careful consideration and study4 ,since the organization of the great combinations in the oil and sugar industries during the #gj's and #hj's of the past century the movement toward close industrial organization has proceeded with little interruption4 ,legislation has been passed designed to break up industrial combinations and from time to time various industries have been disintegrated4 ,but the layman has not been able to discover that such disintegrations by court order have had any marked influence on the progress of the fundamental tendencies toward industrial consolidation4 ,the farmers have been the last to get into the organization field on any extensive scale4 ,the ,grange and the ,farmers' ,alliance1 and later the ,farmers' ,union1 have made attempts and1 although many failures are recorded1 their work paved the way for a far larger movement toward farm organization now under way4 ,the tendency toward close organization of industrial groups may also be seen in the labor movement1 the ,american ,federation of ,labor and the ,industrial ,workers of the ,world in this country1 and the syndicalist movement in ,europe2 and in the organization of employers' associations and the ,national ,chamber of ,commerce on the part of business men4 ,whatever may be thought of the unfortunate phases of this movement toward closely organized group consciousness1 however ,bolshevistic it may be said to be1 it must be recognized that class consciousness has come to stay4 ,the old-type citizen who voted as a ,republican or a ,democrat and as an individual regardless of his industrial affiliations is passing away1 and to-day the business men as a class1 the wage-earners as a class1 the farmers as a class1 approach the leaders of both traditional parties with their ultimatums as to what they will do if certain policies are not recorded in their respective platforms4 ,and the best-organized groups1 those that can swing the most votes or can produce the largest financial inducements1 are the ones that get most consideration4 ,this may be ,bolshevism1 but if it is1 it is a fact in ,american life1 and we may as well adjust ourselves to handling the situation wisely instead of lamenting the passing of the system of individual representation which was the basis on which ,american government was founded4 ,the farmer cannot be accused of leadership in this change in the ,american ,state4 ,business men and wage-earners began it1 and the farmer has been forced to follow their example4 ,the old type individualism of the landowning-operating farmer has long handicapped the farmer in his relations with other industrial groups4 ,and it is with many mistakes and setbacks that he is now endeavoring to follow the example so ably set by the multimillionaires of the other groups4 ,better organization1 not for exploitation but for protection and maintenance of a safe balance of influence in economic affairs1 is fully justified1 and the minister of the gospel is serving the farmer best when he encourages right and efficient organization4 ,the ,american ,farm ,bureau ,federation1 begun a few years ago through the encouragement of county agricultural agents in order to give them a point of contact with groups of farmers and to give local support of the county agent's work1 has now taken into its own hands the task of farmer organization4 ,and now1 with resources far beyond what could have been dreamed of a few years ago1 this organization is embarking on programs of farmers' business organization almost too staggering in their size to be comprehended4 ,if rightly managed1 and if farmers can prove loyal to their own organization1 this movement is destined to solve many of the problems of intergroup relationships confronting the farmers during the past few decades4 ,as a part of the modern farmer organization movement1 and holding within itself the largest promise of social values1 is the encouragement of cooperation4 ,since the days in #ahdd1 when a little group of wage-earners in ,england1 out of work and gathered round a fire in a tavern1 decided to go into business for themselves on a basis of one-man one vote1 and distribution of profits on business done with the concern instead of stock held1 the movement has continued to spread all over the world until to-day it holds a very important place in many lines of industry in leading countries4 ,in this country cooperation has been an agricultural rather than an urban development1 primarily because economic conditions have made it more necessary in agriculture than elsewhere4 ,farmers' elevators1 live-stock shipping associations1 insurance companies1 fruit-and produce-marketing organizations have all gained a sound footing and each year shows an increase in their numbers4 ,the movement has been consistently fought by competitive profit-seeking interests but without avail further than to delay the movement4 ,in the early days discrimination in furnishing cars1 underbidding1 misrepresentation1 adverse legislation all had to be overcome1 in addition to the fact that ignorance of business principles often led to failure4 ,even now1 within the past five years1 agricultural colleges have been prevented from adding advisers on cooperative organization to their extension staffs1 retail merchants' associations have prevented cooperative organization legislation1 and insidious attempts have been made to prevent popular education with reference to the movement4 ,the cooperative movement offers the greatest opportunity for the country minister for definite service in the farmers' economic progress4 ,the principle underlying the movement is ,each for all1 and all for each4 ,instead of the capitalist and laborer being in opposite camps under the necessity for bargaining1 and each doing as little as possible and getting as much as possible for their respective shares of the product of the industry1 the cooperative movement brings them into harmony for production of goods1 in the belief that all are to share fairly in what is produced4 ,the storekeeper and the buyer no longer haggle over the price because both will share in the returns of the business done4 ,the cooperative movement bids fair to solve many of the problems of open and closed shop1 collective bargaining1 labor organization1 and of relations between producer and consumer4 ,its steady growth is bringing about industrial peace and since it represents the true spirit of ,christianity the minister is justified in encouraging its development wherever he may be4 ,what is the challenge to the church of the economic conditions and tendencies outlined above8 ,first and foremost1 the minister must in season and out of season preach honesty in business relations4 ,one of the most important discoveries in the study of problems of the farmer's business relations is that his success or failure depends largely upon the moral principles of the farmer as a group4 ,the farmer who puts poor apples or potatoes in the middle of the barrel1 who uses false weights and measures1 who fails to produce the best of which he is capable1 lowers the price of all farm products4 ,the dealer who must throw out a certain proportion of bad eggs in his miscellaneous purchases makes the buying price low enough to protect himself4 ,the consumer's demand is gauged very largely by the quality or reliability of the goods he purchases4 ,so dishonesty in farm business hurts the farmer more than it does anyone else4 ,the minister can render a service when he imbues his people with the highest ideals of business morality4 ,moreover1 he can help in eliminating the loss to the farmer through attempted sale of ungraded1 miscellaneous products by encouraging standardization and guarantee of quality4 ,this requires organization2 and while it should be the pastor's aim to encourage the formation of agencies independent of the church to attend to this and to establish contacts between his community and ,state and independent organizations that will assist in this work he should not hesitate so far as his time will permit to organize such standardization work and organization for guaranteeing products until other agencies can take the work over4 ,his obligation as community leader extends to the encouragement of every phase of life that makes the country more livable in the way demanded at the particular stage of development in which he finds the community4 ,as stated before1 his primary task in encouraging production is now that of establishing contacts with ,state agencies and encouraging the support of their work4 ,in some sections of the country1 as among the colored people1 for example1 a country preacher might well be a trained farmer capable of doing in a local community what a county agent tries to do on a larger scale4 ,but the ,state has now progressed in most sections to the point where1 if opportunity is offered1 it can assist in this work and relieve the pastor for other duties4 ,the rural pastor should be a leader in community economic organization4 ,it is accepted now that economic organizations along cooperative lines should be independent of either educational1 religious1 or social groups4 ,after such organizations are well established the pastor has met in this respect the challenge to the church and to the pastor as community leader4 ,the church as a whole should have some form of organization whereby it can register its influence in favor of ,state legislation making safe the development of the cooperative movement1 the better organization of marketing1 the proper control of land ownership1 taxation1 and other business relations affecting the farmer4 ,many of these problems cannot be solved by a minister working alone in a local community4 ,he can preach honesty1 stability1 loyalty to community organization with all the fervor and liberty of a prophet1 but so long as the tenant contract remains an inducement to transient tenant population2 so long as class distinctions continue to become more marked2 so long as discontent over high rents1 high prices of land1 and other conditions continues1 he will not get far toward the establishing of the kingdom of heaven in agricultural life4 ,these problems must be attacked by the church as a whole as the obligation of the general church to the minister who is on the firing line of the great world-wide struggle for the establishment of industrial peace4 ,one or two concrete illustrations will show the necessity of general church action on these matters if the rural church is to be saved from conditions now acute in the large centers4 ,wage-earners in the large centers who have no assurance of permanence of jobs are not inclined to give liberally toward providing adequate building and equipment for religious services4 ,no wage-earner can be expected to give hundreds of dollars out of his income toward building a church when the next month may find him compelled to move to some distant city4 ,in like manner it is difficult in large centers to get wage-earners even to maintain a church adequately4 ,consequently the church is to-day spending millions of dollars to provide church buildings for wage-earners in large cities4 ,yet it does not have any program for bringing about wage returns1 permanency of employment1 or interest in business that would make it possible or desirable for the wage-earner to finance his own church building4 ,neither does the church have a plan whereby the industries of a city make any adequate contribution to the housing of religious institutions for those connected with the industry4 ,although the wealth of ,america is centered in the great cities1 the provision for religious service to city people is being made by people living in small towns and in the open country4 ,as in the city1 so in the open country4 ,it has become necessary for the general church to provide even pastoral maintenance in certain sections where land is worth three hundred dollars per acre4 ,the transient tenant has no abiding interest in the community because he expects to move at the end of the year4 ,this condition is gradually becoming worse2 and unless the general church undertakes the solution of problems affecting the local church but over which the local church has no control1 the future will bring either a decline in religious influence in rural sections or a continuous burden on national boards that should and would under proper conditions be cared for by local communities4 ,that the church can help in improving economic conditions to the advantage of all rural life has already been abundantly demonstrated4 ,on the ,brookhaven ,district1 ,mississippi ,conference1 ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 the missionary board of that denomination made a contribution of three hundred dollars toward the support for the summer of a man and woman engaged in organizing community clubs4 ,twenty-one clubs were organized1 and as a result of their efforts over fifty thousand pounds of fruit and truck were saved during the period of the war when food conservation was a necessity4 ,as a result of this contribution1 at last reports there were three colored county agricultural agents employed in counties of that district1 all supported by the ,state1 and no further contribution of missionary funds to continue the work was necessary4 ,for years ,bishop ,thirkield1 of the ,new ,orleans area of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 had been encouraging keeping of gardens by the pastors and land ownership among colored people4 ,it is impossible to estimate accurately the results of his broad program1 but one district superintendent reported for his own official boards that while at the opening of the year #be per cent of his official board members on the district were in debt1 at the close of the year not one of them was in debt4 ,they had been taught how to save money and to pay their debts1 and the members of the churches were encouraged to follow their example4 ,on a little charge in southeastern ,ohio the pastor began to preach good roads4 ,before the end of the first year a township organization had been formed and a vote taken providing for the macadamizing of every road in the township4 ,four years ago the missionary board of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church made a contribution of four hundred dollars toward the support of a pastor in a village in ,new ,york4 ,he organized a community club1 led in securing a community house1 installed moving pictures1 and provided for the recreational life of the community4 ,to-day no contribution is being made by the ,board for this work4 ,yet the membership of the club has increased from fifty-nine to two hundred and twenty-five4 ,it has been responsible for the establishment of a national bank which had one hundred and seventy thousand dollars deposits in the first six months2 it paved over five hundred feet of street2 it provided for the consolidation of four rural schools with the village school4 ,and plans were under way for opening a ferry across the ,hudson that had not been run for thirty years and for the establishment of an important manufacturing plant4 ,thus a little stimulation has resulted in economic development that must result in better financial support of all community activities4 ,in conclusion it may be said that it is the business of the pastor to concern himself with all economic problems that affect the welfare of his people4 ,the type of problem will vary with the community and its stage of development4 ,as rapidly as possible the church should turn over to private or ,state agencies the task of economic development4 ,but the church should encourage in every way every movement that is destined to bring about a higher stage of economic welfare2 and the pastor cannot relinquish his obligations in this respect until he has succeeded in establishing other agencies that can effectively perform this task4 ,his duty1 then1 is to encourage this form of development by educating the people as to its value and by giving it his moral support4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,the ,,social ,,challenge ,,to ,,the ,,church ,the task of the minister is primarily to deal with man1 either in his own personal life1 his relations to his ,maker1 or to his fellow-man4 ,unlike the farmer1 whose interest lies in the control of animal or plant growth1 or the mechanic1 who controls and molds the forces and conditions of inanimate nature1 the minister has to do with that most delicate and elusive subject of all--the human soul4 ,his business is to tune the individual soul instrument so that it will harmonize with the musical vibrations of the ,infinite ,will2 and to bring about such a relationship between the different instruments in his little group that all together will produce a heavenly harmony4 ,the ,christian religion1 except when it has degenerated into formal ,pharisaism1 has been an ethical religion2 and the ethical conduct of the individual has been a criterion of the depth of his religious experience4 ,ethics have primarily to do with the relation of man to man1 so that the conclusion is logical that the church is vitally interested in the ethical problems of humanity and in anything that tends to lower or raise the moral standards of the individual or the community4 ,there is no other agency more vitally interested in moral problems than is the church4 ,business organizations may be interested1 but their efforts have apparently not been to conserve moral standards1 even in business4 ,the school is interested1 but its emphasis has been placed more on mental development without regard to moral implications1 or on utilitarian objectives4 ,the church has been preaching right living1 and other objectives have been incidental4 ,since this is true the thesis is advanced as the basis for this chapter that it is the business of the church to provide building1 equipment1 and leadership for conserving the moral life of the community4 ,since the moral welfare of any community finds its expression largely in its social and recreational activities1 such provision involves providing for the social and recreational interests4 ,this is a function which is not to be encouraged and then turned over to other agencies1 but is to be retained by the church itself as its legitimate service4 ,in view of the fact that the efforts of various agencies have not been in entire harmony with this point of view it deserves further consideration4 ,for many years it has been argued that the schoolhouse should be so built that it could be made the community center for all types of activities4 ,without intending to limit the public schools in any laudable endeavor to enrich rural life it should be noted3 #a4 ,that so far as villages and open country schools are concerned it is not believed that the agitation for the wider use of the school plant has yet resulted in any marked nation-wide response to such agitation further than to provide room for physical training of upper-class students4 #b4 ,in general1 the schoolhouse is so located that it is not suited for community service4 ,it is usually located on the outskirts of the village1 where plenty of ground may be had for outdoor school games4 ,when people gather for social life and leisure they do not go away from the lights of the village street but move toward them4 ,the well-lighted poolroom near the village store will attract more boys than the building on the village edge that must be reached through the dark4 ,villagers have their downtown as well as do the great urban centers4 #c4 ,the school teachers and principal are busy five days in the week in the classroom4 ,the schools cannot assume charge of community center activities without danger either of overworking the teachers or of having to hire special assistance for this service4 ,many villages cannot afford to hire special workers for this purpose alone4 #d4 ,it has been argued that the school is the democratic institution since it is tax-supported1 and thus every one may go there as a right4 ,to this it may be replied that1 as with the church1 only those contribute who have resources from which to contribute4 ,the only difference is that in the public school the majority decide that all those who are able must contribute to the support of public institutions1 thus it falls short of complete democracy1 which must1 in the last analysis1 be a purely voluntary association4 ,in the church the only force compelling contribution is personal desire and public opinion4 ,thus it is as democratic1 if not more so1 than the school4 #e4 ,on the other hand1 a large part of the time of the country minister is available for pastoral service4 ,the establishment of community service activities under the auspices of the church bids fair to rescue pastoral calling and service from a routine of personal visitation by giving it a definite community service objective4 ,again1 in the beginnings in the medium-sized and larger villages and probably continuously in the smaller places the pastor is the only salaried servant of the community with free time during the week for the organization and direction of community service4 #f4 ,the church building and parish house can be located conveniently at the center of the village1 thus obviating the objection to the school building for this purpose4 #g4 ,true religion is a loyal supporter of everything that is safe in social and recreational life4 ,it is subject to the control of the community in the same way as the school2 excessive puritanism need not be feared under its auspices more than under the auspices of other agencies4 ,the usual argument against serious consideration of the church as the center of community life is that religious agencies are so divided up by dogmatism that it is impossible for any one religious organization to assume leadership in this respect without incurring the opposition of other agencies4 ,while this is true in many cases1 it should be remembered that dogmatism does not have the influence in more highly developed communities that it once had4 ,moreover1 considerable progress has already been made toward intergroup agreements1 including the two great divisions of the ,christian ,church giving responsibility for community leadership to one denomination or another4 ,in cases where local adjustments have not been made it may be necessary to depend on other agencies to conserve the social and recreational life4 ,in these cases the church loses its rightful heritage4 #h4 ,the popular response to projects of building community churches and parish houses in small communities leads to the belief that the general public accepts as the correct one the principle that the church should provide these facilities4 ,the ,methodist ,episcopal denomination alone1 through the aid of its ,church ,extension ,board1 aided in #aibj in building or remodeling over four hundred church and parish houses equipped to provide for all or a part of a community service program2 it is not known how many more made such advances without outside aid4 ,the question of whether the church or some other agency than either the church or the school should provide community service facilities may be answered in much the same way4 ,in some ,states local communities may levy a tax for the building and maintenance of community buildings4 ,where this is possible there seems to be no serious objection to such a course4 ,but a community building without adequate supervision is likely to become a center of moral deterioration4 ,on the other hand1 such a public building can be located more strategically than can a schoolhouse4 ,the objection to stock-company-owned community houses is much more serious4 ,these are likely to become mere pleasure resorts1 often of a very questionable nature4 ,the judgment of the ,american people seems to be rapidly determining that the safest plan is to look to the religious agencies for conserving the social and recreational life2 and this judgment is in harmony with the thesis advanced at the opening of this chapter4 ,if the principle is accepted that it is the business of the church to conserve the social life of the community1 then it is next in order to consider some of the problems of social life that are a challenge to the church at the present time4 ,the social organization of this country in its smaller communities as in the larger centers1 such as it is1 is the product of undirected uncoordinated efforts of special interest groups4 ,a general classification of the types of rural organizations may be made1 first1 into political1 including the incorporated village1 towns1 townships1 counties1 and political parties2 economic1 including special associations around specific interests such as farm bureaus1 stock breeders' associations1 potato-growers' associations1 etc41 and the increasing number of cooperative organizations1 such as farmers' elevators1 fruit-marketing organizations1 live-stock1 shipping associations2 social1 including the ,grange1 the various types of farmers' clubs for men and women that perform much the same function as the ,grange1 and the more or less permanent groupings for purely recreational purposes1 such as dancing parties1 card parties1 etc42 and the conventional religious organizations as represented by the denominations and their many subsidiary groups for special purposes4 ,as was pointed out in the chapter on definitions1 each of these various groups has a customary center for coming together4 ,but owing to the fact that each interest has grown largely without reference to the others1 their centers of activity have been determined largely by conditions of local convenience4 ,now1 these centers may have been well adapted to the times when they were established1 but as time has passed shifts of population have come1 road improvements have been made1 and new interests developed so that the traditional centers not only tend to lessen community solidarity but also tend to prevent its accomplishment4 ,one of the first tasks of the community leader is to make a study of his proposed field of activity for the purpose of determining what are the present centers of group interests1 what changes have taken place in rural life conditions which make reorganization and readjustment of centers desirable1 and then1 in consultation with representatives of the community1 to organize a community plan toward ward which the entire community may work4 ,city planning has long been an accepted principle for service in the more progressive larger centers4 ,the time has come when plans for the most efficient organization of village and open country communities should be made4 ,it is interesting to note that already in many sections of the ,united ,states the movement toward community planning has made considerable progress4 ,it is now generally recognized that with rare exceptions the village rather than an open country point is the normal basis for such a plan4 ,in accordance with this1 movements are now under way to displace the traditional township boundaries created as political limits for government and to replace them by boundaries conforming as closely as possible with those limits that careful investigation indicates are now and probably will continue to be the most representative of what the future limits of rural communities will be4 ,in like manner educational work is being reorganized to include the community territory instead of the political areas inherited from the methods of survey adopted under the ordinance of #aghg4 ,as this movement continues1 doubtless farm bureaus1 and even religious agencies1 will try to adapt themselves as far as possible to the program of other agencies4 ,the breakdown of social life in the open country and the very questionable forms it often takes in the villages has long been the nightmare of the minister of the gospel who stands for a high ethical plane of social life4 ,the church1 with its ,ladies' ,aid1 its young people's societies1 its occasional men's clubs1 fails to reach more than a very limited number of those living in the open country or in the village4 ,the lack of a definite1 well-organized social program results in all kinds of association often anti-social and lowering of the moral fiber of the entire group4 ,it is unnecessary to go into the sordid details of moral conditions existing among both young and old in many village communities4 ,the pastor with a program of absentee service consisting of an occasional sermon and holding a ,sunday school finds his efforts continually nullified by more powerful social and recreational impulses expressing themselves in ways recognized as morally deteriorating4 ,when a plan for ultimate centralization of wholesome and legitimate community interest has been made it is the minister's task to organize a plan for bringing to the community an abundance of wholesome recreational life4 ,the traditional plan has been to preach against dancing and card playing4 ,such preaching has more often alienated the young people from the church than it has attracted them to religious life4 ,the modern plan is to overcome evil with good2 that is1 to provide such a program of unquestioned recreation that the evil will die of itself4 ,that this actually happens has been demonstrated over and over again4 ,the ,rev4 ,matthew ,b4 ,mc,nutt1 on arriving at ,du ,page1 ,illinois1 found a large building near the church turned into a dancing center4 ,without saying a word against dancing he began to organize his young people for singing4 ,in a short time the dancing mania had ceased and did not return in the twelve years of his service on that charge4 ,the ,rev4 ,l4 ,p4 ,fagan found dancing all the rage when he went to a little town in ,colorado4 ,he began to develop a wholesome program of recreational life1 and before long dancing had ceased and had not returned two years after he had left the charge4 ,at a little town in ,new ,york ,state1 the young men of the town were accustomed to gather at the fire house and indulge in cards with more than occasional playing for money4 ,a recreation hall opened in the village broke up the card-playing and brought the young men into something more wholesome and which they preferred4 ,a village in ,southwestern ,ohio had a gang of ,roughnecks1 as they were called1 who were accustomed to loaf in the poolrooms and find their amusement in neighboring cities4 ,a room in the upstairs of the town hall was opened up and fitted for basketball4 ,leadership for clubs was provided by college students training for community service4 ,the result was that this group of young men1 of exceptionally good native qualities but spoiling morally for want of adequate provision for recreational life1 came to the community center and for the time being avoided the lower forms of social and recreational activity4 ,these illustrations prove three things3 first1 the need of such equipment2 second1 the fact that young people prefer and choose the better when it is provided for them2 and1 third1 that the church can solve many of its most serious problems most readily by attacking the source of corruption of the morals of young people through caring for recreational interests4 ,the minister who neglects this powerful force in attempting to build a ,christian civilization is failing to take advantage of one of the greatest instruments ,god has placed in his hands4 ,yet it is the sad fact that in too many instances ministers are failing to take advantage of the forces at hand1 and that even those who have caught the vision of the possibilities of these other forces are not trained to use them safely4 ,the number of village communities that have organized social and recreational life is still so small that when such movements are discovered they receive widespread comment in the public press4 ,one can drop into almost any village in ,america and make inquiries as to what is being done for conserving the recreational life by the church or any other community agency1 and the answer will be that nothing is done either in providing leadership or buildings and equipment4 ,much good work has been done for specific groups by the ,christian ,associations1 and now the ,american ,playground ,association1 the ,red ,cross1 and other organizations are applying themselves to the task of bringing about a better condition in smaller communities4 ,but the work accomplished by all of them is still1 as compared with the task in hand1 scarcely more than a beginning4 ,the church with a paid community leader in each community offers the solution for most rapid and permanent progress2 and the outlook for rapid development under religious auspices is most hopeful4 ,,chapter ,v ,,building ,,for ,,community ,,service ,the thesis that the church should provide building and equipment for conservation of the social and recreational life of the church introduces standards and objectives that do not find expression in the great majority of church buildings now erected1 nor even in the majority of plans sent out by religious agencies or architectural concerns bidding for contracts for church planning and building4 ,the traditional village and open country church was a one-room structure erected for the sole purpose of providing a place for worship4 ,this amply met the needs of a pioneer time when social activities were largely carried on in the homes4 ,in a very large number of communities this is still the only type of church building to be found4 ,as the idea of providing for ,sunday school began to prevail gradually side rooms were added to provide for extra ,sunday school classes4 ,in the course of time the needs of a wider program for the church began to be recognized1 and then basements were added with an occasional kitchen4 ,thus the entertainments for adults and of the young people old enough to enjoy banquets and like amusement were provided for4 ,but the needs of the young people under sixteen years of age and many other community needs were still uncared for4 ,the new program demands a building or buildings that will provide for the threefold program of worship1 religious education1 and community service4 ,in view of the lack of standards for rural church building1 the present discussion is offered in the hope that it may contain some practical suggestions in terms of the program demanded of the modern open country and village church4 ,it is believed that the type of building suitable for an open country community will be somewhat different from that needed in a village center4 ,the number of rooms will be less4 ,usually1 two main rooms1 one for worship and the other for recreational purposes1 with such side rooms for kitchen and special clubs and classes as the community can afford1 will be sufficient4 ,the recreation room should have stage1 lantern slide1 and moving picture equipment1 and a very simple provision for games4 ,problems of plumbing and heating must be worked out in accordance with local conditions4 ,in the larger centers1 in addition to the facilities mentioned above1 other rooms may be added as a careful study of village equipment and needs1 present and probable future1 indicate4 ,rooms for library1 committees1 clubs1 offices1 shower baths1 lockers1 art center1 and similar interests should be provided for if other agencies have not done so4 ,in building for community service the community should not make the mistake of economizing because it imagines it cannot afford the best4 ,no community should build less than the best4 ,if it does so1 it handicaps the community for a generation or more2 and this is too serious a matter to be lightly permitted4 ,at the present time religious organizations have national agencies which are serving to an ever larger degree as a reserve resource for the purpose of aiding local groups to build adequately4 ,thus the general organization aids each year the limited number of local groups that find it necessary to rebuild and renders unnecessary the maintenance of a replacement fund by the local church for an indefinite period4 ,if it is impossible to build an entire building at one time it is better to build by units1 so that in the course of time a structure of which the community may be proud will be completed4 ,it should be remembered that a community's solidarity and spirit are gauged largely by the type of buildings it erects1 and the church and community building1 representing as it does the deepest interests of man1 should be a living monument to community loyalty4 ,such a building becomes a lasting inspiration to both old and young1 pointing the way to the highest and best in human life4 ,the building should be strategically located4 ,as has been suggested1 people like to come to the center of the village for their social and recreational life4 ,the owner of a poolroom or a picture show that would place his building a half mile in the country would not have a large and enthusiastic patronage4 ,the main street1 near the center of the village1 is the place to be selected for the principal building of the city1 the community center4 ,sometimes a well-meaning citizen will offer to a church a plot of land far out on the edge of a village free of charge1 provided the church will accept it for the erection of the new structure4 ,sometimes the ,board of ,trustees1 thinking they will save a few hundred dollars1 gratefully accept the gift1 thus violating the principle expressed in the preceding paragraph4 ,when a business man plans to put up an expensive building he does not seek the cheapest land but the best location regardless of the cost of the land4 ,for illustration1 a lot on the edge of a village may cost but five hundred dollars1 while a lot in the center of the village may cost five thousand dollars4 ,if the proposed building to be erected is to cost fifty thousand dollars1 even the larger land cost is but ten per cent of the total2 and the value of the building to the community after erection on the more valuable lot far more than justifies the extra expenditure4 ,sometimes architects are inclined to sacrifice utility to beauty4 ,they are inclined to make the recreation room too short because a proper length would not harmonize with other lines in the building4 ,the good architect accepts the beautification of a useful building as a challenge and does not sacrifice utility because a useful structure does not embody some feature of ,gothic or ,old ,english parish church architecture4 ,this tendency should be carefully guarded against4 ,details as to the slope of ground best adapted to church building1 heating1 plumbing1 and other features can best be learned by consultation with a trained architect4 ,care should be taken to see that the recreation room is sufficiently large to carry on the simpler games1 such as basketball1 when the community so desires4 ,the limits recommended are fourteen feet high by forty feet wide by sixty feet long4 ,many communities1 however1 are getting along with rooms considerably shorter and narrower than this4 ,the ceiling should be supported by steel beams instead of posts4 ,in most sections of the country it is recommended that recreation rooms be erected on the same level as the church instead of in the basement1 as has been the practice4 ,in many sections of the country there is a distinct objection to having the community service features and the house of worship under the same roof4 ,it is thought that the light-heartedness of play time tends to lessen the sacredness of the house of worship and to lessen respect for religious service4 ,while this attitude is largely a matter of custom1 and while people who have caught the vision of ,god can worship him any place1 it is believed that wherever possible consideration should be given to this sentiment and the community service features of the church should be housed in a separate building located adjacent to the church or attached to it by some smaller club room4 ,the two should not be located in widely separate parts of the village1 as the connection between the two may be lost and the service of the church to the community in this way not recognized4 ,both house of worship and community or parish house should be located near the center of the village4 ,in villages where there is room for several houses of worship the question of community service is much more difficult4 ,the ,young ,men's ,christian ,associations and the ,young ,women's ,christian ,associations have made partial provision in some communities on an interdenominational basis4 ,but in the ordinary small town there is not room for a building for each of these organizations4 ,the rural ,christian ,associations have been proceeding on the policy of using such buildings as are now available1 but it is evident that in the vast majority of small communities1 present buildings can at best be but a makeshift for complete community service4 ,it is hoped that the time will come when the several denominations will find some way of pooling their financial resources so that as religious organizations they can provide a common building for community service4 ,the writer knows of no village in ,america where this has yet been done4 ,one village in ,new ,york ,state1 ,milton-on-the-,hudson1 has a community club under the direction of a ,board of ,trustees of ten members1 two from each of the five denominations represented in the village1 the ,catholic church included4 ,this club has been very successful in operating a community house and developing a community program4 ,it has been suggested that where property rights are involved one denomination might make its contribution by providing and maintaining the building1 while the other denominations might contribute the equivalent of interest on building investment1 depreciation and maintenance of building to cost of operation of the plant4 ,it is feared1 however1 that in the course of time1 the original cost of building to one denomination would be forgotten and the community would demand that all groups contribute to operating expenses according to their membership or some other agreed upon distribution of maintenance expense4 ,this should be the ultimate method of maintenance4 ,in a number of communities one denomination has provided the building and the operating force1 while other denominations have cooperated by acting on the ,board of ,control and contributing what they could to the maintenance cost4 ,such denominational leadership almost invariably leads in the beginning to interdenominational jealousy and antagonism1 but in some cases the community has accepted the situation and all have cooperated1 it being understood that such provision for community purposes is not for the purpose of proselyting4 ,sunday school and church membership is encouraged in the denominations from which the young people come1 and thus a contribution by one denomination has strengthened the work of all the churches4 ,some form of cooperation agreed upon for a common development is preferable and independent action by one denomination should be undertaken only when the different groups concerned are not in a position either by tradition or financial ability to cooperate in a common enterprise4 ,the movement now is very strong in the direction of provision of building and equipment for community service by the church4 ,may the church not fail in doing justice to its high obligation in the type of structure it may erect6 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,the ,,church ,,and ,,rural ,,public ,,thought ,many city pastors1 and some rural ones too1 lament the fact that people do not come to listen to them preach4 ,this condition is in marked contrast to the good old ,new ,england days1 when the whole neighborhood would turn out and listen to sermons four hours long4 ,it is a question whether such intellectual giants as ,jonathan ,edwards built up such congregations or whether such congregations brought out the best in ,jonathan ,edwards4 ,people to-day go to church for a variety of reasons4 ,but the dominant motives that should prevail are those of worship and for instruction4 ,all ,christians should attend religious services for worship regardless of the quality of the sermon or the personal attitude of the people toward the minister4 ,the message from the pulpit should be such that it too would attract for its own sake4 ,it is the exceptional city minister that can fill the pews from week to week and from year to year because of the type of message given4 ,the daily papers and the many other agencies for discussion of live topics have become so numerous that the pulpit has lost much of its original importance as an agency for instruction4 ,but in the village and the open country the pulpit still has a large field for service in this respect and thus becomes an especial challenge to the one who wants to develop as a leader of thought4 ,the village minister has an opportunity unique in ,american life in this respect4 ,some of the greatest leaders of thought ever produced were the product of the village churches of ,england and ,scotland4 ,there is no reason why the village church of ,america should not become the seedbed for the best contributions to religious1 philosophical1 and literary thought of the present day4 ,it will be impossible to give more than a few illustrations of present needs and opportunities for service in this respect in the smaller communities4 ,one of the first tasks of the church is the introduction of correct thought in regard to religious beliefs4 ,it is almost unbelievable the amount of actual superstition and positively harmful beliefs that prevail under the guise of religion not only in rural but in urban communities4 ,an example of this is the widespread belief in the second coming of ,christ at an early date4 ,educational institutions of national note are continuously laboring to extend this form of belief4 ,the question as to whether ,christ will ever come again is one that does not appear to have any immediate social significance other than it may have some influence on conduct as to the method of preparation for his coming4 ,those who believe in such coming may either believe that all efforts at social improvement now are fruitless1 because the ultimate inauguration of the ,kingdom will result from the sweeping away of everything that now exists and in the inauguration of a new social order out of the ruins of the old4 ,or they may believe that the efforts of the churches and other agencies now are preparing the way for such coming1 and the inauguration of the ,kingdom will be but the next step in an orderly process of social progress4 ,there is reason to believe that many of those who are teaching the second coming are inclined to the former point of view2 and wherever they gain a hearing their influence practically nullifies all efforts to enlist their followers in any program of social improvement4 ,the effect of a belief in an immediate coming of ,christ as indicated by present world conditions interpreted in the light of ,old and ,new ,testament prophecy is to paralyze all motive for social action4 ,such action1 if this belief is correct1 is useless4 ,the devotee is driven to the position of finding his sole religious duty that of getting himself and those in whom he is interested ready to enter the new kingdom through the observance of the personal elements in religious life4 ,another belief that in some sections has a limited influence is that of observance of ,saturday instead of ,sunday as the day set apart by biblical authority as the ,sabbath4 ,without commenting on the rightness or the wrong of the contention1 it should be remembered that this belief has resulted in some sections in practically the breakdown of observance of the ,sabbath by rural communities1 without a corresponding gain in ,saturday observance4 ,community solidarity for either social or religious purposes is thus broken up4 ,from the social point of view this is distinctly unfortunate4 ,again1 in some sections religion has taken an extreme form of antagonism to anything of a practical type4 ,the extremes to which the emotional expression of religion has gone have been such that these groups have become popularly known as ,holy ,rollers4 ,wherever this type of religious expression breaks out in a rural community it severely handicaps all efforts at making the church function as an agency for rural progress4 ,the energies of such devotees are so exhausted in their services that they lack the energy1 even if they had the inspiration1 to link their efforts to any program of community betterment4 ,this group is usually found not only opposing progressive measures in the church but also opposing other progressive activities in the community1 such as better schools1 road improvement1 etc4 ,in isolated sections of rural ,america all over the country may be found groups of ,latter ,day ,saints4 ,these groups are not yet of sufficient strength to be of great importance outside of ,utah and a few other ,western ,states4 ,but the existence of an organized group anywhere1 particularly if it is of a missionary character1 is likely to spread and ultimately become a factor of considerable importance4 ,anyone visiting the ,mormon ,temple at ,salt ,lake and reading on the monuments to ,joseph and ,hiram ,smith the testimony in letters of stone to the effect that ,joseph discovered the message of the ,book of ,mormon on gold plates1 and that ,hiram was the witness thereof1 will realize how easy it is to spread almost any belief under the guise of religion if the children are taught such doctrines during their youth4 ,it will be unnecessary to go through the whole catalogue of beliefs finding expression in the dogma of practically all religious organizations1 and in times past dividing the followers of ,christianity into denominational groups4 ,the most serious problems of adjustment of religious institutions for community service grow out of these differences in belief on points of dogma4 ,the solution of the problem of clearing the field of unwholesome and injurious belief lies not in writing polemics against them but in filling the minds of the people with unquestioned truth4 ,as the rural mind is directed to the consideration of topics of vital importance these things that have crept in and disturbed social order and dissipated precious energies in fruitless discussion will disappear through lack of attention4 ,on the other hand1 persecution will attract attention to and arouse the fanatical support of them and distract the attention of the group from matters of more vital importance4 ,in addition to preaching those sermons which keep alive in community consciousness the sense of man's obligations to his ,maker1 the significance and solemnity of death and those other epochal events in the course of human existence1 and the hope given to man of a fuller life through the coming of ,christ1 the minister has certain great moral ideals that he should instill into the minds of his people4 ,the matter of honesty in dealing with both the farmer and his neighbors both near and distant has already been mentioned4 ,the right attitude toward wealth accumulation must also be preached not only for the safety of the rural community but also for the entire nation4 ,by the very nature of the business the vast majority of people living in small communities and on the farms must remain indefinitely people of modest means4 ,the possibilities of large wealth accumulation are limited because the farm must continue to be a small scale industry4 ,it can be improved so as to afford adequate leisure4 ,but farm life does not promise large enjoyment to those of an epicurean turn of mind4 ,the ideal of the farm must be that of producing wealth so that the modest comforts of life may be insured4 ,but the minister must exalt the appreciation of those things that may be obtained without lavish expenditure of money1 such as local entertainment produced by the community itself1 literature1 music1 and art2 and the simple pleasures that come from democratic association with intimate acquaintances4 ,it is believed that with all the material progress of this country1 it has had to sacrifice many things that are worth far more than the types of enjoyment obtained by slavish imitation of the extremely wealthy leisure class in the cities4 ,the exhortation to preach the values of the simple pleasures possible in smaller communities is not for the purpose of keeping people contented with a lot that cannot be improved1 but because it is believed that the smaller communities to-day contain within themselves and their ideals the seed of rejuvenation of all life1 and that a greater contribution can be made by rural communities to civilization by adhering to their ideals than by being diverted from them by the money-seeking1 materialistic ideals of the urban centers4 ,the best in rural ideals must ultimately become the ideals of the city if we are to avoid the degeneration that will inevitably follow a too materialistic urban civilization4 ,the pastor should be able to bring to his people from time to time the interpretation of national and world events in terms of their relation to the advance of religious progress4 ,this obligation will require constant and wide reading about the social movements of the time4 ,in the more progressive communities many of the farmers and their families will have access to literature that will enable them to form their own conclusions to a large degree4 ,but not many of them1 even though they be college graduates1 will have the time to read as widely as they would like on any of the great changes taking place2 and they will welcome an intelligent interpretation of these by the one who has the larger opportunities for such service4 ,finally1 the preacher must be a prophet4 ,he must have caught the vision of tendencies in human life and be able to bring to his people the evidences of the hand of ,god working out the course of the human race in the infinite stream of human history4 ,he must believe1 with ,tennyson1 in a far off divine event1 toward which the whole creation moves1 or with ,shakespeare when he said ,there's a divinity that shapes our ends1 rough-hew them how we will4 ,if he can bring his people to see that1 even though they may be living in some obscure corner of the earth1 they have a part in the great movements going on1 and that they can render a service by doing what they are able in supporting the programs for which the church stands1 he will be contributing his share to the wholesome attitude needed in our rural communities4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,adjusting ,,the ,,local ,,church ,,to ,,the ,,community ,in his book on ,social ,control ,professor ,ross has pointed out that certain institutions are essentially conservative in their nature4 ,they are solid1 permanent organizations but are not inclined to assume leadership in social progress4 ,he includes in this list the church4 ,the fact that the church is a conservative institution is not necessarily a criticism of it4 ,other agencies develop new phases of social expression1 sometimes in actual opposition to conservative agencies4 ,the good innovations live and after they have demonstrated their utility the conservative institutions such as the church and the state take them over and insure their permanence4 ,the rapid advance of the social spirit in modern life has outstripped existing agencies in their preparation to meet the new approach to the solution of problems of living4 ,many forms of existing institutions were created under entirely different conditions and to meet different needs4 ,to-day these old forms do not adapt themselves to new demands1 and in many cases prevent effective action on the part of religious organizations that are ready in spirit to broaden their programs to include the new demands upon the conservative organization4 ,the minister1 trained for the modern service of the church to the community1 cannot solve alone all the problems of maladjustment he finds in his local community4 ,he finds that the contacts and interests of his local church organization are far broader than the interests of the local group he is called to serve2 and that in many cases his local efforts are nullified by these larger contacts4 ,it is the purpose of this and succeeding chapters to outline some of the conditions existing within the church itself that must be adjusted before it can act most effectively in meeting the challenge discussed in preceding chapters4 ,the first and probably most important problem is that of enlarging the vision of church officials1 ministers1 and people as to the need for broadening the program of the church and as to the need of a statesman-like reorganization of adjustment of the church to the community4 ,it is believed that quite generally the membership of the larger religious organizations in this country are now in sympathy with the principle that the church should have a social-service program4 ,there is still wide diversity of opinion as to the form that service should take4 ,in too many cases there is no opinion at all2 and while admitting the principle1 active opposition develops to any attempt to put the principle into practice in a specific project4 ,this condition is to be found most marked in those sections of the country that are not in the direct line of thought movements1 or where living conditions are such as to make rural life monotonous4 ,the monotony of the plains is as deadening as is the lack of contact of the mountain valley2 and both fields offer fruitful ground for the spread of unsocial types of religious expression4 ,the solution of this phase of adjustment of the church to community needs lies in a patient educational program carried on by the minister of the gospel4 ,he must be a man of broad vision and must have the fullest appreciation of the slowness with which the rural public mind works4 ,he must be everlastingly tactful and not attempt more than the simplest advances at the beginning and not more than one at a time4 ,he should have at hand an abundance of educational material in the way of literature1 lantern slides1 and periodicals which can be used in showing what actually happens when the church embarks on a broader program of rural service4 ,a national educational program of this type will in a few years create a demand that must be met and that rural churches will pay well for as the value of such work will be recognized4 ,the more serious phase of this problem is the lack of adequate preparation for this service on the part of the ministry4 ,in one of the leading denominations 7,methodist ,episcopal7 over twenty-nine per cent of the charges are cared for by supplies1 men who by reason of educational preparation1 age1 or for some other cause are not now and1 in a large proportion of cases1 never will be eligible to membership in the ,conferences4 ,of the remainder1 only a small proportion are graduates of schools of higher learning1 such as colleges and theological seminaries4 ,at a time when a large number of those living in rural communities are either agricultural college graduates or have attended short courses in agriculture1 it becomes apparent that an uneducated ministry is becoming a menace to the future of the rural church4 ,but of those who have had the advantages of a college or theological seminary training1 the type of training has not fitted them for effective rural service4 ,the training of ministers has gone through the same process as other types of training4 ,it was once thought that since the sole business of the minister was the personal appeal to accept ,christ1 with the emphasis on the personal atonement features of ,christianity rather than on the principles of ,christian living1 the same type of training would fit one to deliver the message whether he was in the slums of the city1 on the shores of ,africa1 or in the mountains of ,colorado4 ,moreover1 for some reason1 it appears to have been accepted that the rural ministry was the simplest of all and that any one could be a rural minister4 ,it would be amusing if it were not so tragic to accept the testimony of some of those who have not yet seen that the rural ministry is a type demanding such a cosmopolitan understanding of human nature and of conditions of human existence that it demands the best intellects and the highest type of missionary spirit to carry on successfully4 ,we have heard of college presidents recommending young men for important rural positions because the young man was not ambitious for any important work in the church4 ,it has been known that officials in the church would bid for theological seminary graduates with the assurance that while they would have to accept an undesirable rural charge for a year or so1 they would soon be promoted4 ,the writer knows of at least one young ,negro minister1 a holder of a ,master's degree from a large educational institution1 whose major work for his higher degree was in the dead languages4 ,the attitude of our educational institutions1 and the attitude in public thought has been that progress for the individual has been in the direction of getting away from the country instead of remaining with rural folk and giving one's life to the advancement of the group as a whole2 and the courses of study have had primarily in mind the personal appeal rather than that of dealing with man in his particular environment4 ,it is now recognized that modern life demands a specialized ministry4 ,the one who can handle successfully a rural industrial or a downtown urban situation may not be at all fitted to deal with the problems of the village or the open country4 ,on the other hand1 the one who can serve farmers successfully might not be at all fitted to fill a metropolitan pulpit4 ,beginnings only have been made in attempting to adjust educational work to meet this modern demand4 ,in the meantime the problem remains of the ministers trained under former conditions1 if trained at all4 ,many of them have not yet caught the vision of the larger program of the church2 and of those who have caught this vision the handling of the tools of the new program is such a delicate task that many failures are sure to be recorded4 ,it will take years to bring the church to the place where it can meet successfully the modern demands upon it4 ,the second great problem is that of maladjustment in thought4 ,protestantism is still suffering from the effects of extreme individualism in religious belief4 ,strong leaders1 obsessed with some one variation in interpretation of the ,scriptures1 have pulled off from the main body of the church and have started independent organizations committed to the development of the particular interpretation they have made4 ,when once these organizations have been formed and have secured a financial backing1 they have continued to spread1 until to-day rural ,america presents the spectacle of religious forces agreeing on the broad general program of the relation of the church to community needs but paralyzed because of dissensions over less essential principles of theological dogma4 ,the reasons for separate organizations have often been forgotten and loyalty to a particular organization as such has taken its place4 ,the solution of this problem is not that of attempting to eliminate differences in dogmatic belief by argument1 but of emphasizing the points of agreement of the various religious groups4 ,error and nonessential dividing lines will disappear if neglected4 ,but if they are agitated1 they will thrive under persecution and conditions will be worse than ever4 ,the third problem is that of maladjustment of buildings to community needs4 ,this problem presents itself in two aspects3 first1 that of location of church buildings1 and1 second1 that of location of pastors' residences4 ,in the original settlement of this country1 people located their new homes in neighborhoods partly for social and economic purposes and partly for protection4 ,where these new groups were founded the church building soon found a place4 ,as the communities grew1 and aided in the course of time by ambitious national agencies1 the sectarian interests mentioned above established new churches to care for those of each particular belief