Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 15.djvu/823

 THE RECENT CENSUS OF RELIGIOUS BODIES 809

bers of these churches is only 104. In 1890 it was even smaller, namely, 92. If the average membership is only 104, how great must be the multitude of very small churches. These figures raise the question whether the trouble complained of is a shortage of Protestant ministers or an undue surplus of Protestant churches. It is not clear that the strain could be relieved by increasing the number of ministers. Statistics of ministers' salaries are not included in the present Bulletin; we must wait for the complete report. But we shall run no risk of error if we assume that a large proportion of the Protestant churches must be far below the line of effective self-support, and of effective group-activity. It is evident that denominational zeal has produced a vast amount of unworkable social machinery, and that the only possible relief from the present embarrassment lies in the direction of an actual reduction in the number of local churches.

This conclusion is strengthened by a consideration of the meager material equipment of these organizations. To house the 146,000 Protestant ministers there are only 48,000 parson- ages, one-third as many parsonages as ministers. After making any reasonable deduction for ministers who are not available as pastors, the disproportion will remain very great. The average value of Protestant churches, exclusive of parsonages, is $4,785. For the Methodists, the largest denomination, the average is $3,884, for the Baptists, the next largest, $2,834. The average permanent investment in both church and parsonage (after deduction of debts) is less than $49 a member. When we reflect upon the number of churches that must be below the average membership of 104 and below the average investment of less than $49 per member, we shall not escape the conviction that, through excessive division of groups and of financial resources, the Protestant denominations are indulging in enormous eco- nomic waste and corresponding loss of possible social efficiency.

Shridhar V. Ketkak, Cornell University I enjoyed all the papers submitted to us this evening but I felt special interest in two of them, namely, Professor Shotwell's paper on "The Role of Magic," and the one following, that of Professor Webster, which ex-