The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-12
Preachers Who Have Large Audiences Are
Charged with Sensation alism, and Those
Who Have Not Are Called Old Fogies.
Views of Several of the Leading Minis
tiers as to What Ought To Be Done.
Some Advocate More Popular Methods Of At
tracing Crowds, and Others Think Union
Meeting Should Be Held in Hall

dav evening services, brought up subject
which has not only been problem to many
church people in this city, but has bsen dis
cussed by religious papers throughout the eoun-
try for some time. The debate Monday was
precipitated by . request from a member OF the
Commercial Travellers Association for the CO.
operation of the ministers 10 a series of Sunday
evening services that the Travellers Association
proposed inaugurating at the Y. III. G. A Hall.
The proposition was objected TO by Dr. Gilbert,
who said that many OF the ministers in the city
were experiencing difficulty in securing Sunday
evening audiences, and it looked hardly reason
able to call or them to advertise another series
of meetings in their midst One or two others
agreed with DIR. Gilbert, but DIR. Jeffrey, pastor
of the First Baptist Church, declared he was in
favor of helping the proposed meetings, as his
Sunday evening audience had dwinded SO much
shat he felt incliped to discontinue them.
DIR. Jenckes, of st. PauTs Episcopal Church,
conceded with DIR. Jefery's views, and said
he had found it advisable some time since to
give up Sunday evening services at his church
The debate thus Etarted continued some time.
and appears to have touched a topic that had oc-
cupied the attention of many of the clereymen
for some time past. 1t has been very noticeable
for the last few years that in nearly all of the
numerous churches located in the heart of the
city, the attendance at services Sunday even
ing had been gradually falling off, until in a
majority of them less than two hundred people
would be large evening auden nee. The most
generally assigned reason for this that the
membership gradually moving at distance
from the church. making it very inconvenient
10 attend night meetings. In few cases the
pastors have succeeded in counteracting such
influences. and managed to retain large at
tendance Sunday evening. This is notably
tae case with Roberts Park Methodist and Ply
mouth Congregational churches Various
reasons have been assigned for the success
of some of these ministers and the failure Of
CHEERS in drawing evening congregations The
charge of sensationalism has been advanced,
and has been answered by charges of old fogT
ism and lack of energy. Then there are those,
even among the clergymen, who believe that
the custom of Sunday evening service should
be abandoned. In order to obtain the drift of
opinion on the subject among the different de-
nominations Journal reporter yesterday inter-
viewed a number of the leading ministers.
Rev. J. f. Gilbert d. D., of Meridian street
Methodist: Prior to coming to Indianapolis
have always had larger congregations Sunday
evening than in the morning am hardly able
to explain the fact, which seems to be quite
general that the attendance at night services
in this city is so small. 1t may be owing. in
part, TO the fact that the members of these CEN
trail churches live at great distance, or be-
cause the Sunday-school is held in the after
noon, making il necessary for members. if they
attend at night, to come three times day. In
all other cities the Sunday-school is held
at another hour-either in the morning,
before the morning service, or at noon, lmmedi-
ately after the service With that arrangement
families can remain home in the afternoon and
come out at night Then there are other expla-
nations. In this section the night air is unques-
tionably prejudical to health. Malarial in
fuences are abroad at night. and persons of deli
cate health are timd about coming out to even
ing meeting. Another reason is that in this
city, more than any place / have ever been in,
there is habit of making Sabbath night serv
ices to a great extent entertainments, that
likely TO attend. l have advanced solution
of the problem 1t is to put every Sunday
school either at $50 IT the morning IL
o'clock, noon. If that were done all over the
city it would exert . great influence on the night
congregations. 1t would give an opportunity
for family reunions on Sabbath afternoons.
Then make IL a custom to address the topics at
the Sunday night services to those who are not
Christians. But the Christians must come out
also. If they do not outsiders will not The
trouble Is that our churches ali crowded
down here in the heart of town. Here they are.
ten of them. in a few squares; and the member
ship of all of them, with the exception of Rob
erts Park, reside almost altogether at a great
distance from the churches Roberts Park has
TO these churches.
Rev. J. A. Rondthaler, Tabernacle Prssbyte-
rian: Toward the close of last year became
dissatisfied with the attendance at my Sunday
evening services, and finding that the usual
methods failed to meet with q proper response,
varied my form of service, adopting what I
called gospel services began them the first
of the present year, and find that great many
people are now interested in my Sunday even
ing services who had not been attending them
before. think have touched the true way Of
gathering audiences on Sunday evening. We
offer no extra inducement in the way Of music,
or no extra advertisement in the matter of
subject. Occasionally, indeed, a layman. takes
my place and makes an address on some living
gospel subject, accompanying it with Bible
readings. The result has been very satisfac-
tory, especially in bringing out the young peo- :
pie. the attendance of whom is steadily increas-
ing We now have choir of young people
numbering from thirty-fve to forty. It has
been necessary to adopt unusual methods for
these services because. when the morning serv-
Ice is well attended. and then great many
some ont to Sunday school, they feel wearied
BY the time evening arrives. I can clearly state
that so far as my experience goes in regard to
the attendance at evening services some such
method must be adopted to make tho service
more popular and less formal. The sermon
should be shortened, and the talk simpler and
palmer than the morning discourse, which
should be carefully wrought out and well pre-
pared. In sho-t. it should be simple. direct
gospel talk. lie. il go forth that the simple
nnadorned gospel 10 what the people want and
what they need.
Rev. T.. j. Gantz, of Central Christian: have
.hought great deal on this question OF Sunday
evening services. When first came here my
sight audiences numbered from thirty to sixty.
have succeeded in building them up until they
low vary from sixty TO one hundred and forty.
Il pays to preach to two hundred people-or
wen 10 one hundred-but of course would
ike to address more. In order to build up my
evening congregations. IL possible, began last
all to send ont postal cards to young men-the
lass which wanted to reach-announcing the
subject and inviting them to attend. From Oct.
TO Jan. sent out 800 postal cards per week.
some came. but nothing like the number had
ioped TO see. had an ideal evening service in
mind, which did not carry out because did
Tot get the attendance desired. II to have
IN address each Sabbath evening to young men j
~ young man-some lawyer, physician,
my young person of intelligence. AS to my
PERSONAL views. would be adverse TO Civ
ne M the night service. There
liihculties In the way, but they apply
,Ely TO churches in the center OF
he city. 1t 10 considerable of task and an
Expense TO n family living at distance from
hurch TO attend three times day Then bust
less men oueht to have Sunday evening to
themselves and families. do not urge any of
ny faithful mem beers attend SUNDAY