Six Thousand Country Churches

abitants having been selected by the United States Census as marking the line between urban and rural, we have necessarily followed.) In the strictly rural townsh

,516 persons and five rural churches to

342,077 persons and 582 churches, while for each township there are 1,977 persons and three churches, or 587 persons to a chur

rwise stated all deductions have been drawn exclusively from these rural townships. The 1,170 strictly rural townships contain nearly 1,

ory figures were found for only 4,941 churches. The membership of 3,351 of these churches, or 68 per cent, is not more than 100; in 2,70

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ns and Churches, and Average Number

ctly

ps Othe

ns All

ct

ownships 1,

townships 1,693,95

per township 1,

ches per to

hurches 6,0

ns per churc

an 75, and 34 per cent of not more than 50. Altogether, in rural townships and rural sections of other townships, there are 5,392 churches out of 6,642 for which membership data are available.

ship records, we find that of the total of 6,060 churches in the strictly rural townships, 4,110 have a membership of not more than 100; 3,316 have a membership of not more than 75; while 2,227 have a member

ches have a membership of 100 or less; 325 of 75 or less; while 198 churches have a membership of 50 or less. We therefore calculate that of 6,642, or all the rural churches,

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d According to Num

u

ship

t O

u

ions

nt

ions

e

ership is reported 4,94

rship is less than 101 3

rship is less than 76 2,

rship is less than 51 1,

ship data are not availab

imum number of

than 101 4,110* 6

imum number of

s than 76 3,316*

imum number of

s than 51 2,227*

ose membership is from 1

se membership is from 26-5

hose membership is from

s follows: 3351 +

547 × 11

119 = 2227 325

56 × 13

34 × 13

hose membership is from

whose membership is 101

hose membership is from

hose membership is more

hes whose membership is mo

no resident minister. Only 982 churches, or 16 per cent, have the full time service of a minister; 1,581 churches, or 26 per cent, have one-half the service of a minister; 5,026, or 83 per cent, have one-half time service or less; 3,445,

t minister; that in 634, or 40 per cent, of the villages there is no resident minister; that 4,431, or 67 per cent, of the churches have no resident minister; that only 1,065 churches, or 16 per cent, have the full time service of a minister; that 1,766, or 27 per cent, have one-half the service of a ministe

LE

Service by Townships

u

Per cent O

Per cent

ons P

es are without resident mi

ve a resident ministe

a resident minister

sident minister 2,05

resident minister 4,0

time service of a minis

e service of a minister

ervice of a minister or le

rvice of a minister or less

ervice of a minister or le

gular service of a mini

e service of a minister

me service of a minist

ich data are not av

2,500 persons, while 2,807, or 46 per cent, are in the open country. (See Table IV.) In the suburban rural townships 198, or 34

52 per cent, are in villages containing from 51 to 2,500 i

t, are in small villages of from 51 to 500. No less than 4,853, or 80 per cent, of the churches in the strictly rural districts are either in the open country or in the small vill

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in Villages and i

u

Per cent O

Per cent

ons P

taining from 51 to 2,500 per

pen country 2,807

ns having from 501 to 2,500 inh

ving from 51 to 500 inhabit

n villages having less than 501 in

as the lower limit of the town. In rural Ohio there are 1,477 villages whose inhabitants number 51 to 2,500 persons. (See Table V.) Of these, 673, or 4

t, have one or more ministers living near the church he serves and 270 mini

27, or 26 per cent, without resident ministers. Of the 317 villages whose inhabitants number more than 500 persons, 308, or 97 per cent, have one or more resident pastor

e one or more resident ministers and in all 1,693 ministers, while 5

isters; while the open country, with 2,807, or 46 per cent, of the churches, has only 360, or 18 per cent, of the resi

do not live near any one of their churches, but for the most part

stribution of the villages

p

er I

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ly Rural Townships, in the O

lag

-2

er cent V

-2

er cent V

1-

er cent V

1-

er cent V

1-

Per ce

ry Pe

76.5 100 673 46 487

nisters 901 61 233.5 35

3 (31) 270 16 527 31

t ministers 575.5 39 4

54 984 16 1,062 18 1,2

the Conference Records give these data for the ministers of the Methodist Episcopal churches. The

ly 174, or 26 per cent, had had two years' acquaintance with their parishes; 318, or 48 per cent, were beginning their first year of service in their charges; 172, or 26 per cent, were beginning their second year; 110, or 16 per cent, were beginning their third year;

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ethodist Episcopal Co

t

Per ce

ence W

ence N

h

fer

ministers 664

year of service in their

year of service in their

year of service in their

year of service in their

years or more in their

years or more in their pr

years or more in their p

years or more in their p

s or more in their present

years or more in their

years or more in their

e from 100 to 199 persons to a church; that in 446 there are from 200 to 299 persons; that in 270 townships there are from 300 to 399; that in 122 to

hildren, to a church; in 945, or 81 per cent, of the townships, there are less than 400; in 1,067, or 91 per

LE

rsons to a Church in

No. of

hurch

ips Pe

Less

199

299

399

499

599

han 59

out any church

300 to a c

400 to a c

00 to a chu

500 to a c

er 6,060. In 1910 the population in these townships numbered 1,693,894. Assuming that there has been no change in the population since 1910, there is now one church for each 280 persons. But from 1900 to 1910 there was a decline of more than 3 per cent in the population of these townships. If we as

e 173 suburban townships 342,077 persons and 582 churches, or 587 persons to a church, while in the l

opportunity to enlarge its attendance and increase its support and membership until so

LE

er of Person

t

o 1

ri

u

ship

bu

hips

ns

ti

,121 1,693,894 3

hes 9,890 6,

to a church 4

of rural churches. There were in 1917, 688 pastors of rural churches of the Methodist Episcopal Church. (See Table IX.) These received, on an average, $993 per year, or $857 and free use of parsonage

churches. (See Table X.) Their average salary was $787, or $680 and free use of parsonage; not one received as much

te of its increase in relation to the increase in the c

sonage, while in 1915 it was $915, making an increase of $182, or 25 per cent, in ten years. During the same period, however, according to data supplied by the U

y, for in the ten-year period from 1900 to 1910 there was, according to the United States Cens

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ist Episcopal Coun

.

s Averag

clu

ima

al v

sonage

ges

ries

00 Per ce

ges

ries

00 Per ce

ges

ries

1,000

993 662 96

e 151 $972 145

nce 237 $1,004 23

ference 300 $995 2

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Ministers, United Br

.

s Averag

clu

ima

al v

sonage

ges

ries

00 Per ce

ges

ries

00 Per ce

ges

ries

1,000

87 188 100 1

ence 63 $866 63

nference 47 $687

ce 42 $779 42

rence 36 $787 3