The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-12-14
What Have Congregational Churches
Done for Christianity at Home?
BY REV. FAYETTE HURD,
BY REV.
GRAND BLANC.

BY REV. FAYETTE HURD,
GRAND BLANC.
ca paper resd before Genesec Confer
cnce of Congregational Churches and
Ministers at Hartland, Mich, Oct. "a.
1883. and published by request after car
full revision)
A broad question, this. Says Puck in
Midsummer Nights Dream,
"rll put girdle round about the earth
In forty minutes"
In less time than this l am required to
girdle y continent, tracing through 1t the
history of the Pilgrim spirit and polity for
two hundred and sixty years.
What shall be the purpose OF our search
and what the nature of the results desired!
A few years ago Thomas X. Beecher
paid sort of complimentary visit TO the
church parlors OF the different Christian
denominations. aud contrivcd afterwards
ID say many pleasant thingsabout each one.
so that. each in turn, they printed his dis.
courses MS a kind OF campaign documents.
We believe that each great Christian body
has wcighty reasons for its existence, and
a divinely appointed mission to fulfill.
Surely Congregationalism Is no exception
To this rule. But true spirit Of histori-
cal criticism, having clearly defined our
place i'm the unfolding OF Gods plans, the
sources and nature of our streagth, and
the kind and manner Of work suited 10
us, will ask how faithfully and success
fully our stewardship has been admins
tered, and will seek to know where. how
far. and why, we have succeeded or
failed. Briefly, as must. yet with some
thing of this spirit would conduct this
inquiry.
Citations OF some authorities will APP
pear as we proceed. Here may be named
two papers Of Centennial history, one by
Rev. w. w. Patton, ID. D., in the Nep
Highlander of October. 1876 the other in the
Congregational Quarterly of the same date,
by Rev. Christopher Gushing, ID. ID. To
outline of thought and for many facts.
/. Granted that Christian body is and
believes it ought 10 be, the maintenance of a
vigorous, advancing kfe should be a chief
means of promoting Christianity. II
came that they may have life" said our
Lord land may have it abundantly." The
kingdom of Christ is first and greater
than denomination. Yet doubtless. each
denomination, without sectarian bigotry.
and without wronging others, can work
for Christ most effectively within its owE
lines.
Congregationalism-som Of us may have
heard this before-came to America in the
cabin of the Mayflower, 263 years ago. 1t
had an early and fair start. 1t is in kar-
mony with our Republican institutions,
which have been to no small eXteyt shaped
by it. The Congregational Year Book OF
1888 reports 1886 church Organizations,
3,723 ministers, 2,52s in pastoral work, =
3b7,S68 members-fcmale members be
ing to male almost exactly as two 80 one,
188,752 families, Asa, 86S in Sunday
schools. OF the church, 1906 report in
benevolent contributions 81 ,3S3, T1S.57
while in home expenditures 2,a5e report
1894. 637!S4.
OF the churches, 1877 with 10,epa mem
beers, are in former slave states; SO are
German with about 1000 members; 120 arc
Walsh, with about 8, 900 members. IT Il
said (CoHgregationolist, Oct. 25, 1888, p. g.
there are so Congregational Swed-
ish churches in this country; but
they do not appear so inthe Year Book.
These excepted, oar churches are confined
to the north and northwest and &c
English speaking people. Eassachu
sets alone reports 5S2 churches
with 81, 22S members; and the six New
England states, 1 4S1 churches with 212..
142 members. The bearing of these facts
will soon appear.
The placeof Congregationalis,s 400 years
ago was first among denominations. They
had in 1776, DIR. Gushing thinks. about
700 churches, or one to every four or five
thousand inhabitants in the country.
Since then our churches have increased
five fold; but we now rank seventh. and
had in 1880 one church to over 1860
inhabitants.
Rev. Charles +. Thwing, Of Cambridge
Mass, has lately shown in an article en-
titled 1.-The Decline of the Congrega
tional Church" (Neu EnglanOer. July, 1883,
Up 507-513), that in the decade between
1870 and 1880, while other denominations
have grown faster than the population, or al
least kept pace with it. Congregational
membership has advanced 23 per cent.
while the nation has grown 81 per cent.
He adds ''Thc exhibit for the last year is
even more unfavorablc than the exhibit
for the las. decade" showing positive loss
in New England, New YORK and Wis
consin. la Michigan we gained, as he
rcckons, AZ per cent, the population grow.
ing 3S per cent. In the past three years We
have gained in Michigan but 445 member;
-ab6ut2 6 per cent. To come nearer
home, in the last three years Genesec
Conference has lost Vt members; deduct
ing churches added within that time,
the other ~ have lost 225 members
nearly 10per cent! Several churches show
large losses. in some cases due apparently
TO wedding process after sweeping re
vivals.
In the National Council AT Concord. N.
H., DR.. Quint showed (CaDg,egationaiist
Oct. % 1889, that our average annual
increase in members for the past 3 years is
,693 Tie AdUance Nov. J., 1888, seeks
to break the force of these figures by dc
claring "Thc trouble is almost wholly in
New England" and THE true test of the
life "a any denomination is whether il
keeps abreast OF the intense life and
growth of the popslation in the western
part of the country" But the Adcanct
cannot deny that DIR Quint states correct
ly the aggregate growth of the denomina'
ton. In the 10 years already named Mr..
Thwing states that the Episcopal church
gained 90 uer cent In the last 80 wears