nce this is the case, it appears that the most natural method of
initiating social service work on a voluntary basis is to expect the
churches to take the lead. As has been pointed out, the church and the
school are the two local institutions that have salaried officials to
care for their public service. Other agencies, with the possible
exception of public health nursing service, will probably not in the
near future be able to secure financial support for full-time salaried
local officials. The nearest they can approach to such salaried
service is the county official who must depend for local service upon
trained volunteer help. This condition puts upon the church an
additional responsibility because through the organization of a county
religious organization outlined in the preceding chapter it can not
only mobilize local support for such work on a permanent basis most
effectively, but it can also provide the salaried local leadership for
carrying out a well-organized community service program. Moreover, in
harmony with principles presented in an earlier chapter, the church as
a conservative institution is one of the permanent organizations that
in the last analysis must be expected to take over and insure
permanence to well-tried advances in community organization and
service. If this thesis is admitted, then it logically follows that
all who are interested in rural progress should encourage the
organization of the religious forces on a comprehensive basis to
insure the perpetuation of the work now being inaugurated by a large
number of private agencies.

When it is found that the interests of other organizations conflict
with the program of the church, the interests of the American public
will give the preference in support to the church, or to the
tax-supported institution. In the long run much of the work now being
done by private organizations of various sorts will be inherited
either by the church or by the state; and it is not only the
opportunity but the obligation of the church to prepare itself as
rapidly as possible for conserving these newer activities by financing
county and State and national organizations for coordination of
religious forces for community service. If county offices for
coordination of religious forces were now in existence, the churches
could provide facilities through which much of the work now being
developed by other agencies could be carried on. And thus the church
could render a m