Six Thousand Country Churches Part 6

3. Membership of each church at the time of federation?

4. Denomination of the first minister and of succeeding ministers?

5. Do the people like the present arrangement better than the old?

6. Do many people want to go back to the old way?

7. Have church benevolences declined or increased?

8. How has the pecuniary support of the ministry been affected?

9. How have other expenditures of the church been affected?

10. Has attendance declined or increased?

11. Has church membership declined or increased?

12. What effect, if any, has the formation of the federated church had upon the social life of the community?

13. Kindly express frankly your opinion of the federated church as a means of securing Christian unity and church efficiency.

Fifteen churches replied. In these fifteen federated churches were thirteen Congregational churches, nine Methodist Episcopal, seven Baptist, and one Universalist. The Universalist was federated with a Congregational church, two federated churches were made up of Baptist and Methodist, five of Baptist and Congregational, seven of Methodist Episcopal and Congregational.

The first ministers of four of the federated churches were Baptists, of five, Methodist Episcopal, and of five, Congregational.

One of the churches had had an experience of sixteen years, one of eleven, two of eight, two of six, two of five, two of four, two of three, three of two, making the average experience of the fifteen federated churches more than five years.

Of the fifteen answers to question 5, thirteen said that the people liked the present arrangement better than the old, while the other two said there were not many people who wanted to go back to the old way.

In reply to question 7, eight declared that the benevolences had increased, three that they had remained the same, one said benevolences varied in different years, while in three the benevolences had declined.

In one of these the decline was very slight and there was a prospect of an increase in the future.

In thirteen the support of the ministry has been favorably affected by the federation. From one the answer is ambiguous. In the case of Truro, Ma.s.sachusetts, where one church had a membership of three and the other of eight, at the time of federation, the answer indicates a decrease in the amount given to the salary.

The answers to question 9 indicate that the running expenditures of the churches are often less and that the money is more easily raised to meet them.

To question 10, nine of the answers denoted an increased attendance, five no noticeable change. No church reported a decrease. In one case the answer was obscure.

The answers to question 11 report that eight have increased in membership, five have remained stationary, one reports normal additions, and one a slight decrease.

In answer to question 12, twelve churches reported a favorable effect upon the social life of the community, two recently formed reported that there was no marked effect yet, while one gave no answer. All but one of the correspondents cherish a strong opinion that the federated church is the best arrangement when a community is overchurched and the churches are small. One pastor of a federation had nothing to say.

The following are the replies to the request made at the end of the questionnaire, "Kindly express frankly your opinion of the federated church as a means of securing Christian unity and church efficiency":

1. "Nothing to say."

2. "I do not see any reasons why two or more churches of Congregational form of government should not federate, but it would be difficult to federate with Episcopal form of church government."

3. "The efficiency here has been greater since these churches federated than it was before. No church could support a pastor. The Baptist Church had been pastorless for three and a half years. The Congregational Church was supplied by students from Hartford Theological Seminary. Now they pay a fair salary and give free use of parsonage. Federation is the best solution of overchurched communities."

4. "The federated church should be adopted in rural communities and in many small cities. I see no other way to bring the church into its place as a social and religious power."

5. "It is my opinion that for a community that is like this one a federated church is a great means to secure Christian unity and efficiency. At our last meeting there were but two who were not enthusiastic for its continuance. Our field here would be much better if there were not another church in the community outside the federation.

There is still the Unitarian Church outside the federation which necessarily makes a divided leadership in the small community. Our federated church has grown from two small churches to the position of dominance in the community. Our decrease in benevolences is largely explainable and excusable perhaps in that it occurred during the time when there were so many other things to take care of, relative to the federation. It will not happen again, but for a part of the time we were without a pastor and during the rest of the time exceedingly busy getting things adjusted."

6. "We are thoroughly satisfied. Each church in denominational relationship (the Methodist Episcopal and Congregational) is as independent and well organized as before federation. Each church is stronger than before federation. We look forward to the day when federation will be the rule in overchurched communities for the sake of the good of church and community rather than from pecuniary necessity."

