Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1920-02-26
PASTORS TO MEET
IN EVERY STATE
The In,erchurch World Movement
Will Hold |mpOrtant.
Conference.
WILL CONSIDER WHOLE FIELD
City Pastor and Circuit Rider From
ozarks Will Sit Down Together.
and Study Needs Of Men In
Light Of Religion.

Pastors conferences on the great
program OF united forward work Of the
lnterchurch World Movement OF North
America are to be held in every state
in the uuion during February, the min.
listers OF each state and of every
for the first time in the history Of the
country to confer on the work Of the
Kingdom and the tasks they hold in
common.
Railroad and sleeping a fares to
and from the cities where the con-
ferences are to he held will be paid
by the lnterchurch World Movement.
and reasonable hotel rates arranged.
1t is expected that the pastors Of every
city charge. town and village pas.
torate. and even the circuit rider from
the Ozarks and other rural districts,
with a multiplicity OF charges, will as.
semble and take part in the important
meetings.
The Interchurch World Movement,
which has been spoken of as a spir.
itual union of the churches. is seeking
in t ese conferences to bring its vital
message of the enlarged task OF the
church. the united force needed to
meet it, and Il picture of the results to
be accomplished. before each pastor,
that he may take back to his people
a thrilling story that will p them
to action.
The surveys that are now being
made in many sections of the country,
and TO be completed later throughout
America, are to be discussed. Alarm
ing conditions that have been disclosed
in many Of the surveys will be put
before the ministers, together with
hopeful things shown to exist.
A tremendous demand for the
church to awake out of inaction and
move forward all along the line. solv,
ing all problems and meeting the
needs Of the time of reconstruction. is
II of the things coming out of the
survey work, which will be put before
the pastors for their consideration and
discussion.
Pastors Studying Selves.
Pastors are studying themselves and
their preparedness for the tasks before
them, and are studying. their com
munities in the light of the new facts
disclosed by the surveys that have
been completed.
The survey of one city block in St.
L)uis revealed that out of IS residents
only II attended a Christian church,
81 per cent being Indifferent to the
message of the church. This is the
problem of many blocks in many of
the cities over the country. This sur.
vey and the startling facts revealed
led one city pastor to ask the equally
startling questions:
What. is the place and power in
modern life of the Christian Church?
What is its future? Is it fulfilling its
mission? Is the Sunday School being
adapted to the changing ideals Of the
community"
Equally as vital questions are being
reared for the church to settle in
the smaller cities, towns and in the
rural communities, which are being
uncovered by the Interchurch World
Surveys, and which are to be prayer.
fully and thoroughly gone into in the
nationwide conferences of the pastors.
Ii is the aim of the future to leave
no stone unturned where I is at all
possible to make the church Of the
future serve the whole man and the
entire community.
Then there are the world problems
that the whole church of North Amer.
lea is rising to face "a and face with a
new vision Of service, a new economy
Of men and money and. with a pro
gram that is world wide.
Spiritual and Financial.
The larger program of the Inter.
church World Movement for the lear
future embraces three things, each
vital to the life and power for serving
of the church. They are prayer,
evangelism and finances. 1t is asked
that during the month Of February
emphasis in the churches be put on
the prayer life of the peop!, that they
may be prepared spiritually for the en-
larged program Of endeavor, and that
the countrywide evangelistic efforts OF
the denominations may result In q
great i~ngathering Of souls.
April q to May 2 has been set aside
as the special period when the Inter
church World Movements financial
crusade shall be made. During that
period 1t is expected that all the de-
nominations will join together in max
ing their financial drives, and the total
sum set as a goal is $3.50. 0OO, 900.
This includes support Of the work at
home and the budget needed for for,
eign missions and relief Of suffering In
other lands.