The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-11-22
CONSOLIDATE
CHURCHES
Is Advice to Various Demon
nations in VI. Towns.
MANY OVER CHURCHED.
Declares Interdenominational Comfy
Commission in Report Which Was
Accepted Yesterday Afternoon
Answers Advanced.
MANY OVER CHURCHED.

"A committee Of the Interdenomina
tional Comfy commission which has
been Investigating the advisability Of
combining various churches iu Vermont,
reported yesterday afternoon at a meet
ing held III Montpelier and the report
was accepted The results OF the in
vestigation are very interesting A. bear
ing on what may be a wider movement.
The report IS:
Ak the last meeting Of the Intcrde.
nominationaI Comfy Commission it was
voted that committee OF five Zone
from each Of the five denominations rep
resented on this commission) be APP
pointed to make list Of the places in
our state that are over-churched, and
also what form Of consolidation il best.
In making our report we are conscious
that our work il very far from being
either complete or satisfactory; that in
the presence Of conflicting testimony il
has been impossible to make D thorough
examinations and that to do all that
has been asked III Us would require
a special field secretary giving his en-
tire time for year. Still we hope onr
efforts have not wholly been III vain
We sent to all the churches represent
ed on this commission between four and
tive hundred circular letters, stating The
object and purpose Of our enquiries, and
asking for frank answer to the ques-
tions Tho enquiries were ~ follows:
l1) II your town or city over,
churchedg
(2) In your Judgment what church
II any, should be willing 10 give way to
or combine with, any other church o.
churches. and whyf
(a) What is the best and most prac,
ticable form Of consolidation OF al
you think that federation of all The
local churches for practical cooperation
would be the wisest courseg
GAY Are the churches in your com.
munity ready for it, and if not, what
are the chief obstaelesl
~ DO you personally favor such 3
mover
In all there were ia replies, but moi
all Of the questions in this number were
answered
In some cases Is has been necessary
to write the second and even the.thirC
time, and a. result of some enquire,
there has been considerable eorrespon
dence, and examination. The answer:
exhibit all degrees Of approval and dis
approval. Some have invoked the diyini
blessing upon us. while Others have Al
most called maledictions upon us foI
what they consider our well-meant bu
wrongly directed efforts The answer,
have been frank, amusing illuminating
critical, hesitating radical and eonserv
ative.
in reply to the first question, as L
whether their community was over
churched. 10s answered in the NEGATIVE
and u in the affirmative, The seeon,
question, which il crucial one, bring
the greatest variety OF statements.
number say that the Protestant Epis
eopal church ought to give way, sine
| it IA the smallest and does not appea
to any large portion Of the population
but they are Of the opinion that, it i
not likely to give way
Some do not Late which church ough
to be merged but answer in such
way as to leave very plain inference
It Is amusing TO read a number Of an
swers from pastors in the same village
each of whom claims that the churcl
Of the other Is the weaker. a few
frankly admit that their society is th
most feeble and ought to be combines
with some other. Eight or ten pastor
have been found that show their chris
tian conservation by stating their viii
ingness to resign their pastorate and g
elsewhere Il better man can be foun'
for the consolidated church.
In regard to questions / and 2 You
committee comes TO the following con
illusions. II is evident that consider
able portion OF our state is over-churcb
ed. This is shown from the fact tina
| cut OF perhaps third Of the Protestan
/ ministers Of the state that send in re
plies II think that their own commun
ity is in such condition While ideal
4 " many places are over-churched, prac
! tically a large number Of them are no
worth mentioning. Many a country vii
4 lage has two churches which live togeth
er amicably, and while theoretically the,
/ would be better Oh as one, they are 60
\ ing SO we'll that we think ut IL bette