astoral care.

4. Adjust interdenominational relationships so that the ideal of but
one resident pastor and one church to each community may be realized.

5. Provide means of interdenominational cooperation so that rural
religious forces may work together in dealing with common problems of
rural social and religious progress.

6. Organize rural work so that it may have due consideration in the
general policies of religious organizations.

7. All the above are preliminary to the one great object, from the
social point of view, namely, that of making it possible for the rural
church and the rural minister to function most effectively in
bringing more abundant life in the best sense to rural people.

After religious forces are organized so that they can present a united
front in the attack on the great social problems of rural life, then
the individual churches and all churches together can undertake to
meet the challenge outlined in earlier chapters of this text and also
well presented in much of the recent literature on the subject. But
effective organization must precede most effective and permanent
service.

Certain principles have been the guiding influence in the program on
which the rural department of at least one of the leading
denominations has been working. For those who come to positions of
administrative responsibility from time to time without having been
under the necessity of acquainting themselves with the principles that
should guide in the safe expenditure of funds for maintenance of
pastors, these are given here:

1. Principles of interdenominational ethics should be observed in
making grants of missionary funds to local pastors. It is to be feared
that too often funds have been used to sustain a local work in the
presence of another denomination when efforts at interdenominational
adjustment would have relieved the situation by removing the necessity,
namely, that of division of local resources by competing religious forces.

2. Owing to the unusual problems presented on charges asking for
missionary aid only the ablest ministers should be assigned to such
points. They should be supported according to their needs through
missionary aid, and their acceptance of difficult work should enhance
rather than lessen their standing in the church.

3. Rigid avoidance of use of missionary funds for purposes of charity,
or for making appointments easier. The charge, not the minister, is
the objective.