The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1920-02-13
''W|LLFUL WASTING
ALWAYS FOLLOWED
BY W0EFUL WANT"
The Protestant Churches Have
Three Sittings For Every
COMMUNICATE, If All Should
Attend at One Time.
BIG WASTE IN DISPLAY;
PASTORS IN MARTYRDOM

To a man with but one eye it is
easy to see that there are too many
churches in Medina; and when one
stops to think that two or three sal
aries paid are inadequate to a rea-
sonable living by the men devoting
their time to the work, it is pos
sible to understand fully the wisdom
of combination making it possible
to pay sufficient so that the pastor
may live "like white man."
1t is true that weak church, if it
searches about, can find some man in
its denomination who is receiving
Lessor at least is promised less
than it is paying, and in this way it
can find man who, on the surface,
will think he can do better to come
to it. But that don't excuse the weak
church for asking a man to come to
it and live on scant support. And
this is especially true if there is an
opportunity for merging that it will
make it possible for the united con-
gregations to pay living salary,
give their pastor chance to be
real man and his family an opportu-
nifty to live christian lives.
But to show that what we print on
this topic from week to week is but
reflex Of what big men in the
christian work are saying week by
week, and month by month, we print
an article from the pen Of one Of
the popular pastors in the East who
has made study of the proposition.
An Associated Press dispatch, dated
New York, reads:
Charging that the Competitions
and rivalries Of evangelical denomin-
ations in the United States have re-
suited in astounding waste and inef-
ficiency," and that sc per cent Of the
Protestant churches have a total
seating capacity Of more than 53e
100000, or three times their require
4 ment, Rev. DR.. Robert Wesley
Peach, pastor Of Reformed Episco-
pal church in Newark, N. j., makes
a plea for organic union Of % nation
al church bodies.
DR.. Peach's recommendations, to-
gether with others, were discussed
by the Interchurch Council on Or
ganic Union, which held four days.
session in Philadelphia last week.
The Newark clergyman is one of so
composing the ad interim committee
representing various Protestant de-
nominations which was appointed last
December upon an invitation by the
Presbyterian church, to approve a
plan for bringing about merger.
In his statement, a minority report,
he declared that Protestants had built
perhaps" 100000 superfuous churches
at cost of $500,000,00O."
"If not single church had been
built in the past thirteen years." he
said, "those standing in 1906 would
accomodate at a single service every
Protestant communicate of the year
1919 and every Roman Catholic in
our country, baptised infants includ-
ed, and besides every man, woman
and child in Canada, Cuba and Porto
Rico and there would still be much
room to spare.
: "These sc per cent of our churches
reported over three sittings for every
communicant. At the same time, the
Roman Catholic churches reporting
had one sitting for every two and
one fourth members-a ratio of near
+ ly seven to one in our disfavor. The
Roman churches are crowded, ours on
A average less than one quarter filed
n for it is the exceptional church
a which, at it's principal Sunday SER
i vice, has an attendance equalling 80
: per cent of its communicate roll"
The upkeep and the salaries in.
! cident to maintaining services ir
!, Protestant churches, DR.. Peach said
4 make necessary the raising annually
n of millions of wasted dollars; make
|, necessary, moreover, gruelling efforts
s to raise this money.
u Inevitably there has arisen th'
y "Great Protestant Order of Mendi
q cant Pastors and Sisters" unincorpo
,s rated. Inevitably also has followed
r, a widespread detection of churcl
Il members, weary of continual solici
tation to give outright and to bu,
n tickets for suppers, entertainments
IS bazaars, etc.
d Not the giving has repelled, i
~ ~ most instances" continued DR.. Peach
= = "for the American people are gener
NJ y, ous-but the needless calls for une
# conomic giving"
"Upon members who remain stead
fast have fallen the heavier burdens,
"a he said. "This detection also
u y mainly responsible for increasing tn
=. two out of three empty pews cause
~ ~ by over-churching to three out Q
,e four. Let not the pastors and men
ir bers Of exceptional congregation