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BV 652 .L42 1922

Leach, William Herman, 1888

How to make the church go

U.:C,

HOW TO MAKE
THE CHURCH GO

WILLIAM H. LEACH

HOW TO MAKE
THE CHURCH GO

A Desk Manual for the Every Day Use
of the Modern Minister Executive

WILLIAM H. IeACH

NEW '^SJf^ YORK
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY

HOW TO MAKE THE CHURCH GO. II

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

TO ONE WHOSE UNSELFISH TUTORAGE TAUGHT
ME TO APPRECIATE THE VALUE OF HUMAN CONTACTS

The Rev. G. CHAPMAN JONES, ll.d.

I RESPECTFULLY DEDICATE THIS BOOK

CONTENTS

CHAPTER
I

Introductory : The Minister as an Ex-

PAGE

ecutive

Forces Which Move Men .

III

Forces Which Move Men (Con-

tinued) ......

The Church Office ....

The Minister and His Official Board

Committee Organization and Manage-

ment

VII

Keeping in Touch with the Congrega-

tion

VIII

A Working Program for the Church

The Financial Campaign .

A News Space Clinic ....

102

Getting the Most from Volunteer

Workers

117

Index 127

HOW TO MAKE
THE CHURCH GO

Chapter I: Introductory —

The Minister as an

Executive

The idea back of this book is not to invent new
tasks for the minister or to lay burdens upon
men already carrying too much weight. It is
rather to discuss from an executive point of view
many of the tasks of the ministry and to show
the principles underlying executive success. Its
viewpoint is psychological and practical. Psy-
chological, for the success of an executive de-
pends upon the ability to recognize the various
reactions of the human mind and soul to speech
and action, and practical, that the principles may
be worked out in the average parish."^

Executive Duties Already on Minister

The traditional division of the tasks of the

minister was into two classes, the pulpit and the

pastoral. But that day has long since passed.

The age of Sunday schools has required that he

12 How to Make the Church Go

be versed in the principles of religious education.
And the spirit of organization has placed on him
the executive duties. He must be able to lead
and direct men at their religious activities.
Churches may not have consciously recognized
this and theological seminaries have not officially
placed courses in executive training in their cur-
ricula. But the minister on the field has recog-
nized that the success of individuals has de-
pended as much upon their ability to get along
with their workers as in oratorical ability.

Some would call this a "knack" or a gift with-
out realizing that there are well grounded princi-
ples governing such success and the ability to
handle workers may be developed as well as
others of life's qualities. Many have worked
one method. One minister can drive programs
through, another will laugh them through, per-
haps another will weep his way to success. Some
have the ability to find their leaders of power
and tie to them. But more and more there is an
earnest desire on the part of preachers to be able
to control the many forces which make it pos-
sible for them to win as parish leaders.

One minister boasts that his success as a pas-
tor has been brought about by his ability to com-

The Minister as an Executive 13

promise two conflicting groups. If one faction
wanted the entrance to the new church on the
east and another wanted it on the west, he would
suggest that it be placed in the corner, thus sat-
isfying both parties. He tells of a dispute as to
whether the choir should be built for a quartet
or a chorus. Both sides had a large following.
The ^'gr^at compromiser" showed his mastery.
He had an adjustable platform that could be
used for either.

Instances such as quoted above undoubtedly
require executive ability to handle. Compromise
may be a legitimate tool in the hand of the
leader, but it should never be the major tool.
There have been many other approaches to the
executive standard. ^'Molasses will catch more
flies than vinegar;" "You can't saw wood with
a hammer;" "Leading is better than driving;"
are all well known adages which ministers as
well as others have learned to use.

Other attempts are shown in the following two
^teps toward a recognition of the executive. The
old-time minister in addressing new candidates
Would usually insist that "It is better to put ten
men to work than to do ten men's work." There
is a big truth here and there is good psychology

14 How to Make the Church Go

back of it. A happy church is a church of
workers. But merely motion and work without
an end is not the purpose of the Church. An-
other illustration is that of the president of a
Theological seminary instructing his charges
how to make their church officers act as buffers.
His scheme is to always get a church officer
between the minister and the difficulty. It is
a farther step and a feeler toward the full way
which this book proposes to go.

Failures in Life Because of Difficulty in Getting
Along with People

The ministry and every other walk of life
is strewn with failures. Many of these failures
come from one's inability to get along with his
fellow men. In the home, at school, in busi-
ness and in the church, our success depends
not so much upon ourselves as our ability to
appreciate the other fellow and to get his point
of view. Other people are apt to be peculiar.
But our happiness and success depends upon
working with them. We need to learn the
lesson of Washington. He realized that neither
his officers nor men were trained for military
life. But he had a philosophy which was equal

The Minister as an Executive 15

to the occasion. "If you can't have people as
you want them, you must take them as they
are," he would say.

No minister will have people as he wants
them. He can select no inner circle for per-
sonal contact and leave the rest alone. He will
have the obstreperous rams as well as the gentle
lambs. The church was organized before he
came to the parish. Men and women have been
elected to office and are serving. They are his
colaborers. Like their minister they have their
imperfections. Among the membership of the
average congregation are materialists, scandal
mongers, dollar servers, politicians, short sighted
business men, tradition lovers, short sighted en-
thusiasts and a hundred others of different classi-
fications. They all had some reason for join-
ing the church. The assumption is that they
have heard the divine call and desire to serve.
With these people the minister must make his
church.

As he knows these people he learns of the
forces which will commend the work to them.
It may seem difficult to build the kingdom of
God with the material of the average church
but on the other hand there is the evidence that

16 How to Make the Church Go

they have the divine nature. They have heard
the call. Their vision is poor and their expres-
sion may be worse but underneath it all is a
desire to do something for Jesus Christ. It is for
the minister to lead them to better sight and
better expression. He is to make the banker feel
that there is something in life more than stocks
and bonds. He is to make the washerwoman
feel that there is something besides washtubs.
And more than this he is to bring together the
diverse elements in the congregation and get
them working together in the great program of
the church.

Modern Church Is a Church of Service

The fact that the church of to-day is interpret-
ing Christianity in terms of action and service
rather than in holding services places still fur-
ther emphasis upon the executive. His task
is not simply to stand in with people. He must
direct people in religious activities. Ministers
have sometimes been surprised at the advance-
ment of their fellows who have lesser pulpit
ability. But keen eyed business men who have
served on the pulpit committees have not alone
listened to the sermons of their candidates but

The Minister as an Executive 17

have looked over their fields to see evidences of
mastery. And there is little question but that
the great churches in America to-day were
builded not alone by great preachers but by
great executives. It is for this reason that here
and there there is talk of the larger churches
having a business manager. But there will al-
ways be thousands of small churches which must
rely upon the executive ability of their minis-
ters for direction and progress.
.The executive will base his success upon or-
ganization rather than his own personality. One
of the best business men that the author knows
recently said in discussing his own business: ^T
have my business so organized that if I should
die to-morrow the clients need not know that I
am dead." The minister may find a good ideal
here. The church should be so organized that
it is greater than the minister. The real execu-
tive will long for his program in the church to
outlast himself.

We remember hearing a complaint from one
minister that a certain church was impossible.
To prove his point he called to mind several
changes which were made during his pastorate.
"But," he insisted, "as soon as I left every-

18 How to Make the Church Go

thing slipped back." It may be questioned as to
just how far that was really a compliment to
the preacher's ability. In one way he failed
badly. The congregation had not been im-
pressed with the need of the reforms which he
brought about.

An instance comes to mind of a church which
has recently called a minister. There were two
men under consideration and some surprise was
expressed that they selected the man they did.
A member of the committee volunteered the in-
formation. They found that the one man won
by his personality and had successful pastorates.
But there was always a reaction when he left.
The other man builded parishes so substantially
that the wheels kept turning until his successor
was installed.

The executive will abhor stunts and mere
^notion. He will utilize the value of having
many workers but he will seek to have them
working at something which fits into the larger
program of the church in ways which are worth
while. Carrying wood from one corner in the
tcellar to another and then carrying back is not
enough. He will want it carried to the stove
where it may be burned.

The Minister as an Executive 19

But his chief work is in building an organiza-
tion which will take care of the work. If he
gets the organization builded, that will take care
of the other necessary things. Whether it is a
new church, a financial campaign or any other
specific growth that is desired, if he has built
his organization and has the resources, the pro-
gram will be successfully accomplished.

Chapter II: Forces Which
Move Men

The churchman has always been familiar with
the psychology of the crowd. The great evan-
gelists and leaders have been masters of that
science and the clergy have been influenced by
them to a greater or lesser degree. Even to-day
the student for the ministry is carefully coached
into the method of getting the attention of his
congregation and of holding its mind. The
psychology of the executive — the man who gets
other men to work — 4s of a somewhat different
type and a man who can hold large audiences
spellbound may find himself in difficulty in
working out a constructive program. It is an his-
toric fact that crowds may tear down but seldom
build up.

It is also true that the type of mind which
falls under the sway of the popular evangelist
and feels a strange and mystical delight in meet-
ings, oftentimes is helpless when given a com-
prehensive task for work. His religion is only

Forces Which Move Men 21

effective when in meetings. Indeed oftentimes
his mind is unable to conceive of religion through
service or a program of work. For him it con-
sists in getting a good ^^feehng." Methods which
in the past have attracted great numbers of
people to the church have usually at the same
time alienated others who by independent think-
ing have a natural reaction to the suggestion of
the crowd.

The minister executive must have more than
one string to his bow. He must study the man
he would put to work and then see just what
weapon he has which will reach the vulnerable
point. Let him assume to begin with that
every man can be reached by some honorable
appeal for service. Some men he instinctively
recognizes are bigger than others. He will want
them because of their larger influence. But he
will not neglect the lesser lights nor the young
men and women who have possibilities of lead-
ership for the future. The question of leader-
ship is the great question for the future of the
church.

Fred C. Kelly in a volume entitled Human
Nature in Business, gives considerable space to
illustrations showing the different appeals which

22 How to Make the Church Go

a reporter will use to get next to the man he
wishes to interview. John D. Rockefeller was
reached by telling him what a fine talk he had
given to the children in his Sunday school in
Cleveland. The great financier was moved by
the compliment to his talking ability and the
appreciation of his interest in the Sunday school.
The late Chief Justice Fuller reacted to the re-
mark, "Mr. Justice, I didn't suppose that a man
on the Supreme Court could be so human." Jim
Williams, policeman and source of interesting
news, could only be handled by his favorite
topic, food. Certain U. S. Marines had sore feet.
The reporter who learned that fact and used it
had no trouble getting interviews.

Methods'whichwill attract one man will repel
another. Kelly tells the instance of a salesman
who has a funny story which he used as a way
of introduction. It went well with nine men
but th^ tenth turned on his heel in disgust.

"I wouldn't buy anything from you. You're
too condemned smart."

Thus in a church a contest method may be
productive with some characters. Others will
resent the attempt to draw them in by any such
method.

Forces Which Move Men 23

The controlling forces which the executive
may use are many. The classification of ten
major forces here will not exhaust them but give
an idea of the possibilities.

1. Self-interest.

2. Desire for Recognition.

3. Love of Ceremony.

4. Influence of Prestige and Imitation.

5. Competition.

6. Force of Public Opinion.

7. Love of Fair Play.

8. Comradeship.

9. Inherent Ambition to be of some Service in

the World.

10. Constraining Love of Christ.

I. Self-interest

This may be the great compelling force of
life as the materialist insists. The business exec-
utive can make this appeal to those under him.
The man who makes good is promoted, his in-
come is increased and he receives a larger share
of the good things of this life. The minister is
paying no salaries to his workers. He must find
some other compensation for those who must
be reached by the appeal of self interest. This

24 How to Make the Church Go

may not be as difficult or as immoral as it seems
at first when one considers the compensation
which the church may offer.

The average religious task brings a certain self
culture to the individual. It increases his per-
sonal efficiency and broadens his outlook. I
have in mind a man who is now manager of a
great department store. He is confident that
any executive ability which he possesses was
tdeveloped first by acting as superintendent of his
:Sunday school. Then for the first time he
Jearned how to get along with people. Every
reader can bring to his mind instances of workers
who have found the teaching of a Sunday school
class to lead to a broader appreciation of the
problems and opportunities of life.