until many communities soon became overchurched4 ,the rapid decrease in open-country1 and even village1 population which began during the #gj's of the past century and which has continued to the present made the problem still worse1 until to-day probably the least efficient institution in all rural life is the rural church4 ,moreover1 the first settlements did not always mark the spot of permanent development of population and interest centers4 ,as time has passed1 many of the places which it was once thought would be permanent centers have lost their preeminence and others have taken their place1 until now many very small communities have too many churches1 and others are lacking in adequate facilities for religious service4 ,the time has now come when it is believed that rural population and agricultural tendencies are sufficiently well known to enable those interested in rural life development to determine what are the most suitable centers for community development4 ,the ,interchurch ,world ,movement1 had it been carried to a successful conclusion1 would have gone far toward determining those centers for the entire ,united ,states4 ,as it is1 the ,movement made possible such determination for about one fifth of the ,united ,states and the task of completing the survey may be accomplished in the course of time4 ,when this task is completed1 then the challenge to the churches of ,america will be to so readjust the location of their church buildings and to remodel them in such a way as to be adapted to the present and probable future growth of communities so determined4 ,this work is scarcely begun1 but it is believed that it has gone far enough to insure its ultimate achievement4 ,when this is done1 then the local church will be in a position to deal most effectively with the community problems mentioned in preceding chapters4 ,the situation as to location of pastors' residences is even more serious than that of location of church buildings4 ,during the pioneer period of church organization ministers were under the necessity of dividing their efforts among a considerable number of small groups4 ,these were organized into circuits and the pastor's residence was provided at the point either where the original church was established or where it was most convenient for him to serve the preaching points under his care4 ,each denomination developed its own work regardless of other groups and in many cases from the same common center1 so that we now have in rural and village organization pastors' residences centralized in the minority of rural communities and the great majority of such communities without resident pastoral care4 ,in the ,state of ,ohio1 for example1 in one county of twenty-four communities but twelve have resident pastors and in these twelve communities thirty-nine pastors reside4 ,in another of sixteen communities but eight have resident pastors4 ,yet in each county there are enough ministers to supply each community with a resident pastor1 if readjustment were to be made4 ,in the northeastern part of the ,state on a single ,methodist district are to be found two instances of ,methodist and ,presbyterian pastors living in the same village and going on alternate ,sundays to another village1 in one instance larger than that wherein the ministers live4 ,the facts as to the growth and decline of churches with resident or non-resident ministers elsewhere present 7see ,church ,growth and ,decline in ,ohio7 are a sufficient indication of the effects of maladjustment of pastoral residences to rural community needs4 ,since the modern demand of rural life upon the church is for community leadership as well as for holding ,sunday worship1 it is clear that no adequate program of church leadership in rural life can be worked out until this vital need of readjustment of pastoral residences to community service is met4 ,a third serious problem is that of lack of coordination of denominational effort in community service4 ,where two or more religious organizations find a place in the same small community1 no plan has yet been successfully tried whereby these organizations as such have been brought into harmonious and continuous action for community service4 ,the presence of two or three ministers of social vision in the same small community is not always an asset1 since small communities do not have a place for more than one leader and sectarian interests forbid cooperation under the leadership of either of the church pastors4 ,this situation has given rise to such organizations as the ,christian ,associations1 the ,sunday ,school ,associations1 and a large number of nonreligious agencies now trying to provide for community leadership independent of the church4 ,it is intended here to call attention to the problem4 ,a suggestion as to methods of solution will be taken up more at length in a succeeding chapter4 ,a fourth serious problem resulting from the above is lack of adequate support for rural religious institutions4 ,owing to the general lack of financial resources of rural communities as compared with the urban centers1 they have not been able to compete financially with city churches in bidding for men who have high standards of living and who demand large financial returns for services rendered4 ,this condition will probably continue indefinitely because of the tendency of large-scale industrial production to centralize wealth control in urban centers2 that is1 unless the economic motive is taken from ,christian service through the equalization of salaries4 ,this is a solution much to be desired1 but it is feared that pastors will not take kindly to such a movement2 and members of city churches will continue to contribute to the support of their own particular pastor instead of to general pastoral support4 ,but the weakness in support has been seriously increased because of dividing of such resources as rural communities have among so many different agencies4 ,many communities that could support a pastor at two thousand dollars or more a year now have men serving denominations at one thousand dollars per year or less4 ,the same is true of church building4 ,when five church buildings must be erected and maintained for sectarian purposes in a town where there is room for but one school building there is little wonder that the contrast between church buildings and other rural institutional buildings is so marked4 ,and it is little wonder that when people begin to think in community terms they are inclined to pass by the church as an institution offering hope of community service conservation and turn either to the school or to some other agency that they hope will serve the purpose4 ,closely akin to the problem of inadequate support for the country minister and the country church is that contention often made that the job of a country preacher does not offer as great a challenge as does that of service in other branches of church work4 ,it is believed that this contention is erroneous because the rural work1 while not demanding the same qualities of service as other types1 does demand qualities of its own that equal1 if they do not exceed1 those of the city pulpit4 ,the ability to serve people long and continuously in close personal relation to them2 to deal patiently with conservatism2 to endure the hardships of living under conditions far below what are to be found in city environments2 to get the support of the people for progressive measures1 and to keep alive mentally in an environment that is not the most conducive to study because of lack of reading facilities and because of the ease with which one may shirk the means of personal growth--all these make the task one for the specially capable and devoted4 ,but if there is truth in the statement that the country ministry does not offer the opportunity for the exercise of personal abilities required by the city pulpit1 then1 unless we frankly recognize that the limit of possibility of building up the rural work is to alleviate an unavoidable discrepancy in personal challenge1 it becomes necessary to so reorganize the local parish that it will be a challenge fit to attract the best minds in the church4 ,the first step already has been mentioned3 that is1 to adjust relationships between denominations so that a minister will have sole responsibility for community leadership4 ,the second is to enlarge the parishes under the control of one pastor that he will have ample field for the exercise of his abilities4 ,in some sections of the country two or more communities may still have to be assigned to one minister1 with the expectation that he will develop local volunteer leadership in the respective communities1 or have adequate assistance in the way of special workers among the children and in the homes and have directors of religious education for full or part time in each community4 ,in most sections of the country the communities are now of such a size as to demand the full time of a paid minister and to pay a satisfactory salary for services rendered4 ,the third is to increase the functions of the pastorate so that people will be willing to pay more for the service rendered4 ,this results directly from the adoption of the larger program for the church herein recommended4 ,the practice--still all too rare--of supplying the pastor with an automobile for pastoral work1 should be encouraged everywhere1 particularly when the charge has a pastor who has the vision of the broader program of the church and is specially trained for his work4 ,there are complications in the connectional system of making appointments that tend to prevent liberality in this respect4 ,when a charge is brought up to adequate self-support the tendency is too often to make the charge a place to take care of a ,conference member of that grade regardless of his fitness to follow up the type of program introduced by his predecessor4 ,the taking of the automobile by the departing pastor deprives the community of its use4 ,leaving it for the use of an inefficient pastor is too great a burden on the community4 ,experience will determine the best means of handling this problem and should ultimately put ministers on the same basis as to having means of transportation furnished as ,county ,agricultural ,agents1 ,county ,superintendents of ,schools1 ,christian ,association ,secretaries1 etc4 ,the soldier in the ranks will probably never be looked upon as in the same grade of responsible position as the captain of the company4 ,so the country minister has a right to look forward in due time to promotion in natural channels2 that is1 to the district superintendency4 ,it is to be feared that too often at the present time1 the rural minister is discouraged from remaining in the rural work because he sees that a very large proportion of the positions in the church that are recognized as personal promotions are filled from the city pulpits4 ,his course of advance is now from the country pulpit to the city pulpit1 thence to the district superintendency or detached service1 thence to the bishopric1 a position very few ministers refuse if offered4 ,the rural work would be strengthened if rural district superintendencies were filled by rural men who have demonstrated their ability to build up a rural charge successfully1 and then if these same rural district superintendents were to have an opportunity to fill the highest possible positions in the church1 thus bringing to the highest administrative offices of the church the tried experience that comes from building up a district in ,methodism4 ,when the necessity of leaving the rural work in order to get promotion is eliminated there will be a marked strengthening of loyalty to the rural work4 ,the illustrations given have been taken from ,methodist ,episcopal experience4 ,other denominations have similar problems1 but probably to a less degree because of the more marked form of localized democracy in church polity4 ,if the churches of ,america permit this crisis of lack of adjustment of church to community needs to pass unchallenged1 and if they delay in making the adjustments needed1 the time will soon come when other agencies1 supported by rural communities1 will make provision for these needs and the opportunity of the church will be gone indefinitely4 ,other agencies will be performing a real ,christian service1 and the church1 by reason of its failure to live up to the demands upon it1 will have an increasingly difficult task of justifying its existence so far as relationship to this world is concerned4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,interdenominational ,,readjustment ,rural progress under church leadership has been much like the first drops of water on a placid lake at the beginning of a rain4 ,little rises of water appear and some waves circle out1 but the ultimate level is not much raised4 ,so with the church4 ,here and there a minister stirs up some local community1 some definite progress is made1 attention is attracted from other communities and they may have a few symptoms of a rise1 but too often the minister moves1 another comes1 and the general level of community life falls back to what it was before4 ,the difficulty is that with the overlapping of interdenominational jurisdictions it is impossible for any group to lead in progress outside of the local community4 ,methodists cannot lead in a county program because ,baptists and ,presbyterians will not follow them4 ,neither can the other groups lead because ,methodists are not gifted in following the leadership of other denominations4 ,it is perfectly natural and justifiable that this should be so4 ,before the churches of ,america1 ,protestant or ,catholic1 can render the entire service demanded of them there must be a thoroughgoing system of interdenominational cooperation worked out which will insure joint responsibility of all denominations concerned in providing for community leadership on a large scale4 ,if this is impossible1 then the inevitable alternative must be accepted of passing by the churches of ,america in carrying out comprehensive plans of progress and of turning to other agencies for this service4 ,during the past1 largely owing to the apparently hopeless situation so far as interdenominational cooperation is concerned1 ,christian organizations1 such as ,christian ,associations and ,sunday ,school ,associations1 have sprung up to do for the denominations and for the ministers what they could not do under present conditions4 ,these agencies have done notable work4 ,they have accomplished much in preparing the way for a nation-wide recognition of what the broad function of the church is2 they have brought representatives of all denominations together and have gradually increased the social spirit while at the same time lessening the emphasis upon those things which have divided the ,christian ,church into so many isolated camps4 ,they have pioneered and experimented4 ,they have had failures as well as successes1 but their failures have been a real contribution to the sum total of human experience and have taught us many things that should be avoided4 ,the service rendered by these agencies must ever be remembered as of the most vital and important character4 ,but it will be admitted by representatives of all organizations that a large part of what is now found in the programs of those other religious organizations1 arms of the church1 is a legitimate part of the work that should be supervised by the minister of a community program and included in his program1 and that in those communities where such trained pastoral leadership exists the functions of these other agencies can be materially modified and their activities directed into still further new and untried fields of endeavor4 ,the church needs organizations supported from funds not coming through the regular channels founded on the budgets of individual churches4 ,these subsidiary organizations can go ahead with experimentation1 and their failures do not bring the discredit to the parent organization that they would if done by the church