The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1920-04-09
Many Dying in East, While Vast
Regions in West Are With
out Any Pastors.
EXPERTS STUDYING HOW
TO OVERCOME DANGERS
Baptist State Conventions Plan Vigor.
GUS Action-Will Try Out Com
munity Centers to Increase
Efficiency.

How to meet the problem of the ru-
raj churches is a task which is arous-
ing the concern of the General Board
of Promotion of the Northern Baptist
Convention. Surveys recently made by
representatives Of the convention re-
veal that in some sections many of
these churches are gradually dying.
It was also shown that the outlook for
others is far from promising. This is
particularly true in the East. In the
Western states the need Is for the
establishment of churches In the hun
dreds of new communities which are
springing up.
The seriousness of the problem be-
comes more apparent when glance at
the United States Census report shows
that in 1910 the number of persons on
the farm was 49,348,SS3 as against
AZ, 623, 1873 persons living in cities This
Is further emphasized by the figures
revealed In 1917-that the number Of
persons engaged in agricultural pur-
suits and in animal husbandry was
1000, 843.
lie rural CHuICitS, says lHc IT,
port, "have long been the fountains Of
our life. We cannot afford to let the
springs dry up. Our churches are the
firesides Of the Christian family
the schOolroomS where the Church
educates its people and leads them
into all the truth. Our build
ings ought to be an adequate reflection
nf Go etv nff I,, al,
es. A small church with meager re-
sources may Of necessity be compelled
to do with an inadequate plant. But
a church of strength and power ought
to have a home that will reflect its
life"
And TO help the state conventions
which supervise the work in their own
states men are being employed to give
their whole time, effort and study TO
help solve the problem. Other meas
ures planned to help meet the need are
increases in minister's salaries, the Gs-
tablishment Of community centers and
the use Of community churches when
other means are inadviSable.
Excerpts from the plans Of the state
conventions show how urgent some of
these bodies regard the plight of the
rural church. A few Of these follow:
New Hampshire "Strengthen rural
churches" Connecticut-"Work out
federation or community church plans
to meet the desperate country church
situation" New Jersey-"Establish
two or three rural parish centers as
experiments for solving the rural prob
lem and six or seven foreign commu-
nifty centers." Wisconsin-"Develop
the rural churches, making them vital
factors in community life." Ohio
Employ two new district missiona-
ries." Indiana-"Employ an expert on
rural work erect at least
seven churches and community build
ings for the new Americans" Illinois
-"Develop rural work" West Virginia
-"Strengthen the missionary work at
many points and enter new fields"
MISUNDERSTANDING two or three ru-
raj centers." North Dakota-"Raise
standards Of salaries of missionary
pastors" Neutrality-suspicious. two pas
tors at large, a general evangelist and
several rural experts, Sunday school
director and association missionaries.
Idaho-"Open several stations in the
new irrigation tract" Utah-"Employ
two new missionaries" Eastern Wash
ington-"Increase missionary staff 33
per cent, increase salaries and occupy
many destitute fields" Oregon-"In-
augurate at once new work in many
fields now opening up. Great districts
with hundreds Of people have no
church nor missionary. Employ sew
eral general missionaries and a super
intendent Of evangelism"