The Yale expositor., 1920-02-19
SOUND BUSINESS
BASISFOR CHURCH
Interchurch World Movement
Natural Growth of Tendency
to Eliminate Waste.
AVOID USELESS COMPETITION
Religious FinaneierIng RevoIutionized
by Success of Men-and- Millions
Movement and Co-opera.
ton Is Result.

The Interchurch World Movement OF
North America is an attempt by for
ward-iooking leaders of the various
evangelical denominations of the Unit
ed states and Canada to coordinate
the resources in men, money and mate
rial of Protestant America.
Historically 1t is the logical out.
growth of q tendency of the national
boards In each denomination to form
working alliances among themselves,
In which each board shall preserve It's
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 philanthroplc and eleemosynary
agencies of any denomination conduct
ed their affairs independently of one
another. Each surveyed its own re-
stricted territory, prepared a budget
Of money and workers for It's own
purposes and made its 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
~ overlooked. Because Of their
specialized training the leaders Of
each agency regarded themselves as
peculiarly fitted for their tasks. and
jealousy 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 il would be possible for the
agencies to get together for COM
mon study of all the opportunities and
resources of their brotherhood, 10
make out a unified budget of men and
money, and to conduct a concerted APP
peal for funds. 1t was made clear
that each constituent board should
preserve complete autonomy.
When the board representatives met
they found it possible TO eliminate q
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 Recommendations Move
ment of the Disciples of Christ
which brought in what was then con-
sidered the staggering sum of &c.
100000 for a five-year program. The
members of the communion were sc
pleased with this business-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 oi
them are in existence today. Each one
has clarified all the information In re
lation 60 the enterprise within the
denomination, and has reduced the
business of collectin., and spending
money to a science.
WorId-Budget Formed.
The Interchurch World Movement Il
simply plan to do 'nterdenomination
ally what the forward movement
have done within the various COM
munions. It means that every denomi
national budget will be made In IN
light of world needs instead of In tn
semi-obscurity of incomplete informa
tion. II means that contributions L
one denomination will not be in waste
full competition with contributions Z
another. because all the fellowship
win have worked out their program
together.
The functions of the Interchure
World Movement are threefold. FRS
u collects. by means of world surveys
all the pertinent facts on when u'
nominational programs may De puli
Second, II sets up the practlcal III.
chinery of cooperation. Third IL &C.
in an advisory capacity whenever II
advice is requested.
The Movement has nothing to q
with organic church union or matter
of creed or doctrine. Each constituer
unit preserves complete autonomy. an
is hound only so far as 1t wishes to .
bound. Financial appeals are mau
by each denomination to Its own co
stituency. Any surplus In undesigna
ed funds. over and above the aciu'
cost of administration. will be prori
ed among the denominations engage
I'm a given financial undertaking.
An illustration of one thing Il
Movement can do is to be found in
western community of 1000 pers0G
I'm which thirteen denominations hay
been supporting separate church'
with missionary finds. while an adj
cent territory of $4,000 persons has on
three churches. BY seeing that a
missionary boards are supplied VII
Information I'm such cases, the Nov
ment will make possible wiser Ill
tribution of funds.
| It's first goals are to reduce unnece
, sary duplication and overlapping
a minimum and to bring about an !
telligent division of labor In unocc
, pied fields. The Movement Is. at bo
tom, an attempt to put church bus
| -. -. Ar. .,,.rI hsaofnocc.lflra fofr