It is interesting to find that Prof. E. A. Ross
in his Social Psychology gives as one of the
prophylactics against the mob mind, participa-
tion in volunteer associations. ^'Participation in
the management of a society developes ac-
quaintance with rules of discussion, tolerance
of opponents, love of order, and readiness to
abide by the will of the majority. Above all
it teaches people to rate the windbag, the ranter,
or the sophist at his true worth, and to value the

Forces Which Move Men 25

less showy qualities of a man by judgment and
reason." Here it is of evident self-interest for
a person to engage in organized church activity.

One of the interesting contributions as to the
value of religious work comes from a real estate
dealer. For some years he has served as trus-
tee of a little church although he lives nearer
to a stronger one. ^'I handle considerable real
estate in that section," he said. ^'One of the
best assets in the selling of homes is a good active
church. I can't afford not to take an interest in
the little church of which I am a trustee."

It is not necessary to discuss in this book the
morality of the various appeals which may be
made. Some are much more noble than others.
We merely want to outline some of the forces
which are at the disposal of the minister who
seeks colaborers. The appeal such as that above
is a powerful and legitimate one to use.

II. Desire for Recognition

This force has a strong appeal for the average
man or woman. They like to be recognized as
a leader or as having some special ability of
some kind or another. They will gladly yield
themselves in service when one will yield in re-

26 How to Make the Church Go

turn the desired recognition. A minister tells of
an experience he had with an influential member
of the congregation whom he had difficulty in
approaching. The preacher could not tell just
what was wrong but deliberately set out to find
out. He called on the man and in the conver-
sation a criticism of a sermon preached a few
weeks before was made. The minister was quick
to grasp the situation.

"So you noticed that, did you?" he asked. "I
knew it myself but thought no one else would
get it. I can see that you are a good judge of
sermons."

He won his man for this man had the reputa-
tion of being a connoisseur of good sermons and
he wanted his ability recognized. Another may
want his political strength recognized, another
his ability to preside. Parents may be won if
the ability of their children is recognized. As in
the instance of John D. Rockefeller told by Fred
Kelly, the man reacted to the recognition of his
ability to interest children.

Of course the desire for recognition sometimes
approaches the ludicrous. A minister tells that
during the war there was a certain Scotchman
in the town who distinguished himself by having

Forces Which Move Men 27

four brothers killed in action. He went from
church to church, told his story in the various
meetings and delighted in being recognized a
patriot. Another instance is of a woman who as
a girl was trained in a select school. Although
she is sixty years of age now it still requires
some intimation of her superior education to get
her at work in the church societies.

III. Love of Ceremony

The Protestant church is not very well
equipped for the exercising of this social force.
Our inheritance is a little too strictly intellectual
and moral. Founded in a day of democratic im-
pulses the prophecy was that eventually men
would care little for titles of distinction or elab-
orate ceremony. The prophecy has not been
fulfilled. The enormous growth of lodges dur-
ing the past hundred years is a pretty good indi-
cation that there is an instinct in man which
seeks the ceremonial. The social explanation of
the lodge usually is that it is the sub-conscious
outcropping of the days of middle ages when
men sought for titles and ranks. So to-day we
have our worshipful masters, noble-grands and
other celebrities.

28 How to Make the Church Go

A parade brings out all sorts of orders, the
members uniformed with bright colors and
badges which would do tribute to the savages
of Africa. The writer remembers watching one
huge negro who was on the train en route to a
convention of his order. He had no shoes on
his feet but he had a scarlet uniform with a scar-
let hat. A huge white feather was in the hat
and he carried a sword in his hand. No un-
trained native could have shown a keener de-
light in a new piece of dress goods than did this
American negro. This love of decoration and
ceremony is, as Ross says, "a droll commentary
upon a society that has found so much to ridi-
cule in the infirmities of the old world."

Since reading Bishop McConnell's Public
Opinion and Theology it seems easy to believe
that the present day tendency toward a more
ritualistic and ornate service of worship is in
response to this love of ceremony. The difficulty
is to arrange a service to give all a sufficient part.
Still there is the opportunity for the ushers, the
choir, the reception committee and in case of
social meetings there is always the opportunity
to appeal to those who will respond to this force.
In the churches which provide for lay distribu-

Forces Which Move Men 29

tion of the elements there is the chance to utilize
the frock coats with sufficient ceremony to inter-
est this instinct.

Chapter III: Forces Which
Move Men (Continued)

IV. Prestige and Imitation

The value of having somebody in a movement
who occupies a large place in the public mind is
well known to most promotive agencies. In the
letter which comes to the desk seeking aid for
suffering cats there is always a list of honorary
officers for no other purpose than to influence
my support. I am much more inclined to con-
sider the matter if it is endorsed by Senator
Blank. If a church can get some prominent man
to head a committee even though a secretary
has to do most of his work for him it is usually
a good move. Men like to serve on committees
which will bring them in touch with prominent
men. Many men are always talking about their
acquaintance with Judge as if the work-
ing with him also brings them the prestige.

The man of prestige may be reached on the
ground of his influence. As a rule, the large men
of the land like to have their influence count

Forces Which Move Men 31

in the right direction. If it can be pointed out
to them that the mention of their name or their
personal service will urge others to good work
they are usually willing to give of their time and
interest.

The mass of people are apt to be very good
imitators, in motion at least, of the great or near
great. See the many little evangelists who mim-
icked Sunday when he was in the days of his
glory. Watch the hundreds of choir directors
who were miniature Rodeheavers. Let the
Prince of Wales change the style of his coat
and immediately all the tailors of the realm have
orders for the new styles. Mrs. Harding wears
blue and all the ladies of the country seek for
Harding blue. Many churchmen were brought
into the Inter-Church World Movement because
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., was interested in it.

So it is in rehgious activities. Let those who
have prestige take an interest and the church
world may become the very thing. If they stay
out churches will have difficulty in interesting
people. It is interesting to conjecture just what
effect it would have on church work in general
should some of our famous moving picture he-
roes or heroines become interested in teaching

32 How to Make the Church Go

a Sunday school or leading a Christian Endeavor
meeting. If the millions of young girls should
follow their example as intently as do their style
of hair dressing America might have a real re-
vival of religion.

V. Competition

Everybody loves the game where the competi-
tion is strong. The youngest child delights to
put his ability against that of his brother or
neighbor. And the same spirit persists until the
end of life. The octogenarian is proud of his
walking ability. The civil war veteran delights
to show his marching strength in the parade with
the veterans of the Great War. The writer re-
members in a recent church drive seeing digni-
fied elders long past middle life chuckling be-
cause of a slight advantage their team had over
a neighboring one.

The church can use this spirit. Church com-
petition is not an entirely bad thing. People
can be moved to action by the play spirit of com-
petition. Churches have learned from the war
time drives of the value of assigning quotas to
various churches allowing competition between
them. Sunday schools and church societies have

Forces Which Move Men 33

lound membership contests of value in building
up the various enterprises. People will be
dragged out in a contest who will answer no
other appeal.

But the greatest appeal to the spirit is the
contest between the forces of righteousness and
sin. Let a temperance or law enforcement fight
come and the minister can enlist new supporters.
If he can show that he is continually fighting
against enemies in the building of his organiza-
tion the very spirit of competition will lead men
to support him. Some ministers very cleverly
display news of enemies they are fighting with-
out asserting just who or what the enemies are.
Perhaps they do not know. But it is sufficient
to declare them to win support from some quar-
ters.

VI. Force of Public Opinion

Public opinion does nearly everything.
Bishop McConnell doubts that there has ever
been a form of government which was not
shaped by the opinion of the governed. Un-
fortunately even in our day, public opinion is
not always stable. Sometimes wise promoters
create or unmake it for specific ends. But

34 How to Make the Church Go

when it is really once shaped, no man will stand
against it.

"After an overwhelming public opinion has
been reached in consequence of adequate dis-
cussion, the subject is dismissed from the atten-
tion of society and the conclusion, entering the
current of tradition, passes quietly from genera-
tion to generation along with other transmitted
beliefs and standards." Ross.

A minister's work is made difficult or easy
according to the attitude of public opinion. The
church should strike hard when the pendulum
swings its way. Certain moral reactions in the
world are now tending to emphasize the per-
manency of the church as contrasted with the
temporariness of human institutions. This can
be used to advantage. And then there is a cur-
rent belief which is becoming strong that the
church, as has been taught by preachers, is the
one institution between human society and
chaos.

A prominent contractor in one of our large
cities who has never been noted for attentiveness
to church was recently canvassed for a pledge for
a new church building. His pledge came easily
with an explanation.

Forces Which Move Men 35

"This war has opened my eyes to many
things. I do not beHeve that any citizen has a
right to be indifferent toward the demands of
either the public school or the church."

VII. Fair Play

This is a distinctly American characteristic.
Says Henry Van Dyke: "The spirit of fair play
in its deepest origin, is a kind of religion." And
it certainly belongs to those nobler appeals
which one can make for Christian service. Many
of the social forces we appeal to are used not for
themselves but for the end. This can be used
for itself as well.

The church stands for fair play in a world
which is unfair. It claims to be free in a world
where nearly every other institution is tied by
conditions. Take the statement in the sermon
by Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick, "The ministry
is not for sale," is a tremendous appeal for the
support of right thinking men and women. Gen-
eral opinion has it that the press is subsidized
for a purpose, that houses of entertainment are
run for a profit, that wealth can buy verdicts of
the courts. If the church can make an unpreju-
diced appeal to the people of the world, standing

36 How to Make the Church Go

for fair play for all, there will be a tremendous
response.

VIII. Comradeship

Mankind is hungry for friendship. The word
friend has become one of the most sacred words
of life. The church is one of the greatest friend
making forces in the world. Its various societies
draw men together, give an opportunity for
youths and maidens to become acquainted and
the working together in altruistic enterprises
strengthens the friendship.

The stock in trade of the average church is
friendliness. Without it, it would be paralyzed.
The church which can make an appeal that it
has a congenial group of spirits at work and can
back it up in actual practice has a mighty draw-
ing force. Some would even question whether
denominationalism plays as important a part in
the selection of a church for worship as does
friendliness.

In the family of a certain Methodist minister
there are four boys. Some time ago they were
worshipping with four different denominations in
four different cities. They were found in Pres-
byterian, Unitarian, Baptist and Episcopal

Forces Which Move Men 37

churches. In each instance the same reason was
given. They found congenial spirits.

IX. The Inherent Desire to be of Some Service
in the World

Here indeed is a noble appeal and most men
at some time or another have felt it. No one
wants to die with the feeling that the world has
been no better because he has lived. He wants
to leave something in noble service to build up
after he has gone. A grave marker is not suffi-
cient. A man of limited means accompanied a
party in the survey of a very active rural com-
munity church. He became impressed with its
possibilities.

^'If I had a million dollars I would endow
something like that in my own community," he
asserted. "But since I have not I will give what
I have that in conjunction with others we may
make our own work most worth while."

A young man had recently been promoted to
a foremanship in his shop.

"Technically, I can handle the work all right,"
he told his pastor, "but I want to do something
to cast the right thoughts over the lives of the
men."

38 How to Make the Church Go

And take the statement of Sergeant York, the
war's greatest hero. He has been appealed to
to pose for moving pictures at a large salary.

"I want to do something for Jesus Christ and
his Kingdom," is his answer.

X. ''The Love of Christ Constraineth Us''

Every minister would be delighted if he could
deal with this quality with all of his workers.
Unfortunately he cannot. Not all of them
have felt the constraining love of Christ. But
those who have will go all of the way. The
others will go part way. They will work and
help, led by some force or another. But it is
only those who know this constraining love who
will go to the point of sacrifice.

But the minister should be constantly on the
lookout for hearts which are being kissed by
this love. The real strength of the church will
be found in the band who are ready to go all of
the way. And happy is that minister who has his
tasks made lighter by the force of this appeal.

"Moreover, a more excellent way show I unto
you. If I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels but have not love, I am become sounding
brass or a clanging cymbal."

