Evening star., 1954-11-21
The Week in Religion
By Religious News Service

Leaders Of several Protestant
denominations we're busy this
week with the multitude of prob
lens arising from church union
proposals.
A committee representing four
lutheran bodies set a goal Of
January ] 1866, for completion
of the next step in their plan to
merge into a single denomina-
stion.
Plans to integrate the church
extension and national missions
work of the three main Presby-
terian denominations in the
event they merge were made at
"a meeting in Swannanoa, N. C.
Congregational leaders sought
to prevent secession of those
Congregationalists opposed to
merger with the Evangelical and
Reformed Church.
Report Is Encouraging.
gtl 8l 4
For merger proponents in de-
nominations where union faces
seemingly insurmountable OBJ
;stacles there was an encourag-
ing report during the week.
! It came from officials Of the
Evangelical United Brethren
Church, who said results of the
merger of. the United Brethren
and Evangelical denominations
eight years ago had been en-
inently satisfactory.
The proposed Lutheran union
involves the American Lutheran,
Evangelical Lutheran, Lutheran
Free and United Evangelical
Lutheran Churches.
The Joint Union Committee
of the four groups, meeting at
Minneapolis, agreed that all
documents in the proposed
merger should be completed by
January /, 1856.
These drafts-the articles of
union, constitution, bylaws and
articles of incorporation--then
will be submitted to the conven-
tions Of the four churches, in
the hope that the merger can be
consummated in 1857 or 1858.
Would Cover 100000.
Union of the churches would
create a denomination of some
100000 members.
Although prospects for i'm
mediate merger Of Americas
three largest Presbyterian bodies
do not look bright, plans are
being made on the assumption
that union will become a
reality.
At SWannanoa, the Board Of
National Missions of the Pres
byterian Church in the U. S. A.
discussed ways of integrating it's
church extension and national
missions work with Chat of the
Presbyterian Church in the U. S.
(Southern) and the United
Presbyterian Church.
A continuing committee was
named to work out details.
The General Assemblies of all
three churches approved the
merger earlier this year, but it
still must be okayed by the To-.
cal presbyteries.
Approval Doubted.
It is doubtful whether the
necessary three-fourths of the
presbyteries of the Southern
church will approve the union.
Only II of the "a have voted
thus far, but all of these have
rejected the merger proposal.
Most of the remaining 73
presbyteries are not expected to
vote until after January /. The
II thus far registered in oppo-
sition did not heed the General
Assembly's request to wait until
after that date.
In Chicago, leaders of the
Congregational opposition to
merger Of the Congregational
Christian Churches and the
Evangelical and Reformed
Church held a meeting. They
heard Strong plea from two
UNCONVENTIONAL leaders not to
secede when the union is accom-
plished.
Legal Barriers Removed.
The legal barrier to union was
removed last March when the
: New York State Court of Appeals
threw out a case brought by a
group of Brooklyn IN. W Con-
gregationalists who argued that
the council had no power to
effect merger.
Last month, the executive
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