The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1920-02-27
SOUND BUSINESS
BASIS FOR CHURCH
Interchurch World Movement
Natural Growth OF Tendency
To Eliminate Waste
AVOIDS USELESS COMPETITION
Religious Finaneierins RevoIutionized
BY Success OF Men And Millions
Movement And Cooperation
Is Result

The Interchurch World Movement
of North America is an attempt by
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 II 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 its
identity and control its own personnel
and treasury.
In former times, the home mission
society. the foreign mission society,
the church extension society ard the
various philanthropic and eleemosy
nary agencies of any denomination
conducted their affairs INDEPENDENTLY
Of one another Each surveyed its
own restricted territory, prepared q
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 mora or less in COM
petition with one another; that there
were waste and duplication Of work
and money, and that among thrm all
some work was neglect and some
denominatiorn1 resource we're entire
" overlooked Because q their s7a-
cialized training the lssteTs Of each
agency regarded themselves as oecu-
liarly fitted for their tasks, and ieal-
ously regarded attempts at outside
interference.
Decide On Experiment
| After decades of such haDhazard
methods, the leaders Of one denomina-
ION 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 1t was made clear
that each constituent board should
preserve complete autonomy
When the board representatives met
they found II possible to eliminate e
great amount Of organization ex
penses They ultimately worked GU
n budget and plan of campaign tina
vas 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 So
100000 for a fve-year program. TIL
members OF the communion were 81
pleased with this husiness-like metho
of conducting affairs that they cor
| tributed even more generously thai
had been expected
The success of this enterprise revt
lutionized the whole business G
church financiering The other grea
denominations Immediately adopte
the plan The UNCONVENTIONAL associ;
tions have come to be known as so
ward movements" and some thirty {
| hem are in existence today Each on
! has clarified all the information in r,
| lation to enterprise within the demon
al nation, and has reduced the bushes
r Of collecting and spending money to
r science,
!, Worid-8udqet Formed
The Interchurch World Movement
simply plan to do interdenominatio
!, ally what the forward movement
e have done within the various cor
# munions. It means that every demon
: national budget viii be made in Il
i light Of world needs instead Of in II
: semi-obscurity of incomplete inform
! ton. It means that contributions
y one denomination viii not be in vast
y fun competition with contributions
: another, because all the fellowship
e will have worked out their progra
n together.
p The functions Of the Interchur'
~ World Movement are threefold Fir!
? It collects, by means of world survey
n all the pertinent facts on which d
;e nominational programs may be bui
Ig Second. It sets up the practical n
N chinery of cooperation Third. it &C
so in an advisory capacity whenever
VI advice is requested.
er The Movement has nothingsto
- with organic church union OF matte
: Of creed or doctrine. Each constitute
We unit preserves complete autonomy, a
of is bound only so far as 1t wishes to
or bound Financial appeals are ma
nd by each denomination to its own CT
ne stituency Any surplus in undesign
- ed funds. over and above the acti
cost of administration, will be pror
ed among the denominations engag
he in given financial undertaking.
ar An illustration OF one thing I
err. Movement can do is TO be found in
u western community OF 1000 perso
in in which thirteen denominations ha
TN been supporting separate church
with missionary funds, while an ad
cent territory of $4,000 persons |
let only three churches. BY seeing that
missionary boards are supplied W
information in such cases. the Mo
ment will make possible a wiser {
tribution of funds.
all It's first goals are to reduce unnec
me sary duplication and overlapping
ne minimum and to bring about an