Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-04-02
IN EXCELLENT SERMON
DEFINING THE GROWTH OF THE
CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN THE
UNITED STATES.
THE GENERAL WORK DEFINED.
All the Different Departments Of
Church Work Touched Upon
Statistics Showing the Rapid
Growth Of the Church Since its
Founding.

Founding.
The Rev. c. M. Oliphant, pastor OF
the First Christian Church, delivered
an excellent sermon on the general
subject of the growth of the Christian
Church in the United States. He took
his text from 2 Sam. $50. The full
text of the sermon is as follows:
THE marginal reading of this pas
sage is: David went going and grow
ing" Going and growing are INSOFAR
able. The boy who does not go does
not grow. The boy who grows is sure
to go. 1t is not otherwise with a So
ciety or the church. The church that
has ceased to grow will soon cease to
| go: and, conversely, when it ceases to
go-to be energetic, aggressive, out
reaching-it will soon, not only cease
to grow, but it will dwindle and fade.
David kept on going and growing, be-
cause the Lord was with him. | wish
to apply the principle of the text to
the growth of the Christian Church.
"GoingY stands for aggressive, out
reaching enterprise; growing for in
| crease in grace, in power and numeri-
cal strength"
Going and growing have ever been
characteristic of our people, known as
the Christian Church. 1t was born
creeping; it soon began to run. If
ever the promise has been fulfilled:
"They shall run and not be weary;
! they shall walk and not faint" it has
been to this body of religious people.
We are to-day a strong body. Our
growth has been remarkable. This
| growth has been along different lines"
"As a separate people, we are only
about rs years old. From the begin
ming we have grown in numbers. Our
| plea has been attractive, and drew to
us a following that has ever been
faithful as compared with faithful
people generally. Not because it was
our plea, but because it was the plea
of Our Lord. 1t is Divine, and as
such it was soon regarded, and thus
it attracted the multitudes. In 1880,
20 years ago, we numbered only $780,
900; in 1890, 10 years later, we had
increased to GAL ,051; in October, 1899,
we numbered in the United States
alone, 1,141, 900, and in the world, l.
1856, 200. We have, in 10 years, increas-
ed 23S per cent. Or, we are more than
3b times as great numerically, as we
were 10 years ago.. Has any other
church grown SO rapidly? Has any
other as great a promise for the fu-
| ture? We have now the following en-
| c%ouraging statistics to present:
Church organizations, 11,010; mem
bers, 1885, 200; Lords Day schools, g.
412; S. S. scholars and teachers 49,
233; Y. P. S. C. E. societies, 4.769; min
listers, $3.50; value of church property
| $40. 055. 921: seatings in churches, l.
544.515. All of this has been wrought
in rs years. Hitherto, the Lord has
helped US"
Our percentage of growth since 1896
has been So. In 9 years we have nearly
| doubled our membership. From 1896
to 1896, the New York Independent
| gives the following percentages of in
! crease in membership of different de-
Baptists, Is kinds, 2 per cent; Luth-
eran, 1S kinds, 6 per cent; Methodistst
7 kinds, 7 per cent; Episcopal, 2 kinds
| II per cent; Presbyterian, u kinds. II
per cent; Congregational, 10 per cent.
| Catholics, Z kinds, 10 per cent. Christ
ian Church, Disciples, So per cent. This
gave us as great an absolute gain as
all Protestant bodies combined; ex-
cepting the Methodists. This is more
remarkable, from the fact that the gain
was Sc per cent. greater than any other
body. This was the increase for {
| years. Jul piSSSuI lASitdSC 10 ANU
| 100 per day, and we dedicate 2 new
churches in every 8 days. The New
| York Independent, same paper, gives
the following net increase in member
| ship for 1899 alone, for different re
ligious bodies: Baptists, 13 bodies, 2
| per cent; Catholics, 3 bodies, Clio OF !
per cent; Congregationalists, 8 per
! cent; Methodists, II bodies, Y per
cent; Presbyterians, II bodies, " per
cent; Christian Church, Discipline, 3
per cent"
This shows that we are equalled on
ly by the Congregationalists, and ex-
celled by none in this respect. Our
own church statistics gives us 31A per
cent. net increase. Dur greatest growth
is in the West. However, we are grow
ing more rapidly in the East than ever
before. Heretofore, we have grown in
the country; now in cities we grow.
Yet, we still grow as fast in the coun-
try. We are great in numbers. God
forbid that we should have no other
ground for encouragement"
Recently we have become strong in
this regard. We always have been a