y the more successful
churches replied to the questionnaire, we have by other means secured
information in regard to certain churches which did not reply. Some of
them were found to be as successful as those which did. For example, the
federated church of North Wilbraham, Massachusetts, the constituent bodies
of which are Methodist Episcopal and Congregational churches, has greatly
increased in membership, attendance, and in the influence it exerts for
various kinds of progress in its community. It would be very difficult to
find any country church, either denominational or federated, whose record
for service is better.

In two cases in New England where the federated church has failed, it was
reported that the pastors regarded the federated church as a temporary
expedient and tried hard to change it into a denominational church. Such
action would necessarily be regarded as a breach of faith on the part of
one of the churches, and disaster might well be expected to follow. The
authors know of no experience which indicates any inherent weakness in the
federated church, nor so far as they are aware is there any evidence that
a federated church has injured the denomination of any component church.
On the contrary, a very large majority of the small churches which have
united with others in such federation have gained rather than lost, with a
resulting benefit to each denomination concerned.

CHAPTER VIII

OTHER PROGRESSIVE CHURCHES

1. _A Church Federation_

In the village of Shiloh in Richland County are two churches, Lutheran and
Methodist Episcopal, each supporting a resident pastor. Each seems to be
strong enough to sustain alone its ordinary activities. For this and other
reasons there has been no desire to unite the churches into one
congregation. But they had both neglected to provide means of meeting many
of the community's needs, such as opportunities for social life,
recreation, and athletics, or to stimulate others to make provision for
them. As usual under such conditions, gambling and other amusements of a
questionable sort became more or less common. In order the better to look
after the needs of the young people and to strengthen the moral life of
the community, a committee representing both of the churches was appointed
to provide and carry out a program for the community welfare.

One of the features of this program is a successful movement for the
promotion of the social, athletic, and play