The Detroit times., 1912-08-31
CHRISTIAN EHDEAYORERs
TRAINING CHURCH WORKERS
BY EFFICIENCY CAMPAIGN
Society Adopts System of Tests
and Examinations to Raise
Standard Of Service
ACTIVE sERvANTsLACKING
Movement Proves Popular, a
Large Number Having Already
Qualified as Expert Leaders
RY rHE RELIGIOUS RAMBLER.

BY THE RELIGIOUS RAMBLER.
Christian Endeayor. always prolific
or new ideas In practical Christian
work, IL the first OF the great general
religious organizations to sense the
days demand for efficiency and scien-
tific management, and 1t has put into
successful operation scheme OF
tests and examinations and standards
.or its workers that bids fair to create
o new crop Of expert leaders In church
work.
The so-called -eficiency campaign"
OF the Christian Endeavor movement
a now pronounced by its leaders q
great success. Amos r. Wells says
that many more than 5000 societies-
he had not the exact figures at hand
at the moment-all over the land have
adopted the efficiency project, and
are at work standardizing their activ-
files. Individual endeayors TO the
number OF more than 500 have passed
the elaborate examination which quail
iles them to rank as Christian En-
deavor experts, and wear the familiar
Christian Endeavor button with an ad-
ditional e In the center Of the mono
gram.
What plan Means.
The whole idea Of Christian Endeav-
or and the kindred young peoples so
cieties is training for service. II 10
the young people Of local church
organized to worship and to work
70 learn how to speak and pray In
cubic, how to lead meeting. how to
serve as church officers. how to do
gospel work In missions, prisons,
among the sick, among the seamen,
and other spiritually neglected classes.
The study Of missions, and the science
Of church work are other Christian
Endeavor specialties.
Now the international leaders, Rev.
DR.. r. u CLARK. the founderpresident.
and his associates, have standardized
ell the aspects Of Christian Endeavor
work. On the basis OF one hundred
points for full efficiency as normal
society, they have outlined % features
OF the work, In which the society IL
expected TO be skilled; such as COM
mittee work efficiency, attendance up
on regular church services. participa-
tion In the prayer meetings, study OF
the Bible and missions. etc. An elab-
crate chart II furnished. showing the
relative value, In points Of these re-
spective forms OF endeayoring.
or course, the idea IL to bring all
the societies up TO the standard. In
an organization so widespread as
Christian Endeavor. and dependent up
on local activity, n is natural that
there should be varying degrees or
Effectiveness. Since the movement IL
faund In eli Protestant churches. and
adapts itself to the genius Of each,
there IL considerable diversity OF form
in minor respects. This efficiency
campaign aims to bring all the so
cieties up to common level In things
Move 70 Popular.
There Is fine strategy In this new
Christian Endeayor move. Il makes
the organization popular with the pas
tors and church officers, These lat
ter naturally want church workers:
and plan that puts premium upon
regular church attendance and con-
gregational loyalty appeals to them. A
fundamental problem In American
church life today is how to secure
members who will really work on the
church job. OF takers there are quite
q few; and tNere is no lack OF men
and women who will attend conven-
tions to discuss religious problems,
but the number who can be counted
on 10 stay right by the job Of the local
church--doing neighborhood visiting,
working In the Sunday school, taking
part in the prayer meeting, organiz-
ing the finances, watching out for new
members, caring for the sick. etc.--ls
always relatively small. II the efici.
ency campaign meets this problem In
any degree II will have done the high
est service to the church and to the
Christian Endeayor society.
Right here the national Christian
Endeavor leaders point out that their
organization has furnished a large
part OF the men and women who are
leading In the Christian work OF the
land today They say that the Men
and Religion Movement, the Laymen's
Missionary Movement, and even the
Young Mems. Christian Association
and the Young Women's Christian As
sociation are manned by workers who
received their inspiration ana train
ing In the Christian Endeavor soci-
eties Mission boards testify that a
large proportion OF the new mission
aries for more than a decade past
have come from the Christian Endeav-
or ranks.
c. z. World Power.
Other ORGANIZATIONS nowadays come
oftener before the public eye than
Christian Endeavor, although its
mammoth annual conventions were
formerly leading feature of the
years religious news. Still, the lead.
ers say. Christian Endeavor goes on
steadily with its marvellous growth.
With 70 local societies, aggregating
about 100000 members, scattered
throughout every nation under heaven.
and distributed among all the religi.
cus denominations, Christian Endeay.
or holds q unique place in modern re-
liaious history.
Recently pan-European Christian
Endcavor convention was held In
Christiana. with large and represen-
fAfiye attendance. The next worlds
convention viii meet I'M Sydney. Aus
frplia, IN 1919. The previous one was
held IN Agram, India. with three
thousand delegates, the largest Chris-
<ion Eafhering ever held IN India.
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