CONGREGATION. \LISTS. 



4? were in the college proper, and 114 in the 



Oct. 10. The Hon. Nelson 

 ei-Governor of Maine, was chosen 

 tical report presented by 

 Use*reur I >r. Haien, showed tiuU 



the MSBbervhip of the Congregational churches 

 had inoreasftt during the inenntum by 58,448, a 

 number larger by 9.000 than in the ,-. 

 three years, or any threr 'he record, 



milwr added on confession of faith was 

 .-number of infant baptisms, 84392. 

 almost .000 rnofr th ni . ious period; 



the gain in members of the Sunday nchoo 

 . rid in members of young people's a 

 a&MO, the whole number of Congregational 

 ambers of these societies being 904,065. The 

 hr of churches added to the roll wa 

 131. bat the net gain of churches was onl v 856, 

 or 119 a year. W hen the council met in Boston 

 in 1865 it represented 2,745 churches, with 262,- 

 400 member* in 98 State* and Territories. It 

 was now at home in erery State except Dela- 

 ware, and every Territory except Alaska, had 

 added 2^97 churches to its roll, almost doubling 

 iber, and had gained 820,890 in mcm- 



The gain of members was largest in the inte- 

 rior where it was 81,077, or 8,500 more than in 

 the Karf and West combined. In this list Illi- 

 nois stood first, with 6.994 of increase, and was 

 followed by Michigan. Iowa, Massachusetts*, Cal- 

 ifornia, and Ohio. Of the gain of churches, 155 

 were in thr interior, 1'X in the West, and ?:J in 

 the Hart, Alabama led in it with .V. of increase, 

 and was followed by Oklahoma, Illinois. Michi- 

 gan, and Wisconsin. The five States having 

 more than 800 churches were Massachusetts, 

 Michigan, Illinois. Connecticut, and Iowa, 

 Massachusetts stood first in the number of mem- 

 bers. 100.474. and was followed by Connecticut, 

 $1357. New York, Illinois, Ohio, and Iowa, each 

 havinc more than 80.000 members. 



i -,..', 



tri but ions re ported 



for the three years was $7.244,682. The average 

 per member was $12.89. or $423 per annum. 

 The influence of the financial situation appeared 

 in the contrast of the small gain of *i 

 with that of $1.188^06 during the pn 

 tnrnnmra. The decrease had come into 

 only during the past two years. The fifth-year 

 unties showed that the 5342 churches had 

 4.417 houses of worship, valued at > 

 or an average of $9,792: that 2.032 of the 

 church** had parsonages, valued at $4,580.289; 

 that i .on of the churches bad invested funds to 

 tbr amount of $8381,750. and 1.562 churches 

 had debts amounting to $8300,796; or. in other 

 words, the invested funds would pay all the 

 dehu and leave $881jOOO surplus. A gain of 

 $ttjMl was reported in assets held by t h 



*>uncil and the Committee on Mini- 

 t^ial Belief, chiefly from legacies. The Church 

 Manual * reported to be complete,! ith full 

 instruction* for the organization and conduct of 

 a chnrrh. The report of the committee on 

 church unity included a review of a number 

 of propositions which hail been made with nf- 

 lo that end, chiefly those of the bishops 



of the Protestant Episcopal church, of tl 



. ol the Chri-lian Connect ion. 

 and the " New J ;.m " of ( 



pitioimli-ts. The proposition <>r the i 



embodx!!!-; the " l.'iir point*" of the Lambeth 

 articles,*' bad failed to be accepted by othi 

 DXNninations on aooounl of the Impossibility of 

 agreeing U|N>II the Interpretation to be given to 



"the historic episcopal <." A proposal n 

 the hix-iples of Chn-t was di-mi 



practicable, because it insisted on i he bapn-iu 

 of |KMiitent believers by iin iner-i- -n only. It \\as 



IK. mted out that the first steps toward umn 



could best be taken between deiiomn 

 which were govern- d by the same p,|it;, 



previou- National Coiim-il had said "that allil- 

 lalioii with our denomination of chunl 

 now Upon our roll should be welcomed upon 

 the basi- of the common evangelical faith, sub- 

 stantial Congregational polity, and free commun- 

 ion of Chri>tian>. without regard i 

 minor dilTeren< 



That resolution opened the way fully for fel- 

 lowship with any Church or Churches 'that pre- 

 fer to practice baptism by immersion and only 

 on confession of faith I'M Chri>(. It had n'- 

 mo\eil one stumbling-block in the way of union 

 with the Free Baptists. In their case, ho 

 an unsuccessful negotiation for union in .Michi- 

 gan with the regular Baptists had, with < ther 

 things, made it seem untimely to press the sub- 

 ject at present. There was, however, believed 

 to be a growing sentiment amount he |->. 

 lists in favor of closer union with other > 

 either Baptist or Congregational ist. A more 

 satisfactory deuce had been had with 



the Christian Connect ion. the hi-tory of which 

 brought to consideration what was known as the 

 " New Jersey Declaration," concerning which the 

 report continued : 



It propone* orcranic union with the Free 

 and the Christian Connection, on the hasi* of the 

 neral faith in the Scripture*, interpreted with 

 Christian liberty. It declare* t!,at n h; 1 

 wkctl in their customs or faith. It .h-in-s that they 



fhull "inaintnin tlieir teaching a.x to the manner and 

 MbjectSOf baptism, 11 and it de< lares that " \ve an- un- 

 der Umdatfc b> no creed. I.utlieran. Calvini.Htie <-r Ar 

 ininiun. and that our only authority i> t-.ijn.l in the 

 H.ly S.-riptures. It docs not ak that th. \ "should 

 fink their names or irive up their loved onrani. 

 or vextod intcreatM.* 1 and it profeases a desire to u ac- 

 EDi \\lii.-h tliey in the exen-isc of their 

 '.ti-.u* riifhts and their Christian afl 

 could aj*k," and on f-u.-h term-* it invites eorr 

 enoe with them. The Deelarati-.n ,01,,. lu< 1. 



a pr-.p- i Dfoposed basis of unkm [for whlei 



ee the ii'-ti-.n of th- Council following the presenta- 

 tion ..t the report]: 



Thi* paper wan wnt to the van- 

 Suite iKNli,.... and has b 



' 



Ohio, IlliiK.iH. Indiana, I 

 ton. and perhspi of ot! 



In a/M-ordati.-.- witli tin* purpose of tliis j.aper. tin: 



eommittee whoe name* n repre- 



nti'iii of the 



ChnSti ' i'lfi. \v)iich ]nn\\ p;i-*ed verv cor- 



dial r further action \>y 



National Convention, which wa* t'. i 

 Haverhill. Maiw.. in O Your fomrnitteu 



presented at that <-onvention by two of their 

 number, and were mo*t eordiul lv received. Two 

 daya were devoted to the discoMMM of union with 



