Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-10-29
QUEER CLEARINGHOUSE.
ODD SYSTEM FOR KEEPING CHURCHES
SUPPLIED WITH MINISTER'S.

od OF Selection b! the Various Demon
inntions--LittIe Cindidating Nowaday,
There are about $4,000 more
churches than min sters in the United
States, yet there is at all times large
body of unemployed clergymen of oil
denominations, some hundreds OF
whom are always u be found in New
York and its Immediate vicinity. A
certain proportion Of these men, Of
course, are permanently "out," so far
as regular church work goes, but the
majority are constantly planning for
pulpit service, ether as pastors or
supplies" A the same time
churches whose Iastorates are vacant
are always LOOKING for preachers.
Naturally, this condition of mutual
need has created a sort Of Clearing
house system, as rule informal, to
be sure, but none the less Of great
service to both churches and minis
tiers. In New York, perhaps, the sys.
tenn has reached greatest perfection
among the Congrcgationalists. When
ever a minister Of that denomination
finds himself without a charge he has
tens to establish communication with
the Secretaries Of the Board of Home
Missions, whose Office is on the third
floor of the Bible House, at Third ave-
nue. and Eighth street. A list of all
the churches with vacant pulpits is
kept there and the Secretaries are al
ways well informed as to the attend
ance, the sort of a preacher likely to
be satisfactory and the character and
financial ability Of each congregation.
Zone of the best known pastors in
our denomination" said Congrega-
tionalist minister to friend the other
day, found his church few years
ago through the Home Mission Board,
and both church and minister have
often expressed their gratitude for the
interest taken in bringing them to-
gether. Fees are never collected from
either church or minister. The Boards
efforts are purely friendly, and arc not
provided for by any church regulation
II has been proposed more than once
that regular bureau should be organ
lied here, but nothing has ever come
Of it, and as the situation is we'll
enough as it stands nothing of the sort
will probably be done.
"A year ago regular ministerial
employment agency was launched in
Philadelphia, but, so far as / know, it
never amounted to very much, and the
only successful establishment of the
kind 1 have any knowledge of is the
Massachusetts, Bureau of Ministerial
Supply, authorized by the Congrega.
tionalists of Massachusetts, and locat-
ed in Boston. The Rev. Charles p.
Rice Is the Secretary in Charge snA-his
sefvices have been OF great value to
all concerned. He is most methodi-
cal man aud is greatly interested in
the work. OF course, proper fees are
charged
Baptist ministers who are looking
for employment and churches Of that
denomination looking for preachers
are often helped to get together by the
officials of the American Baptist Pub
LEGATION Society, whose headquarters
are at No. 1872 Fifth avenue. Clergy
men and churches of the Protestant
Episcopal Church receive similar
friendly assistance from the Protestant
Episcopal Board at Twenty first street
and Fourth avenue. Presbyterian
headquarters are to be found at No.
1876 Fifth avenue.
The presiding elders" of whom
there are three in the New York dis
trict, look after such matters for Meth
odist Episcopal ministers and churches.
Curiously enough, although the system
of this denomination was devised with
special reference to the prevention of
surplus of ministers or churches,
there is probably as large a proper.
ton of unemployed among its preach
ers as among those of any other church.
Formerly, when minister of almost
any denomination was prospectively
out of n place, his only resource, prac-
tically, was to go "candidating, or
delivering experimental sermons be-
fore congregations in need of preach.
ers. This was most trying ordeal
for sensitive man, rs may well be
imagined. Besides, it sometimes i'm
posed the financial burden of travel
and considerable loss of time upon a
minister who could i'll afford either,
though generally the church paid for
the sample sermons and bore the ex-
pense.
Nowadays, however. even when the
informal clearinghouse scheme is not
available, a much better plan than can
didating is followed out-one which
throws the financial burden and the
loss Of time upon the church. For
lack of better term this may be spoken