SCHEME FOR CHURCH UNION IN NEW ZEALAND PROPOUNDED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18940, 10 December 1929, Page 4

SCHEME FOR CHURCH UNION IN NEW ZEALAND PROPOUNDED.

Wasteful Distribution of Forces Condemned by Rev M . A. Rugby Pratt.

Oil Sunday night at Rugby Street Methodist Church the Rev M. A. Rugby Pratt preached to a large congregation on the subject of church, union. He referred to the changes in living conditions brought about by modern inventions and discoveries, by increased means of communication, by the commingling of the nations in commerce, and by the growth of a world outlook, all of which had their bearing upon church work. Vital problems, that pierced to the very core of the world's life were flinging their challenge at the Christian Church. Much of the world’s life was out of accord with the Christian ideal and uncontrolled by the Christian spirit. The deadliest foe of Christianity was the_ secularistic spirit of a materialistic civilisation. Modern life was being based on assumptions that left no room for God. To many the very idea of God appeared to be irrelevant. The thought of. God as a living personal force, ordering the life of man and the course of history, was becoming ob scured. Spiritual values tended to disappear, human personality to be dwarfed. and personal goodness to find less scope for expression. Then the bewildering complexity of modern life, where no problem was simple, made it imperative to study with open mind and with scientific thoroughness the cold facts of the religious situation. The tragedy of the situation was that the very purpose of religion was being defeated in large measure by the basis on which the churches carried on their work. NARROW DENOMINATIONALISM. Too often the churches were smitten into inefficiency by a spirit of narrow denominationalism, whilst separated sectarian strategies prevented them functioning with power and usefulness. The spirit of denominationalism domiated the situation. “ The churches,” said the preacher, “ proceed independently, with no co-ordinated policy, or programme or procedure. They are ignorant of each other’s plans, and often formulate their programmes in secret for fear of being forestalled.” It was all very pitiful strategy. The churches stood before the world discounted because their divisions and differences defeated the very purpose of their existence and held them back from a great aggressive movement. In tne modem world the Church would nev-r function successfully to the fullest de* gree until its leaders learned the wisdom of corporate thinking and plan ning and working. “ They must.” proceeded the speaker, “ pool their wisdom, define their objectives, reconstruct their programmes, unite their resources, co-ordinate their organisations, and secure a more efficient distribution of the forces of religion.” NO PARTNERS NEEDED. To-day the spirit of union was abroad. Old barriers were down. There was a new sense of inter-dependence. Men had realised the inadequacy of traditional loyalties. They had developed a world-encompassing catholicity of outlook and seemed simultaneously to have grasped a concept of unity. That spirit had given the churches an impulse towards union. Organic church union was at present only a goal to be saluted from afar. But if the churches were to meet the issues of the hour successfully they must relate themselves constructively to existing problems and use their concerted influence to carry through a unified programme on behalf of great and vital interests. Too often the various church courts acted as though the entire task of God’s kingdom was h sectarian monopoly in which no partners were needed. Every Church had its own honoured records and its own inspiring memorials, but the hour had surelv struck to rise above purely sectarian ambitions and unitedly to interpret the infinite variety and inexhaustible riche3 of the Christian evangel. If the churches would but think straight and think unitedly on great moral issues, and act upon a common pro-

gramme, they would become a power that no evil thing could withstand. A sectarian and competitive religion lacked its chief credential. AGREEMENTS AND DIFFERENCES. The things on which all the churches were agreed transcended in potency and promise the things on which they differed. Underlying all their divergencies there was a real spiritual unity. The things that held the churches apart were really non-essentials. The line of cleavage was found in accidents of historical background; forms of church government; temperamental preferences in worship, and conceptions of the sacraments. In these things the rank and file of the people had ceased to take interest. . THE DIFFICULTIES OF UNION. The difficulties of consummating organic union were very real. Those difficulties were best known to those who bore great administrative responsibilities. The crux of the difficulty was not in any mere dread of change, nor was it in overcoming the sacred sentiments of past associations. It lay partly in the tyranny of organisation, in which condition the maintenance of J the machine became more important than the purpose for which the machine was fashioned. It lay, in some measure, in considerations affecting the trusts upon which funds are held and administered, and in commitments for philanthropic work or missionary enterprise. But whilst these things made corporate union difficult of attainment, the real difficulty struck its roots into less worthy soil. It was grounded, in some degree, in the narrowing prejudices of denominational pride, the false fears of the loss of denominational prestige and the dread of restricted denominational opportunity. There was a lot of humbug in laboured defences of disunion and in talk about the inevitability of rivalry and competition. The time had not yet come for any general organic union of the churches, but the hour had struck for the churches to rethink, and restate and revise their plans, their purposes and their programmes. BADLY DISTRIBUTED CHURCHES. The preacher proceeded to deal with existing conditions in New Zealand. He referred to rural areas where the people were divided into impoverished rival groups without moral or spiritual potency. There was a tragic waste of money in maintaining several competing churches. There was duplicated effort and a wasteful distribution of forces. Church work in rural t°wns was not correlated, unified and efficient. There was no real programme for the attainment of definite goals. Large areas were sadly under-churched and without the advantages of a settled ministry and organised religious life. The tides of population were flowing into suburban areas. Suburban dwellers could not afford to build a multiplicity of churches of worthy architectural standard. They should be spared the tragedy of denominational rivalries. SCIENTIFIC SURVEY NEEDED. Existing problems called for scientific survey and analysis. There was need for church leaders to confer in order to discuss frankly, thoroughly and in fraternal spirit their common problems. They must get at the facts, face them in all their sternness, consider their significance, grapple with them courageously and on the basis of ascertained facts formulate proposals for reform. The task called for cooperative Christian statesmanship. There should be a scientific study of the agencies, policies, methods and programmes of all the churches. They must gather data relating to various districts as to population, needs, local

economic resources, existing church agencies, location of churches, the denominational distribution of population, the amount of outside aid being given, and all other facts germane to the programme of the church. After a thorough survey of the field and a study of the facts and figures, they could surely formulate a programme and create efficient machinery for cooperative effort, thus removing the scandal of over-lapping, with its waste of men and money, without involving any denomination irt any real loss of prestige or of opportunity. In some cases a community church might be found to meet all the needs. In other cases a federated church could be established, acting as one congregation for all purposes of work and worship, but in which each unit would maintain unimpaired its legal identity and its denominational attachment. In America these “federal churches” are found to escape the weakness of isolated “community” churches. In concluding, Mr Pratt said that he hoped the various church courts would set up a federal council with a Dominion-wide outlook to formulate some unified programme. Such a council could secure a closer integration of Christian forces for facing common tasks, and could function vigorously and effectively for the extension of the Kingdom of God. At present the churches lived too close to their own problems. If these problems were viewed from the inter-denominational angle, major perplexities might be seen to be only minor difficulties. The goal of corporate union might be reached along the path of fellowship and service.