This opinion was expressed after an experience of sixteen years of the federated church.

7. "Having been pastor of the federated church in Somerset for three years I am glad to be able to say that I unqualifiedly recommend federation as a solution of the overchurched problem in country and village. Wherever there are genuine Christian members, federation will work perfectly."

8. "It is a great help in small places."

9. "Our federation has been a great success. Perfect harmony seems to reign."

10. "A strong church can do better work alone, but two or more weak churches should unite in the support of one minister. A federated church gives opportunity for denominational loyalty and connections. This is important."

11. "This is a small town, only about 435 population, but it is a summer resort and during the months of July and August a great many city people attend church. I am pastor of this church and North Thetford, another federated church about five miles south. It is about the only way these churches could be run, for both are small places."

12. "This federated church is in a flourishing condition. During the present pastorate since May, 1914, 31 have been received into the church.

The building has been remodeled at a cost of about $3,500, all paid but $300.00."

13. "It is the most efficient means of securing Christian unity and church efficiency ever discovered. It is the ideal way."

14. "I am convinced of the sincerity of Christian unity and of the possibility of church efficiency, but it has not really approached that reality any more than some denominational churches have in rural centers.

But it is a wholesome and generally satisfactory plan of religious service in a community of changing personnel. In the community is quite a large Catholic element and also a very progressive and influential Universalist element. This remains in our midst practically una.s.similated as yet, after a dozen years with no services in their church. The children are coming into the Sunday school pretty well and time will overcome some of these obstacles."

15. "It is the reasonable and only possible means in this and many other communities in Cape Cod, but it needs energy and aggressive effort to succeed."

In the face of the fact that a very large proportion of denominational rural churches are on the decline, the experience of these fifteen churches const.i.tutes very strong evidence that the federated church is a practical means of securing Christian unity and increased church efficiency in small overchurched communities.

In order to learn whether or not it is true that only the more successful churches replied to the questionnaire, we have by other means secured information in regard to certain churches which did not reply. Some of them were found to be as successful as those which did. For example, the federated church of North Wilbraham, Ma.s.sachusetts, the const.i.tuent bodies of which are Methodist Episcopal and Congregational churches, has greatly increased in membership, attendance, and in the influence it exerts for various kinds of progress in its community. It would be very difficult to find any country church, either denominational or federated, whose record for service is better.

In two cases in New England where the federated church has failed, it was reported that the pastors regarded the federated church as a temporary expedient and tried hard to change it into a denominational church. Such action would necessarily be regarded as a breach of faith on the part of one of the churches, and disaster might well be expected to follow. The authors know of no experience which indicates any inherent weakness in the federated church, nor so far as they are aware is there any evidence that a federated church has injured the denomination of any component church.

On the contrary, a very large majority of the small churches which have united with others in such federation have gained rather than lost, with a resulting benefit to each denomination concerned.

CHAPTER VIII

OTHER PROGRESSIVE CHURCHES

1. _A Church Federation_

In the village of Shiloh in Richland County are two churches, Lutheran and Methodist Episcopal, each supporting a resident pastor. Each seems to be strong enough to sustain alone its ordinary activities. For this and other reasons there has been no desire to unite the churches into one congregation. But they had both neglected to provide means of meeting many of the community's needs, such as opportunities for social life, recreation, and athletics, or to stimulate others to make provision for them. As usual under such conditions, gambling and other amus.e.m.e.nts of a questionable sort became more or less common. In order the better to look after the needs of the young people and to strengthen the moral life of the community, a committee representing both of the churches was appointed to provide and carry out a program for the community welfare.

One of the features of this program is a successful movement for the promotion of the social, athletic, and play life of this and neighboring communities. The life of the neighborhood has been made more attractive, especially for the young people, while some of the forms of petty vice have disappeared. Union services are frequently held by the two churches.