Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1920-03-18
SOUND BUSINESS
BASIS FOR CHURCH
lnterChurch World Movement
Natural Growth of Tendency
to Eliminate Waste.
AVOID USELESS COMPETITION
Religious Finsnoiering Revoiutionixed
by Success of Men-and. Millions
Movement and co-opera-
ton Is Result.

-@@N hcONAhH VI ilt
evangelical denominations OF the Unit
ed States and Canada to coordinate
the resources IN men, money and mate
rial OF Protestant America.
Historically II 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 mission society and the
various philanthropic and eleemosynary
agencies of any denomination conduct
ed their affairs independently OF one
smother. Each surveyed It's own re-
stricted territory prepared budget
of money and workers for Its own
purposes and made Its own appeal to
It's constituency for support.
This could only mean that these
agencies were more or less In CON-
petition with one another; that there
we're waste and duplication of work
and money. and that among them all
some work was neglected and some
UNCONVENTIONAL resources were entire
ty overlooked. Because OF their
specialized training. the leaders of
each agency regarded themselves as
peculiarly fitted for their tasks. and
jealousy regarded attempts al outside
interference.
Decide on Experiment.
After decades of such haphazard
methods. the leaders of one denOmlna-
ton decided on an experiment. They
thought IL would be possible for the
agencies to get together for Il com
mon study of all the opportunities and
resources of their brotherhood, 10
make ont n unified budget OF men and
money. and 10 conduct q concerted APP
peal for funds. Ii was made clear
that each constituent board should
preserve complete autonomy.
When the board representatives met
they found II possible to eliminate
great amount of organization ex-
penses. They ultimately worked out
q budget and plan of campaign that
was satisfactory to all. This resulted
in the famous Recommendations Move
ment of the Disciples of Christ
which brought in what was then con
sIdered the staggering sum of Sc,
100000 for fve-year program The
members of the communion were so
plea sed with this buslness-lke method
of conducting affairs that they con
'tributed even more generously than
had been expected.
The success OF this enterprise revo-
lCti0niZed the whole business OF
church tinancieriug. The other great
denominations Immediately adopted
the plan. The UNCONVENTIONAL asSocia-
tions have come 10 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 10 the enterprise within the
denomination. and has reduced the
business Of collecting and spending
money to a science.
World Budget Formed.
The Interchurch World Movement IL
simply plan TO do INSTRUMENTATION
ally what the forward movements
have done within the various COM
munions. II means that every denomi-
national budget will he made IN the
light of world needs instead Of in the
semi-obscurty Of incomplete Informal
ton. 1t means that contributions to
one denomination will not be in waste
full competition with contributions TO
another. because all the fellowships
will have worked out their program
together.
The functions of the Interchurch
World Movement are threefold. First.
II collects. by means Of world surveys,
all the pertinent facts on which &c
nominational programs may be quit
Second IL sets up the practical ma
chinery OF cooperation. Third. II acts
in an advisory capacity whenever IT'S
advice Is requested.
y The Movement has nothing TO DO
with organic church union or matters
OF creed or doctrine. Each constituent
unit preserves complete autonomy. ana
il bound only SO far as IL wishes 10 be
bound. Financial appeals are mnde
by each denomination TO its own con
stituency Any surplus In undesignat-
ed funds. over and above the actual
cost OF administration. VIII he prornt-
ed among the denominations engaged
I'm n given financial undertaking.
An illustration OF one thing the
Movement can do is TO be found in a
western community of LOCO persons
in which thirteen denominations have
been supporting separate churches
with missionary funds while an ada
cent territory of $1,000 persons has only
three churches. BY seeing that oil
missionary bonrds are supplied with
information In such cases, the Move
ment will make possible IA wiser dis
trlbutiOn of funds
Its FIRST goals are to reduce uuneces-
Sary duplication and overlapping to
minimum and to bring about nm in
tclligcnt division Of labor in unoccu-
pied fields Tine Movement is. ut bot
tom. an attempt Ia put church busi-
ness on tine sound. business-llke foun-
datiOns or which the great commercial
institutions of America are built.