Evening star., 1934-04-22
CHURCH
DEFICIT MILLION
Convention Must Meet Loss
of Large Individual
Gifts.

Large individual gifts to churches
are no longer to be depended upon,
In the opinion of leaders of the Epis-
copal Church in the United States,
who will lay before the Fifty-first
Triennial General Convention of the
communion, meeting in Atlantic City,
N. j., October 10 next. a financial
problem involving not only an ag-
sregate deficit of approximately ST.
100000, but a challenge to a survey
OF the whole status of the Christian
church in the changing world order.
Through its long history the Epis-
copal Church has been the recipient
of generous and unstinted support
from its more fortunate communi
cants; but with great fortunes swept
away, incomes seriously curtailed, and
an uncertain outlook regarding the
future, 1t Is regarded as improbable
that for a generation, at least, there
will be resumption to any great
extent of the large annual contribu-
tions from individuals for the main
tenance OF the church's worldwide
evangelistic, social and missionary en-
terprises.
One Third Carried Burden.
more distinctly alarming feature
which will be reported to the conven-
ton is the disclosure that during the
era OF big individual contributions
the burden of the support of the mis-
sionary work of the church fell upon
the shoulders of one-third of the total
membership Two-thirds of the COM
municants contributed little or moth
ing to this branch of the work. In
consequence, probably under the stress
OF economic conditions, there has been
O breakdown in the partnership re-
latiop between the dioceses of the
church and its national organization,
through which the missionary enter
prise has been promoted, with the re-
suit that, despite two drastic cuts
IN the missionary budget by the Ma
tional Council the Episcopal executive
and administrative body. the year 1888
closed with deficit of $53o,000, and
the pledges for 1884 are short $780,
900 of the total of the operating
budget proposed by the council for
the conduct of missionary work at
home and abroad.
There is hope that part Of the antic-
ipated deficit for 1884 may be made
up by additional contributions and
pledges received between now and the
assembling of general convention; but
In any event the whole problem will
be laid for solution before the bishops
and clerical and lay deputies repre-
senting the whole church assembled
In convention. Meanwhile, the vested
funds and endowments of the church
remaining unimpaired, there Is a
eleam of light observable to the church
officials in statistics recently gathered.
Sensing the decline of large indi-
vidual gifts, rectors in few scat
tered parishes throughout the country,
at the suggestion of the field depart
ment Of the council, concentrated in
the every member canvass of last No
Cember on system Of democratic"
giving. which holds high promise Of
results. Under this plan, directed
largely toward the two-thirds who
have been making no contributions
communicates were urged to make
some gift or pledge, however small
the amount The results in these
parishes show that while the average
Of individual giving was below that of
the year before, the increase in the
total number Of giyers on the demo-
cratic plan lifted the total of the con-
tributions and pledges above the level
Of last year.
Per Capita Plan Likely.
In this connection, referring to the
deficit which the Atlantic City con-
vention will face, it is pointed out
that contribution Of 81 from every
communicate Of the church would not
only wipe out the total Indebtedness,
but leave a comfortable balance on
hand. 1t Is recalled also that at the
New Orleans general convention Of
1928. when q million dollar deficit
was reported, in spontaneous and
dramatic effort from the floor Of the
gathering, led by Bishop William T.
Manning Of New York, $4,000 over
the million was pledged by the vari-
Gus dioceses, and ultimately a total
OF sl,l23,000 was paid in. Following
which the convention enacted the
pay-as-you-go plan under which the
church now operates.
OF scarcely less importance among
the matters which the convention will
face is the position Of the church in
the changed economic order. At the
annual meeting of the House of
Bishops in Davenport, Iowa, Novem-
Der 9 last pastoral letter was
adopted which struck q new and high
note regarding the duty of the church
In the present world crisis. Following
this, on the initiative Of the pre-
siding bishop, the Right Rev. James
De Wolf Perry, D. D., THE Church
wide Endeavor-1934" was launched
to ascertain the purpose of God" in
the present confusion. Pursuing this
lead the convention will consider,
among other things, the religious fac
tors apparent in the transformation
that Is taking place in American life
and thought. and an attempt will be
made to ascertain what have been the
effects Of the last four years on the
minds, the support and the future of
the church.
The problem of assured world peace.
the new relations between labor and
capital, plans for a fresh approach
toward Christian unity, the matter of
unemployed clergymen and a new
method for the placement of clergy
men in order that there may be as
eurance of securing the right man for
the right place, will all be live sub
jects for discussion.
While only a three years trial has
been given to the changes in the
canon on marriage and divorce, re-
garded at Denver in 1881 as revolu-
tionary. attempts further to amend
the canon are expected. Another con-
troversial question which the conven-
ton will consider has to do with an