Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-09-22
DENOMINATIONS
Greatest Handicap To Home
Mission Work, Says St. Louis
Minister

PITTSBURG, Sept. 22.-One oil
the greatest difficulties confronting
church lies in the fact that there are
175 varieties of churches in America
DIR. Baxter P Fullerton, of st. Louis
told the Worlds Alliance of Presby-
terrain and Reformed Churches here
today.
Dir. Fullerton is secretary of the
Presbyterian Board of Home Mis-
SONS and was telling of the diff
culties of home mission work in the
United States. Denominationalism,
he said, was one of the greatest and
most serious of these. Each of the
IT'S kinds of church was endeavoring
to promote its own work both III the
city and the country, among native
and immigrant alike and, Consequent
ly, there was not only overlapping
but also overlooking since there had
been no cooperation in the location
and development of these various 10
cal churches.
Continuing he said that the great
est problem before the agencies of
the Christian church is to Christian
re the church itself" He declared
that there are communities in Amer
lea where four of five different de.
nominations are at work, each church
receiving home mission aid, when one
or two churches could be both self.
sustaining and self-respecting.
Efforts had been made, he said, to
change this Shameful situation" but
up to the present it existed ito the
embarrassment of the work and scorn
of the ungodly." An attempt had
been made TO unite denominations
having similar doctrine and govern
ment into the larger unit and in this
way unite the local churches into one
for better service for the communi-
ty, but Dr. Fullerton said that eX-
IRENE denominationalism prevents
any very large application of this
principle and strong peoples remain
apart because of some unimportant
or subsidiary question on which the
salvation of no soul or community
depends.
ut is apparent, therefore" he went
on, that this larger union will new
er be accomplished until the king
dom of God bulks larger in the minds
of people than the church, until the
salvation and service of mankind be-
comes greater concern than the
establishment of specific church.
"This duplication of churches is
not only harmful to the cause but
Is also a useless waste of both money
and men"
DR.. Fullerton said it was hcartening
TO know that this condition of things
was being considered seriously by
churches and missionary agencies
and pointed out that the organization
of a Home Mission Council and Coun-
Gil of Women For Home Missions IA
wears ago had become an outstand-
ing evidence of spirit cooperation
prevailing in the church.
He pointed to the condition in
Utah as an illustration of what had
had been accomplished by the Home
Missions Council and said that today
there were no communities in that
safe where two or more Gentle
churches were at work except in the
cities Of Salt Lake and Ogden. Sim
liar organizations for interdenomina-
tional home mission work had been
made in Colorado, Montana, Porto
Rico, Cuba, Alaska and Santo Do
mingo.
Despite the hindrance of denomi-
nationalism. Dr. Fullerton reported
that the spirit of evangelism prevail
ing in America was one of the most
hopeful signs of the time.
Never in the course of year had
there been such an interest in bring
ing men into the church, he said
He recounted the difficulties in at.
tempting to Christianize and Amer.
icanize the polyglot peoples of the
cities and held it to be the mission
of the church as we'll as Of the state
to solve the problems Of sanitation
and housing.
He said that, according to best in
formation, there are now 1880 men
and women. engaged in some form
Of missionary work in this country
and more than $26, 100000 invested
in the business of making and keep
ing America Christian for the re-
demption of mankind and the friend
ly service of the world