Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1906-12-22
CONGREGATIONALISTS.
Their Polity and Faith-Written by
c. w. Myers.

actly like that of the Baptists. Two
principles are recognized as funda
montal-independency and fellowship
The first means that each Congregation
legislates for itself. and is Independent
of every other congregation. The sec
ond means a close brotherhood ant
voluntary cooperation of all the sep
arate congregations. What is true Of
the churches. in this respect, is also
true Of the ministry. Every minister
is the equal of every other minister
in official rank. and is free to accept
or decline any call to the pastoral
care Of any church Congregational
ism recognizes only two orders, OF
Offices, in the church-elders and dea
cons. The former are the ministers
of the Word, and are known in the
New Testament by the terms elder
bishop" and 'presbyter" The latter
are laymen who attend to the admin.
istrative affairs of the church.
Congregationalists also recognize
only two ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and the
Lords Supper. They believe that the
New Testament does not restrict bap-
tism to one mode; hence, they bap-
tie by sprinkling. pouring or i'm
mersion. They also practice infant
baptism.
The Lords Supper is observed as a
memorial service. commemorating the
death of Christ: and no one who pro-
fesses TO believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ is excluded from it. So much
for the principles which underlie Con
gregational practice. Now let us ex-
anime the nature and extent of the
church's activities. What are Congre-
gationalists doing?
l. Benevolences - They organized
the first foreign missionary society in
America in 1910 Through this society
the church has formed twenty differ
ent missions. comprising els churches
with 66,29S members. 1t employs SIS
missionaries. with 400 native CO
workers. Forty-one of its mission
aries are physicians who treat annu-
ally no less than 25O.OOO patients. This
society also has eighteen colleges and
$50 high and boarding schools contain
ing over 10000 students: besides a
large number Of primary schools with
about $4,000 pupils, making In all
$1,000 students. It expends annually
S750.OOO. In 1926 the first home mis-
sionary society IL. uApsricz EGs-aar,,
ganized- Il has Organized, or aided.
nearly 1000 churches. besides schools
and colleges, and has done missionary
work in every State and Territory in
the Union. 1t employs nearly 1000
home missionaries. who preach regu-
larry at 26i3 stations. In recent years
its contributions to this work has been
over 100000 annually The Congre-
gational Educational society was or
ganized in 1915. to aid in the educa-
ton of young men for the ministry.
II has aided over 5000 men to become
ministers at an expense of $1,000. 900:
Il has collected and distributed TO
thirty colleges and seminaries about
s2.5OO.OOO; and it is now aiding five
colleges, eighteen theological semi
naries. and about 200 students at an
annual expense OF S125,OOO. The Con
gregational Sunday School and Pub
fishing society was organized in 1892
for establishing and sustaining pioneer
Sunday schools. 1t employs about
fifty State superintendent and mis-
sionaries, and has founded 10000 Sun
day schools from which have grown
1000 Congregational and many other
churches. Its business department.
under the name of THE Pilgrim
Press, publishes in addition to the
Sunday school literature of the
"Congregationalist." and
maintains a large book store in Boston
with branch houses in New York, Chi
cago, Minneapolis and San Francisco.
In recent years the contributions to
this work have been over $4,000 an
nually
The American Missionary associa-
ton was organized in 1916 to educate
and evangelize the ignorant and de-
PRAYED Of our own land, especially In
dams. Chinese and negroes. and the
poor white people in the mountains OF
Tennessee, North Carolina and Ken
lucky. This association has now nine
ty-fve schools. 233 churches, nearly
600 instructors. nearly 500 mission
aries. and over 1900 members-all
at an annual cost of about $500. 900.
The Congregational Church Building
society was organized in 1853. to aid
weak churches to build parsonages and
houses OF worship During ffty-three
years this society has helped to build
about 1000 parsonages and 1000
churches, at a cost Of over $4,000. 900.
In 1905 thirty.seven parsonages and
1902 churches were aided. at a cost Of
S275.37i
A ministerial relief fund is main.