by the minister of a community
program and included in his program, and that in those communities
where such trained pastoral leadership exists the functions of these
other agencies can be materially modified and their activities
directed into still further new and untried fields of endeavor. The
church needs organizations supported from funds not coming through the
regular channels founded on the budgets of individual churches. These
subsidiary organizations can go ahead with experimentation, and their
failures do not bring the discredit to the parent organization that
they would if done by the church directly. On the other hand, their
successes can be adopted into the regular program of the church and
thus conserved. Complete control of experimentation or demonstration
work is likely to destroy or prevent initiative, which is the soul of
progress.

In adjusting problems between denominations in local communities a
number of plans have been tried with greater or less success. One of
the oldest is that of the "union" church. This is a type of
organization in which the people of the local community, tiring of the
uneconomic system of interdenominational competition, and without hope
of uniting on any one of the local organizations represented, decide
to separate from all and form themselves into an independent local
organization.

No large denomination to-day is favorable to the so-called "union"
church; and all are opposed to the plan sometimes followed by rural
industrial concerns of erecting a church building open to anyone who
pretends to speak with authority about religious matters. The "union"
church usually begins with enthusiasm, but because of lack of outside
contacts, because of lack of continuity of program, because of lack of
a broad missionary spirit, it is generally shortlived and gives way to
some church with denominational affiliations. The "union" church
without denominational affiliations should not be confused with the
"community" church with denominational connection. It is the latter
type that most religious organizations are now agreed is most
desirable as the solution of the inexcusable overchurching now
existing in many communities.

In these days of get-together movements denominational leaders should
think clearly with reference to "federated" churches. A few of these
have had a fairly long life. But their growth in the past fifteen
years has not been such as to inspire confidence that they