Chapter IV: The Church
Office

The minister executive will have an office. It
is as necessary as tools for the mechanic. The
salesman may sell without a store but an exec-
utive must have an office from which to direct
his many salesmen and workers. The office may
be in the parsonage, rectory, manse, hired room
or the church, but to be effective in his field
there must be an office with an opportunity to
equip it reasonably well for his task.

The traditional tasks of the ministry, espe-
cially in the mind of laymen, were of two kinds,
pulpit^ and pastoral. Churches in considering
prospective ministers would seek to learn
whether their candidate was a good preacher or
a good pastor. In contrast to this the modern
church looks to several phases as were men-
tioned in the first chapter. For the two tradi-
tional tasks he needed a church and a study. In
the average church this study was located in his

40 How to Make the Church Go

home easily available for himself. The transi-
tion has not been reached by any means. There
are many churches to-day contemplating church
structures which provide for a minister's study
in the new building but do not provide for a
church office. On the other hand, the writer has
a church of a thousand members in mind in a
city of five hundred thousand which recently
builded a church and labeled one room with a
sign, "Church Office.'' The only use it is put
to is to distribute envelopes from once a year and
to store umbrellas on rainy Sundays. All of the
real executive work of the minister is xione from
his home.

The contrast between the old and the new
can be seen from the announcements of two dif-
ferent churches.

"The minister would be glad to see any who
may care to call upon him. His study is in the
back part of the Chapel building, and may be
reached by the stone path leading from the road
running beside the chapel. Any one regardless
of religious affiliation is most cordially invited.''

Contrast the invitation with this:

"Church office with entrance on Green street
open from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M. Phone Oxford 647."

The Church Office 41

It was wise to announce the directions for
reaching the study in the first instance, for one
would have a difficult time otherwise to find the
minister. In the second instance the office is
within twenty feet of the side walk.

The church office, preferably located in the
church, should be easily accessible. There may
be some exceptions to this, as in the one man
office, when accessibility to the office also means
instant accessibility to the minister. But if the
minister has a helper he can protect his own
time and still meet the needs of the modern
office. But the office should never be located in
some out of way corner in the church which can-
not be used for anything else, and which can
only be reached by passing through the audi-
torium or a number of rooms which would be
puzzling to a stranger. As a newspaper man
seeking interviews one can testify that it is usu-
ally more difficult to locate the minister's office
in a church than it is to locate the office of any
business or professional man in a large office
building. It is little wonder that the church
secretary will look up rather surprised when one
finally overcomes the winding halls and steps into
the office of the prosperous church.

42 How to Make the Church Go

The great need of an office in the modern
church organization is for centralization of its
work. It has been stated that what business
would consider chaos the modern church would
interpret as democracy. It is true that in many
churches with a treasurer living in one part of
the town and the clerk living in another and the
minister devoting his time in his study it is dif-
ficult to tell just where things are at. The church
office should have information at hand instantly
in regard to the various activities of the church.
It should be the natural place for people to seek
information concerning the church. But it is
well to recognize that any general rules laid
down may not prove elastic enough to meet all
conditions, so we will divide church offices into
three classes as they are in operation to-day.

1. The one man office.

2. The office with one helper dividing time

with other tasks.

3. The fully equipped office with two or

more helpers.

The One Man Office

Most church offices will be one man offices and
the man in most of these offices is struggling with

The Church Office 43

more confusing detail than he can satisfactorily
handle and will protest against any which will
place burdens upon him. He feels the need of
the office and labor saving machinery and pos-
sibly has invested in some. Perhaps he has tried
to save money for the church by purchasing a
mimeograph or a duplicator for parish letters
and has had more or less success in using it. Suc-
cess in this respect usually means getting out a
letter which is plain enough so that it can be
read. All labor saving devices may have a place
in the church office. Many churches use them
with success but it may be doubted if they are
a part of the one man office.

The executive office must not be confused with
an office for petty detail work and the minister
must not devote his time to clerical labors. I
know of instances where ministers print an-
nouncements of various kinds for the church be-
cause they have equipment and ability in that
respect. But the executive office is not a print-
ing establishment and the minister is not a prin-
ter. He has a larger task than that. Again it
may be doubted if the one man office should try
to keep all of the various reports, church and
financial, and prepare the various statistics. If

44 How to Make the Church Go

the minister becomes too much of a clerk he will
become too little of an executive.

Usually the one man office will be office and
study combined. It will require some attention
in an instance such as this to make the proper
division of time and to have all things in an or-
derly manner. It may require some effort to
keep the prophetic spirit in the ministry under
such conditions. But it is being successfully
done.

Equipment needed in one man office.

1. Flat top desk.

2. Typewriter.

3. Five sets of files.

(a) Communicant list.

(b) Contact list.

(d) Church reports and bulletins.

(e) Officers' reports.

4. Stationery, ink, pens, pins, paper clips,
etc.

6. Telephone.

A desk properly used may be a complete office
in itself. There are some patented desks which
have files built into them. The average one can
be utilized for filing with a little attention. The

The Church Office 45

present tendency is to keep the top of the desk
clear for work. It is almost an axiom that the
good executive has a clean desk.

The typewriter is about the only mechan-
ical device which is essential to the one man
office. This is necessary for correspondence and
for getting out copy for the printer. There will
be more or less matter to be mailed to the various
constituents during the year. Letters may be
mimeographed and the copy will be prepared in
the church office. Then it should be turned over
to a commercial office for completion. There
are several styles of these circular letters. The
cheapest and probably the most unsatisfactory
way is to mimeograph it. Then it may be print-
ed. Then there are certain machines which con-
tain type which do a good job. But the best style
for the average circular letter is to submit the
copy from the typev/riter and have it matched in
letter and color. Then- each letter may be
headed with the typewriter, giving the effect of
a personal letter.

The various files are simple and need scarcely
a word of explanation. The use of the com-
munion card will be explained in another chap-
ter. The contact list is the larger list used for

46 How to Make the Church Go

recording calls. Two colors of cards are neces-
sary here. One is for church members, the other
for non members. This list may also include
business houses and men with whom the church
deals. Correspondence of importance will be
preserved by carbon copy. It is well to keep all
printed reports of church progress. While the
one man office will not attempt to keep the offi-
cers' records for them it will keep copies
of their reports. Officers should be expected to
present their reports in duplicate so that the min-
ister may know just how every department of
the church is standing.

The telephone is a necessity and yet it may
be abused. In many instances it is a loss of time
and money. Much matter can be handled better
by mail than by telephone. And with the service
as it is given in many cities to-day much time can
be wasted waiting to get the desired party. To
get a man by telephone is apt to be fruitless un-
less he is at home. If you leave word with the
family the message will be forgotten or so
changed that its meaning may not be evident.
A letter, on the other hand, reaches the man
and gives its message. Rates vary but in most
communities a message by mail is cheaper than

The Church Office 47

one by telephone when everything is consid-
ered.

The Office with One Helper

When a church gets a membership of around
five hundred members the minister is usually
granted a helper. The tasks of the helper are
not very clearly defined and is dependent some-
what upon the training of the person employed.
Usually the assistant takes over the office de-
tail, looks after certain organized work and
makes more or less of the parish calls. There
is a growing field here for young women who
are attracted to the work of the church and have
the ability and training to do the work. A
woman will usually handle the clerical work bet-
ter than a man and there are other reasons why
a church, if it can have but one assistant, should
employ a woman. Every minister who has had
a tactful woman doing parish work for him ap-
preciates the value of a woman in the church
machinery.

When the minister has a helper the office
should contain two rooms. The prophetic work
of the minister requires a certain amount of soli-
tude. His best sermons will be worked out when

48 How to Make the Church Go

he is by himself. The employment of a helper
will make him a better preacher and better
executive. Many inquiries at the office can be
taken care of by the helper and the minister can
protect his time.

At this enlargement of the office new labor
saving devices may be introduced. If the helper
has had a business school training perhaps a
mimeograph or printing machine may be a wise
investment. An addressograph may be used to
get mail out in a hurry. Some churches, how^-
ever, have a prejudice against any mechanical
device which might cause a cheap appearance in
mail which is sent out.

Many of the detail matters which have been
taken care of by the volunteer officers can now
be taken over by the office. The church en-
velopes can be ordered and addressed there.
Sunday collections may be tabulated and the
money banked. All church mail can be received
and redirected to the proper person. Church
societies can call on the office to help them out
with announcements and letters.

The Large Office

For this section of the chapter we will consider

The Church Office 49

the new offices of the Westminster Presbyterian
church, Buffalo, N. Y., a church of 1200 mem-
bers. The staff consists of the pastor, an asso-
ciate, a church visitor, and two secretaries. The
offices occupy four rooms, two on the first
and two on the second floor. The rooms
on the first floor are for the associate and his
secretary. Entering the offices one comes face
to face with the secretary who is also the oper-
ator of the telephone system in the church and
parish house. Beyond this room is the office of
the associate who devotes the greater part of his
time to financial organization of the church. All
of the treasurer's records are kept in his office,
he receives the bills and has the checks drawn
for the treasurer's signature. It is evident that
with a budget of nearly $50,000 per year
the treasurer must have some help like this
if he is to have any time for his personal busi-
ness.

The office and study of the pastor are on the
second floor, reached only by passing through
the lower offices. Visitors are received only by
appointment. Here the pastoral records of the
church are kept, for Dr. S. V. V. Holmes, the
minister, is the pastor as well as the preacher.

50 How to Make the Church Go

He is well protected with time for study and yet
accessible when there is need.

Two things attracted the attention of the
writer in a recent visit to these offices. The first
was the absence of any labor saving machinery.
The idea is that the work turned out is cheap in
appearance and does not make the impression
which is necessary. Second was the bound vol-
umes of the weekly bulletin by which any infor-
mation concerning the history of the church
could be instantly secured.

Chapter V: The Minister
and His Official Board

In practically every modern form of local
church government the minister finds himself in
the center of a group of officials. These officials
may have another chairman elected but this
chairman is to a large degree dependent upon the
minister for suggestions as to the purposes of
the meeting. In other churches the minister will
act as chairman of the board. There are advan-
tages and disadvantages to both plans. If the
minister is the chairman he is estopped by posi-
tion from arguing from the floor on matters
which he understands better than any one else.
On the other hand, if he is on the floor he may
lack the prestige which the chairmanship would
give him. Then again the personality of the man
may decide where he can be the most useful.

But wherever he is placed, he is looked to for

52 How to Make the Church Go

help in the practical points of the discussion and
to point out the ways of accomplishment.

There are six principles which the demo-
cratic church board should jealously defend.
They are —

1. Free and open discussion.

2. A fair and honest vote.

3. A graceful yielding to the will of the ma-

jority.

4. Action.

5. Complete records of proceedings.

6. An understandable report of its activities

to the congregation.
The violation of any of these principles is apt
to cause disorder among the members of the
boards and in the end lack of confidence on the
part of the congregation.

First Step that of Organization

The first step, of course, is that of organiza-
tion. The church laws and procedure usually
regulate the election of officers and assign their
duties. Notices of the first meeting should be
sent out by mail as should those of the succeed-
ing meetings. There have been several ways of
notifying members of the meetings to be held.

Minister and His Official Board 53

Some of these are indicated in reverse order of
their usefulness.

1. Have no regular meeting night but call

people up when a meeting is desired.

2. Have a regular meeting night and expect

all to remember it.

3. Announce it from the pulpit. If a man

isn't there expect his wife to tell him.

4. Notify members by telephone or person-

ally.

5. Mail out a form card reminder several

days before the meeting.

6. Send out an announcement by mail call-

ing attention to the items of business
to be considered.

Calvary Presbyterian Church
Mr. Robert Minnes,

48 Ducater St.
Dear Mr, Minnes:

The next regular meeting of the church ses-
sion will be held in the session room on Mon-
day evening, April 8th. Among the important
matters to be considered are :

1. The suspension of certain members ac-
cording to the disciplinarian form.

54 How to Make the Church Go

2. The group plan of organization.

3. Our new benevolent quota.

Very truly yours,

Robert Harness,
Clerk.

