The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-07-14
THE COUNTRY CHURCH.
It's Attitude Toward Minister Prob
lem=CreatiOn of a Board of Control?

A writer in the current Century, himself
minister, discusses "the plight of the
country minister and offers suggestions
that he thinks would solve the problem.
So they might, if the people who live in the
country were meek and docile, childlike
and bland; but SO long as they remain in
dividuals, with personal preferences and
| opinions, and with the same degree of
desire to manage and have finger in their
own pie that this writer evidences himself
to possess even with relation to the church
pie in general, the scheme will never work
| at all
What Rev. A. A. Mackenzie proposes is
that the management of the country
churches be taken away from the local
people and that they be taken in charge by
a central board representative of the vari-
ous denominations which shall send to
them each a pastor for a certain term OF
years, and when the term has expired
another pastor, with the people having no
more voice in the matter than the Method
/ ist or Roman Catholic Pensioners do.
The pay he would have fixed also by this
central board, at a figure which would sup
port the mnister-never less than thou
sand year and house to live IN That
there might be no waste of money or en-
ergy, every effort is recommended to be
made to combine the churches of rural
district, and let one serve the purpose of
the usual many
1t is recognized that most country
churches cannot raise enough money to
support a good minister well, and so the
plan is proposed of establishing a fund in
the charge of this central board, from which
contribution can be made according to the
need of the community. This scheme to
make better what he characterizes as the
miserable condition of so many country
places, would have "our rich men, in
stead of endowing universities and estab-
fishing libraries, which is chiefly for the
benefit Of the cities and towns, give part
of their money to the country churches OF
their own denomination: and he quotes
the case of James Baird the Scottish
mine owner, who gave half million pounds
sterling to endow the smaller parishes of
the Church of Scotland, so that, largely as a
result of this munificence, almost every
Scottish village or country district no
matter how how weak financially, has well
established religious services. If this can
not be brought about, he would have each
denomination raise a sustentation fund for
its country churches, such ass was raised
by DR.. Chalmers when the Free Church
of Scotland left the Established church.
There are no signs at present that the
country churches are going to receive this
comfortable financial assistance; and there
are no evidences that the people who dwell
in rural regions are going to give over. in
connection with their church affairs, that
desire to manage and control and to have
things to their own liking that is recogniz-
ed as a positive human trait and that is
nowhere more in evidence than in the in
dividuality developing country.
And on the whole, we believe this to be
well. Such Management as is here proposed
might result in well-kept church and a
worthy pastor in each country district.
But it could not guarantee an enthusiastic
parish nor a receptive congregation. Some
struggling communities of ambitious folk
might realize the advantage of assistance,
and, relieved of part of their burden, re-
double their effort in behalf of church
work. interest increasing under the stlmu-
lus of encouragement, But there are grave
chances against this being the usual eX-
perience We value our advantages, ac-
cording to what they have cost us and we
appreciate most that for which we have
struggled hardest.
Ready-made endowed and managed
schools and libraries may not be of i'm
paired efficiency, but the church is the peo-
pie and only they can make it; and its
chief influence upon them is the reflex &C,
ton of their own effort-New Bedford
Standard.