The Holly chieftain., 1920-01-15
20 CHURCHES TO
PLAN BIC MEReER
Protestants Would Union
ize and Consolidate.
THEIR ADnGuGIg12A1IvI AZ
WELL AS oENERAL WORK
Movement Started Sometime Ago
By the General Assembly et Pres
byterisn Church in the United
States-Proposs ? Council.


The OllOwing news dispatch TAX
en- from the Denver Times contains
some hope for the future of the
church. which seems quite rs much
upset in its reorganization for work
after the world war as is our whole
industrial system. It is suggestive
of the fact that the world today
has too many churches and too lit
tie Christianity and that with half
or q third the number of edifices
with similar number of well
equipped clergy, far more Chris
tianity than is now the case, with
Is per cent of the churches of the
country idle and many OF the rest
struggling for an existence or an ex-
cessive tax on communities where
fewer church edifices would serve
better as result.
The Times dispatch follows:
NEW YORK, Jan. 6. 6.-COmmis-
sioner OF approximately twenty de-
nominations have accepted an In
vitatiOn from the Presbyterian
church to confer in Philadelphia
Feb. 3 to 6 on q proposal "f0r ma
tiOnal merger OF Christian interests
under the name OF tho United
Churches OF Christ In America"
according to announcement today
from Presbyterian headquarters In
this city.
The movement, started some time
ago by the general assembly Of the
Presbyterian church in the United
States of America. proposes fOrma-
tion of council elected by the SUI
preme bodies OF the various demon.
nations. The council would COM
prise two ministerial and two lay
delegates for each 100000 cOmmuni-
cants.
The proposed constitution Of the
new organization. the announce
ment stated, "l00ks forward ulti.
mately to complete organic union
OF the Protestant churches enter
ing uDOn the membership Of the
council" The announcement added
that the constitution "onens the
way for gradual merging OF the IN
retaining the present denOmina-
tional ecclesiastical Organizations"
and Is an advance on the present
organization Of the federal council
Of the Churches Of Christ in Amer
lea as 1t .Onens the .wav for con-
sOlidatiOn OF administrative agenf
cies and the carrying forward Of the
ppnetal work Of the churches
through the council of the United
Church"
Tho proposed plan OF the cosln-
ell calls for administration OF home
and foreign missions in the church,
as well as other administrative
agencies, on the approval OF the SUI
preme governing or advisory bod.
les. 1T accepts the ordination and
doctrinal views of the Evangelical
churches joining the council and
providing also for admission Of
community churches and independ-
ent Organizations.
Among denominations concerned
are:
Presbyteria church in the United
States Of America, Methodist Epis-
cOpal church, Protestant EPISCOPAL
church in the United States, Re
formed church In the United Stat
es. CONGREGATIONAL church. Disciples
OF Christ. Christian Union Of the
United States. Northern Baptist
convention, Evangeltcal Synod Of 1
North America. Reformed EpiscO-
nal church Of North. America;
Welsh Presbyterian church; Unit
ed Brethren and Primitive Metho-
dists.
Other denominations which have
unofflcially approached the propos-
ed organic union with tentative
apDroval are the Society OF Friends,
United Lutheran church and Re
formed church in America.