Milford chronicle., 1927-01-07
Lii slSRJRATES FOR
RURAL CHURCHES URGED

to,. 49, eAN4ueu ministry ana luIi
las Pe'Storates in rural communities
'I,, 80 competition and overlappins O.
tho tll"i e Cnes Were urged in a report tC
Io 'e'inual meeting of the Board oI
80 I WI Mislons and Church EXten-
80 - ny the Commission on Special
'5IiS lGiuS ana Projects and was made
PuD5ic th3s week from Methodist
ie@uq quarters in Chicago.
r-N--Ane members Of the Commission
are blshop Edwin Holt Hughes, Chi
caso' 1lInOls; Bishop r. Z. Jones
New orleans, La; E. L. Kidney
IlteSpuTgh, Pa, chairman; w. IL. q,
Gould, Philadelphia, Pa, secretary
4. II. Cherrington, Westerville, Ohio;
W. ,. Filling, Philadelphia, Pa; C..
H. Bovard, Helena, Mont; W. W.
Want, Fcrt Wayne, Indiana: f. II.
Bayley, Baltimore. Md. and G. G..
Nogel' South Orange, N. J.
A careful study of home mission
ary work in the churches of thirty
annual conferences was made by the
commission. Better supervision of
church work in rural communities
and a better trained ministry were
recommended.
The report says in part:
Rural missionary charges are in
desperate need of more adequate and
direct help in developing community
programs which will command the
respect and allegiance of their re-
spective copstituencies. The present
leadership In many of our rural
missionary charges is wOefully mad
equate and suffering from lack of
training. OF 800 churches in rural
communities 20 per cent have sup
ply pastors Generally these pas
tors have little college training
There is only one solution-a train
ed, efficient, devoted ministry. The
present condition of large part of
rural Methodist ministry is very un-
satisfactory. Unfortunately the
church will for many years have to
use men on country charges with lit
tie or no special preparation for the
ministry. The solution is to train
these rural ministers while they are
serving their respective charges.
During the last six years about
1000 ministers have been trained at
Summer Schools of Theology in Gar
rett Biblical Institute, Drew Theolog-
ical Seminary, Tiff School of Theolo-
gy and Boston School of Theology.
Even this supplementary training
will not give a thoroughly trained
leadership. The ministry is too
transcient. The present rural lead
ership shifts too frequently to pro-
duce abiding results. In thirty an
nual conferences AZ per cent of the
pastors moved every year. Twenty
one per cent every three years and
only 5 per cent stayed more than
five years in one place. The record
of ministers receiving missionary
aid showed that 62 per cent moved
every year. Seventy per cent of
these were supply pastors.
There are vast changing cOndi-
tions in rural communities. Industry
is a large and growing factor in
rural life and new programs of mis-
sionary endeavOr are necessary. The
coal fields of West Virginia the oil
fields of Kansas and Oklahoma and
the coke fields of West Virginia have
different problems of industry and
of church work adapted to the new
needs. Without home missionary
people would be compelled to live
neglected under as demOraliZing con-
. ditions al can be found anywhere in
NJ Ce'1iGaef sf557fSsfEi fSf'iTerf la mecf Scf
the day'S the mud road and horse
and buggy are now on hard road
and auto service is available. Many
of these churches could be closed
without loss to the church. Some Of
these churches continue because OF
the petty selfishness of the members
who are unwilling to get together
with other churches of the same
charge.
During the past ten years good
roads, automobiles, grain elevators
and various organizations to develop
the economic life of farm people
have succeeded in making The peo-
pie within a ten mile radius Il part
of the same common community. To
continue to serve these people with
a pastor living in another town is to
ignore the self-consciOus, individual
spirit of the people.
The negro rural churches are in
need of better educated ministers.
Il The problem among the negro min
isters~ in the south is more difficult
than amonv white ministers. A larg-
er percentage of these men are re-
ceiving missionary aid than white
ministers and a smaller percentage
are able to attend school. The south
is essentially spiritual and the min
istry needs special training for this
special work.
"There is need of cooperation Of
various church denominations. Pro-
testant agencies must learn to face
rural. nroblems in particular areas
together No one denomination is
eoua1 tn the task of serving rural
America alone, and no denomination
can plan intelligently with refer
ence to a particular community
without taking into consideration all
of the denominations related to the
community Church officials must
remedy the competitive problem, in
Guiding exchange of territory, Civ
ing one cburch a clearer field. The
federation of several denominations
under 'one leadership to coordinate
church activities in the community
was endorsed. The interdenomlna-
tional larger parish suggests many
nossibiIities and there is need OF
more interdenominational co-opera-
ton. Nunberless missionary oppor-
tunities are at present unproVldeu
for by any religious OF socIaI asen-
cy. Vast sections Of our open coun-