directly4 ,on the other hand1 their successes can be adopted into the regular program of the church and thus conserved4 ,complete control of experimentation or demonstration work is likely to destroy or prevent initiative1 which is the soul of progress4 ,in adjusting problems between denominations in local communities a number of plans have been tried with greater or less success4 ,one of the oldest is that of the union church4 ,this is a type of organization in which the people of the local community1 tiring of the uneconomic system of interdenominational competition1 and without hope of uniting on any one of the local organizations represented1 decide to separate from all and form themselves into an independent local organization4 ,no large denomination to-day is favorable to the so-called union church2 and all are opposed to the plan sometimes followed by rural industrial concerns of erecting a church building open to anyone who pretends to speak with authority about religious matters4 ,the union church usually begins with enthusiasm1 but because of lack of outside contacts1 because of lack of continuity of program1 because of lack of a broad missionary spirit1 it is generally shortlived and gives way to some church with denominational affiliations4 ,the union church without denominational affiliations should not be confused with the community church with denominational connection4 ,it is the latter type that most religious organizations are now agreed is most desirable as the solution of the inexcusable overchurching now existing in many communities4 ,in these days of get-together movements denominational leaders should think clearly with reference to federated churches4 ,a few of these have had a fairly long life4 ,but their growth in the past fifteen years has not been such as to inspire confidence that they offer a satisfactory solution to the overchurched situation4 ,the federated church idea is not in harmony with a connectional polity nor with the principle of world democracy with centralization of administrative responsibility for carrying out democratically adopted plans implied in that polity4 ,local federation involves giving of full power of selection of pastors and of determination of policies to the local congregation4 ,whatever may be said about the occasional failures of the connectional system in finding suitable pastors1 or in other ways1 it is nevertheless true that this system has a vitality and efficiency that are now being recognized by many of the leading religious organizations4 ,the polity of the federated church is congregational2 and extreme congregationalism and connectionalism do not mix readily so far as polity is concerned4 ,the growth of the one form involves the decline of the other4 ,this is why the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 for example1 has developed so little sympathy for the federated church idea4 ,far different from this is allocation of responsibility for community leadership4 ,this insures leadership to one denomination or the other4 ,then the local congregations can work out their problems of adjustment as local conditions indicate is best4 ,usually some form of affiliation in worship and in sharing local expenses with continued separation of support of missionary and other benevolent enterprises has proven the most satisfactory method of local adjustment4 ,by this method connectional interests are preserved and fixing of responsibility in each community assured4 ,with the vastly increased missionary resources made available by the missionary drives of the leading denominations there is positive danger of the problem of interdenominational adjustment being made still more serious4 ,if the ,home ,mission ,boards1 through unwise use of mission funds for the purpose of assisting in competitive struggles1 should precipitate retaliation by other denominations1 a misuse of missionary funds would result that would not only dry up the sources of missionary support but bring ,protestantism into lasting disgrace4 ,in working out a program of interdenominational adjustment the following plan has been tried with success on at least three ,methodist ,episcopal ,annual ,conference districts3 #a4 ,a survey of the district and the preparation of a map showing the location of all churches1 residences of all pastors1 circuit systems1 and whether churches are located in villages or the open country4 #b4 ,separate lists are then made of cases of apparent competitive relations with each denomination4 #c4 ,conferences are then called with the representatives of each denomination to consider the problems of competition between the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church and the particular denomination with which the conference is called4 #d4 ,after tentative plans have been adopted representatives of both denominations visit the local field together1 confer with the churches concerned1 and arrive at some agreement as to adjustments to be made4 #e4 ,this method is followed with each denomination1 separately1 with which ,methodism has competitive relations4 ,this plan has been tried with success in the ,state of ,vermont1 where ,methodists1 ,baptists1 and ,congregationalists had to cooperate or abandon the field2 in the ,portsmouth district1 ,ohio ,conference1 where the principal problems were with the ,presbyterians1 ,united ,brethren1 and ,baptists2 in ,montana1 where a conference was held to consider adjustments affecting an entire ,state2 and in the ,wooster ,district1 ,north-,east ,ohio ,conference1 where adjustment of relationships is proceeding satisfactorily4 ,the results of this program already noticeable are3 #a4 ,the increase in salary of rural ministers made possible by uniting the financial resources of all religious forces in the community4 #b4 ,saving of missionary money by eliminating duplication of missionary grants by competing denominations4 #c4 ,a marked increase in membership and church attendance4 #d4 ,a more vital relationship of the church to community welfare through unified action of all religious forces under the trained leadership of one pastor4 #e4 ,resident pastorates to more communities through better distribution of pastoral residences of the denominations concerned in adjustments made4 #f4 ,a more vital appeal to life service in rural work can now be made to young people who have objected to service in rural charges where efforts at community service have been handicapped and even nullified by the presence of competing religious organizations and pastors4 ,it is believed that the results obtained far outweigh the possible losses that may come through ,methodists intrusting leadership in service to ,presbyterians1 ,congregationalists1 ,baptists1 or the reverse4 ,the good work made possible by fixing responsibility for leadership to a given denomination in one community is destined by the force of example and imitation to compel similar progress in communities to which leadership responsibility has been assigned to other denominations4 ,a word of caution to ministers in charge of local fields is desirable in regard to settlement of interdenominational difficulties4 ,the interests involved are so much larger than the local church that the initiative must be taken by the district superintendent1 always in the fullest consultation with the resident bishop1 or the proper ,state1 synodical1 or other representative of the other denominations concerned4 ,in a number of cases local initiative in this matter has resulted not only in defeating the end sought but has created embarrassing situations between the supervisory representatives of the denominations4 ,if a local situation needs adjustment1 the matter should be gone over fully with those responsible for church administration1 and it is believed that in most cases such adjustment can be made satisfactorily4 ,the experience of those in the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church who have tried to bring about adjustments by the method suggested has been that in most cases other groups are ready to come to an agreement4 ,if other groups refuse to make adjustments1 then the denomination making the advances has no other alternative than that of caring for its own obligations as adequately as possible and with every resource that can be made available4 ,but no blame can attach to this policy after effort has been made to cooperate with other groups and these efforts have failed4 ,after communities have been allocated for leadership to one or another of the denominations1 then the problem of a united program by all denominations remains to be solved4 ,unless this end is attained1 then rural churches must continue to work largely alone1 each in its own community without relation to the program of neighboring churches or communities4 ,unless there is coordination between the churches1 then we shall continue to witness the spectacle of the three interdenominational branches of the church1 the ,sunday ,school ,association1 and the ,christian ,associations1 each moving in its own self-chosen direction1 each raising an independent budget1 and each establishing county organizations without reference to the interests of the other2 and none of the three doing anything to encourage the organization of county groups of the churches as such4 ,the time has arrived when the church as such should take the lead in bringing about interdenominational cooperation for community service under its own auspices and in the most inclusive way4 ,for many reasons the county offers the best basis for this type of organization4 ,it is the most permanent political unit1 next to the ,state or the incorporated town or city4 ,social progress finds the closest opportunity for cooperation with economic and political agencies in the county4 ,the following proposal for a ,county ,christian ,association1 supported out of the budgets of local cooperating churches1 has been worked out3 ,,suggested ,,program ,,for ,,county ,,rural ,,christian ,,association ,,or ,,federation ,,of ,,churches#a #a;a4 ,proposal for ,county ,christian ,association or ,church ,federation4 #a;b4 ,board of ,directors4 #a;c4 ,county ,council chosen by each cooperating denomination on basis of membership4 #b;c4 ,election or appointment of denominational representatives to be left to each denomination4 #c;c4 ,selection of county secretary4 #b;b4 ,duties of county secretary4 #a;c4 ,survey--,follow up what interchurch county office has done4 #a;d4 ,location of all churches4 #b;d4 ,residence of pastors4 #c;d4 ,community boundaries4 #b;c4 ,organize county religious movements as3 #a;d4 ,evangelistic drive4 #b;d4 ,membership rally4 #c;d4 ,go-to-church campaigns4 #d;d4 ,religious worship in the home4 #e;d4 ,common programs with reference to moral and spiritual problems4 #f;d4 ,other religious movements4 #c;c4 ,interchurch adjustments4 #a;d4 ,act as secretary of ,committee on ,adjustments--provide office for interchurch activities4 #b;d4 ,depository for interchurch religious information4 #c;d4 ,follow-up plans made as result of interchurch survey1 including3 #a;e4 ,encouragement of building parsonage and getting resident pastor in every community4 #b;e4 ,getting a community church building in every community adequate to its needs4 #c;e4 ,getting a community building under joint religious auspices where need exists for several houses of worship4 #d;e4 ,clearing house for membership conservation4 #e;e4 ,determination of parish boundaries4 #f;e4 ,establishment of new work in communities where there is none4 #d;c4 ,social and recreational4 #a;d4 ,county field days4 #b;d4 ,cooperation in organizing boys' and girls' clubs in ,sunday school or otherwise4 #d;d4 ,direct social and recreational activities4 #e;d4 ,assisting in selection and training leaders for church and community service4 #e;c4 ,religious education4 #a;d4 ,recruiting membership campaigns4 #b;d4 ,perform all functions now expected of volunteer county ,sunday school secretary4 #c;d4 ,assist in analysis of ,sunday school methods and organization in local churches in organizing for larger service4 #d;d4 ,week-day religious instruction plans4 #f;c4 ,social service activities to be encouraged3 #a;d4 ,county free library4 #b;d4 ,county hospital and nursing program4 #c;d4 ,adequate provision for dependents1 defectives1 delinquents4 #d;d4 ,securing desired ,state public service4 #e;d4 ,health and sanitation campaign4 #f;d4 ,county ,farm bureaus4 #g;c4 ,cooperation with other agencies4 ,in general1 give moral support to agencies doing effective work in the fields mentioned in 7#f;c74 #h;c4 ,act as bureau of advice with reference to appeals for charitable purposes4 #i;c4 ,religious publicity4 #c;b4 ,budget4 #a;c4 ,estimated ,salary of ,secretary #c1jjj ,travel #djj ,office rent #cjj ,equipment #bjj ,stenographer #gej ,publicity #djj ------ #e1jej #b;c4 ,how to raise4 #a;d4 ,estimate amount that should come from each cooperating church4 ,ask each church to assume its share on a three-year guarantee4 #b;d4 ,make list of special givers who may become a private source4 #c;d4 ,communicate with respective missionary boards for aid in carrying balance of budget until such time as it can be brought to self-support4 ,,footnote3 ,footnote #a3 ,prepared in ,collaboration with ,c4 ,j4 ,hewett1 ,garrett ,biblical ,institute1 ,evanston1 ,ill4 ,this form of organization has many advantages1 among which are3 #a4 ,it coordinates all the religious forces of ,protestantism1 for a common community service4 #b4 ,it insures ultimate permanent support by being financed out of the budgets of the cooperating churches instead of by a limited number of private givers of large funds4 #c4 ,the county organization develops its work through the churches1 strengthening the program of the minister instead of developing independent organizations locally with volunteer leadership related to an arm of the church instead of directly to the church4 #d4 ,by organizing to do their own work in this way the churches obviate the necessity of private ,christian agencies organizing with outside support to carry on interdenominational work4 ,if the churches of ,america do not rapidly work out plans of interdenominational cooperation in the development of their work1 other agencies will enter the field and will receive popular financial support for doing those things in rural progress that are the legitimate task of the church and for which the church should receive support4 ,church people will supply the large part of the funds for carrying on these activities through nonreligious agencies2 and because of the narrowness of program the church will have chosen for itself many of the brightest and best minds1 and consecrated hearts now found in our student groups in educational institutions will find their life's activities outside the church instead of within its ranks where they would prefer to be4 ,this will be the misfortune of the church and she cannot clear herself of the wrong of depriving her young people of the opportunity of rendering a service to humanity within her own ranks and of forcing them to render that service through independent social agencies4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,the ,,church ,,and ,,other ,,rural ,,agencies ,since the arousal of interest in rural welfare by the studies made by the ,country ,life ,commission in #aijh1 probably no movement has made more rapid progress than that concerned with rural life4 ,studies of rural church conditions made by the ,presbyterian ,board of ,home ,missions and other agencies1 of rural health by the ,national ,public ,health ,service and by a number of the large philanthropic foundations1 of educational conditions by the ,united ,states ,bureau of ,education1 and of other problems by various agencies concerned1 have revealed the more important conditions and have made possible the organization of programs for their amelioration4 ,the conditions still further revealed by the problems incident to preparation for the ,world ,war and the facilities made possible by that preparation