Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1920-03-03
inter CHURCH WORLD
MOVEMENT IS STARTED
PROTESTANT CHURCHES OF
WORLD UNITE FORCES IN FAR
REACHING PROGRAM.
MEETING ON TODAY.
Ministers and Lay-Delegates Of
Churches Of County Make Plans
For Work in Delaware County.

The Pastors Conference of the In
terchurch World Movement, held at
Des Moines last week, must have been
great meeting. There were persent
1900 ministers, representing all the
Protestant denominations. From all
parts of Iowa, those who were present
are reporting that it was the most sig
nificant conference they ever attend
ed. When one considers that like
conference will have been held in
every state in the Union by the middle
of March, It appears that the Inter
church Movement is indeed colossal
affair.
The Interchurch Movement is wholly
q cooperative movement. It propos-
es no scheme OF doctrinal unity. It
has in mind no merger of denomin-
ations. II does not even attempt to
hand the denominations programme,
or tell them what to do. The Move
ment proposes only that Professionalism
shall approach its task of world up
lift with intelligent understanding Of
the elements Of that task. and in the
the spirit Of comradeship ii all It's
divisions.
The Interchurch is moving along 8
lines:
l An international survey Of the
Church's fields and forces is being
made. A preliminary report Of the
Survey Committee has already been
published. Foreign countries are be-
ing surveyed as countries. The United
States is being surveyed county BY
county.
2. The data gathered in these sur
veys Is being, or will be, classified
and presented to the churches. Thus
the churches will be acquainted with
their tasks, and told what methods.
men, and money are necessary to per-
form them.
/ 3. A program Of cooperation, by
which. its religious and welfare forces
may be co-ordfna.ed. win be presented
to every community, both rural and
urban, In the United States. @
It is hoped, nof course, that the
churches will attempt to perform their
tasks, when the facts and figures are
placed before them It is hoped, also,
that the leaders Of each community
will adopt such suggestions for the
coordination Of the community's re-
ligious and welfare forces as appeal
wise to them. But the Interchurch
Movement attempts to dominate no
one. tits wholly democratic.
Today, Wednesday, a meeting is be-
ing held in Manchester to which the
pastor and one woman and one man
from each congregation in Delaware
County has been invited. This meet
ing will make arrangement for Del
aware County Convention to be held in
the near future. Plans will be in
augurated to make a survey of Del
aware County. This survey will
show whether any part of Delaware
County are without adequate church
and Sunday school facilities, and
whether any district has too many
churches. Whatever conditions the
survey may reveal will be presented to
the county Interchurch organization.
This organization will include. of
course, all the churches and Sunday
schools Of the county. II any con-
ditions are found that need correction,
the county organization will be trust
ed to work out such plans as will cor
rect them.
To us the plan seems infinitely
wise and fair. Certainly no one should
object to having our religious forces
and needs surveyed and charted. No
doubt the knowledge will do us good,
and possibly stimulate US tn do some
things we should have done long ago.