Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-24
CHURCH FEDERATION
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

The annual meeting of the executive
committee of the Federal Council of the
Churches of Christ in America. in WASH
ington tonight. shows that Capitalization
of effort and economy of administration
are factors in the Christian propaganda
of the time. no less than in the business
world. This may be seen in such world
wide gatherings for discussion and plan
ming as the recent missionary conference
held in Edinburgh last summer and in
the great eucharistc gathering in Mon
treal about the same time.
Apart from the eyer-present duty OF
evangelizing the world, which presses in
sistently upon every denomination. the
two great problems confronting the
churches today are: First. correlation
of effort and enterprise. and second,
church unity. The first may be attained
is being attained. The second, long de-
SPARED of. has been brought within prac-
tical realization. not by creed elimina-
tion but by a federation of al! the Prot
es.ant creeds.
The Federal Council of the Churches
of Christ in America grew out of the
inter-church con-
Origin Of the ference in New
Federal Council 1907 rorA mbe neSs" def.
mite plan was proposed looking to the
organization of a Federal Council Of the
Churches of Christ in America. From
1905 to 1908 the plan was presented to
and approved by the gathering bodies
of no less than thirty-two great denomi-
nations such as the Presbyterian Cen
eral Assembly the Lutheran Synods. the
Disciples of Christ. the General Confer
ence of the Methodist Episcopal Church
and the General Conference of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church South.
AS result of this there was held in
Philadelphia. in December. 1898, the first
meeting of the federal council. The or
ganization was completed. national off,
GERS were elected, state and national
headquarters appointed and a working
plan agreed upon. The personnel of the
council is composed of 400 officially ap-
pointed or elected delegates from the
thirty-tWo evangelical denominations al
luded to- representing over 100000 minis
tiers and 1S.OOO,OOO members. Like the
Methodists. the federal council holds it's
general meeting quadrennialy. Either
Chicago or New York will be chosen for
are controlled by an executive committee
of sixty, whose meetings are held annu-
ally, and by special sessions whenever
necessary. business committee of nine
IS in perpetual session. The annual gath
ering of the executive committee will be-
gin in the First Congregational Church
in Washington, D. c.. this evening. the
first session being a public one. Bishop
p. r. Hendrix. D. D.. Ii. D.. of the
Methodist Episcopal Church South, is the
president of the council
Taken in detail the primary objects of
the federal council are to bring about
practical and practi
objects OF cable church unity, pat
~ r..;, termed upon the rela-
SAAS 00oAA' tions of the several
states to the government of the United
States as a whole. thus promoting unity
of action upon essential matters, yet still
preserving intact UNCONVENTIONAL lines
and creeds. While the foregoing brief
outlines of united action indicate only a
primitive form of federal union, nothing
more could, perhaps. be expected in the
brief space of twenty months. Yet the
federation is real, and the federal coun-
Gil demonstrates the fact not only that
the church union is feasible, but that it
has been actually achieved.
Other legitimate lines of effort naturally
follow, such as the organizing and per-
fecting of efficient state and local fedora
tons; to develop and forward the fed
erative idea among the churches Of the
world at large, and to encourage the sew
eral and separate denominations to put
forth their best efforts for Christian
America.
One OF the most important objects of
the federal council is to establish and Sc
cure comfy and cooperation in church
missionary work. both at home and
abroad, thus avoiding waste of time, eff
fort and money through useless duplica-
ton of mission stations and Of superin-
tendence. The Importance of this work
alone is sufficient justification for the ex-
istence of the federal council, and the re-
suits already accomplished proved the
crying need of exactly this sort of con-
centrative effort.
Further problems which naturally come
under the preview of the federal council
most of them ma