for mobilization of the forces for improvement still further advanced the rural-life movement until now no other interest is occupying more public attention than this4 ,the list of agencies with programs of rural service on a national scale that have found representation in the ,national ,council of ,rural ,social ,service affiliated with the ,american ,country ,life ,association will indicate the large number of groups now contributing to the advance of rural welfare4 ,this list is as follows3 ,national ,grange1 ,american ,farm ,bureau ,federation1 ,national ,board of ,farm ,organizations1 ,farmers' ,educational and ,cooperative ,union1 ,american ,home ,economics ,society1 ,american ,red ,cross1 ,boy ,scouts of ,america1 ,girl ,scouts of ,america1 ,federal ,council of ,churches1 ,national ,catholic ,welfare ,council1 ,board of ,home ,missions of the ,presbyterian ,church in the ,united ,states of ,america1 ,american ,baptist ,home ,missionary ,society1 ,board of ,home ,missions of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 ,young ,men's ,christian ,association1 ,young ,women's ,christian ,association1 ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture1 ,states ,relations ,service2 ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture1 ,office of ,farm ,management2 ,united ,states ,public ,health ,service1 ,united ,states ,bureau of ,education1 ,united ,states ,department of ,labor1 ,children's ,bureau2 ,national ,organization for ,public ,health ,nursing1 ,national ,child ,labor ,committee1 ,child ,health ,organization of ,america1 ,russell ,sage ,foundation1 ,national ,tuberculosis ,association1 ,national ,educational ,association1 ,rural ,department2 ,american ,library ,association1 ,national ,university ,extension ,association1 ,national ,child ,health ,council1 ,playground and ,recreation ,association of ,america1 ,community ,service1 ,inc4 ,the above is a list of thirty-one different agencies that have a national definitely organized rural-service program4 ,this list doubtless is incomplete and will be increased in the course of time4 ,the problem before us is to determine just what place the church should have in this formidable galaxy of agencies1 and to consider what advantages and difficulties present themselves to the churches of ,america in functioning unitedly and successfully in doing their part in the entire movement4 ,it must be recognized that it is impossible for the church to assume leadership in all the interests represented now by various specialized agencies4 ,it has been contended that the task of the church has been completed with reference to a number of these interests when it has encouraged their organization in a local way and has continued to give them its moral support so long as they render effectively the service for which they were intended4 ,rural interests are so complex that specialized groups are necessary to insure adequate attention to all the interests concerned4 ,it must also be recognized that until the two great branches of the ,christian ,church--,catholicism and ,protestantism--learn to cooperate in their service to the community1 the religious forces of ,america cannot present a united front in rendering the service that belongs peculiarly to them4 ,it is assumed that the effort will be made by those responsible for community service in both branches of the church to work out this problem so that the church can do its part in the general movement4 ,the physical basis for organization of all forces for service on a comprehensive plan is recognized to be the political units1 county1 ,state1 and nation4 ,the township is giving way gradually to the community as the more local unit of organization4 ,in cases where community boundary lines do not coincide with county lines local adjustments will be made whereby the integrity of communities may be maintained within the organization of one or the other of the counties concerned4 ,the present movement is toward the appointment of county work secretaries on a salaried basis to administer the work of the respective interests concerned4 ,thus we have now developed wherever the spirit of the people has made it possible salaried ,county ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 officers1 ,y4 ,w4 ,c4 ,a4 officers1 ,international ,sunday ,school officers1 ,red ,cross ,chapters1 ,boy ,scouts1 ,community ,service1 ,inc41 and so forth4 ,there is no regularity or uniformity in the selection of the counties by the different agencies with reference to each other1 but it appears that when one of the groups succeeds in getting a county office established1 it is increasingly difficult for other agencies concerned in rural social service to gain a foothold on a salaried basis4 ,the agency that succeeds in gaining a foothold originally tends to incorporate into its activities the full program of social service4 ,theoretically all admit their readiness to turn over to other agencies the functions belonging to other groups as soon as they are ready to assume their proper duties1 but practically the organization of an interest group county office delays indefinitely the organization of rural service on a proper basis4 ,the normal course of development is for the agency that is prepared to organize and finance a comprehensive rural program for a county should render this service2 but it should at the same time use its influence to bring about at the earliest possible moment a county council of social agencies that will give unified control of the rural service program to all agencies that should have a voice in rural progress4 ,if this policy is adhered to1 there will be the heartiest support of the work of any agency that wishes to begin its work on a county basis in any section of the country4 ,the first impression that may come to one not familiar with the vastness of the organized movement for rural welfare may be that a large number of agencies have undertaken rural service for their own sakes rather than for the sake of the community4 ,this is not the case4 ,it is recognized that rural organization for definite objectives should take the place of previous uncoordinated1 haphazard opportunism in rural progress1 and the present sporadic and unrelated movements toward organization are but the result of a very rapid development which has not yet found time to make the desired adjustment desired by all concerned4 ,the ,national ,council of ,rural ,social ,agencies1 the ,state ,councils coming into existence1 the ,county ,councils and the community councils that have appeared here and there are but the beginnings of a well-ordered1 economical and necessary coordination of rural social forces4 ,how is the church related to this movement8 ,repeated investigations have shown that the churches of ,america have within their membership by far the larger proportion of those whose public spirit registers itself in voluntary financial support of public enterprises4 ,the friendly citizen is largely a myth4 ,those who build churches at large personal sacrifice1 and pay the bills in maintaining religious services are those whose names appear at the top of most subscriptions to benevolent enterprises4 ,it was the ,christian ministry and the church membership that made possible the ,red ,cross drives during the war1 and the other financial campaigns for relief and other calls incident to the war4 ,thus history has continued to show the same condition so far as financial resources for public welfare support are concerned4 ,since this is the case1 it appears that the most natural method of initiating social service work on a voluntary basis is to expect the churches to take the lead4 ,as has been pointed out1 the church and the school are the two local institutions that have salaried officials to care for their public service4 ,other agencies1 with the possible exception of public health nursing service1 will probably not in the near future be able to secure financial support for full-time salaried local officials4 ,the nearest they can approach to such salaried service is the county official who must depend for local service upon trained volunteer help4 ,this condition puts upon the church an additional responsibility because through the organization of a county religious organization outlined in the preceding chapter it can not only mobilize local support for such work on a permanent basis most effectively1 but it can also provide the salaried local leadership for carrying out a well-organized community service program4 ,moreover1 in harmony with principles presented in an earlier chapter1 the church as a conservative institution is one of the permanent organizations that in the last analysis must be expected to take over and insure permanence to well-tried advances in community organization and service4 ,if this thesis is admitted1 then it logically follows that all who are interested in rural progress should encourage the organization of the religious forces on a comprehensive basis to insure the perpetuation of the work now being inaugurated by a large number of private agencies4 ,when it is found that the interests of other organizations conflict with the program of the church1 the interests of the ,american public will give the preference in support to the church1 or to the tax-supported institution4 ,in the long run much of the work now being done by private organizations of various sorts will be inherited either by the church or by the state2 and it is not only the opportunity but the obligation of the church to prepare itself as rapidly as possible for conserving these newer activities by financing county and ,state and national organizations for coordination of religious forces for community service4 ,if county offices for coordination of religious forces were now in existence1 the churches could provide facilities through which much of the work now being developed by other agencies could be carried on4 ,and thus the church could render a much-needed service to the entire rural-life movement4 ,,chapter ,x ,,missionary ,,programs ,,and ,,rural ,,community ,,service ,long years of experience in foreign missionary service has vitally affected the methods of carrying the gospel of ,christian living to those who have not yet come under the influence of the ,christ4 ,here the demonstration method of what ,christianity means in terms of increased human welfare has done far more to spread the gospel than simply preaching to people4 ,the freeing of the millions now living under the control of other forms of religious belief by introduction of schools1 together with the message of health and better moral ideals through the practice of ,christian living1 has done more to spread ,christianity than all the efforts of attempting to build a ,christian spirit into a civilization not suited to it nor prepared for it4 ,the missionary agencies in the home fields have learned from the experience in the foreign fields1 and now the programs of home missionary boards are characterized by their large emphasis upon the social gospel4 ,the revival of interest in religious life in this country coincident with the recognition of its vital significance in sound social organization has come so rapidly and popular support has been so liberal that grave danger exists lest the funds made available should be used unintentionally in ways that tend to defeat the purpose of the gift4 ,the church1 in its benevolent program1 should take advantage of the lessons learned by private philanthropic agencies in dealing with problems of reclamation of the unfortunate or of stimulating to a larger life4 ,many of the efforts at social progress fail because of lack of clear statement of objectives4 ,so far as the rural work is concerned1 the following are presented as necessary objectives1 if the rural church is to succeed in measuring up to its task4 ,it is believed that funds of the church can be used safely and wisely in their attainment4 #a4 ,strengthen the weak places in rural church work in harmony with principles of interdenominational ethics and well-established principles of benevolent assistance4 #b4 ,increase effectiveness of rural ministry by training ministry now in service in modern methods of church work and by recruiting and training a new ministry in sympathy with rural life and devoted to its improvement4 #c4 ,organize rural church work so that every rural family will have definitely assigned pastoral care4 #d4 ,adjust interdenominational relationships so that the ideal of but one resident pastor and one church to each community may be realized4 #e4 ,provide means of interdenominational cooperation so that rural religious forces may work together in dealing with common problems of rural social and religious progress4 #f4 ,organize rural work so that it may have due consideration in the general policies of religious organizations4 #g4 ,all the above are preliminary to the one great object1 from the social point of view1 namely1 that of making it possible for the rural church and the rural minister to function most effectively in bringing more abundant life in the best sense to rural people4 ,after religious forces are organized so that they can present a united front in the attack on the great social problems of rural life1 then the individual churches and all churches together can undertake to meet the challenge outlined in earlier chapters of this text and also well presented in much of the recent literature on the subject4 ,but effective organization must precede most effective and permanent service4 ,certain principles have been the guiding influence in the program on which the rural department of at least one of the leading denominations has been working4 ,for those who come to positions of administrative responsibility from time to time without having been under the necessity of acquainting themselves with the principles that should guide in the safe expenditure of funds for maintenance of pastors1 these are given here3 #a4 ,principles of interdenominational ethics should be observed in making grants of missionary funds to local pastors4 ,it is to be feared that too often funds have been used to sustain a local work in the presence of another denomination when efforts at interdenominational adjustment would have relieved the situation by removing the necessity1 namely1 that of division of local resources by competing religious forces4 #b4 ,owing to the unusual problems presented on charges asking for missionary aid only the ablest ministers should be assigned to such points4 ,they should be supported according to their needs through missionary aid1 and their acceptance of difficult work should enhance rather than lessen their standing in the church4 #c4 ,rigid avoidance of use of missionary funds for purposes of charity1 or for making appointments easier4 ,the charge1 not the minister1 is the objective4 #d4 ,centralization of effort on a few places instead of dissipation of funds in providing inefficient service in many places4 #e4 ,gradual but certain withdrawal of support from national or ,state boards in order to avoid pauperizing communities by relieving them of their local financial responsibilities4 ,as one of the most serious problems connected with rural missionary service is that of interdenominational complications1 an effort has been made to work out certain principles that may be observed by all religious organizations carrying out a rural program4 ,at the annual meeting of the ,home ,missions ,council in #aiad a statement of principles was adopted4 ,in #aiai the rural fields committee of the ,home ,missions ,council undertook the revision of these principles in the light of later experience and adopted the revision as a committee report4 ,because this document represents the best judgment of those in the various denominations concerned with rural work it is presented herewith as a desirable basis on which grants of funds may be safely made4 ,the statement is presented in full3 ,persuaded of the urgent need of some comprehensive and united plan for the evangelization