Church Cooperation in Community Life

de by the Country Life Commission in 1908, probably no movement

tes Bureau of Education, and of other problems by various agencies concerned, have revealed the more important conditions and have made possible the organization of programs for their amelioration. The conditions still further revealed by the problems inci

uts of America, Girl Scouts of America, Federal Council of Churches, National Catholic Welfare Council, Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, American Baptist Home Missionary Society, Board of Home Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Young Men's Christian Association, Young Women's Christian Association, United States Department of Agriculture, States Relations Service; United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Farm Management; United States Publi

national definitely organized rural-service program. This list do

laxy of agencies, and to consider what advantages and difficulties present themselves to the churc

church has been completed with reference to a number of these interests when it has encouraged their organization in a local way and has continued to give them its moral support so long as th

nity, the religious forces of America cannot present a united front in rendering the service that belongs peculiarly to them. It is assumed that the effort will be

ownship is giving way gradually to the community as the more local unit of organization. In cases where community boundary lines do not coincide with county li

so forth. There is no regularity or uniformity in the selection of the counties by the different agencies with reference to each other, but it appears that when one of the groups succeeds in getting a county office established, it is increasingly difficult for other agencies concerned in rural social service to gain a foothold on a salaried basis. The agency that succeeds in gaining a foothol

se its influence to bring about at the earliest possible moment a county council of social agencies that will give unified control of the rural service program to all agencies that should have a

rganization for definite objectives should take the place of previous uncoordinated, haphazard opportunism in rural progress, and the present sporadic and unrelated movements toward organization are but the result of a very rapid development which has not yet found time to make the desired adjustmen

endly citizen" is largely a myth. Those who build churches at large personal sacrifice, and pay the bills in maintaining religious services are those whose names appear at the top of most subscriptions to benevolent enterprises. It was the Christian ministry and the church

to such salaried service is the county official who must depend for local service upon trained volunteer help. This condition puts upon the church an additional responsibility because through the organization of a county religious organization outlined in the preceding chapter it can not only mobilize local support for such work on a permanent basis most effectively, but it can also provide the salaried local leadership for carrying out a well-organized community service program. Moreover, in harmony with principles prese

orts will be inherited either by the church or by the state; and it is not only the opportunity but the obligation of the church to prepare itself as rapidly as possible for conserving these newer activities by financing county and State and national organizations for coordination of religious forces for comm