Produced by Tom Roch and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images produced by Core Historical Literature in Agriculture (CHLA), Cornell University and The Internet Archives.) SIX THOUSAND COUNTRY CHURCHES THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK . BOSTON . CHICAGO . DALLAS ATLANTA . SAN FRANCISCO MACMILLAN & CO., LIMITED LONDON . BOMBAY . CALCUTTA MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, LTD. TORONTO [Illustration: THE COUNTRY CHURCHES OF OHIO] SIX THOUSAND COUNTRY CHURCHES BY CHARLES OTIS GILL AND GIFFORD PINCHOT AUTHORS OF "THE COUNTRY CHURCH" PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE FEDERAL COUNCIL OF THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN AMERICA New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1919 _All rights reserved_ COPYRIGHT, 1919 BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY Set up and electrotyped. Published November, 1919 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE _PART I_ CONDITIONS AND REMEDIES INTRODUCTION xiii CHAPTER I. HOW THE FACTS WERE GATHERED 3 II. THE RURAL CHURCH MAPS OF OHIO 5 III. SUMMARY OF RESULTS 8 Oversupply of Churches--The churches small and weak-- Attendance--An absentee ministry--Divided effort of the ministry--Short term of minister's service--Defective overhead organization--Ministers' salaries--Educational equipment of the minister. IV. WHERE CHURCH EFFICIENCY IS LOWEST 12 V. THE CHURCH IN THE EIGHTEEN COUNTIES 19 VI. A POLICY AND PROGRAM 40 1. A better program--2. A better ministry--3. Better support--4. Better acquaintance--5. Re-arrangement of circuits--6. More resident ministers--7. Interchurch cooperation--8. Community churches--9. Non-sectarian support. VII. FEDERATED CHURCHES 59 1. Greene Township--2. Aurora--3. Garrettsville--4. Northfield--5. Federated churches in other states. VIII. OTHER PROGRESSIVE CHURCHES 75 1. A church federation--2. Cooperation with other social forces--3. Community service and Christian unity--4. Christian unity by necessity--5. The church as a force for righteousness--(a) Old Fort--(b) Lakeville. IX. AGRICULTURAL COOPERATION 88 _PART II_ TABULAR SUMMARIES AND MAPS I. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE DENOMINATIONS 93 II. TABULAR SUMMARIES FOR THE STATE 110