Six Thousand Country Churches

TABLE V

Resident Ministers in Strictly Rural Townships, in the Open Country, and in Villages

It has not been possible to collect full data as to the length of the rural minister’s service. But the Conference Records give these data for the ministers of the Methodist Episcopal churches. The terms of service of these ministers are not more brief than those in most of the other denominations.

In the Methodist Episcopal Church in Ohio there were, at the time of the Annual Conference in the autumn of 1917, 664 pastors of country churches (see Table VI); 490, or 74 per cent of them, were about to begin their first or second year’s service in their charges; only 174, or 26 per cent, had had two years’ acquaintance with their parishes; 318, or 48 per cent, were beginning their first year of service in their charges; 172, or 26 per cent, were beginning their second year; 110, or 16 per cent, were beginning their third year; while there were only 64, or less than 10 per cent, who had been as long as three years in the parishes they were serving. Only 8, or a little more than 1 per cent, had served as long as five years in their parishes, while only one man had served more than seven years.

TABLE VI

Terms of Service of Methodist Episcopal Country Ministers, 1917

In Table VII it appears that in 2 of the 1,170 strictly rural townships there is a church for each 99 persons or less; that in 227 townships there are from 100 to 199 persons to a church; that in 446 there are from 200 to 299 persons; that in 270 townships there are from 300 to 399; that in 122 townships there are from 400 to 499; that in 53 townships there are from 500 to 599; and that in 45 townships there are 600 persons or more to a church.

In other words, in 675, or 58 per cent, of the townships, there are less than 300 persons, men, women, and children, to a church; in 945, or 81 per cent, of the townships, there are less than 400; in 1,067, or 91 per cent, there are less than 500; while in 103, or only 9 per cent, there are more than 500 persons to a church.

TABLE VII

Average Number of Persons to a Church in 1,170 Rural Townships

In Table VIII a comparison is made between city and country. According to the United States Census of 1910 the population of Ohio numbered 4,767,121, the churches 9,890, or 482 persons to a church. According to the data gathered in this survey in the 1,170 strictly rural townships the churches number 6,060. In 1910 the population in these townships numbered 1,693,894. Assuming that there has been no change in the population since 1910, there is now one church for each 280 persons. But from 1900 to 1910 there was a decline of more than 3 per cent in the population of these townships. If we assume that this decline has continued since 1910 there are to-day on the average less than 280 men, women, and children, church people and non-church people, to give and do all that must be given and done for each country church in Ohio. In such a state of facts, poverty and weakness are inevitable.

Upon the same assumption of no change in population or number of churches since 1910, there are in the 173 suburban townships 342,077 persons and 582 churches, or 587 persons to a church, while in the large towns and cities there are 2,731,150 persons and only 3,248 churches, or 841 persons to a church.

As compared with the city church the country church obviously has a very much smaller opportunity to enlarge its attendance and increase its support and membership until some method of combining country churches shall have been put into successful operation.

TABLE VIII

Average Number of Persons to a Church

Complete data for ministers’ salaries are not available, but the amount of the minister’s pay is indicated by the figures in the official records of the two denominations which have the largest number of rural churches. There were in 1917, 688 pastors of rural churches of the Methodist Episcopal Church. (See Table IX.) These received, on an average, $993 per year, or $857 and free use of parsonage. Six hundred and sixty-two ministers, or 96 per cent, received less than $1,500 per year; 513, or 75 per cent, received less than $1,200 per year; while 303, or 44 per cent, received less than $1,000.

In the United Brethren Church, according to the records of its Conferences, in 1917 there were 188 pastors of rural churches. (See Table X.) Their average salary was $787, or $680 and free use of parsonage; not one received as much as $1,500 salary; 171, or all but 17, received less than $1,200; while 135, or 72 per cent, received less than $1,000.

Not only are ministers given inadequate pay, but the rate of its increase in relation to the increase in the cost of living gives no promise of its becoming adequate.

In the Ohio Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church the average salary of the country minister in 1905 was $733, including the estimated rental value of parsonage, while in 1915 it was $915, making an increase of $182, or 25 per cent, in ten years. During the same period, however, according to data supplied by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the retail prices of food consumed by the ordinary workingman’s family in the nation increased no less than 37 per cent.

It is probable, on the other hand, that the farmers have a constantly increasing ability to pay, for in the ten-year period from 1900 to 1910 there was, according to the United States Census reports, an increase in the total value of farm property in the State of nearly 60 per cent.

TABLE IX

Salaries of Methodist Episcopal Country Ministers, 1917

TABLE X

Salaries of Country Ministers, United Brethren in Christ, 1917

CHAPTER III

The number of churches with a resident minister varies from 9 in Jackson County to 45 in Wood. The number of churches without a resident minister varies from 17 in Lake County to 103 in Washington. Those with full time service of a minister vary in number from 1 in Pickaway, Noble, and Jackson Counties to 25 in Columbiana and Wayne. In one county, Wyandot, there are no churches without some part of a minister’s time. In Clermont County there are no less than 30 of them.

TABLE F

Summary by Counties of Data for the 1,170 Strictly Rural Townships

1. Population for 1910.
2. Population for 1900.
3. Per cent increase (+) or decrease (-).

4. No. of strictly rural townships.
5. Average No. of persons to a township.
6. No. of churches.
7. Average No. of churches to a township.
8. Average No. of persons to a church.

9. No. of churches with a resident minister.
10. No. of churches without a resident minister.
11. No. of churches with full time service of a minister.
12. No. of churches with ½ of a minister’s service.
13. No. of churches with ⅓ of a minister’s service.
14. No. of churches with ¼ of a minister’s service.
15. No. of churches with less than ¼ of a minister’s service.
16. No. of churches with no regular service of a minister.
17. No. of churches for which ministerial service data are not available.

18. No. of churches with from 1 to 25 members.
19. No. of churches with from 26 to 50 members.
20. No. of churches with from 51 to 75 members.
21. No. of churches with from 76 to 100 members.
22. No. of churches with from 101 to 150 members.
23. No. of churches with from 151 to 200 members.
24. No. of churches with more than 200 members.
25. No. of churches whose membership is not reported.

26. No. of churches in villages containing from 51 to 2,500 inhabitants.
27. No. of churches in the open country (including villages of less than 51 inhabitants).

28. No. of townships from 1 to 100 persons to a church.
29. No. of townships with from 101 to 200 persons to a church.
30. No. of townships with from 201 to 300 persons to a church.
31. No. of townships with from 301 to 400 persons to a church.
32. No. of townships with from 401 to 500 persons to a church.
33. No. of townships with from 501 to 600 persons to a church.
34. No. of townships with more than 600 persons to a church.

35. No. of villages containing from 51 to 200 inhabitants.
36. No. of villages containing from 51 to 200 inhabitants having a resident minister.
37. No. of ministers resident in villages containing from 51 to 200 inhabitants.
38. No. of villages containing from 201 to 500 inhabitants.
39. No. of villages containing from 201 to 500 inhabitants having a resident minister.
40. No. of ministers resident in villages containing from 201 to 500 inhabitants.

41. No. of villages of more than 500 inhabitants.
42. No. of villages of more than 500 inhabitants having a resident minister.
43. No. of ministers resident in villages of more than 500 inhabitants.

44. No. of villages of 201 to 2,500 inhabitants without a church.
45. No. of villages of 51 to 200 inhabitants without a church.