Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-10-29
QUEER CLEAR G-HOUSE.
ODD SYSTEM FOR KEG &c CHURCHES
SUPPLIED WlTH1NsTERs,

| "as-bittit thu Ptink 'oNhhbSe
There are abou so, 900 more
churches than minist in the United
States, yet there is al times large
body of unemployed fgymen of all
denominations, son hundreds of
whom are always TO found in New
York and its immed Q vicinity. A
certain proportion these men, OF
course, are permaney "out," 80 far
as regular church WI goes, but the
majority are consta " planning for
pulpit service, eth as pastors or
supplies" At same time
churches whose pas ates are vacant
are always looking Il preachers.
Naturally, this col (tion of mutual
need has created q of clearing
house system" as 4 HE informal, to
be sure, but none less of great
service to both chi hes and minis
tiers. In New York erhaps, the sys.
tenn has reached latest perfection
among the Congreg&nalists. When
ever q minister of bit denomination
finds himself withhold charge he has
tens to establish cddmunication with
the Secretaries OF u Board of Home
Missions, whose of is on the third
floor of the Bible Hhse, at Third ave-
nue. and Eighth stn6t. A list of all
the churches with tacant pulpits is
kept there and the Secretaries are al
ways well informe, hs TO the attend
ance, the sort of preacher likely to
be satisfactory AMI the character and
financial ability Of 4 ch congregation.
"One OF the bes known pastors in
our denomination, said q Congrega-
tionalist minister ula friend the other
day, found his ihurch a few years
ago through the Bone Mission Board,
and both church snd minister have
often expressed tleir 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 are not
provided for by any church regulation.
II has been proposed more than once
that a regular bureau should be organ.
lied here, but nothing has ever come
OF it, and as the situation is well
enough as it stands nothing OF the sort
will probably be done.
"a year ago o 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
Masssehpastts vRnrkau of Ministerial
Supply, authorized by the Congrega.
tionalists of Massachusetts, and locat-
cd in Boston. The Rev. Charles p.
Rice is the Secretary in charge and his
services have been of great value to
oil concerned. He is most method.
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
Episcc pal Church receive similar
friendly assistance from the Protestant
Episcopal Board at Twenty.frst 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
a surplus of ministers or churches,
there is probably as large n proper
ton of unemployed among its preach
ers as among those OF any other church.
Formerly, when a minister of almost
any denomination was prospectively
out of place, his only resource, prac-
tically, was to 80 "candidating," or
delivering experimental sermons be-
fore congregations i'll need of preach
ers. This was most trying ordeal
for sensitive man, as may well he
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 clearing house scheme is not
available, much better plan than can
didating is followed out-one which
throws the financial burden and the
loss of time upon the church. Fol
lack of a better term this may be spoken
of as the committee plan. For some
reason church finds its pulpit vacant,
and there is, of course, desire to Ill
~ M onnn m q nncc,bla A tpulnit COm.