ENGLISH PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1166, 17 June 1911, Page 9

ENGLISH PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD.

MEETING IN MANCHESTER. The Synod of tho Presbyterian Church of England met in Grosvenor Square Church, Manchester, on May 1, The retiring Moderator, I?cv. James Mollis, M.A., of St. George's. South port, who took charge of lli'o opening proceedings, closed his sermon on a note of hopeful cheer. In relinquishing the chair to his successor, ho spoke of his tour of the Church, ;:nil in particular remarked on the vrellequipped libraries of the manses he had visited. The character of the hooks sugzc°td\ to him that there was a significant alertness of lite ministerial mind in regard to the life and needs of the present generation, especially as to problems connected with the training of the young, and social questions. The report of the Board cf Nomination was submitted, and in accordance with its recommendation I'cv. Robert M'Alpino Thornton, M.A., T1.1).. minister of Camden Hoad Church, London, was unanimously called to the chair. Dr. Thornton delivered his inaugural address on "Spiritual Efficiency, the Essential of a Christian Church." By thi! spiritual -efficiency of (ho Church, he said he meant its fitness to secure the iu'gh ends for which a Christian Church exists. When a Church is spiritually "liieiouf i! wis as n moral force, felling for good upon society and upon the individual. Dr. Thornton look up (he crave question—Ts the Treslivlerian Church in England spiritually efficient? Is i.' as potent a force in England as it might and ought to bo? For the most Tract his reply was in the negative. Dr. Thornton passed on from considering signs of encouragement and hope, the rising "moral tone of the community, the dcroa c o of intemperance, and the sense cf the liroiliThond of man li inquire inlo the reasons for spiritual inefficiency. Dr. Tliorule'.i put a few questions: fl) Have v.'o been making too much of numbers and too lilllc of the kind of persons whom we admit into Church fellowship? i"J) Do we give adequate prominence to Christ in our preaching? (fl) Do we preach with a lively hope and expectation

of success? (J) Have wo ourselves proved our mes'-age? (5) llavo wo too litllo prayer? The ouc great need of the Church of Christ to-day was spiritual power. Prayer was, more than all other remedies, the need of the hour. Tlio report on statistics was presonlw by the general .secretary (Hev. W. M. Maephail, M.A.), who kindled in his audience something of his own enthusiasm for the progress of the Church we love. There are now 354 congregations, with a total membership of SG,B2S, an increase of 20 only for the year. The small increase is accounted for in pant by 11m large number of members. 373, reported as lapsed ill one congregation, and by heavy; losses in a few largo congregations which have been vacant for part of the year. The insured value of our buildings is .£1,825,215, a considerable increase; while the debt is -£122,057, a decrease of nearly ,£IOOO. The number of elders is 2853; the deacons, whose functions are financial and temporal only, number 1000; and managers, whose functions are similar to those of the deacons, number 2698. The total income of the Church from all sources was .£2!)0,341, as against for 1909. The >-nin contributed for missionary objects was ,£43,GIS, as against '.£35,580 in the preceding year.