The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-23
GETTING PEOPLE TO CHURCH.
SHOULD PREACHERS ADVERTISE
F so, now MUCH?

se-CaIled Vaudeville stunts Declared by
Thefr Introducer 20 Have q Real value
In Attracting Strangers TO Church
Views Of Preachers on the Other Side.
Just what 10 and what is not legitimate
advertising In church work or whether
church work h the better for being adj
vertised at all Is q question upon which
clergyman do not agree. They do agree
that the mission OF every church IL to at
tract TO its services non-churchgoers and
the u~nconverted, Is we'll as to encourage
the regular attendance Of Christian people.
How this can best be done in large cities,
New York In the lead, IL a problem min
ieters all over the country are considering
. good deal just now.
Tbs subject is preached about and talked
about continually and occasionally ex-
perimental steps are taken which bring
down ON the minister adverse criticisms.
Fame, IL not fortune, awaits the solver
Of this problem, apparently as difficult
as the servant question.
While preaching In Denver not long ~
q Brooklyn clergyman declared that modern
churches and Sunday schools should have
their advertising men and bureaus OF pub
hcity, lust as modern mercantile ostab-
lishmcnts lave these sdjuncts. Two
Denver ministers heartily tndorsed this
statement, declaring that they recognized
the need Of publicity a. a means Of pro-
noting church going.
On almost the same date on evangelist
conducting services In 81. Louis remarked
that, II the church at large was TO achieve
the greatest good to the greatest number
IL must advertise In the most direct, prac-
tical, certain way-in the press.
Sunday schools and congregational
meetings do not suffice for the man who
knows nothing Of their existenoe,' said he.
Il would welcome . policy Of advertising
With display and prominence. Let tho
churches employ black type and typo
graphical embellishments in printing the
message for the public
In New York. which some evangelists
think Ia behind most Of the large cities in
RELIGIOUS fervor and In its church methods,
some conservative c~hurchgoers were
one morning 70 read in the news
papers that a had whistled the
evening before in the Forty-eecond street
Baptist Church n that a performance on
musical glasses would be a feature Of the
next Sunday evening service. Pastors Of
some other New York churches calico these
novelties vaudeville stunts. The Rev. DR..
0oodchild, pastor Of the church. and his
dock look upon them as deoorous adJunots
20 . religious service.
In an effort to learn what In New York
u considered the best method of getting
people TO 60 10 church and how far the
New York ministers indorse the advertise
Ing suggestions given by the Denver and
Sc. Louis preachers several clergymen were
asked for their opinions.
ADVERTISING PAYS.
Or. Goodchild, who. by the way, now
q well filed church every Sunday night,
had this to say
1t would be an excellent thing. I believe,
10 advertise the church services In the sur
tece, elevated and subway cars every
Saturday, stating the topic Of the srmo
and the nature OF the music. also approve
cs advertising conspicuously in the news
papers. Either plan, however, would mean
lncurring bills which few churches are
to meet
illustrating the value OF newspaper adj
was the presence In this oongrega-
ton last Sunday night Of four persons from
Ossining, FIVE from Newark, N. j., and two
rom Brooklyn, who had made the trip on
purposa to 10 present, and all Of whom
themselves known to me after the
the special feature OF which was
the harp playing Of Mrs. Gill.
And let me say that the specialties,
which have been called by the uniformed
stunts. are not at all different
from those used over and over again In my
and In many other churches and
rspeatedly in the Young Mems Christian
at their great meetings for
non, and that they are only incidental to
no devotional exercises which always In
slude ar address by the pastor.
oRAroKIo AND LECTURE.
In many Of the most conservative
In Manhattan a monthly musical
At which there is no sermon is now
\ faxsd custom. In this church the first
night In every month is set apart
Tor the production Of a part OF an oratorio,
md on such occasions / give q brief lecture
On the composer OF the music.
"A lecture ls not a sermon1 No, but it
san be used as q medium to present gospel
For instance. at the close Of my
taIk on Handel Q few nights ago several
p8T1ono, btrhuxUfp, rouAaduou anu nskou tOr
prayers.
'sThe main object Of all the Sunday night
h 10 attract non-churchgoers into
phurch fellowship. My parish has perhaps
no dlplicate In the world. There are three
lhsasrioal performances In full blast within
) stones throw OF 1t every Sunday night,
md because Of the shifting character OF the
aty's population We nov dismiss every
rsar ave times a. many members 10 country
md suburban churches a. we take Ia.
Il have heard mtnisteB speak Of the
OF svangeliAlo work In the
hus ! think the locality in which
church b eituated presents a far more
ifficult ssld. In the Bowery sinners are
t~imsssdown. and ready % accept
Christian help 10 got on their feet again,
1ut In West Forty-seoond street they are In
he >hsyday Of prosperity and something
moro than the grim presence OF a church
10 needed TO attract them to a
religious service.
xBMoN TEXTS ON BTELBoARps.
sOne means OF advertising l nave found
quick returns ~ TO place q large
billboard In frunt OF the church announcing
type which can be read acrusB the street