Gilpin observer., 1920-02-26
Interchurch World Movement Nat
ural Growth of Tendency to
Eliminate Waste.
AVOIDS USELESS FRICTION
Religious Finaneierino Revolutionized
by Success Of Men and Millions
Movement and Cooperation
Is Result.

ed States and Canada to coordinate
lhe resources in men, money and ma
terial or Protestant America.
historically it is the logical out
growth of tendency of the national
boards in each denomination to form
working alliances among themselves,
IN which each board shall preserve it's
ioehtity and control its own personnel
and treasury.
In former times, the home mission
society, the foreign mission society
the church extension society and the
various philanthropic and eleemosy-
nary agencies of any denomination con-
Quoted their affairs independently of
one another. Each surveyed it's own
restricted territory, prepared bud
get of money and workers for it's own
purposes and made it's own appeal to
its constituency for support.
This could only mean that these
agencies were more or less in cOmpe
tition with one another; that there
was waste and duplication of work
and money, and that among them all
some work was neglected and some
denominatiOnal resources were entire
ly overlooked Because of their
specialized training, the leaders of
each agency regarded themselves as
peculiarly fitted for their tasks, and
jealousy regarded attempts at out
side interference.
Decide on Experiment.
After decades of such haphazard
methods, the leaders of one denomina-
tion decided on an experiment. They
thought 1t would be possible for the
agencies to get together for com.
mon study of all the opportunities and
resources of their brotherhood, tC
make out unified budget of men and
money, and to conduct concerted ap-
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 q
great amount of organization ex
penses. They ultimately worked out
budget and plan Of campaign that
was satisfactory to all. This resulted
in the famous Men and Millions
Movement" of the Disciples of Christ,
which brought in what was then con.
sidered the staggering sum of $6,3OO,-
600 for a five-year program The
members of the communion were SO
pleased with this business-like meth.
cd 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 denominational assO
Citations have come to be known as
forward movements" and some thir
ty of them are in existence today
Each one has clarified all the infor
in the denomination, and has reduced
the business of collecting and spend
ing money to science.
World-Budget Formed.
The Interchurch World Movement
is simply plan to do interdenomina-
tionally what the forward movements
have done within the various com.
munions. 1t means that every de-
nomnational budget will be made in
the semi-obscurity of incomplete in
formation. 1t means that contributions
to one denomination will not be In
wasteful competition with contrlbu.
tions to another, because all the fel.
lowships will have worked out their
program together.
The functions of the Interchurcb
World Movement are threefold. First,
1t collects, by means of world sur.
veys, all the pertinent facts on which
denomlnatlonal programs may be
built. Second, 1t sets up the practical
machinery 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 consti-
tuent unit preserves complete au.
tonomy, and is bound only 30 far as
II wishes to be bound. Financial ap-
peals are made by each denomina.
tion to its own constituency. Any
surplus In undesignnted funds, over
and above the actual cost of admins
tration, will be prorated among the
denominations engaged in n given H.
nancial undertaking.
An illustration Of one thing the
Movement can do is to be found In a
western community of 1000 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 In such cases, the
Movement will make possible . wiser
distribution of funds.
Its first goals are to reduce unneces-
80 publication aud overlapping 70