e apostles of the Christian faith have usually been
in the van of the new civilization. Too often they have been apostles of
diverse sects, pious promoters coveting for the church of their zeal
strategic locations and a favorable advantage in the conquest of the
country for The King. But in general, the story of beginnings in the
planting of our American churches has been a tale of real heroism, of
devotion to the highest welfare of humanity and the glory of God, and of
untold sacrifice. In brief these stages of church evolution are as
follows:

1. The period of pioneer struggle and weakness, through which practically
all churches have had to pass.

2. Usually a period of growth and prosperity, sharing the growth of the
community; or, if the new town failed to justify its hopes, a period of
marking time, under the burden of a building debt.

3. The period of struggle against rural depletion, the rural church
meanwhile losing many members to the cities. Apparently a majority of
country churches are now in this stage and for many of them it is a noble
struggle for efficient survival. Thousands of churches however have
succumbed, 1,700 in the single state of Illinois.

4. The ultimate stage of this evolution is the survival of the fittest,
the inevitable result of the struggle. Most churches have not yet worked
this through, but when they do, it is by _readjustment to a redirected
rural life_. It costs much sacrifice in time and money. It requires the
church to study frankly its situation and to surrender cheerfully old
notions of success and to broaden its ideals of service.

_Old and New Church Ideals_

The pioneer type of the circuit-rider church may still be found among the
mountains and other neglected or scattered sections of the country. Its
ideal of success is very simple: a monthly preaching service when the
"elder" makes his rounds; and an annual "protracted meeting" in which the
leader "prays the power down" and all hands "get religion," presumably
enough to last them through the year. For this kind of success only three
factors seem to be essential: a leader with marked hypnotic power, an
expectant crowd ready to respond to his suggestion, and a place to meet.
The place may be simply a roof over a pulpit. Results are meager and the
same souls, may be, have to be saved next year.

We would not deny the itinerant heroes of pioneer days the credit they
deserve for their self-sacrificing labors. Unquestion