ould be formed.

In a township or community where population and resources are inadequate
to support more than one pastor, but where the population is so
distributed that more than one place of worship and organized church are
necessary, a federated circuit should be formed and a common pastor
employed. The several churches should be officially represented on a joint
committee who shall act for the circuit not only in employing the common
pastor, but also in learning and meeting all needs, religious and social,
which require cooperation and concerted action.

In the forming or re-forming of circuits it should be brought to pass that
the various fields served by one pastor should be as close together as
possible. To make the minister's field as compact as possible,
interdenominational circuits should be formed.

The rural ministry should, it possible, be so distributed that in each
township there shall be a resident pastor.

Measures to prevent the recurrence of over-churched conditions should be
taken by every branch of the church. Each should determine not to organize
churches where they are not needed or certain to be needed. In a new
community needing but one church, an expression of the people should be
obtained as to the choice of the church to be established. The desires of
the largest number should be followed.

Where several little churches exist in a sparsely settled community and a
union or federation is not possible or advisable, consideration should be
given to the plan of having all these withdraw, and inviting a branch of
the church not represented locally to come in and organize a single
church.

In the exchange or withdrawal of churches reciprocity should be at least
State-wide in its extent.

Where a denomination is given control or dominance in a community by
withdrawal of other denominations, the continuance of that control or
dominance should be conditional on the church and minister maintaining in
their service a high degree of efficiency--the standard of efficiency to
be determined by the denominational leaders who should formulate a few
simple principles by which the usefulness of a church can be measured. The
denomination holding a field should, for a reasonable length of time,
report to those withdrawing as to progress.

Printed in the United States of America

The following pages contain advertisements of a few of the Macmillan books
on kindred subjects.

RELIGIOUS HAND