agriculturally, socially, morally; and, if it succeeds, the
church will be the first to reap the rewards of a finer comradeship.

4. _A Community-Serving Spirit_

Many a country church is dying from sheer selfishness. The same of course
is true in the city. Many people doubtless think the church exists for the
benefit of its members only. If this were true, the church would be simply
a club. Selfishness is slow suicide for an individual. It is equally so
for a church. A self-serving spirit in a church is contrary to the spirit
of Jesus and it kills the church life. It is a bad thing for a church to
have the reputation for working constantly just to keep its head above
water, struggling to keep alive, just to go through the motions of
religious activity, yet making no progress. Many a church is dying simply
for lack of a good reason for being. Can you not hear the voice of the
Master saying, "The church that would save its life shall lose it; but the
church that is willing to lose its life, for my sake, the same shall save
it"?

Let the church adjust its program to a larger radius. Let it be a
_community-wide_ program. If there are other churches, it will of course
not invade the homes of families under their care. But aside from this, it
will plan its work to reach out to all neglected individuals as well as to
serve all social and moral interests of the community as a whole. Let its
motto be "We seek not yours but you." The church will not be able to save
the community until it proves its willingness to sacrifice for the sake of
the community.

5. _A Broad Vision of Service and Program of Usefulness_

This next factor making for efficiency is very closely related to the
last. _A useful country church will not die._ A church that is really
serving its community in vital ways will so win the appreciation of the
people that they will support it because they love it. Some churches and
ministers seem too proud to include in their program anything but
preaching, praying, hymn-singing, with an occasional funeral, wedding and
baked-bean supper to break the monotony. In a social age like this, with
multiplying human needs, such a church is on the way to death. The church
must recognize its responsibility, as its Master recognized it, to meet
all the human needs of its people. Many country communities with meager
social equipment, often with manifold human needs absolutely unmet, demand
the broadest kind of brotherly ser