It may fall to the task of the church office —
it doubtless will if the office has a stenographer —
to prepare these forms for the clerk, but experi-
ence has shown that any announcement less than
this does not get the efficiency that this plan does.
The pulpit announcement reaches but a few peo-
ple. The personal invitation is too informal
when it is used continuously and it puts too
great a burden upon one's time. Telephone calls
are not very effective. Many times the person
sought is out and the message is taken by some
one else. The formal notice from printed stock
gets to be an old story. The individual notice
is the best for getting attendance and in the
failure of any member to be present he at least
knows what is taking place so that he cannot
plead ignorance as to the affairs of the church.

The minister will see that a proper docket for
the business of the meeting is prepared. This is
the duty of the chairman and the clerk but the

Minister and His Official Board 55

wise minister will know how to prepare the
docket he wishes. It may be given as a sugges-
tion to the chairman or the two will work it out
together. The best way is to have a typewTitten
or printed copy of this docket for each member
as he comes into the room. A less effective but
satisfactory way is to use a black board to get
the various matters before the meeting. The
docket will not alone give the members the items
to be considered but will unconsciously remind
them that there is need of deliberation and dis-
patch to accomplish the purpose of the meeting.
It is the best remedy for idle talking and story
telling which disgrace so many meetings that
can be used. No one is going to ask, "Have we
anything else to consider?" for he knows just
what is ahead.

(Sample)
Docket for meeting, June 8.
Reading of minutes of previous meeting for
information.

Reports of clerk and treasurers.
Reports of special committees.

1. On men's dinner.

2. On summer pulpit supply.

56 How to Make the Church Go

Old Business.

1. Summer Camp.
New Business.

1. Bills.

2. Sale of the French St. Property.

3. Letting contract with printer for weekly

bulletin.
Reading of minutes for approval.

Be Thorough

Each item of business should be disposed of
before the next is considered unless there is a
motion to change the order for some valid reason.
When the time for adjournment comes every
matter should be in its place as distinctly as the
mechanic puts his tools in their places. The
committees which have reported should be dis-
charged. If new committees are to be appointed
they should be appointed at the meeting or a
definite agreement made that they shall be ap-
pointed at such a time as is most convenient.
The appointment of committee should have at
least as much publicity as the decision to appoint
such a committee.

The good executive should have the motto
"Finis" constantly before his mind. We lose

Minister and His Official Board SI

more in church work by starting things we
never finish than in almost any other way. The
work of the board must be driven to the end.
Committees must bring in reports and not alone
accept appointments for certain tasks. From
meeting to meeting they should be called to re-
port progress and if progress cannot be made a
note to that effect should be in the records.

One of the most successful executives that the
writer knows of lays considerable emphasis upon
this one point. The officers of his church are
supposed to reach every family in the church
before each communion. The post communion
meeting takes up each district and gets a re-
port of the families. If one officer reports a
certain family as ^'not there," he is immediately
instructed to find out where it is. Thus with
an insistence on the finishing up of the work but
a few families out of a total membership of
2400 are out of touch with the church office.

Members who do not attend the meetings of
the board should eventually be dropped. But
they should be retained until every means has
been tried of getting them to seriously act.
Sometimes the clerk of the meeting prepares a
brief synopsis of the business transacted at the

58 How to Make the Church Go

meeting and mails it the next day to the absent
members. Constant reminders such as the in-
dividual notice and the report of the business
frequently bring results. The reader is urged
to study Chapters II and III on forces which
move men very thoroughly in the endeavor to
exhaust every drawing force which is moral and
legitimate before giving up any case as hopeless.

The official board will be judged by the con-
gregation more by the results it secures than by
the fairness of its deliberations. The holding
of the meetings to certain rules of order is neces-
sary for the maintaining of morale in the body
itself but its work cannot stop there. I have in
mind a certain minister who as he was leaving
the field indulged in some frank statements re-
garding his officers.

"Yes," he admitted. "You were the best
group of voters I ever knew. You always voted
me permission to do things."

It further reminds one of the instance where
the church officers voted to increase the salary
of the minister.

"Don't do it, Brethren, I entreat you. I have
all I can do to raise my present salary. I am

Minister and His Official Board 59

sure that the increased burden will be more than
I can stand.''

The generally accepted way to get the neces-
sary action is through the appointment of com-
mittees and their work. This will be treated
in the next chapter.

Chapter VI: Committee
Organization and Manage-
ment

Function of Committees

A committee is appointed to get something
done. But there seems to be a broadcast opin-
ion that if you want to impede the progress of
any movement that it should be placed in the
hands of the committee. One minister insists
that a committee must have some relation with
the committal service. Once committed a mat-
ter is surely dead.

A bank commissioner in Michigan, who had
become annoyed at the intermediate delays
which hampered committee work in public or-
ganizations, once declared that he might define
a committee as, "A thing which would spend
a month doing what one man would accomplish
in a forenoon."

And still the fact remains that a committee
which knows its business and knows how to go

Committee Organization 61

at it to get action is the most direct means of
reaching the desired end.

Special and Standing Committee

There is a general swing to-day in favor of
special committees in preference to standing
committees. Standing committees are too apt
to take their name seriously and consider immo-
bility the chief virtue. They may not know just
when their task begins nor where it ends. A
special committee on the other hand is appointed
for a certain task. Its work begins when the
appointment with the statement of purposes is
put into its hands and its work is finished when
it makes its final report on the matter submitted
to it. If a standing committee should prove in-
effective the church is usually helpless until the
expiration of its term of office. If a special
committee proves abortive it is a simple matter
to call for a report and discharge it, committing
the further consideration of the subject to an-
other special committee.

When the Committee Is Named Give It its Task
When the official board of the church author-
izes a committee it does so for a certain task and

62 How to Make the Church Go

the committee must know just what that task
is. The chairman as a rule will appoint the com-
mittee. Sometimes the motion from the floor
will include certain names which are to be in-
cluded. At other times the minister will appoint
the committees. A very wise plan is to have a
committee on committees. This would be one
of the few standing committees and would in-
clude the chairman of the board and the minister.
They must appreciate that their work is not
done when a committee is appointed. They
must see that it understands its task and that
it works. Many motions are made in a hazy
way and the committee may be misled in its
task unless it is given to it in detail.

Here is an instance of a church which voted
at a men's dinner to formally organize a men's
club in the fall of that year. The chairman of
the meeting was authorized to appoint a com-
mittee. When the appointment was made the
following note was mailed to the chairman:
"Dear Sir:

At a dinner of the men of the church
held on Tuesday last a committee was au-
thorized for the following purposes:

1. To plan and provide for a similar din-

Committee Organization 63

ner in the fall to which all men of the church
should be invited.

2. To provide constitution and by-laws for
a men^s club to be presented for their consid-
eration at that meeting.

3. To nominate officers for the club, these
nominees to be voted on at that meeting.

You have been appointed as chairman of
that committee with the following men to as-
sist you."

Here followed the names of the men on the
committee and the letter was signed by the chair-
man of the meeting authorizing the committee.
With this statement before it there is no doubt
in the mind of the committee as to its duties and
its limitations. When the dinner is held and
action taken on the constitution and by-laws
and officers elected, the committee has completed
its work. The directions are definite, with a be-
ginning and an end.

Who Shall Serve on Committees

It requires skill to appoint working com-
mittees. Some churches would require all com-
mittees appointed by an official board to be
members of that board. Others are satisfied

64 How to Make the Church Go

with a chairman from the board and the com-
mittee drawn from the membership at large.
The broader a committee is, the better for its
work.

1. The chairman must be one of executive
abihty, who knows what is to be done and how
to do it.

2. The committee should be broad enough in
personnel to dissipate any complaint of clique
control.

3. The committee should always be ap-
pointed with the future in mind. The eyes
should be open to latent material. Give new
material a chance to develop. When a person
does good work on a committee try him higher
up next time. Keep developing leaders.

Getting the Committee Together

Once it has been appointed the next task is
to get the committee together to begin its work.
In the instance of the committee just appointed
it is comparatively easy to follow it in its pro-
cesses. If it had a longer and harder task its
work would be more complex but this makes an
excellent instance for illustrative purposes.

First, the members must be notified. Let the

Committee Organization 65

chairman select a date for the meeting and then
send a note to each member similar to the one
which was sent to him. The first meeting may
be a short one merely for organization or to
decide upon a time when all could devote some
time to the proposition. More and more in
the cities the luncheon hour is being utilized for
such meetings. Where that is impossible an
hour from an evening can be used to get started.

Step by Step Analysis

The step by step analysis is the program pre-
pared by the chairman for the progress of the
committee. The minister may have suggested
the program for his consideration. It is simply
a list of suggestions for the meeting to act on
one way or another.

FIRST MEETING

1. What date shall we decide on for the din-
ner?

2. Shall a sub-committee be appointed to
confer with any organization which might care
to furnish the dinner?

3. Shall a sub-committee be appointed to se-

66 How to Make the Church Go

cure and study copies of the constitution and
by-laws of various church clubs for men?

4. Shall a sub-committee: be appointed to
present nominations at the next meeting of this
committee?

SECOND MEETING

1. Report of the various sub-committees.

(a) Dinner.

(b) Constitution.

2. Shall we appoint a committee to sell
tickets or shall the whole committee act as a
promotion committee?

3. Shall we appoint a sub-committee on a
program?

When the dinner is held and the reports from
the committee presented and accepted the com-
mittee has finished its work. The meeting
should vote to discharge it with thanks.

The Chairman Should Analyze His Task

The good chairman is usually a man with an
analytic mind. He must be able, not alone to
have a vision of the work which is his, but must

Committee Organization 67

also be able to divide the work into practical
details among the members of the committee.
When the chairman lacks this quality the result
is apt to be that he does all of the work with
the other members of the committee looking on.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
(3)

Advertiset

LADIES AID

(3)

SESSION

(3)

LLmCHSON

SUNDAY SCHOOL
(3)

Enteriainment

S S Trans Tickets

I TICKETS I

COMMITTEE ANALYSIS IN DIAGRAM

Often times a chairman is helped by pre-
paring a diagram like the one presented here
which was used by the chairman of a committee
which had a church picnic in charge. Here, he
has his work divided among the twelve members
of the committee. It is an aid to him and also
helps each member to see the task as a whole.
Many times when an able chairman is able to
carry all of the details in his own mind such a

68 How to Make the Church Go

chart will help to bring his committee to an ap-
preciation of its responsibilities.

Saying ^^Thank You'' Helps

The wise executive will take pains to thank
the chairman of a committee when the task is
finished. Let him write a nice note of appre-
ciation. It may encourage the chairman in turn
to write to his helpers. Every human being
likes to feel that he has done his task well and
then — there may be use for him again before
many months.

Lucius E. Wilson in his treatise on committee
management gives a warning against adjourn-
ing without deciding upon the time and place
of the next meeting.

*'One important point to bear in mind is that
no committee should ever adjourn before de-
termining the time and place of the next meet-
ing and the next step to be taken. In other
words, no committee must be permitted to in-
dulge in discussions without ending that discus-
sion with a definite decision, even if the de-
cision be no more than the determination of the
next meeting and the next step. Discussion
without decision is demoralizing."

Committee Organization 69

And again in the same treatise.

'The bane of the average committee is aim-
less discussion. The next most serious draw-
back is a member with a faculty for telling good
stories. He is usually the chap who fails to come
to the next meeting because the one which he
succeeded in breaking up did not amount to
much. This is where the program comes in, for
it permits the chairman to hold the committee
to its task.

'The idea for the secretary to have in mind
in connection with committee meetings is this;
— to make every committee a real event, a gath-
ering for the discussion of a vital problem at;
which measurable progress is made/'

Chapter VII: Keeping in

Touch with the

Congregation

Of course the minister must not be so con-
fined to the work of his board and committees
that he forgets that he has a congregation. The
rule still holds that a minister must know his
people. If any addition has been made to the
old saying of a "house going pastor makes a
church going people" it is that the minister of
to-day always has some task to keep his people
busy at. The minister who always has in hand
a reserve of healthy spiritual tasks for his people
will have one of the keys of parish success.

The minister who insisted that anybody who
left his church would do so because they couldn't
stand the pace had a good conception of human
psychology. People may be easily grieved but
they will hesitate to admit that the reason for
their grief is that they were not strong enough

Keep in Touch with Congregation 71

spiritually to take their places in the ranks of
the workers.

