Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1920-11-15
|ME7HOD|STS ARE
TOLD SMALL..P
KEEPS MANY out
Only 1,671 Ministers in the
United States Draw
Above $4,000 Sal
ary a Year.
AVERAGES ARE LOW
Methodist Church Boards
Hear Reports at Boston
Meeting.
AVERAGES ARE LOW
fBy The Associated Press. }

10Y Liz ASSOclatpu 1rcSS.
Boston, Mass. Nov. 15.-Low salaries
for ministers OF the gospel have re-
duced their number to an inefficien,
minimum. according to report sub.
m1tted today to the council of the
boards TO benevOlence of the Methodist
Episcopal church. The report cam.
from DIR. Joseph b. Hingeley, chairma II
Of the board of conference claimants.
the organization which has had charge
OF raising the pension funds of the
church.
Inadequate salaries and the resultant
hardships have caused among ministers
physical disability and mental poverty,
forced ciergymen to take up ''side lines
IN order to make d livelihood or else
driven competent men from the profes-
sion and have kept from the work "the
best equipped and most intelligent
youth" according to the report. Dis
cussing the dearth of ministers the re-
port said:
I'm one denomination 1888 congrega-
tions did not' have regular pastoral
care. In another there were 994 fewer
ministers than in 1914. A denomina-
ton having 9G3 congregations had only
627 settled pastors and another reports
an average net gain of 25.6SO members
but of only 81 minister's
Average Salaries.
The report gave comparative list of
average salaries paid by various
denominations but said the figures were
misleading because the larger salaries
make the average a maximum amount
for most Of thcm.' According to these
figures the Protestant Episcopal church
pays an average of $1,242. the Presby-
terian (North SLIT: the United Pres
bytrian $1.O96; the Dutch Reformed
church. $1,17O: the Methodist Episco-
pal (North). S1.176: the Congrega-
tional. S1,O42 and the Baptist North
ern). $3.50.
THE best young men are not deter
red from coming into the ministry from
fear of sacrifice during their active
years" said the report. but they are
to face poverty at the end
of their career"
The report said that the federal III.
come tax returns listed only 1871
clergymen, as having an income of
$4,000 year and that while New .Ier-
sey ranks first among the states in the
average salaries paid clergymen, the
figure there is $1,27O year. which is
less than the $50 week which steno-
srapherS average.
Educational Work.
Reporting on the work of the board
of education of the Methodist Episco-
pal church, Abram w. Harris. former
president of Northwestern University
and corresponding secretary of the
board told to the church council today |
that 100 educational institutions are
sponsored by the board OF this num-
Der 43 are colleges or universities, 81
ire professional and graduate schools.
i6 are secondary schools for whites and
ID are schools for negroes.
He said the property of the schools
s valued at more than $39.OOO.OO0 and
hat their productive endowment is in
'Xcess of $34.374O0O. Students total
lbout II 200 and the alumni number
1888
For English Exclusively.
A 'reformerS creed was offered to
he council Of the boards of benevOlence
hurch at the meeting here by the Rev.
'larence True Wilson, corresponding