The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-06-19


FACTS THAT JUSTIFY THE INSTI-
TUTIONAL CHURCH
In conclusion let me state some facts
and considerations which not only JUS
tify the institutional church and its
endeaYors, but which point to the neces-
sity that the whole church and every
church shall study the problems Of the
kingdom, as they are presented to us
to-day and so adapt her life and direct
her energy as to best help to their
solution.
First mention the alienation which
now exists between the great mass Of
wage earning men and our churches,
Mr.. f. B, Meyer, now the successor
of DR. Newman Hare in Surrey chapel,
London, says that early in his ministry
he discovered that the large masses of
men whom he then found in the centers
of industry in England had revolted
not from Christ, but from Christianity,
as 1t was too largely represented to
them in the ecclesiastical organizations
around.
/ am sure that the same thing is
true in America, as it is in England,
to-day.
1t is utterly useless for us to blink
our eyes at the facts, nor is it of any
use to longer beat over old straw in
discussing how we may reach these
alienated masses of people If it has
come to pass that our ecclesiasticisms
so misrepresents Christ that it repels
men from Him, and If the ecclesia,
the organized church, is set to be the
gospels herald and the Lords ambas-
sador, she must so build over her ma
chinery and change her methods as to
fulfill her purpose in the world, or the
Lord will set her aside and appoint
others to this honor who will do His
bidding. If ecclesiasticism or any of
its methods hinder the gospel or hide
Christ from men, who at best can see
all too little Of Him, why should we
hesitate to put away the Issue" or
changs its methods, If thereby Christ
may be so lifted up. and His gospel so
preached so that the common people
shall hear it and be saved?
Secondly mention the vast and in
creasing numbers of people, especially
in our cities, who rarely or never attend
the churches.
In recent number Of the Outlook
Rev. A. Holden Byles of England writes
Of THE Problem of the Unreached Ma
jority." He says it has been ascer-
tanned by census that in the towns and
cities Of Great Britain only about TWEEN
ty-two per cent. attend any place Of
worship He thinks the case may be
a little better In this country, but
reckons that least one million and one
half in New York city never enter any
of its churches during Sunday He
suggests that we ought to court not the
number and increase of church MEM
bers, but the number who are neither
members or attendants upon our
churches.
1t Is interesting for us to observe
that our $500 Congregational church
members in Connecticut were increased
by $50 in 1892; that 60,252 Congrega-
tional church members made a net gain
of All in '93, and that our army 81, 1857
strong gained in "a 1,t05 But what
inroads did this army of Christians
set and sent to win the world to Christ,
make upon the great unreached ma
jority" Of non-church goers? Where
did this paltry increase come from?
I venture to say without risk Of con-
tradiction that the Congregational
churches of Connecticut have lost in
these three years from their own Off
spring who have Joined this "unreached
majority" one hundred per cent more
than they gained from It,
l again quote MIR. Dickinson.
II venture to say that there are few
churches in the land which can hon
estly say that they have won from
these thirty millions even ten souls
during the last three years. l should be
surprised If even in this good old state
OF Connecticut you could find as church
members or even regular church-goers
one hundred adults who five years ago
belonged to the strictly non-church-go-
ing class"
Brethren-Look over your own LIST Of
additions for the last five years and And
out how many you have received into
your church who five years ago were
Also look over the
list of the young men and boys of your
sunday school and families and find out
how many you have failed to win to
church membership.
You will discover some very interest
ing and suggestive facts
Thirdly-From many conversations I
that the average non-church-
goer, and many occasional attendants
see nothing in the average church that
supplies what he recognizes as a need
IN his life. He feels no need of sermons.
If courtesy or custom or necessity COM
pels him now and then to hear one he
orays 1t may be short. A prayer meet |
ng does not appeal to him. The church
1oes not suggest anything he wants; |
therefore he keeps away from it.
To win this average man to the church
It must therefore offer something that
supplies a conscious need Once in at
tendance he may, very often, be led
10 discover that his real need Is Christ
and lis led to accept Him.
This Is what is attempted and often
lone i'm these institutional churches.
Fourthly-Our churches in the city
oenters and in the city suburbs have a
now and in the next de-
,ade with respect to the social and civil
problems which are upon us and which |
must be solved. The power Of their So
ution is chiefly vested in the churces. |
Only the gospel preached to every class,
applied to and lived out by all classes,
embodied in and lived out by churches
whose institutional life is altogether |
Nhristiau whose house Is a. ih0IIea for |