The Era-leader. [volume] (Franklinton, La.) 1910-current, 1920-02-26
SOUND BUSINESS
BASIS FOR CHURCH
Interchurch World Movement
Natural Growth Of Tendency
To Eliminate Waste
AVOIDS USELESS COMPETITION
Religious Fnanciering RevolutIon'zeo
BY Success OF Men And Millions
Movement And Cooperation
Is Result
AVOIDS USELESS COMPETITION


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 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 and the
various philanthropic and eleemosy.
nary agencies Of any denomination
conducted their affairs independently
Oh one another. Each surveyed its
own restricted territory, prepared
budget of money and workers for it's
own purposes and made it's 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 du,lcation CT work
and money, and that among them all
some work was neglected and some
denominational resources were entire.
ly overlooked. Because of their soe.
cialized training, the leaders Of each
agency regarded themselves as pecu.
llarly fitted for their tasks, and ieal.
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 it would be possible for the
agencies to get together for a 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 an.
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
a 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 &c..
100000 for five-year program. The
members Of the communion were 50
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 revo.
lutionized the whole business 81
church financiering. The other great
denominations Immediately adopted
the plan. The UNCONVENTIONAL associa.
lions 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.
WorId-sudget Formed
The mterchurch World Movement Is
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 informa,
ton. 1t means that contributions to
one denomination will not be in waste
full competition with contributions tt
another, because all the fellowships
will have worked out their program
together.
The functions Of the 1nterchurcf
World Movement are threefold. First
it collects, by means Of world SURVEYS
all the pertinent facts on which IA
nominational programs n,av be built
Second, It sets IN the practical ma
chinery Of cooperation. Third, It act,
in an advisory capacity whenever 4,
advice is requested
The Movement has nothing to \,
with organic church union or matters
OF creed or doctrine Each constituent,
unit preserves complete autonomy anf
is bound only so far as It wishes to he
bound. Financial appeals are madf
by each denomination to its own CON
stituency. Any surplus in undesipnat
ed funds, over and above the aetna
cost OF administration, will be prorat
cd among the denominations engaged
IN given financial undertaking
An Illustration of one thing n,
Movement can do is to be found IN 8
western community Of 1000 person.
in which thirteen denominations have
been supporting separate churcbe,
with missionary funds, while an ada
cent territory Of $4,000 persons has
only three churches. By seeing that AT
missionary boards are supplied witt
information in such cases, the Move
ment will make possible a wiser d,s