ance the Commission and the Association are deeply
grateful, and here express their hearty thanks.

CHAPTER II

THE RURAL CHURCH MAPS OF OHIO

In Part III of this volume are 88 country church maps, one for each county
in the State of Ohio. The making of these maps was part of a program
adopted in 1914 by the Commission on Church and Country Life of the
Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America. It seemed to the
Commission that an attempt ought to be made to test the possibilities of
rural church improvement through interdenominational cooperation in some
one State. Ohio was chosen because of its geographical location, because
of the variety of its church conditions, and because in a number of its
counties a country church survey had already been made. This survey had
indicated a widespread need for the readjustment of church life to
community welfare in rural Ohio.

It was therefore determined, if possible, to complete a series of maps for
the entire State which would summarize the facts. In dealing with so many
churches in so large an area, it was of course feasible to collect only a
very small number of facts concerning each church. Accordingly the facts
to be gathered were limited to the location of every rural church, its
denomination, its present membership, whether it is gaining or losing in
membership, whether it ordinarily has a resident pastor, and if not, what
part of a minister's service it receives.

The collection of such facts was necessary, first, to impress upon the
church officials and others the actual urgency of the situation, and
second, to provide a basis for a workable policy of interchurch
cooperation and reciprocity in influencing or directing the redistribution
of ministers and churches.

While the making of the church maps appeared to be the least amount of
preliminary work that would open the way for effective action, it was
evident that nothing adequate could be done for rural church betterment
without interdenominational, or undenominational, organization. Therefore,
when the branch office of the Commission on Church and Country Life was
opened in Columbus, Ohio, in August, 1914, at the same time the Ohio Rural
Life Association was formed to cooperate with the Commission in its work
in the State. Soon afterward a Committee on Interchurch Cooperation,
consisting of executives in charge of the country churches of eleven
denominations, was organized. The principles whic