A reserve of good healthy tasks may also help
the pastor to test the sincerity of many of his
loudest professors of righteousness. A story is
told by one minister, who in the days of the war
found a very patriotic woman who was not sat-
isfied with the government, her church or any-
body except herself. Her love for the poor sol-
dierboys was immense.

"I would be so glad to see them coming back/'
she insisted, "that if I should hear to-day that
they were returning, I would crawl on my hands
and knees for miles to meet them."

"That is splendid," said her pastor, "I wish
that we had others of such noble sentiments. I
was just at the Red Cross rooms and they have
difficulty in finding women who will sacrifice a
little time to knit. I will have to tell them about
you. If you can't get to the rooms the yarn
will be sent to you here."

"Oh, don't do that," explained the woman.
"You see I have a big house and I couldn't pos-
sibly get time to knit. I say, let them that have
less work do that."

Another minister who was engaged in business

72 How to Make the Church Go

operations for a new church was constantly irri-
tated by a man of the congregation who kept
coming into the office to see how things were
going and offer suggestions and criticisms. The
committee was having difficulty in finding a
bank to finance the proposition and this was his
particular point of attack.

The minister was wise enough to see his weak-
ness and had him appointed on a special finance
committee. He visited a half-dozen banks. With-
out a good conception of business methods he
failed, as was expected. But he at least kept
quiet after that.

There will be many opportunities of the per-
sonal touch in the average congregation which
gives the minister a chance to test his skill in
handling men but of course such instances can-
not be substituted for a good hold on a con-
gregation. Wise and wide methods are neces-
sary for the best results. The congregation must
be kept informed and held.

Pulpit Announcements

The minister may utilize the time given for
pulpit announcements to talk directly to his con-
gregation upon vital church matters. Some min-

Keep in Touch with Congregation 73

isters are able to use five minutes in establish-
ing an almost personal relationship with the
parish in that way. Policies may be stated, the
congregation admitted into the working secrets
of "the board/' reasons for certain actions ex-
plained. Often times it is learned that members
listen more intently to the announcements than
to the sermon which is afterwards preached.

There will of course always be announcements
to make and the minister can have his judgment
tested in the time he takes and the way he makes
his announcements. It has become a thing of
the past for commercial circulars to unduly
boast. The tone of the best advertising of to-
day is confidence. Moderateness in announce-
ments will win over boastfulness in the end. And
there is always danger of the minister putting
too much strength behind an announcement in
order to attract a crowd.

"Please emphasize this," people will say when
they hand him an announcement.

But if he is wise he will not readily yield to
the giving of the valuable time of the hour of
worship for a lengthy announcement of the var-
ious enterprises of the church or various so-
cieties.

74 How to Make the Church Go

Of course there is a limit to the pulpit an-
nouncement as a publicity medium. Seldom is
more than fifty per cent of the congregation
present to be informed. There is also the pos-
sibility of weak ears which may not hear cor-
rectly. And the much slighter possibility of tired
minds which will not comprehend the message
which is being given. So the minister, for higher
efficiency, must seek elsewhere.

The Weekly Bulletin

The bulletin has become an established insti-
tution with many churches. They vary all the
way from the one sheet announcer to an eight or
ten page bulletin giving quick complete infor-
mation on the various church activities. In one
instance we have seen a bulletin which carried
a complete sermon which had been preached the
week before. The bulletin in its various forms
and sizes offers a large opportunity for giving in-
formation to the membership and an added dig-
nity to the services of worship.

A church of any size certainly needs a bulle-
tin to keep the plans for the week before the
people in an orderly manner. No person can

Keep in Touch with Congregation 75

listen tc eight or ten announcements and be able
to remember them all. The weakness of the
bulletin is in its distribution. If a copy could be
mailed to each home on Monday morning which
was not represented at the service on Sunday,
the efficiency would be somewhat increased.

The United States Mail

The mail offers the opportunity to complete
the work of the bulletin by getting it more
largely distributed. It will offer the quickest
and most effective way of reaching the entire
constituency of the church on other occasions.
The following four mailing lists are suggested
as adapted to the average congregation.

(a) Families. Expensive matter can be ef-
fectively distributed by families rather than as
individuals.

(b) Communicants.

(d) Congregation. This would include all
of (b) and (c) and other names of men and
women who attend or are likely to attend the
church services. This list contains the possi-
bilities of the church's future growth.

76 How to Make the Church Go

The mail can be used for pastoral letters, re-
ports, announcements, and many other items
of interest. With the smaller churches a monthly-
leaflet distributed by mail may be a better in-
vestment than a weekly bulletin. The small bul-
letin is apt to give half of its space for the order
of services which is really not necessary nor help-
ful to the average worshiper.

The mail offers the opportunity for a wide use
of the referendum ballot. This is merely a ques-
tionnaire sent to the membership at various
times to sense the public sentiment on the church
policies. The ballot is mailed out from the office
with the request that it be filled in and returned.
A large and a fair vote can be secured in that
way. Here is an illustration of the possibili-
ties of the referendum:

(Letter)
Dear Friend:

The board is undecided as to the wisdom of
a special series of revival meetings this winter.
We need new life, that is sure, but we do not
know how to get it. So we are appealing to
the congregation. Will you give us some ad-
vice, using the enclosed blank. Return it be-

Keep in Touch with Congregation 77

fore the first of the month using the addressed
envelope enclosed.

Very sincerely,

(Ballot)

Are you in favor of the church holding a series
of special meetings with a hired evan-
gelist?

Should we hold such meetings with local help
only ? ;

Can you suggest any other way to create a new
interest in our work?

Signed.

If it is not thought advisable to sign the letters
have each ballot numbered and register the num-
bers so that the information as to who is voting
may be available. This is important in case a
suggestion is made which may be acted upon.
The person making the suggestion will probably
be the best person to help carry out the plan.

In sending out any list of material by mail it
is well to always have one piece addressed to the
church or to the minister's residence. This is a
simple and effective way of checking up on Uncle

78 How to Make the Church Go

Sam to learn if he is distributing the matter as
quickly as he should.

Pastoral Visitation

The minister still visits. The report of a
church of 1500 with two ministers shows that
1900 pastoral calls were made last year. The
minister of a church of 1 200 who has served the
church for more than a quarter of a century
advises that he still keeps his schedule of call-
ing on each family once a year. Probably as a
rule ministers call more than ever before. There
may be a difference in the way the calls are made
but the pastoral work of the average church is a
heavy obligation.

But assume that the minister reaches every
family at least once a year. A lot of things can
happen in a year. And the minister is aware
that he does not begin to keep in touch with all
of the instances of sickness, trouble, change of
residence, business success or failure or even
death. He is constantly finding himself in an
embarrassing position when he makes his calls.
A parish visitor is a help but even with the visitor
there are too many opportunities of getting out
of touch with the congregation.

Keep in Touch with Congregation 79

Group Plan of Organization

The situation has been met to a considerable
degree by what is known as the group plan of
organization or the every member group plan.
In its simplest form the parish is divided by dis-
tricts into groups and a person appointed as over-
seer over each district thus created. The work
of the overseer is to keep in touch with the six to
ten families in his district, reporting items of
pastoral interest to the minister of the church.

In the more complex form as is used in the
larger churches, the groups are larger and the
overseer or captain has several workers under
him. His group, again, is divided and each
worker given a smaller group to look after. The
worker reports to the captain, he to the official
board of the church.

The introduction of the group plan makes
possible the operation of the communion card
to its highest degree. The communion card is
a development from the communion token of the
old countries but is used to encourage and regis-
ter attendance at the services when the sacra-
ment is administered. There is a card kept in
the church office with the record attendance of

80 How to Make the Church Go

each member. Previous to the communion a
duplicate is made out for each member. These
are distributed to the various captains who will
see that every home in the parish is visited and
the card left. The announcement will be made
of the service and the communicant's attention
called to his previous record. In this way the
homes are systematically visited, addresses
checked up and a record of illness and absentees
secured. The members attending the com-
munion service bring their cards with them
where they are collected and returned to the
church office for recording.

Every Member Visitation

Another method frequently used to help out
the pastoral work is an every member visita-
tion of the parish on a selected Sunday afternoon
by specially chosen and prepared workers. The
parish is divided and the visitors sent out by
twos. The method of selecting and training
workers will follow somewhat that of conducting
financial campaigns. A study of the chapter of
campaigns will help one to secure the method of
organizing for this work.

Keep in Touch with Congregation 81
Sample Cards

COMMUNICANT'S CARD

Walden Presbyterian Church - Buffalo, N. Y.

•DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME"

Addresa _. _

District No Visitor _

Communion

1921

1922

1923

1924

1925

Remarks

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Fifth

Sixth

NOTE: Be sure to place this card od the collection plate Communion Sunday.

Members absent the entire year from the Lord's Table without eatisUctoiy lea-

ions, are regarded by the Session as delinquents.
Code^ (P)Pr«enl: (A) Absent from lown ; (S) Sick ; (E) olherwUe Mcu»ed : {Bl»nk) No record.

communicant's card (Face and Back)

Chapter VIII: A Working
Program for the Church

A merchant once had a sale. It was a big
event for his store. Old customers took ad-
vantage of it and many strangers, intent on bar-
gains, found their way there. When the sale
was over the strangers came back no more while
most of the old customers stayed on. Things
went quickly back to normalcy. The mistake
of the merchant is apparent to every business
man. It was not a part of a constructive pro-
gram but rather a stunt by itself. The ex-
perience of the merchant reminds us of the
experiences of many churches.

The church has a special season. Perhaps it
is a revival, or a rally day, a fete, an old mem-
ber reunion, a dedication, or a hundred other
things. It is a big event in itself and everybody
gets excited. But things go back quickly. When

Working Program for the Church 83

the evangelist leaves the field he urges the church
to care for his converts. ^'I have done my part,
now you must do yours," he insists. He is right.
Churches lose more by spending their energy
upon stunts than in most any other way. People
get to expecting something new and novel or the
church interest lags.

It is told that in one of the churches a new
minister sought to interest his board in the plans
for the new year. He suggested several plans
and none of them met with whole-hearted ap-
proval. Finally one good brother gave the pic-
ture of the situation.

"We have tried everything that we have ever
seen or heard of. Unless we can get something
new and novel, I suggest that we spend this
year trying to make our regular services as in-
teresting as possible."

The layman spoke more truly than he imag-
ined. There is a danger in the appeal to the
novel and spectacular — unless it be part of a
broad program which will weave all of the ele-
ments into a good finished piece of goods.
Stunts may tide a church over a few hard days
but a real program of activities is necessary to
give a permanent and constructive success.

84 How to Make the Church Go

What Program Shall We Have?

There are several major lines of activity which
the church usually engages in. But in selecting
a program for the year, it is well to have one
major and several minor activities. A church
may attempt too much as well as too little. The
minister is apt to credit the human mind with
more ability than it possesses. It takes some
time and training after the mind grasps an in-
tellectual truth before it becomes a moral asset.
It is not valuable for religious purposes until it
passes from the intellectual to the moral. Many
programs fail because the church, itself, does not
understand what it is trying to do.

Have one big thing which it is trying to do in
the year. The object may be:

1. Increase in church membership.

2. Instituting a better financial system.

3. Improving the agencies of religious educa-

tion.

4. Creating an interest and enlarging gifts for

the benevolences of the church.

5. Building a men's organization.

6. Securing civic improvements.

Working Program for the Church 85

7. Building a community house or a new
church.

Or any one of several other legitimate activi-
ties of the church.

At times any accepted program must be
thrown aside for an emergency program. The
building may burn. At once the new building
becomes the major plank of the program. The
surprise which is often times expressed when a
weak church rallies at the time of the fire is
natural. But the strength shown is but an in-
dication of the moral strength of any church
when everybody is agreed upon the program of
activities.

Whose Program Is It?

The instance above suggests that the strength
of a church depends upon the unanimity with
which the program of the church is adopted. A
minister may be able to demonstrate to the sev-
eral senses the wisdom of any program which
he may like to have the church adopt but unless
it is really desired by the church his talk and
labor are apt to be fruitless. There must be more
or less smiling in the heart of the congregation
when a minister arises in the pulpit and an-

86 How to Make the Church Go

nounces that the church is going to do so-and-so.
The men in the pews know better than the
preacher just what the church will do.

