Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1920-09-10
SOUND BUSINESS
BASIS FOR CHURCH
IntercKurch World Movement
Natural Growth Of Tendency
To Eliminate Waste
AVOIDS USELESS COMPETITION
Religious Financiering Revolutlonlxee
By Success Of Men And Millions
Movement And Cooperation
10 Result

The 1nterchurch World Movement
Of North America is an. attempt by
forwardlooking leaders Of the various
evangelical denominations Of the Unit
ed States and, Canada to coordinate
the resources In men, money and mate
rial for Protestant America.
Historically 1t Is the logical out
growth Of tendency Of the national
boards in each denomination to form
working alliances among themselves,
In which each board shall preserve ita
identity and control Its own personnel
and treasury.
In former times, the home mission
society. the foreign mission society
the church extension society and the
various philanthropic and eleemosy
nary agencies of any denomination
conducted their affairs independently
OF one another Each surveyed ite
own restricted territory, prepared a
budget Of money and workers for Its
own purposes and made its own ap
peal to Its constituency for support.
This could only mean that these
agencies were more or less in com.
petition with one another; that there
were waste and duplication Of work
and money. and that among them all
some work was neglected and some
UNCONVENTIONAL resources we're entire.
ly overlooked Because Of their spe'
cialized training. the leaders Of each
agency regarded themselves as pecu
liarly fitted for their tasks. and jeal
ously regarded attempts at outside
interference.
Decide On Experiment
After decades OF such haphazard
methods, the leaders Of one denomina
ton decided on an experiment. They
thought II would be possible for thu
agencies to get together for com
mon study Of all the opportunities ant
resources Of their brotherhood. t
make out unified budget of men ant
money, and to conduct a concerted ap
peal for funds. II was made clea
that each constituent board shoul
preserve complete autonomy
When the board representatives me
they found It possible to eliminate
great amount Of organization e,
penses. They ultimately worked on
a budget and plan OF campaign tina
was satisfactory to all. This resulte
IN the famous men and Million
Movement" Of the Disciples OF Chris
which brought in what was then col
sidered the staggering sum Of 81
100000 for fye.year program. TT
members Of the communion were {
pleased with this business.like metht
OF conducting affairs that they co
tributed even more generously ths
had been expected.
The success Of this enterprise rev
: lutionized the whole business
church financiering The other gre
denominations Immediately adopt
the plan. The UNCONVENTIONAL assoc
tons have come to be known as If
ward movements" and some thirty
r them are in existence today. Each o
has clarified all the information In
lation to enterprise within the denor
:, nation, and has reduced the busine
OF collecting and spending money To
science.
III Worid-Budset Formed
| The Interchurch World Movement
simply a plan to do lnterdenominatl
ally what the forward movemel
have done within the various CO
munions It means that every demo-
national budget will be made In
light Of world needs instead of In
semiobscurity Of incomplete inforr
ton. II means that contributions
one denomination will not be In was
full competition with contributions
another, because all the fellowsh
will have worked out their progr
together.
The functions OF the Interchu
World Movement are threefold. Fl
It collects, by means Of world surv,
all the pertinent facts on which
nominational programs may be b,
Second. II sets up the practical
chinery of cooperation. Third. II
in an advisory capacity whenever
advice is requested.
The Movement has nothing to
with organic church union or mat
of creed or doctrine. Each constit,
unit preserves complete autonomy,
is bound only so far as II wishes I
bound. Financial appeals are n
by each denomination to Its own
stituency Any surplus in undesit
ed funds, over and above the at
cost Of administration, will be pr
ed among the denominations eng
in a given financial undertaking.
An illustration Of one thing
Movement can do Is to be found
western community Of 1000 pei
in which thirteen denominations
been supporting separate chul
with missionary funds. while an
cent territory Of $4,000 persons
only three churches BY seeing tn
missionary boards are supplied
information In such cases. the ]
ment will make possible wisel
tribution Of funds.
It's first goals are to reduce UNI
sary duplication and overlappiI
minimum and TO bring about ,
telligent division Of labor in N