A  further  reorganization  of  our  missionary
agencies  seems  wise  to  many,  and  has  not  escaped
the  attention  of  the  Commission  of  Fifteen.  To
say  that  the  sevenfold  character  of  our  Congrega
tional  work  is  confusing  to  our  churches  is  to  put
it  mildly.  It  is  doubtful  if  a  majority  of  our
church-members  could  give  all  the  names  of  our
seven  societies.  Only  a  minority  of  our  churches
have  been  carrying  the  full  number  of  our  socie
ties  upon  their  benevolence  lists,  many  churches
contributing  to  but  two  or  three.  Doubtless  the
plan  of  proportionate  benevolence  will  gradually
improve  this  situation.  Nothing,  however,
would  relieve  it  so  thoroughly  as  to  reduce  the
number  of  societies.  Such  reduction  would  also
tend,  as  constantly  appears  in  the  business  world,
to  simplify  administration,  diminish  operating
expenses  and  multiply  efficiency.
It  has  been  suggested,  as  one  of  several  pos
sible  readjustments,  that  our  seven  societies
might  be  compacted  into  three:

1.  A  foreign  missionary  society — the  Ameri
can  Board.
2.  A  home  missionary  society,  the  resultant  of
the   Congregational   Home   Missionary   Society,

[147]


Congregation  al  Administration

the  Congregational  Church  Building  Society,
and  the  Board  of  Ministerial  Relief.
3.  A  home-land  religious  educational  society,
a  union  of  the  American  Missionary  Association,
the  Sunday-School  Society,  and  the  Congrega
tional  Education  Society.
Such  a  readjustment  would  leave  the  publica
tion  work  standing  by  itself  as  a  business  agency,
serving  the  whole  denomination,  capable  of  large
expansion  and  efficiency.
