Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1920-02-20
SOUND BUSINESS
BASIS FOR CHURCH
Interchurch World Movement
Natural Growth of Tendency
to Eliminate Waste.
AVOID USELESS COMPETITION
Religious Finaneiering Revolutionized
by Success Of Men-and- Millions
Movement and Co-opera-
ton Is Result.

ward-lOoking leaders of the various
evangelical denominations of the Unit
ID States and Canada to coordinate
the resources In men, money and mate
rial of Protestant America.
Historically II Is the logical out
growth of tendency of the national
boards In each denomination 10 form
working alliances among themselves.
In which each board shall preserve Its
identity and control Its own personnel
and treasury.
In former times, the home mission
society, the foreign mission society,
the church mission society and the
various phllanthropic and eleemosynary
agencies of any denomination conduct
ed their affairs independently of one
another. Each surveyed its own re-
stricted territory, prepared budget
Of money and workers for its own
purposes and made It's own appeal to
It's constituency for support.
This could only mean that these
agencies were more or less In COM
petition with one another; that there
we're waste and duplication of work
and money, and that among them all
some work was neglected and some
UNCONVENTIONAL resources were entire
y overlooked. Because of their
specialized training. the leaders of
sach agency regar themselves as
peculiarly fitted for .heir tasks, and
Iealously 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 the
agencies to get together for IA com
mon study of all the opportunities and
resources of their brotherhood, TO
make out unified budget of men and
money, and to conduct concerted APP
peal for funds. 1t was made clear
that each constituent board should
preserve complete autonomy.
When the board representatives met
they found 1t possible to eliminate
great amount of organization ex-
penses. They ultimately worked out
a budget and plan of campaign that
was satisfactory TO all This resulted
In the famous Men-and-MilliOns Move
ment of the Disciples of Christ,
which brought In what was then con-
sidered the staggering sum of So
SOC. 900 for a five-year program. The
members OF the communion were so
pleased with this buslness-like method
OF conducting affairs that they con-
tributed even more generously than
had been expected.
The success Of this enterprise revo.
lutionized the whole business OF
church financiering. The other great
denominations Immediately adopted
the plan. The UNCONVENTIONAL assOcia-
lions have come to be known as "for-
ward movements" and some thirty OF
them are In existence today. Each one
has clarified all the information In re-
jation to the enterprise within the
denomination, and has reduced the
business of collecting and spending
money TO a science.
World. Budget Formed.
The Interchurch World Movement IL
simply plan TO do INSTRUMENTATION
ally what the forward movements
have done within the various com
munions. II means that every denomi'
national budget will be made In the
light of world needs instead or in the
semi-obscurlty of incomplete informa-
ton. II means that contributions to
one denomination will not be In waste
full competition with contributions to
another. because all the fellowships
will have worked out their program
together.
The functions of the Interchurch
World Movement are threefold. First.
Il collects, by means OF world surveys
all the pertinent facts on when de-
nominational programs may be Duiit'
Second, II sets up the practical ma
chinery OF cooperation. Third. II acts
In an advisory capacity whenever Its
advice Is requested.
The Movement has nothing TO do
with organic church union or matters
of creed or. doctrine. Each constituent
unit preserves complete autonomy, and
IL bound only SO far as II wishes to be
bound. Financial appeals are made
by each denomination to Its own con-
stituency. Any surplus In undesignat.
ed funds, over and above the actual
cost of administration. will be prorat.
ed among the denominations engaged
In a given financial undertaking.
An illustration OF one thing the
Movement can do is TO be found In
western community Of 1900 persons
In which thirteen denominations have
been supporting separate churches
with missionary funds, while an ada.
cent territory Of $4,000 persons has only
three churches. BY seeing that all
missionary boards are supplied with
Information I'm such cases. the Move.
ment will make possible a wiser dis
tribution of funds.
Its first goals are TO reduce unneces.
sary duplication and overlapping to
d minimum and to bring about an In.
telligent division of labor In unOccu.
pied fields. The Movement is. at bot.
tom, an attempt to put church bust
ness on the sound, busIness-like foun-
dations on which the great commercial
institutions Of America are built.