The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1920-03-13

s;;;;,;IBAs|ssFOR CHURCH
Interchurch World Movement
Natural Growth Of Tendency
To Eliminate Waste
AVOIDS USELESS COMPETITION
Religious Financierin9 Revolutlonlzeo
BY Success OF Men And Millions
Movement And Cooperation
Is Result

OF N0rtn America Is an attempt W
forward looking leaders of the various
evangelical denominations Of the Unit
ed States and Canada to coordinate
the resources in men, money and mate
rial for Protestant America
Historically It is the logical out
growth of a 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 extension society and the
various philanthropic and eleemosy-
nary agencies Of any denomination
conducted their affairs independently
Of one another Each surveyed Its
own restricted territory, prepared
budget of money and workers for Its
own purposes and made its own ap-
peal to its constituency for support.
This could only mean that these
agencies were more or less In com.
petition with one another; that there
were waste and duplication Of work
and money. and that among them all
some work was neglected and some
UNCONVENTIONAL resources we're entire
ly overlooked. Because of their spe-
cialized training, the leaders Of each
agency regarded themselves as pecu
liarly fitted for their tasks, and jeal.
ously 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 1t would be possible for the
agencies to get together for com.
mon study Of all the opportunities and
resources Of their brotherhood, to
make out unified budget of men and
money, and to conduct concerted ap.
peal for funds. It was made clear
that each constituent board should
preserve complete autonomy.
When the board representatives met
they found 1t possible to eliminate a
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 Sc,
100000 for 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 reyo
lutionized the whole business OF
church financiering. The other grea,
denominations Immediately adopted
the plan. The UNCONVENTIONAL associa
tons have come to be known as "for
ward movements" and some thirty Of
them are in existence today. Each one
has clarified all the information In re
lation to enterprise within the denomi
nation, and has reduced the business
of collecting and spending money to a
science.
! World-Budaet Formed
| The lnterchurch World Movement Il
simply a plan to do INSTRUMENTATION
ally what the forward movements
have done within the various com
munions. 1t means that every denomi
national budget will be made in the
light of world needs instead of in the
semi'obscurity Of incomplete inform a
ton, It means that contributions to
one denomination will not be in waste
ful competition with contributions tc
another, because all the fellowships
will have worked out their program
together.
Inc functions of the Interchurch
World Movement are threefold Eire,
IT collects. by means of world SURVEYS
all the pertinent facts on which do
nominational programs may be hui,t
Second, 1t sets up the practical ma
emnery OF cooperation. Third, it acts
in an advisory capacity whenever r.
advice is requested.
The Movement has nothing to 4,
with organic church union or matters
OF creed or doctrine. Each constituent,
unit preserves complete autonomv 49,
is bound only so far as it wishes 70 ~
bound, Financial appeals are mod
by each denomination to its own oon
stituency Any surplus in undesign.t
co FUNDS, over and above the aetna,
cost OF administration, will be nrorat
ed among the denominations eneogod
IN a given financial undertakinp
An illustration OF one th;nv -,
Movement can do is to be founS ~ :
western community of l.6Oo norsa.a
IN which thirteen denominations hsvs
been supporting separate churcho.
with missionary funds, while an .dt.
cent territory of $4,000 persons bas
only three churches. By seeing that al
missionary boards are supplied Will
information In such cases, the Nova
sent VIII make possible wiser die
tribution of funds. 's
It's first goals are to reduce unnac..
sary duplication and Overlapping !,