The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1915-11-12
Rellglous
Lutherans Will Raise Big Fund.

IutneranS Will RaiSe sig fund.
The LutheranNgeneral council adopt
ed the budget for the coming W. years
for mission work. at home and abroad,
$4SO,OOO being designated to be raised.
The number of Lutheran synods in
| connection with the general council
has been increased to fourteen by the
admission of the Texas synod.
The general council indorses the po-
sition of it's president that the church
should not take up political and inter-
rational questions or attempt to int1u-
ence international wars or diplomacy.
The council also declared itself open to
with interdenominational religious
movements and declarations.
To get the representatives of more
than 100000 Lutherans of America
on board a ship and keep them there
until they have agreed to unite in Il
single national church federation, was
a plan proposed by DR.. J. G. Kunz-
NAM of Philadelphia. He proposed
to carry it out in 1910.
Under the plan a steamer would be
chartered at New York for a months
cruise. Representatives. of all Luther
an synods would be invited. The trip
would be through the Panama canal
and up the Pacific coast to Vancouver.
where the delegates would leave the
boat and travel across the country in
special trains. holding great mass meet
ings en- route.
Mrs. c. u. Hoffstein. Chicago. elect
ed to the presidency of the Woman's
Missionary society. declined to accept
the post and in her stead Miss Zoe /.
Hirt of Erie. Pa. has been elected.
To Regulate Evangeiists' Incomes.
An Observation-Disclosures movement is
afoot to register professional evangel-
lists and establish these men as high
salaried officials in the regular work o.
the churches instead of having them
roam about the country indiscriminate-
~. depending upon "thank offerings
for Il livelihood.
Not that the thank Offering method
fails to yield adequate compensation
for the preachers. On the contrary,
some church leaders feel that it yields
too much. Those who are in a position
w NlloN say lAIOlC w wv
cyangclists who receive less thar ST.
: 600 a month from tabernacle cam
( paigns. There arc Il number of evan
| gelists who receive sums largely in eX-
/ cess of that amount. An cvangelist'S
, season is limited to eight months, but
it is pointed out that $4,000 a year is
. a respectable salary for preaching the
: gospel.
The Rev. DR.. William II. Roberts Of
G the Presbyterian church of Philadel-
u phia is chairman INC the Rev. DR..
e Charles L. Schaeffer Of the Reformed
church of Philadelphia secretary of the
commission. The Rev. DR.. George
T. Gordon Mahy of the Presbyterian
church of Philadelphia is chairman of
u Il subcommittee on field II methods
of work, which is at work Investigate
ing and classifying the professional
evangelists Of the country.
What is considered to be of far great
or Importance thar the "credential
work" among the evangelists is the ma
ton wide campaign inaugurated by the
evangelistic commission to develop
new evangelistic leaders and organize
cNullSciSltlC CitLl-
paigns throughout the United States.
The plan is to conduct IN extended
evnngeliStic campaign in a district like
Lackawanna county, for instance, with
all evangelical churches cooperating
4 under the leadership of a first class
evangelist, who. instead of receiving a
thank offering. will be engaged on a
n three year contract at Il fixed salary.
q Experts in evangelistic work say that
= far better results will be obtained by
his method than by tabernacle meet
@ ings. Larger areas will be covered, and
the work will be more thorough.
Church leaders assert that the large
accession received in nearly all evan
gelical churches during the last few
years, combined With the remarkable
development of evangclistic work, has
been due, in considerable measure. to
the campaign that has been quietly
conducted by the federal councils
evangelistic commission. Three Years
ago less than half Il dozen dcnomina-
tons had special committees to pro-
mote Il nation wide campaign of evan
gclism in their churches. Today TWEEN.
ty-siX of the largest and most intluen.
tial denominations have such commit.
tees.
The Baptist. Methodist, Episcopal,
Presbyterian. United Presbyterian, Re-
formed, Congregational, Moravian,
Mennonite, Welsh Presbyterian and
many others are in line. Practically
y the only denominations which have not
as yet appointed committees are the
Protestant Episcopal church and a few
l. Of the Lutheran bodies.
y AS a result of its nation wide evan
{ gclistic campaign the Presbyterian
church in the United States had 49,
oWO accessiols last year. In 1911, when