It may be possible for the referendum ballot
to help reach a decision as to what the program
of a church should be. The American City
Bureau in its course for instruction of commer-
cial secretaries places much strength in this
method of learning the wishes of the members.
A letter with a ballot might be sent out asking
each member to tell what he thinks is the big
work for the church for the year. If a record is
kept of the votes and voters the minister will
know where to go to get help from those who
advocated certain lines of activity.

Whether this plan is followed or not it is al-
ways well to be sure that the heart of the church
is with the program which is being attempted.

Take Time to Do It Well

Don't try to do a year's work in a month.
Psychological processes like agricultural process
take time. Each month should record progress
but too rapid progress like too fast ripening fruit
denotes an abnormal condition. The church
like the individual which tries to be a "jack of

Working Program for the Church 87

all trades" will probably be master of none.
Having decided upon a major plank place that
ahead of all things else. Remember that after
all a year in the kingdom of God is a short time.
Make it count for thoroughness rather than for
motion.

Any program which is selected will require
more or less publicity before the congregation
will comprehend it. Get people thinking about
it and don't accept hasty opinions as final. Re-
member the husbandman in the parable who
sowed the seed and then slept and rose night and
day but the seed grew of itself. Give the seed a
chance to grow. Don't give the battle call be-
fore the troops are ready. Don't kill the goose
which lays the golden eggs. Study mental reac-
tions and depend on them as the savage does in
physical force or the chemist on acids and poison.

At a recent Sunday school convention a worker
made a confession which ministers would do well
to heed. He had a program for his Sunday
school. It included the grading of the school.
He asked for its adoption and as usual was
granted the thing he asked for. That was easy.
At that time he couldn't see why every school
could not be graded as easily as his. But his

88 How to Make the Church Go

troubles were just beginning. He was dealing
with a village church which knew little about the
gradations familiar to the city teacher and
pupil. They wanted to do the right thing but
they did not understand. People must learn
some things for themselves. As a result in the
end the school went back to the old form of or-
ganization and methods.

Asked what he would do if he had another
chance, the worker replied:

"I would take at least a year in an attempt to
give the leaders of that school an adequate idea
of what we were trying to do."

The chances are that if he had taken the year
that he would not have had to urge the change
but that the school would have demanded it.

The executive must have the quality of divine
patience. This chapter offers no solace to the
individuals who delight in monotony and idle-
ness. A church should register progress every
month. But it is a plea for the natural laws to
have time to work. Watch Cromwell as he held
back his impatient Ironsides until the time was
ready for them to strike. Learn the lesson of
the driver who will not let his horse kill itself in
the first quarter of the mile. Learn the lesson

Working Program for the Church 89

of patience and time. Any church will be sat-
isfied if it can do one big worth-while thing
every year.

The Seasonable Program

The church year like the agricultural year di-
vides itself into seasons. The department store
learns the lessons of the seasons and times the
appeal of its show windows. So the minister will
time the appeal which the church makes.

"The farm year begins with the spring and
ends with the autumn. The church year with
equal distinctness begins with the autumn and
ends with or at least finds its climax in the
spring." McGarrah, A Modern Church Program.

THE SEASONS OF THE CHURCH YEAR

Autumn. — The new chance which is offered
every minister. The season for the beginning
of things and the getting of everybody back to
church.

The Winter. — Social season. Revival and
extra services. Everybody at work in the organ-
ization.

The Spring. — The spiritual touch. The
Easter ingathering.

90 How to Make the Church Go

The Summer. — Vacation Bible schools. Re-
laxation. Planning for the new year. The sum-
mer is to the minister as the winter is to the
farmer.

A Yearly Program

Purpose of major plank: To increase the

membership of the church to members.

This object was discussed in the preceding year
and adopted in the spring by the official board
of the year as a program for the following
year.

1. The month of September is the month for
training. The congregation is informed of the
plans through the sermons. Personal workers
are secured for an every member visitation.

2. The every member visitation is made on
the first Sunday in October. The rally day is
the Sunday following. The visitors urge all
members to be present at that service.

3. Rally Day. An immediate goal is pres-
ented for an increase in the church attendance.
Members present are asked to make pledges to
be made in service. The pledges are:

(a) To attend one service every Sunday.

(b) To attend two services every Sunday.

Working Program for the Church 91

attend as a friend.

(d) To serve on a personal visitation com-

mittee under the direction of the pas-
tor.

(e) To pray for the success of the campaign.

4. Letters containing the pledge cards were
mailed to all members who were not present.

5. The church organized socially for get-to-
gether parties. A special effort is always made
to interest prospective members in these parties.

6. The formation of prospective member
lists. These lists are prepared in confidence and
given out to pledges^ workers only. The workers
meet for several weeks for instruction in their
work.

7. The week of prayer — ^passion week. In-
tense personal work.

8. The Easter ingathering.

This program carried out faithfully with the
variations which are necessary for local condi-
tions has helped many churches to increase their
membership. The author used it in the year of
1917-18 with an increase of 61 per cent in the
church membership. Correspondence with other
churches the following year showed that it was

92 How to Make the Church Go

used successfully by churches all over the coun-
try, in cities and villages.

It is a program for but one year and some
other phase of church work should have the
major interest the following year. Either the
financial, benevolent or religious education pro-
gram would follow very well.

COUPONS

No. 1

One Service Eacb
Sunday

No. 2

ivfo Services Each
Sunday

No. 3

Invite Someone to
Accompany Me

No. 4

Serve on Visitation
Committee

No. 5

Daily Prayer

HERE IS A TYPICAL LOYALTY BOND TO BE USED IN CAMPAIGNS FOR BETTER CHURCH

ATTENDANCE. THIS ONE IS PRINTED ON A GOOD GRADE OF SAFETY PAPER

WHICH AIDS TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A COMMERCIAL BOND

Chapter IX: The Financial
Campaign

Following the form of treatise in the other
chapters of the book this chapter devoted to the
financial campaigns lays down the principles for
all other campaigns of the church. Especially
should the preceding chapter be related to this
for a campaign can never exist apart from the
program of work of the church. It is a special-
ized form coming at the right time with the
field properly prepared for it. The campaign
implies intensive team work. It is the day of
the test — of the race. But all days leading up
to it are important as are the days which follow.

If in the preceding chapter the program of
work had dealt with a financial program rather
than the program for increasing the membership
it would likewise have covered the church year.
There would be the consideration by the trustees
for the needs of more revenue and an increasing
emphasis upon the obligation of stewardship.

94 How to Make the Church Go

The sermons in the fall would be devoted to it.
Constant illustrations would show the duty and
pleasure of giving. Classes would study books
on stewardship such as McConaughy's Money,
the Acid Test, Publicity matter dealing with
the church dollar would be used. In fact the
whole machinery of the church would make that
phase of church work the major plank for the
year leading up to the canvass. The campaign
itself is the intensive day or week which tells.

The preliminary work of the finance com-
mittee will consist in preparing an adequate bud-
get for the following year and a comprehensive
report of the moneys contributed for the year
that is passed. It will include a tabulation on
cards of the contributions of each member which
may be put in the hands of the solicitor. Also
the necessary pledge cards and envelopes will
be taken care of in advance. A good form of
solicitor's cards with information regarding each
family to be visited is shown by the sample card.

Sample Card

These cards can be filled out in advance in the
church office which will take charge of most of
the printed distribution of the campaign.

The Financial Campaign 95

Tnm:;^;" solicitor's CAJ<I>-Oinrtdential

•wtEKLY SOaSCRimON

U-T-

Ttil «M

Uant

,«..

t.|B.«..

Ok.

HioUod

Wif.

—

CMd<«,..hU»

Ag.

—

Oti^r. U, H^u^old

—

. T'^'^" ran««.«i»«

solicitor's card (Face and Back)

96 How to Make the Church Go

Getting Workers

The printed matter on hand, the budget
adopted, the next step is the appointment of a
special campaign committee. The chairman of
this committee will need to be a leader in the
largest sense for he will have the large working
force under him for the time of organization
and the day of the campaign. Having ac-
cepted the appointment the next thing is to get
the workers.

The practical way to do this is to take the list
of the men of the church and count every one
as a possible worker in the campaign. It is safe
to assume that all will not work but the more who
volunteer the quicker and cleaner the work can
be conducted. A letter can be prepared to be
mailed to these prospects. If a dinner or lunch-
eon can be planned for the time of the meeting
for instructions the volunteers are apt to be
more numerous.
Dear Friend:

The trustees of the church recently voted to
hold the annual every-member canvass of the
congregation on Sunday afternoon, March
6th, and I was appointed as chairman of the

The Financial Campaign 97

special committee to direct the canvass. We
plan to make it complete in the afternoon and
to report at the church at 6: 30 o'clock that
evening. With fifteen teams of two men each
we can easily cover the parish in the after-
noon.

You have been selected as a member of one
of these teams. A preliminary meeting of all
of the workers has been called for Wednesday

evening at 8 o'clock. Mr. has asked

us to be his guests at a dinner to be held
at that hour. The budget will be talked over
and the lists assigned to the workers. He is
planning for a place for you at the table that
night, so be sure to be there. If you cannot,
let me know.

Very sincerely,

Chairman of the Committee.

The men who will respond to the dinner
invitation will be practically the men who will
be on hand for the canvass. Copies of the new
budget should be explained and the forms of the
cards to be used discussed. If the church has
the group plan organization captains for the

98 How to Make the Church Go

various territories may be assigned at that time.
If they are to go out two by two, reporting to a
common head, the territory can be held until
later. If necessary a second meeting for in-
struction should be held. It is well to impress
upon the workers what the average pledge must
be to raise the budget desired.

Notifying the Congregation

Carefully prepared publicity distributed to
the members of the church will help pre-
pare the ground for the workers. At least one
letter should be sent to contributors notifying
them of the date of the canvass and enclosing a
copy of the budget for their consideration. The
church seldom loses by letting the contributors
know what the money is wanted for. Open
diplomacy pays in church relationship. Here
is a good type of a letter to use in writing con-
tributors:

Dear Friend:

The Every-Member Canvass of the congre-
gation will be made next Sunday afternoon.
The budget enclosed is the goal to be reached
in the campaign.

The Financial Campaign 99

There are several things which you can do
to help make the effort a success.

1. Be at home if possible. Our canvassers
have a right to expect to complete their work
in the day. Like the rest of us they are busy
men. If you can't be at home that day make
your pledge before Sunday or Sunday morn-
ing. We want to count it in the total sub-
scribed for the day.

2. Study the budget. There are no frills
in it. If it isn't covered by pledges, essentials
will have to be cut out of the church program.

3. Make an honest pledge for both the
local church and benevolences. The policy of
the Protestant church is not to place heavy
burdens upon its people but it has a right for
honest consideration of its needs.

4. Keep pleasant and send the workers on
their way with a smile. "The Lord loveth
a cheerful giver."

Yours for the success of the drive,

Chairman, Special Committee,

The Day of the Campaign
The canvassers will attend the morning wor-

100 How to Make the Church Go

ship and come to the altar at the close for ded-
ication to their task. They will receive sufficient
pledge cards and will have the information card
for every party they are to call upon. The en-
tire morning service can well be devoted to the
thought of stewardship or the particular task of
the local church.

Have a dinner for the solicitors at the church
upon their return at 6:30 o'clock or at some
other convenient hour. The secretary of the
committee can tabulate by means of a black
board the returns as they come in. Playing
group off against group will add to the interest
which is usually developed. Canvassers will be
inspired to rush right back to see if absentees
have returned home. The force of competition
will bring the last one in at a time like this.

It may be well to warn against expecting let-
ters by themselves to get results in a canvass
such as this. The letters prepare the way. Per-
sonal solicitation gets the results. Letters do
not have the appeal that they had before the
frequent use which is made of them to-day. A
great public service corporation has just opened
its stock books to the public. 84,000 letters were
sent out to prospective buyers. But 100 people

The Financial Campaign 101

responded. A brokerage house reports that it
sent out 600 letters to prospective customers and
had six repHes. Letters have a big place but they
must be followed by personal workers.

After the Canvass

Tabulate the returns so that they will be
available for everybody.

Make sure that you have a system of book-
keeping which the contributors will have confi-
dence in.

