The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-10-26
CHURCH PLANS
AIN INDIVIDUAL
MEMBER CANVASS
Denomination Sets Out to Reach
Entire Membership Within
Thirty Days
BIG Effort SCHEDULED
TO-TAKEPLACEN APRlL
-...l.- - -
--..--,, -----.s-- s'-~- =.
SchemeProyes Success with
Others Pushed by Laymen's
Missionary Movement
e.
seheme--.Proyss -saceess Win
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RYt Observation-Disclosures. =
The man Who staids-apart and OBJ
serves the tendency OF the times in
religion sees amazing changes COM
,inx OVER ecclesiastical methods.
These-are -aae- primarily to the new.
inctiyfty or the laymen. One plan oil
ia magnitude, which would command
the admiration of a political party or
4 great metcantile house, aims to
canvass every member OF a denomina-
ition within q month, with a view TO
All increased subscription 10 the
churcils benevolences. The method
was successfully tried out last March
INV the United Presbyterian demon
sinltibn. md at the present time two
other bodies, the Southern PresDyter-
ian and the German Reformed, have
entered upon the preparatory work oil
m exery-member. canvass .Qt- thelr
entire enrolment.
This Il bigger than 1t looks, especi-
ally In the case OF the German Re.
! formed denomination, which Is MIS-
tcrjcaIiy CONSERVATIVES in an things,
with more than half of its member
shin hmofk the Pennsylvania Ger.
mans. It's churches dot the trail or
the German Immigration. to America,
stretching west over the area between
Massachusetts and North Carolina.
WITH a considerable scattering In
Canada.
The plan means setting every con-
gregation I'm the body into motion.
THE general denominational commit
tee "a already at work with special
committees on EDUCATION, publicity,
EVANGELISM, Committee training,
flnaficg, and German work--for many
Of the churches of this denomination
, still use the German tongue. = THIS
ors.anization- at the Atopsis compare
tiye.y simple. II must be carried down
and duplicated ia every Chassis anc
thep in every individual congregation
Whan 1T comes. to reaching Literally
every member In a denomination, the
amount OF travel over country roads,
az revising of lists and or shepherding
stray sheep assumes really vast pro-
portions. The vote-getting work OF
tie pofitIeian II comparatively simple
alongside Of this
Business Methods Pay.
A-cleaf gain OF quarter OF a mil
lion dollars and a net increase OF
$500 members is reported for the
present year by the United Presby-
terians. who were the first denomina-
zion to try this every-member can
cass. They, too, are conservative
fork and even the epochaI advertis-
ing 5lans Which were employed for
the -fifst Time failed 20 getaction from
/ ZOOS -yeparate congregations only Tle
actuafy made--t the canvass. The COM
mittee has steadily followed. up tbs
others, and 1t will not. content itself
uniil every last member OF the
church has been personally solicited
to give according to his means, and
not according to his meanness' to-
ward the general enterprises of the
denomination.
The idea or the every.member can
vass has been pushed by the Laymen's
: Missionary movement The man who
has-6one-Inofe.t than any other to pro-.
mote it, Mr.. Campbell White, first
worked as mems secretary in the
LATED Presbyterian denomination
he has led various cities, as we'll as
innumerable local churches, to take
on the idea Of securing a definite.
recorded subscription from. evers
member Of church and congrega-
tion.
Toronto was the first city to take uR
this proposition seriously. The re-
suits are-surprising. Thus the Bap.
lists In Toronto who numbered 81
churches, - gave. in 1s07, $4,000 for
home and foreign missions. The nexr
year, under the impulse of this bust
ness mems plan, they gave $4,000.
The year following they raised this
TO $4,000. Then, in 1910, they. made
It $4,000, and in 1911 $4,000.
Buffalo has record quite parallel
ling this. All the Methodist churches
OF Buffalo made the canvass, the poor
as well as the rich, the downtown
curches as well as the suburban
churches The -Laymen's movement
reports that every Methodist church
In. Bnffalo. under this new plan, In
creased its contributions TO foreign
missions at least IL per cent, and the
average increase for all the Methodist
churches OF the city was 127 per cent
Now the Laymen's movement is go.
ing 10 Buffalo next month TO endeavor
to enlist all the churches in the city
ofaif deuominations in a Kindred un.
dertakfng. - ".s,.. uut-
Dividing Up the Heather.
q his Is system applied to all forms
.of church work Taking denomina-
tinns. as the. largest unit, and Their
dealing with units of cities and local
coDgregations, the effort is made to
fnl out the church's own particular
lob and then TO face II. Thus the
German Reformed denomination has
membership 100000 persons at
nCrne. Of whom 1.200 are ministers.
,. has formally and oflcially accepted
tan million heather as it's missionary
responsibility This means that II
this-eertain ten million heather arc
osns erted- at all IT. Will be- by thu
agency Of the German Reformed
ohurch. n they are not ChristiapIzed,
fbt nssponsiblllty. VIII lie at the door
81 this denomination. Serious effort
n made to eliminate yagueness from
III such statistIcs. Thus, OF the ten
~ - $3.50 - -
$500. ,,,,,,,,.,.,,.,.,