Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1921-02-28
THE EMPTY PEW.

Sioux City journal: 1t will be i'll
structive to observe the effect Of an
advertising campaign upon church at
tendance in Sioux City. Church advcr-
Using in the newspapers is not 4
novelty, but it is by no means a gen.
re- Their slow to utilize this form of pub
licity in an effort to sell themselves to
the public, to use the vernacular Of
modern craftsmanship. The church is
by nature conservative, not quick to
adopt modern innovations.
During recent years the church has
been subjecting itself to rather criti-
cal self examination, in an effort to
discover if possible what ails it and
what remedies may be adopted to
cure its ills. This examination still is
in progress. a very live topic Of dis
cussion in church circles today is the
empty pew. This topic has been and
continues to be discussed from every
conceivable angle, in an effort to find
Il reason for diminished church at
tendance and for lack of growth in
church membership. 1t would not be
possible within the limits of this arti-
Gle to attempt summary of all the
reasons and all the reasoning adj
vanced to explain the church's appar-
ent loss of appeal and it's empty pews.
They will occur to all who have
followed the subject at all closely.
The empty pew is a serious and
puzzling problem. Inside the church
there is no agreement as to the cause
or causes Of it, and outside of the
church disagreement is as wide. 1t
is healthful sign, however, that the
church is alive to the seriousness of
the problem and is diligcnt in it's
search for a solution. 1t is not de-
sire for mere numbers that constrains
the church to view with apprehension
the empty pew, although the power
and influence of numbers is not dis
counted. 1t is rather the loss of spir-
itual leadership and spiritual appeal
that the empty pew betrays that chal-
lenges the attention of thoughtful
churchmen.
The relaxed religious interest of the
present day may be accounted for in
many ways. The church, however,
will not contend that the contrary
influences beating upon it from with
out are responsible for the empty pew
unless it is willing to confess defeat.
II is more likely that the responsible
ity is within. If the church, with all
that it owns in the way of tradition
and spiritual equipment, is not able
to endure and triumph over the COM
petition that comes upon it from with
out, something must be wrong with the
church itself.
Church advertising in the newspapers
is no more than an attempt to fill the
empty pew The church must bear in
mind, however, what all advertisers
have had to learn: they must be able
to deliver the goods. If the church is
to succeed in its effort to sell itself
tC the public, it must take the precau-
ton to have something to sell. A church
advertisement may persuade many peO-
pie to visit the church who are not
regular attendants, but if they are per-
mtted to depart from the service
carrying nothing with them they are
not likely to return for second visit.
Advertising has no pOtentiality apart
from its ability to fulfill what it
promises.
The church has been on the earth
a long time. and it seems strange that
it should have to advertise itself, but
that merely illustrates what queer
creatures we are.