Six Thousand Country Churches Part 11

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

Key: 1 _No. of ministers_ 2 _Average salary (including estimated rental value of parsonage)_ 3 _No. of charges giving salaries less than $1,500_ 4 _Per cent_ 5 _No. of charges giving salaries less than $1,200_ 6 _Per cent_ 7 _No. of charges giving salaries less than $1,000_ 8 _Per cent_

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 State 688 $993 662 96 513 75 303 44 Ohio Conference 151 $972 145 96 110 73 79 52 West Ohio Conference 237 $1,004 230 97 184 78 87 37 Northeast Ohio Conference 300 $995 287 96 219 73 137 46

TABLE X

SALARIES OF COUNTRY MINISTERS, UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST, 1917

Key: 1 _No. of ministers_ 2 _Average salaries (including estimated rental value of parsonage)_ 3 _Salaries less than $1,500_ 4 _Per cent_ 5 _Salaries less than $1,200_ 6 _Per cent_ 7 _Salaries less than $1,000_ 8 _Per cent_

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 State 188 $787 188 100 171 91 135 72 Sandusky Conference 63 $866 63 100 58 92 39 62 Southeast Ohio Conference 47 $687 47 100 43 91 37 79 Miami Conference 42 $779 42 100 37 88 30 71 East Ohio Conference 36 $787 36 100 33 92 29 80

CHAPTER III

TABULAR SUMMARY BY COUNTIES

Table F is a summary of the princ.i.p.al facts disclosed by this investigation. These facts are given for the strictly rural towns.h.i.+ps in each of the different counties. They do not include the urban or suburban towns.h.i.+ps. Being intended to present the facts only as to the rural part of each county, they should not be used as representing entire counties or the State as a whole.

In the ten-year period from 1900 to 1910 there was a decline in the population of the strictly rural towns.h.i.+ps of 3.6 per cent. In only 21 counties out of the total of 88 did the rural towns.h.i.+ps increase in population, and most of these are in mining and manufacturing regions. In the strictly agricultural parts of Franklin, Fairfield, Miami and Licking Counties there was an increase of from 2 to 5 per cent, in Medina and Wayne of less than 1 per cent. In the other 67 counties there was a decline, ranging all the way from 1 per cent in Erie, Geauga, and Hamilton to 17 per cent in Paulding. The average population of the strictly rural towns.h.i.+ps varies from 904 in Knox County to 2,743 in Miami, and averages 1,448 for the State.

The number of rural churches for a county varies from 32 in Sandusky and Lake Counties to 130 in Was.h.i.+ngton. The number of churches to a towns.h.i.+p is five for the State, but varies from 3 in Portage, Huron, Delaware, Geauga, Cuyahoga, and Ashtabula Counties to 9 in Allen and Stark. The average number of persons to each country church is 280 for the State, but varies from 182 in Vinton County to 433 in Cuyahoga. The number of open country churches varies from 5 in Butler County to 82 in Was.h.i.+ngton.

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 Was.h.i.+ngton. Those with full time service of a minister vary in number from 1 in Pickaway, n.o.ble, 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 TOWNs.h.i.+PS

(Excluding towns.h.i.+ps in which the population is urban, in which are villages of more than 2,500 inhabitants or in which are parts of large town or city parishes, and those which border on cities and large towns.)

1. Population for 1910.

2. Population for 1900.

3. Per cent increase (+) or decrease (-).

4. No. of strictly rural towns.h.i.+ps.

5. Average No. of persons to a towns.h.i.+p.

6. No. of churches.

7. Average No. of churches to a towns.h.i.+p.

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 1/2 of a minister's service.

13. No. of churches with 1/3 of a minister's service.

14. No. of churches with 1/4 of a minister's service.

15. No. of churches with less than 1/4 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 members.h.i.+p 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 towns.h.i.+ps from 1 to 100 persons to a church.

29. No. of towns.h.i.+ps with from 101 to 200 persons to a church.

30. No. of towns.h.i.+ps with from 201 to 300 persons to a church.

31. No. of towns.h.i.+ps with from 301 to 400 persons to a church.

32. No. of towns.h.i.+ps with from 401 to 500 persons to a church.

33. No. of towns.h.i.+ps with from 501 to 600 persons to a church.

34. No. of towns.h.i.+ps 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.