of the people and not as a mere
means to other ends. Furthermore, where the church generously sponsors a
social program which is enjoyed by all the people of the community,
without thought of its being aimed at any proselyting, many of them come
to take an increased interest in the strictly religious services and
work of the church.

So to-day many a rural church is holding community sings, its young
people are staging amateur dramatic entertainments, its boys have a
troop of boy scouts and the girls join the girl scouts or the camp-fire
girls, baseball and basketball teams are formed from the Sunday school
classes, the men have a club which meets once a month for the discussion
of current topics and a supper, the women come together for sewing
parties, and the whole people assemble for suppers and for the
celebration of national holidays and festival occasions. In a small
village in western New York the four Sunday schools have recently formed
an athletic association which has erected a one-story gymnasium in which
the boys can play basketball and all can find enjoyment.

One of the handicaps of the average country church is that its building
is not adapted to social purposes, although the newer buildings are
being constructed with better facilities. Sometimes this need is being
met by erecting a separate church house which is used for Sunday school
and social purposes. Where there is more than one church it is
frequently felt that one building may serve the needs of all and so in
many communities the churches have united in the promotion of community
buildings to serve as social centers for all the people. Thus in its
social as well as in its educational program the church finds that a
satisfactory social life cannot be secured through sectarian
competition, but that by united effort the churches may meet the
community needs.

Although in the past the chief duty of the country minister was to
preach on Sunday, yet those most beloved and most successful in building
up strong churches have won the hearts of their people more largely
through their pastoral work, through their personal acquaintance and
influence on the lives of families and individuals. Although a broader
educational and social program is needed in the rural church, there is
an equal opportunity for a larger service through a new sort of pastoral
work by the minister who can serve the community as a social worker.
There is an impression that there is n