THE COUXTRY CHURCH PROGRAMME 169 



The services to be rendered by such an executive 

 would consist in the exploration of the field ; the plan- 

 ning of appropriate means of service; the holding of 

 conferences for the arousing and guiding of opinion; 

 and the preparation of necessary helps for the task. 

 Yet must the church cease to look for the prophet of a 

 wonder-working movement that shall solve our prob- 

 lem, and gird herself for a serious task. The need 

 for both oversight and local endeavor is well 

 put in the opening words of a Manual issued 

 recently by the Joint Commission on Social Service 

 of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United 

 States. " This pamphlet is the first of a series on 

 various phases and methods of social service. It is 

 intended to follow this initial pamphlet with others on 

 such topics as ' The Agricultural Community and its 

 Problems.' . . . The success of social service depends 

 ultimately upon the efforts of the individual parish. 

 Unless the minister of the individual church and 

 his workers, men and women, take a hand in actual 

 community service, the efforts of larger units, diocesan 

 or national social service organizations, must go largely 

 for naught. In fact a chief object of these larger bodies 

 should be to interest the individual parish and its 

 minister in the world-wide movement to improve con- 

 ditions of life and work for men, women and children."* 

 Such initiative and oversight an effective programme 

 would lay upon our Secretaries of the Board of Social 

 Service. 



The next desideratum for the programme is a Survey 

 of Rural Conditions under such guidance. In order 





* " A Social Service Manual for the Parish." 



