THE FAILURE OF THE CHURCH

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14830, 22 November 1913, Page 16

THE FAILURE OF THE CHURCH

DR BROUGITTOX'S CONCLUSIONS. I>r. Len Broughton received a hearty "welcome home" at Christ Church last month. He told his people that ho Lad been hard at work all tho time he was away, speaking every day in America duiiny extiaoKiuiary huai. but lie came iiomu "quko lit, ' unucipuuiig a very year. L>v. lirougatoii, in a lengtiiy and characteristic auui-oss, tacklt-U the problem, "How Can wo Get Aleu aud \\ omen to Atteud ChurchY" During tiio last ten or tweivo years, he saiu, he had beoii privileged to travel a great deal, and iiad almost compassed the whole of Cnristencioni. Wherever he had he had been struck by tho fact that with all its machinery and organisation the Church had failed to a large extent to attract the masses. There- never was a more excellent or moro powerful Ministry. The Church was never so widely advertised. Yet to a great extent, the pews were empty. Dr. Broughton ventured to say that one could count on one's lingers the churches either in England or America that have big congregations twice on Sunday. Coming to suggestions as to the cause of the failure, Dr. Broughton, who was not at all pessimistic, brought an old parable up to date. Men said they wore tired and could not come. They had bought a motor and must try it, so could not come. They had married a wife who held Sunday evening

parties, and so could not come. _ There had been failure to press the obligation of church membership. Secondly, there had been improper emphasis in preaching. We were tempted to rely too much on politics and social reform and too little on prayer and on God. Dr. Broughton thanked God he had kept the pledge ho mado on entering the ministry, that he would never meddle with party politics. How could they hope to win men when one of tho greatest religious newspapers in the world, published in London, talked of a certain Conservative triumph as tho triumph of "our enemies?!! , .Thirdly, Dr. Broughton declared that it was almost impossible to get a card of invitation distributed nowadays without paying somebody to do it. Too many Christians did their "work by proxy. Ho suggested the formation of a Personal Workers' Band, which should go into the highways and hedges and "compel them to come in."