140 COMMISSION ON COUNTRY LIFE 



try church needs new direction and to assume 

 new responsibilities. Few of the churches in 

 the open country are provided with resident 

 pastors. They are supplied mostly from the 

 neighboring towns and by a representative of 

 some single denomination. Sometimes the pul- 

 pit is supplied by pastors of different denomina- 

 tions in turn. Without a resident minister the 

 church work is likely to be confined chiefly to 

 services once a week. In many regions there 

 is little personal visitation except in cases of 

 sickness, death, marriage, christening or other 

 special circumstance. The Sunday School is 

 sometimes continued only during the months 

 of settled weather. There are young people's 

 organizations to some extent, but they are often 

 inactive or irregular. The social activity of 

 the real country church is likely to be limited 

 to the short informal meetings before and after 

 services and to suppers that are held for the 

 purpose of raising funds. Most of the gather- 

 ings are designed for the church people them- 

 selves rather than for the community. The 

 range of social influence is therefore generally 

 restricted to the families particularly related 