of our country and for closer cooperation to make such plans effective1 the ,home ,missions ,council proposes for the consideration of its constituent societies the following principles of comity4 ,it is to be distinctly understood1 however1 that no ecclesiastical authority of any kind is implied except as ecclesiastical bodies shall adopt these policies as their own4 ,they have only the moral force of the consent of the parties desiring to see them become effective4 ,,first4 ,as to the occupancy of new fields4 ,the frequently suggested plan for the entering of new territory is to divide it among the various denominations1 holding each body responsible for the proper working of its field4 a4 ,in the judgment of this ,council this course of procedure would seem to be impracticable4 ,but a sensitive regard not only for the rights but for the sentiments of sister bodies of ,christian people is demanded by every consideration of righteousness as well as fraternity4 b4 ,in districts or in places already occupied by any denomination new work should be undertaken by any other body only after fraternal conference between the official representatives of the missionary organizations embracing those localities4 c4 ,occupancy of the field shall be determined by at least the following characteristics3 #a4 ,the establishment of a regularly organized church4 ,the establishing of a ,sunday school shall not be deemed sufficient to meet the terms of this definition4 #b4 ,the appointment of a pastor who shall be expected to hold services in the community at least once every two weeks4 #c4 ,the provision of church building and equipment within a reasonable time adequate to the needs of the community at its present stage of development4 ,the occupation of a field by any denomination after conference and agreement shall give to that denomination the right to the field and the responsibility for its ,christian culture until such changes in population shall make it desirable that it be shared with one or more other denominations4 ,if the above conference shall fail to reach agreement1 it shall be the privilege of the aggrieved party to make appeal to its respective board or society1 which board or society shall confer with the sister board or society concerned1 and these boards may then request the superintendents of the denominations concerned for the field in question to make personal investigation and to report their findings to their respective boards4 ,if they agree1 the boards shall take action in accordance therewith4 ,if they disagree1 the matter shall be referred to the boards for such action as their wisdom may determine1 which action shall be communicated to the churches concerned with whatever ecclesiastical or moral force their decision may command4 ,,second4 ,in communities already occupied by two or more denominations1 in case any church or mission station shall consider itself aggrieved in its relations to sister churches1 the course of procedure outlined in ,section ,i shall likewise be followed4 ,there shall be friendly conference in the spirit of the ,great ,head of the church and recourse be had1 when necessary1 to the local or national missionary authorities1 whose findings properly communicated shall have behind them the moral force of this ,council4 ,where any denomination occupies a district by groupings of mission stations under one missionary the same principles shall apply and the same method of adjusting differences shall be followed4 ,,third4 ,overchurched ,communities4 ,not infrequently the promise of new towns fails of fulfillment1 with the result that there are more church organizations than in any economic view should be maintained--at least out of missionary funds4 ,in many sections of the country also1 because of the marked shift of population from agricultural communities to urban centers1 overchurching has weakened all denominations to the point where missionary effort is necessary to restore again a wholesome religious life4 ,regardless of the cause of overchurching1 whether from the undue optimism of the newer sections of the country or changed conditions in the older1 or other conditions1 the problem of overchurching must be dealt with in the true spirit of comity and cooperation for the sake of the common good4 a4 ,the principle should be established that one ,protestant church is adequate for each community of less than #a1ejj inhabitants2 and that efforts should be made to bring about interdenominational readjustment to this end in all sections of the country where economic and social conditions have become sufficiently established to make improbable any marked or rapid increase in population within a short time4 b4 ,in communities of over #a1ejj inhabitants there should not be more than one ,protestant church to every #a1jjj population4 c4 ,in communities of over #a1ejj inhabitants and of less than #e1jjj1 plans should be worked out whereby the different denominations concerned shall cooperate in providing adequate building and equipment for community service4 ,such building should be strategically located and should be controlled by a governing board made up of representatives1 the number of whom from each denomination shall be determined by the constituency of that denomination in its proportion to the total ,protestant or cooperating population4 ,the rules for the control of the activities of such cooperative community service should respect the standards of the respective denominations4 ,the support of such community service should be apportioned to the respective denominations concerned to be raised in their respective budgets in proportion to their respective representation on the governing board4 d4 ,it shall be the duty of the denomination to which responsibility shall have been allocated to provide the best-trained leadership and the best service of which it is capable out of consideration to the other denominations that have intrusted the spiritual welfare of their membership to this group4 e4 ,in determining what denomination has prime responsibility in a given community of under #a1ejj inhabitants the following shall be considered4 #a4 ,present resident membership and constituency4 ,the organization having the largest bona fide membership and constituency should be considered as having prime responsibility1 from this point of view4 #b4 ,the residence of the pastor4 ,in general1 the pastor's residence should be given larger weight than membership unless the denomination having prime responsibility according to 7#a7 stands ready to provide a pastor's residence in the community where this denomination has prime responsibility from the point of view of membership4 #c4 ,the location of the church building4 ,the denomination that has a building located in a village center should be given precedence over the denomination that has its headquarters in the open country near a village4 ,the building of the village church should be suitably located for adequate community service2 that is1 near the center of the village4 #d4 ,as between the village and the open country church1 the village church should be given prime consideration in putting on an aggressive community program4 #e4 ,no missionary or sustentation support should be given by any cooperating denomination to a pastor in an overchurched community nor to a circuit involving interdenominational competition until after an adjustment is made either by reorganization of the circuit or an agreement has been reached by the missionary and administrative bodies of the respective denominations concerned as to an allocation of such missionary responsibility4 #f4 ,church extension aid should not be given toward the rebuilding of churches in these communities until after allocation of responsibility has been effected4 #g4 ,if after due effort to secure satisfactory adjustment of relationships according to the plans suggested in ,first above1 and by such further arbitration or other means as may be adopted by the ,home ,missions ,council or its constituent bodies1 then the denomination seeking such adjustment shall be at liberty to develop its own work as it may see fit1 standing ready1 however1 to make agreement with competing bodies whenever they wish to renew negotiations4 #h4 ,in the interests of the ,kingdom1 after missionary responsibility has been allocated1 efforts at unifying local religious organizations may take the form of federation1 assimilation1 affiliation1 or such other mode as may be determined on by the local churches concerned4 #i4 ,plans should also be worked out whereby the religious forms of the different groups may be respected2 that is1 that membership in the remaining religious organization may be obtained by fulfilling the obligations of the cooperating body with which the persons belonging to the withdrawing organization would naturally affiliate4 #aj4 ,it is understood that nothing in this proposed set of principles implies that withdrawal from given fields shall be forced4 ,it is only intended to provide a plan whereby all forces both local and general shall be united as rapidly as possible in the attainment of the desired end1 namely1 that of unifying ,christian service in given communities4 #aa4 ,in determining the limits of communities to which this plan shall apply the ,federal ,census ,bureau designation of communities of #b1ejj and under as rural shall be adopted except as noted in paragraph #e;c4 ,,fourth4 ,inasmuch as many of the constituent bodies of this ,council are already by official action committed to the principles of comity which we advocate1 it would seem reasonable to hope that at least gradually these principles would find realization along some such lines as here proposed4 ,it is manifest1 of course1 that no plan of procedure can be expected to cover all cases or to be of universal applicability4 ,we are glad to record that in some ,states there are ,interchurch ,federations to which local comity matters would naturally be referred4 ,for other cases this ,council proposes the erection of an ,interdenominational ,commission1 to which any matter of comity not otherwise provided for may be referred by mutual agreement of the parties at interest4 ,one representative of each of the bodies having membership in the ,home ,missions ,council shall constitute this commission4 ,when any case calling for adjudication shall rise1 which case shall previously have had the consideration of any one or more of the constituent bodies of the ,home ,missions ,council1 it shall be referred to a ,committee of ,three chosen from this committee and acceptable to both parties4 ,the decision of this committee shall have no ecclesiastical force1 but its utterance shall be regarded as voicing the united judgment of the ,home ,missions ,council and so far forth shall be binding on its constituent bodies4 ,it is recognized that these principles do not receive the most enthusiastic support of church leaders who are thinking in terms of denominational progress instead of community welfare4 ,but this lack of support is an evidence of their value instead of a criticism4 ,denominational interests must be sacrificed for the sake of the advancement of the entire cause when the two come into conflict4 ,there is reason to hope that not only ,protestants but also ,catholics and ,protestants can come to cooperate on programs of community service1 thus overcoming forever the vital objection to religious leadership now made that because of fundamental differences in belief the two great branches of the church cannot render an organized community service4 ,the relations of the benevolent boards of the several denominations to other church organizations are such that but little can be said concerning methods of relating missionary work to the larger program of community service4 ,in each case where projects for missionary aid are presented effort should be made to see that local conditions are made such that the pastor can render the best service4 ,it must be recognized that the application for outside aid is in itself an admission of local weakness4 ,the people are poor1 or indifferent to the type of service to which they have been accustomed4 ,there has been unforeseen disaster1 as the destruction of church property by fire or in some other way4 ,sudden movements of population have temporarily weakened the support of the church and new resources have not yet been developed4 ,circuit systems must be broken up so that people will be willing to support full-time resident pastors with efficient programs for service4 ,customs of expecting the pastor to make his living in outside work and attending to religious service as a side issue must be overcome4 ,the pastor's residence may be in such condition that families cannot be sacrificed for the sake of missionary communities and residences must be supplied by liberal outside aid as the preliminary to effective service4 ,church buildings are inadequate1 and the trained minister must be given every assurance that aid will be rendered in bringing physical equipment up to par4 ,in each case the problems that present themselves must be met4 ,the demands of any one charge do not compare with the demands of any other4 ,and methods must be adapted to meet the specific needs of each charge4 ,these are matters that must be left to those responsible for administration of missionary funds4 ,when the religious forces of ,america learn their problems so that a long-time organized program of religious advance can be worked out1 when they learn to cooperate in carrying out this program1 then the haphazard1 wasteful1 competitive missionary program that has characterized rural religious work in the past will disappear and we shall see one of the most marked advances in religious welfare the world has ever known4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,summary ,,and ,,conclusion ,in the preceding chapters the effort has been made to outline some of the conditions and principles involved in organizing the rural church for community service4 ,the field has been limited by distinguishing between that type of service which has to do with man's relation to his ,maker and that which has to do with his relations to his fellow man4 ,the latter service has been chosen as the field for the present discussion1 and the effort has been made to keep within the field1 regardless of the desirability of discussion of the other phases of the work of the rural church4 ,the field itself both as to size of community and the scope of the entire field has received attention4 ,an attempt has been made to present the philosophic basis justifying the church in giving large attention to community service4 ,some of the more general aspects of rural life demanding attention on the part of the church have been discussed and the reasons for assuming that certain phases of rural social activity properly belong to the church rather than to other agencies have been presented to the reader4 ,the problems of adjustment between religious denominations as such and between the parent religious organizations and so-called arms of the church have been outlined and methods of adjustment suggested4 ,the relation of all religious forces to other rural life agencies has received some attention2 and1 finally1 the missionary program of the church as the agency for strengthening the weak and of advancing the general cause of conquest of all life with principles of ,christian living was discussed4 ,it is hoped that the principles presented will at least be given careful consideration1 and if they are not accepted in full1 that they will at least provoke discussion that will eventually lead to some form of organization that will more nearly meet the demands of the time than the present unorganized1 unrelated sectarian and other efforts that paralyze and discourage those responsible for service in the local as well as in more general fields of ,christian work4 ,if this object can be accomplished1 the effort to point the direction organization should take will not have been in vain4