File the solicitors' cards for the next year.

Thank the canvassers.

Chapter X: A News Space
Clinic

The public press may well be a big asset to
the average working church. It offers one of
the best channels for the distribution of inter-
esting events and features of church life. Many
criticisms are made of various papers because
of the little space which they give to church
news. Many of these criticisms are unfair and
are made by men who do not understand the
spirit of the paper nor the pressure under which
the average editor works. It is not difficult for
the paper to get stories to fill its pages. Even
if the average daily did not employ a single re-
porter there would be plenty of news presented
by various individuals and institutions to fill the
columns if that is all that is necessary to make
a paper.

The average editor wants news and he wants
interesting feature stories. If he can get them
he will publish them whether they deal with the
church or not. If the churchmen can point out

102

A News Space Clinic 103

real stories of news value there will be little diffi-
culty in breaking into the pages of the average
daily paper of to-day.

Country and Village Journals

The same thing is not always true of rural
papers. Many times they lack material to fill
their pages. Some buy the matter from syndi-
cates already blocked. That saves typesetting
and labor costs. Here is an opportunity for
the minister and church to keep itself constantly
before the eyes of the villagers. The average
country paper runs a church column. This col-
umn gives the hours of service and some times
makes the announcements for the week. Too
often this is thought sufficient but it is not mak-
ing the most of the offered space.

The minister would do well to go to the pub-
lisher and ask him if he will give space to inci-
dents and even sermonettes given in a catchy
way which will make people read them. The
manager of a vaudeville house insists that he
would be glad to put a minister on the program
if he can find one who will deliver a punchy ser-
mon in ten minutes which will make people
think. The average newspaper manager will do

104 How to Make the Church Go

as well. These items may advertise the church
for people will read them if they are gotten out
in a pleasing way. We clip the following from
a rural weekly. It was one of many published
in the church column :

The following things help to make worship
worth while :

1. A pleasant, artistic and dignified building

with good light and ventilation.

2. Courteous ushers who do something be-

sides passing the collection plate.

3. Good music. Anthems which touch the

heart and hymns which mean some-
thing.

4. Sermons which are thought provoking and

alive, but always reverent and worship-
ful.

5. A real welcome. Not the formal icy grip,

but that which makes one feel at home.

6. A pleasant after feeling. Coming out of

church ought not to be like coming out
from an anaesthetic.
We want our services to measure up to this
standard. Help us do it.

Come early if you want a back seat.

A News Space Clinic 105

An article like the above is read and it violates
no standards of good taste.

Some churches have found that a series of
questions are usually thought provoking and
create an interest. Rev. Paul F. Boiler in the
Presbyterian church at Lancaster, New York,
has devoted his evening services to the answer-
ing of questions placed in the question box by
the congregation. He insists that the fact of
the publication of the questions the preceding
week in the local paper has made the success of
the services possible.

In one issue we find the following questions
submitted for answer by the pastor:

1. Are labor unions selfish? Are they a

menace to America?

2. What are some of the conditions necessary

for a happy marriage?

3. How do you account for the present dearth

of candidates for the Christian minis-
try?

4. What do Presbyterians to-day believe

about ^'Predestination" ?
5. , Some times we hear people speak of God
as being far off in the skies and again

106 How to Make the Church Go

he is referred to as being on this earth.
If there is a God where is he?

An announcement such as this given week by
week cannot but help to create an interest in
those services of the church. There is some-
thing about a question which will set a person
thinking more than a simple statement. A single
sermon may be announced by a series of ques-
tions rather than by the subject alone.

Whose World Is This?

"Does there ever come a time in human his-
tory when God intervenes in the affairs of
men? Is it true that at times, tired of blood-
shed and wickedness that He overrules hu-
man agencies for the sake of righteousness?
What about Joan of Arc? What of Provi-
dence spring? What about Georges Guy-
nemer? These fascinating stories form a part
of the sermon at the First Methodist church
next Sunday night."

The editor of the local paper wants people to
read the paper and he is usually in sympathy
with all village institutions. Help him to make

A News Space Clinic 107

his paper interesting by making the church an-
nouncements interesting and both church and
paper will profit.

Getting Into the City Papers

Many churches pay for display space in the
Saturday papers of each week. The rates vary
according to circulation of the paper and the
real value of the advertisements is as yet prob-
lematical. It will depend a great deal upon the
location of the church and just what they have
to advertise. It is generally conceded that the
story space in a newspaper is better publicity for
any institution than the paid display space. Any
theater would prefer to have the pictures of its
players shown in the dramatic columns than to
have a similar amount of display advertising.

A visit to the office of the average newspaper
concerning space will invariably bring the answer
that anything that has news value will be used.
There is however apt to be considerable differ-
ence of opinion between the churchman and the
editor as to what constitutes news value. The
churchman may be right but the editor controls
the paper and is in the better position to decide
what people care to read. The wise minister

108 How to Make the Church Go

will recognize the editor's position and respect
his judgment.

The editor means by news any story which
has sufficient human interest to cause people to
read it. The newspaper is not a literary maga-
zine. It has one big function — that of publishing
news. Sermons are not news, even though they
be good enough for the homiletic magazine.
Discussions are not news. Conventions are only
news when the human, interest-drawing element
enters in. Usually it is there if one knows how
to look for it.

There may be big news value in a sermon.
Let us suppose that Dr. Blank wants to preach
a sermon on blue laws. The main point he
wants to make is that Christ was an enemy of
Sabbath blue laws and violated the letter of
several. Dr. Blank feels that he has a mes-
sage which the people should know about and
sends a copy of his sermon to the press. It isn't
printed and he feels grieved. Let us suggest a
new way to Dr. Blank. Send the sermon a
couple of days ahead of time to the editor of the
paper. With it enclose a letter calling attention
to the main point. Mark with pencil two or
three passages which present the matter in quick

A News Space Clinic 109

telling strokes. The chances are that it will have
space in the Monday paper.

Billy Sunday always gets news space. The
tabernacle meetings are news. But Billy Sun-
day does not wait for the paper to visit the meet-
ings to take the sermons in short hand. As good
news value as his meetings are he always pre-
pares copy for the paper and has it on hand the
day before. He makes it easy for the papers to
feature his work.

Finding the News Feature

As a newspaper writer the author was once
under contract to present the work of a denomi-
nation week after week for newspaper publi-
cation. The understanding was that the ar-
ticles were to stand or fall on their story value.
Yet the subjects included many things which
might not look like news at first glance.

For instance, one of the churches to be ad-
vertised in news space was about to build a new
community house. It had outgrown its quarters.
There were, of course, dozens of churches in the
city which were in a similar condition. Some
people expressed surprise that this church, with
its bad location next to the baseball park should

110 How to Make the Church Go

care to invest more money on its present noisy
site.

That in itself made the story. Investigation
showed that the church had bought ground from
the ball club for its proposed structure. We have
always heard of churches retreating before base-
ball parks but here is one actually encroaching
on the ball ground. With that "slant" it made
a good story. The headlines the editor used,
for the editor always writes the headlines, were:

Church Encroaches on Baseball Park by
Community Work

COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN SUFFERS GROWING

PAINS AS MEMBERSHIP AND SOCIAL

EFFICIENCY INCREASES

Another phase of the work to be touched upon
was the missionary work with the nearby Indian
reservations. The history of it was more or less
technical. But one day the old missionary died.
His dying prayer was made as he was clasping
the hands of an Indian friend. Here was per-
sonal element which could be used. According

A News Space Clinic 111

to the editor the only trouble with that story was
its briefness.

If one will constantly keep his eyes open for
interesting stories he will find many ways to get
his church into the public press. The thieves
who bring back the communion silver make good
copy. The payment of an outlawed church
pledge may be interesting. There are many fas-
cinating stories about a church if one would try
and get the newspaper spirit and find them.

How to Get the Story Into the Paper

Now that you have the story how will you get
it into the paper? Frankly the best way is to
have an acquaintance on the stafi who will write
it up for you. I happened to mention to a re-
porter friend of mine that our box in the en-
trance of the church, which had been placed
there for questions had been stolen. The box
had been remodeled from a contribution box and
was easily mistaken for one.

"But they are welcome to it," I added, "may-
be they can answer some of the questions which
I can't."

A couple of days later there was a little edi-
torial on the affair showing the poetic justice

112 How to Make the Church Go

visited upon the thieves. It was good pubHcity
because I had a friend.

If you can't secure such acquaintance the next
best thing is to prepare the material or have
some one prepare it for you and mail it signed
to the city editor of the paper. Be sure and sign
it or it will receive scant consideration. The
chances are that it will not be used as it is sent
in. Possibly it will not be used at all. Maybe
the very part you want published will be omitted.
Editors act that way some times because they
are human and have limitations. But if you
really have a story it may be used.

Let me suggest something for churches which
use paid display space. Send a news item along
with your copy for the advertisement. Make
it as strong as you want to and it will usually
have a place in the news items. The paper of
course must recognize that courtesies are due
advertisers.

Sermons are not always news. Sometimes
they are and some men's sermons always are.
The minister who is constantly quoted in the
paper may find many changes made which he
feels are unjust. The remedy for this is to have
his stenographer prepare copy for the paper and

A News Space Clinic 113

insist that it be printed as it is given. Not every
minister can demand this right. Some can and
when they are prominent enough an agreement
will be readily made by the paper.

Here are, first, the copy from a sermon mailed
to the city editor on Friday and the report of the
sermon which was printed the following Monday
morning. The illustration shows the typograph-
ical error which is almost sure to work into a
news story because of the hasty construction.

{Paragraphs from a sermon preached by the
Rev. William H, Leach at the Walden Presby-
terian Churchy on a Sunday evening preceding
Labor Day, entitled. Labor Day and the World's
Workers.)

'The greatest single domestic problem before
the federal government at this time is to find
work for its unemployed. In Germany, we are
told, practically every man is working, France
reports 50,000 idle men, America has over 5
million.

^ "A variety of causes contribute to this condi-
tion but there is a definite propaganda at work
to make labor the goat. Paid advertisements
circulated through farm journals have led the
great body of country folk to feel that the city
worker is the responsible party. Investigations
such as that of the Lockwood committee in

114 How to Make the Church Go

Buffalo places the responsibility partially upon
some other classes. The workers have not been
the only profiteers of the past half dozen years.

"A railroad workers' strike at this time would
be very unfortunate. A strike, in the end, is
but an appeal to public opinion and public
opinion at this time will not favor a wide spread
strike. Such would merely complicate a very
muddled situation. The railroads would not be
seriously embarrassed. They could draw from
the 5,000,000 unemployed and there is not
enough business to be cared for to cause a
financial loss.

"The brightest feature of the present situation
is that the government has finally awakened to
realize that it has an unemployment problem.
It is beginning seriously to attempt to find some
solution and Secretary Hoover is the best man in
the country to direct the work. All classes
should unite in attempting to relieve the situa-
tion before the cold weather sets in. The un-
fortunate thing is that partisan zeal has delayed
this action until the present time."

Notice that the
editor lorites all of
the head lines.

A News Space Clinic 115

UNEMPLOYMENT IS
GREATEST PROBLEM
GOVERNMENT FACES

Place the most
striking statement
inthe first sentence.
It will largely de-
termine the editor's
attitude toward it.

The inevitable er-
ror: copy gave 5,-
000,000, the re-
porter's version
said "a million."

Lockwood Quiz Proves
Workers Not Only Profit-
eers, Minister Avers.

BRIGHT FLATURL, REALIZA-
TION OF NEED FOR
QUICK ACTION

"The greatest single domestic problem
before the federal government at this
time is to find work for its unem-
ployed," declared the Rev. William H.
Leach last evening in the Walden Pres-
byterian church, speaking on "Labor
Day and the World's Workers."

"In Germany we are told practically
every man is working; France has 50,-
000 men idle, America has more than a
million," he continued. "There are a
variety of causes which contribute to
the present situation.

Workers Not Only Profiteers.
"Paid advertisements circulated
through farm journals have led the
great body of country folk to feel the
city worker is the responsible party.
Investigations, such as that of the
Lockwood committee in Buffalo, place
the responsibility partially upon some

116 How to Make the Church Go

other classes. The workers have not
Notice local col- been the only profiteers of the past half
oring. dozen years.

