Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1915-12-03
THE NEED OF THE CHURCH.
(The Virginian.)

thorrlty of the Federal Council of
Churches of Christ of America, will
hold national conference on chruch
and country life at Columbus Decem-
Der $40.
The commissions declares that in
recent years one out of every nine of
| the American country chruches has
been abandoned; that one-third only
are growing, and that the other two
thirds have either ceased to grow or
are in dying condition.
The doctors who would prescribe
for the trouble are not at all agreed,
either as to the disease or the remedy.
| President Kenyon l.. Buttcrfield, of
the Massachusetts Agricultural Col
logc, in Il report to the Commission,
says that the country church must
assume functions similar to those of
the boards of trades Of the cities. He
declares that without infringing on
/ purely religious activities. the country
church must, through its preacher
and Law officials, go in for the promo
ton of good roads, better farming,
agricultural college extension courses.
temperance, public health, community
identification and planning, promo
ton of cooperation among farmers
Off buying, selling and production.
and for the creation of social and
recreation centers. Some program,
this
/ The commission declares that the
country chruch is losing it's grip, not
because the farmers are less religious
than urban people. but because the
ordinary church has failed to provide
the existing need for community lead
| . Il. L.
is weak because it is too insistent on
s:ectarian distinctions, and because it
is able to pay for only n part of
it physically impossible for him to do
anything but preach weekly or oc-
casional sermons, the result being to
develop II number of small, weak
churches, whose aggregate member
ship in most communities is less than
foryt per cent of the population.
The commission proposes to conduct
a nationwide survey with big ma
tion-widc nterdenominational move
ment "to help the country church
save itself" 1t proposes that in every
community three or four neighboring
churches shall work together under
the supervision of committee from
each church. with the idea in mind of
the eventual merging of the neighbor-
ing churches into one. The benelicent
result to be achieved, i'm the eyes of
the commission, is the creation of one
large chruch in the place of several
small ones, the large chruch being
able to employ II minister for his
undivided time.
1t occurs to us that the commits
sions intentions are extremely good.
hut that its ideas, in the main, are
not. The trouble with the chruchcs
in country as well as i'm city is not
that they are not engaged in promot-
ing good roads, college extension
courses, the public health, ct cctera,
lat hat, in so many cases, they have
Ike form of religion but have lost its
power, that the sacred desk has ceas-
ed to sound forth the whole counsel of
i God, the power and presence of the
Third Person of the Trinity is not felt,
His uplifting, oonsecratng, soul
cleansing influence is not thoroughly
recognized.
We 10 not object to the idea that
HE church shall become the great
Impulse for all good works, be they
mental. moral, spiritual or purely
physical in their trend, but they
should have their origin in that fra
tcrnal, heart-to-heart hand-to- hand
shoulderto- shoulder feeling that is
The outcome of a soundly converted,
thoroughly SpiritualiZed church MEM
hership. Taking it by and large, we
do not believe, for instance, that it is
the mission of the church to promote
II movement for the cooperation of
farmers in buying, selling and pro-
ducing crops, but we most earnestly
adhere to the belief that it is the
mission of the church to develop that
spirit of mutual interest, of brotherly
love. OF thc seeking the advancement
Of the common veal, that our people
shall work together like band of
Srothcrs for The general good.
In the words of the Good Book we
would say: "Seek We FIRST the King
dom of God'-then all these material
things, these outgrowths of fraternal
regard will be adde unto us.
The great mission of the Church is
to seek the salvation of the souls of
men. 70 do that its ministry must
not be embarrassed with much serv-
ing The preacher, no doubt, by in
tcliigent initiative in his community,
can set to turning the wheels of
progress along numerous lines, but
nothing has ever equalled, will ever
compare with, the simple gospel,
preached with the power and demon
sJration Of the Spirit, to fill Il church
nd to save men from sin. That is
thc crying need of the Church in city
and country-a whole gospel preach
cd with power, and when our churches
and ministers, forgetting costly trap
pings, highiy-paid choirs, the cere-
monials of highly organized services,
shall rely more upon the delivery of a
Spirlt-sent message through Spirit
hred men, all joining in the services
IN spiritual songs and psalms" we
will quickly realize a new and more
inspiring chruch life.