142 COMMISSION ON COUNTRY LIFE 



trying to reach and influence every individual in 

 the community. It means that " some church is 

 to be responsible for every square mile." When 

 a community is over-churched, it means giving 

 up the superfluous church or churches. When a 

 church is needed, it means a friendly agreement 

 on the particular church to be placed there. 

 This movement for federation is one of the most 

 promising in the whole religious field, because it 

 does not attempt to break down donominational 

 influence or standards of thought. It puts 

 emphasis, not on the church itself, but on the 

 work to be done by the church for all men, 

 churched and unchurched. It is possible that all 

 parts of the country are not quite ready for 

 federation, although a national church federation 

 movement is under way. But it hardly seems 

 necessary to urge that the spirit of cooperation 

 among churches, the diminution of sectarian 

 strife, the attempt to reach the entire community, 

 must become the guiding principles everywhere 

 if the rural church is long to retain its hold. 



(1) The rural church must be more completely 

 than now a social center. This means not so 

 much a place for holding social gatherings, 