"A railroad workers' strike at this
time would be very unfortunate. A
strike, in the end, is but an appeal to
public opinion and public opinion at
this time will not favor a widespread
strike. Such would merely complicate
This is timely a very muddled situation. The rail-
and so is news. roads would not be seriously embar-
rassed. They could draw from the
5,000,000 unemployed and there is not
enough business now to be cared for to
cause a financial loss.

"The brightest feature of the situa-
tion is that the government has finally
awakened to realize that it has an un-
employment problem. It is beginning
seriously to attempt to find some solu-
tion, and Secretary Hoover is the best
man in the country to direct the work.
All classes should unite in attempting
to relieve the situation before the cold
weather sets in. The unfortunate thing
is that partizan zeal has delayed this
action until the present time."

Chapter XI: Getting the

Most From Volunteer

Help

One of the greatest burdens placed upon the
minister in his program of construction is the
necessity of getting his work accomplished by-
volunteer help. Paid workers are scarce in the
average church. The boy who changes the sign
board in front of the church, the teacher in the
Sunday school, the president of the Ladies' Aid
Society, the chairman of the Board of Trustees
and many others of whom much is required in
service are voluntary workers. They are the
dollar a year men of the church.

Now it is oftentimes true that a man will
give a greater interest to the work of his church
if it is a task he loves than he will to his business
if it is a business he detests. As a matter of
fact the life work of many men is so distasteful
that the opportunity of church or charitable
work may provide the outlet which keeps their

117

118 How to Make the Church Go

life normal. But it is also true that the average
worker has a great deal more respect for the ob-
ligations upon which depend his salary or wages
than for the moral and spiritual ones.

During certain seasons church workers are apt
to grow weary in their interest. It is common
for their faithlessness to be contrasted with the
constancy of the minister in a similar time.

"Oh, well, he is paid to do it," is usually a suf-
ficient explanation in the mind of the people.
And it would make a difference with a great
many people whether or not the obligation they
are assuming is a moral obligation or one upon
which their livelihood depends. We can assume
from experiments which some Sunday schools
have had with paid teachers and department
heads that efficiency increases with the profes-
sional help. There may be some loss, however,
of the amateur spirit which is usually an in-
dication of health in any enterprise.

Varieties of Voluntary Service

There is almost no limit to the kinds of service
which a minister has at hand when he finds a
way to secure and use volunteers. He will find
lawyers who will welcome the opportunity to

Volunteer Help 119

talk over the problems of the incorporation or
legal matter of the church. Mechanics will be
located who will be glad to step in for an hour
or two to give advice or work. Clerks will make
it possible for him to get the best of service in
typing and stenographic work. The minister can
build a council for advice and work about him
that is limited only by the size of his parish.

One of the compensations of the ministry is
the opportunity which it offers to a man to keep
in touch with so many phases of life. He can
get so many points of view with intimate contact
with his people. From the worker in the shops
the point of view of labor is presented. In the
bank he gets the point of view of the investor of
money. If he is a wise executive he will not
alone secure the intimacy for self-culture but
will bring all of these various types into some
distinct service of the church. He will consider
the friendships which are created not for his
own enjoyment but for the service of the church.

It is no mean task to use everybody in the
congregation and still keep free from influences
which might undermine his independence and
make him the servant of a class or party. An
aged minister gave some good advice to his

120 How to Make the Church Go

brethren at one time when he expressed one of
his ideals for his ministry.

"I stand ready to work with anybody," he
said but continued, "I will be worked by none."

A younger man who knows considerable of the
secrets of executive success illustrated a point to
the writer a number of years ago. The church
had a new changeable letter bulletin board. A
boy had volunteered to take care of it, changing
the announcements week after week. So the
minister went with him to show him how to do it.

"I always do a task first before I turn it over
to anybody. Then they know that I know how
to do it and am willing to do it if necessary," he
explained.

It requires considerable skill to be able to
employ volunteer help and get big results, but
the man who has learned how to do it may be
sure that he has infinite sources of power.

Some Rules

1. The major task of the executive is to keep
his workers busy and happy on some worthwhile
task. Some churches would turn this around.
Many good church people seem to think that
their spiritual duty is to find something for the

Volunteer Help 121

minister to do and to offer criticism if he does
not do it as they think that he should. There
are ministers who feel that they must be in every
little detail of church work for fear it will not
be done as it should be done. As a matter of
fact ministers can do as much damage by insist-
ing on being in every thing as b}'' being indiffer-
ent to the work of the various church societies.

Oftentimes it is better to let a work remain
undone than for the minister to do it. It doesn't
hurt to let the committee fall down on its job
once in a while if the only alternative is for the
minister to do its work for it. The executive will
lose in the end if he makes himself the work
horse for the entire church rather than the direc-
tor of its activities.

2. Train the officers and leaders to their
responsibilities. Make them fight their own
battles. Have confidence in them that they can
do it and give them every chance. They will
work better for the confidence which one has in
them. When the Sunday school superintendent
has difficulty with an assistant or a teacher let
him handle the situation. Of course there will
be times when the incompetency is so great that
some action will be necessary but on the other

122 How to Make the Church Go

hand many difficulties are apt to arise which
can be settled without interference on the part
of the minister.

A minister does not want to take too seriously
many of the troubles of the various church socie-
ties. If he has had much experience with human
nature he soon learns this. He may be ap-
proached by a worker who feels that he has a
real grievance. Under the emotion of the min-
ute it is exaggerated until the pastor may feel
that he must espouse the side of the injured
against one of his helpers. If he resists the im-
pulse perhaps the trouble will have taken care
of it itself in a few days and worker and officer
the best of friends again. There is a great deal
of the child in many adults. Great injustices of
to-day are forgotten the next.

The personal touch between the superinten-
dent of the school and his workers may place
him in a much better position to know the char-
acters of those under him than the minister can
know them. It is a decidedly poor policy for a
minister to encourage any one to go over the
head of the leader of the organization to lodge
complaints with him. The very stability of the
church depends upon the responsibility of of-

Volunteer Help 123

ficers and leaders being recognized. Let him
learn the lesson taught Moses by his father-in-
law and depend upon the organized force of
others as well as the personality of himself.

3. Try and place each worker in a position
where he will count for most in the church but do
not encourage any one to take more work than
he can well do. In other words don't load every-
thing on a man because he is a good worker. "If
you want anything done, get a busy man to do
it," can be overdone as well as a lot of other
good advice. Our churches have many men and
women who are consecrated and devoted but
who in their zeal are trying to do too much.
The working time of volunteer workers comes
after he has spent the day earning a living. No
man in those conditions can be Sunday school
superintendent, church trustee, president of the
men's club and choir director. And it is a poor
executive policy which will load more on any
man than he can handle — even if he does want it.
It will be a happy day for churches and church
workers when the worker can feel that he has
one job that he can put all his energy in.

Let us assume that a young man becomes
teacher of a junior class of boys. He doesn't

124 How to Make the Church Go

know much about pedagogy because he has a
business training; he doesn't know much about
the Bible, for his entire training in that respect
has come through the Sunday school; and he
knows little about the psychology and social life
of junior boys, except what he has himself ex-
perienced. If that man can have a reasonable
amount of time to study these things, to develop
that class of boys through class work, hikes,
camps and other methods, he has a big job. The
church might better have him do that well than
to press additional burdens upon him.

4. Expect to learn as you grow older. Your
workers every day are discovering methods and
traits of people which may differ from your con-
ception of them. Rejoice in their discoveries
with them and learn as time goes by. One of
the signs of old age is the inability to keep re-
ceiving these new revelations of method and
principle. A minister who can keep growing
mentally doesn't hit the dead line very early.

5. Learn to appreciate the difference between
thoughtless harping and constructive criticism —
between harpers and workers. Flies are not
dragons. The minister has a big battle to wage;
he cannot come down to spend time with need-

Volunteer Help 125

less parleys by thoughtless people. The soldier
who turns to fight the dog snapping at his heels
may forget the enemy he started out to over-
come. But there are as well many people who
offer constructive criticism and who are willing
to become builders. Perhaps the test of the
value of any criticism is the willingness of the
critic to stand responsible for the program he
advocates.

St. Paul gave some good advice to us when
he taught about his own fight. *^So fight I not
as beating the air.'' No time there for mere
motions. He had an end in view. So also, has
the executive minister. He will discriminate and
accept with thanks the advice of those who are
seeking to build the church, even though it is
contrary to his own convictions, but he will brush
aside the idle talking of thoughtless people who
speak without reason.

6. Let the credit go where it belongs. When
any department of the church has a good year or
does something worth while, see that the people
responsible for it get the credit for the work.
"Compliments for others, progress for yourself,"
is a good motto for the minister. "Saying,
Thank you,' " helps when one has done a good

126 How to Make the Church Go

day's work. The minister of the church will, of
course, profit by the success of his church. His
work is judged by the results of those laboring
under him. It should be sufficient for him that
the work is well done. On no consideration
should he lower himself to compete with one of
his own workers or leaders for the honors.

It is a mighty good habit for the executive to
learn to say "we" instead of "I." Then the
running of the church is "our" task rather than
"my" task. If the work succeeds it is "our"
success. If it fails it is "our" failure. For the
church is a corporate body. Scripturally it is the
body of Christ. Ministers and people make up
that body.

"And whether one member suffereth, all the
members suffer with it; or one member is hon-
ored, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye
are the body of Christ, and severally members
thereof. And God has set some in the church,
first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teach-
ers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps,
governments, divers kinds of tongues."

Index

A Financial Campaign, 93 ff.

.,.,. , .,, Fosdick, Dr. Harry Emer-

Abihty to get along with ^^^^.

people, 12.

,. , , Group plan of organiza-
Bookkeepmg, reliable, ^^^^

needed, loi. '

Boiler, Rev. Paul F., 103. j

Budget, preparing, 94.

Bulletin, weekly, 74. Imitation, 23, 30.

C J

Ceremony, Love of, 23, 27. Journals, rural and village,
Church greater than min- 103.

ister, 17.
Competition, 23, 32. K

Comradeship, 23, 36. ,, ^ , ^ niinted 22

Committee, function of, 60; ^^^^^^ ^'^^ ^'^ ^"°^^^' '^•

Notification to Members,

65.

Committee Analysis, 67. Love of Christ, 23, 38.

Committee, who shall com- Lodges, Growth of, 27.

pose, 63.
Communicant Card, 79, 81. M

Compromise, value of, 13. .

Criticism, thoughtless, 124. Mail, using U. S 75.

McGarrah, A. F., quoted,

F ^9.

McConnell, Bishop, quoted.
Forces which move men, 28, 33.

20 ff. Members of church, diver-

Fair Play, 23, 35. sified, 15.

127

128

Index

Money y The Acid Test,
McConaughy, 94.

Motions vs. purpose, 14.

Minister as an executive,
II.

Ross, Dr. E. A., quoted,

24, 28, 34.
Referendum, 76.
Recognition, desire for, 23,

25.

News, what is, 107.
News, how to get space
for, III.

Office, best location for, 41 ;
one man, 43 ; equipment,
44; with one helper, 47.

Offices, Westminster Church,
Buffalo, 49.

Official Board, Democracy
of, 52; notice of meet-
ings, 53; docket, 55.

Pastoral visitation, 78.
People, Taking them as

they are, 12 ff.
Papers, City, 107.
Prestige, 23, 30.
Program, Church, 82 ff.
Public Opinion, 23, 33.
Pulpit announcements, 72.
Psychology of the execu-

tive, 20.

Real Estate and Church,
25.

Self interest, 23.
Sermons as news, 112.
Service, Desire to be of,

23, 37.
Step by step analysis, 65.
Stunts, contrasted with

program, 82.

"Thank you," saying,
helps, 68.

Time, element of to be con-
sidered, 86, 88.

Traditional tasks of the
Minister, 11, 39.

Van Dyke, Dr. Henry,

quoted, 35.
Volunteer services, 117;

rules for, 120 ff.

Wilson, Lucius E., quoted,
68.

Worker, not to be over-
loaded, 123.

Workers, securing, 96.

Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library

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Full text of "How to make the church go; a desk manual for the every day use of the modern minister executive"

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