The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-05-21
The Tendency Towards Church Union.


favor of church consolidation, as opposed 10
the further multiplication of sects' ms Is
due somewhat, no doubt to the natural re-
action from the excessive disintegrating, Sc
ceding and sect-multplying spirit whlch mas
hitherto prevailed in our country, as one Oh
the fruits of perfect religious liberty but 1t
has deeper reason, in the perceived iac' 'ha'
tl,e nraotioal work Of Christianity in the
evonoelization of the world is seriously and
SADLY embarrassed by the multiplicity of
church organizations. This evil is sufficiently
apparent in our large cities, but is only seen
in its full development in our country towns
and villages. 1t is no uncommon thing to
find in small village of one or two thousand
inl abitants three four, or five religious So
cir,ies, each with its place of worship, its
miuister, its Sabbath school, and its complete
church organizations and each a miserable,
starving society, giving its pastor but mere
pittaace of support, dependent, perhaps,
upon foreign aid, and exerting only feeble
and restricted influence upon the community
at large. Now, if all these churches could be
fused into one with large and well-appointed
church edifce, a minister Of ability and elo-
quence Sabbath school fitted up with
plenty of books, maps, globes ETC., how much
better it would be- Such a church would be
power in the community, its edifce would be
filed with worshippers, its works of beneVO-
leuve and of Christian culture and education
woold be carried on with spirit and energy,
and it would fulfil the ends for which churches
ae supposed to exist. The present system,
a. it prevails all over our country, is lax,
wasteful, expensive, and inefficient. 1t does
the work which the Church proposes for itself
to do in the worst possible manner, and at
the greatest possible disadvantage. Especially
i'll the rapidly growing communities of the
West do we find the evils of the present sys-
to--. of multiplied church organizations at their
height. Every sect must 'plant itself at
every prominent point, even though it be to
drag out miserable and sickly existence
We know of place in Missouri, of less than
thousand inhabitants, that has the follow
g church organizations-An Old School
>'resbyterian Church, New School Presbyte-
rian Church, Congregational Church. an Epis
copal Church, Northern Methodist Church,
Southern Methodist Church, Rebel Baptist
Church, Loyal Baptist Church, a Campbell
lite Church. and Roman Catholic Church,
and not one of the whole lot is self-sup-
porting
Our various 'home" and domestic" mis-
sionary societies are not faultless in this mat
ter. They frequently encourage the planting
of churches in communities which are already
amply supplied. The result is to weaken
those already existing, and to divide support
meagre enough at the best. The planting of
a church in a community where other
churches sufficient for the wants of the people
are already in existence, is generally work
of pure denominationalism, and a hindrance
to real Christian efficiency and success.
1t is too much to expect that all denomiaa-
tionalism will fade out, and one grand organza-
ton carry forward the work of the Church; but
we welcome every indication which points to
diminution Of the number of sects, a coming
together of those who substantially agree in
their faith and church government, and gene
raj widening of the basis of church fellowship
and communion. The most striking mani
festaton in this direction at the present time,
is the tendency towards unioA in the great
Presbyterian branch of the Church. As our
readers will remember, both of the Presby-
terian assemblies, the Old School and the New
School, at their annual meetings year ago at
st. Louis, took steps looking towards a
reunion of the churches. A committee from
the two bodies was appointed to draw up a
plan of union, and report this year. That
report has just been presented to the assem-
blies of the respective Churches, the one
now in session at Rochester and the other at
Cincinnati. 1t proposes reunion of the two
Churches on the basis of their common
standards of faith and government the ad-
mission of all ministers and churches of
either body to their present standing; the
consolidation of corporate rights; the records
of the two bodies to be hereafter held as con-
stituting the common history of the Church;
the reconstruction of the committees, boards,
and other official organizations of the Church
at large; revision of the catalogues of publ
cations, and general and equitable consoli-
oatlon OF the two organizations.
Ihere Is no doubt that this plan of union,
when submitted to the separate churches. will
be adopted almost unanimously and that we
shall soon behold these two branches of the
Presbyterian Church united in a common
organization. 1t will then constitute one Of
the largest, wealthiest, and most influential
Churches in the country. But not only is