counties, to the state of Maryland, and to western Pennsylvania and Ohio, where elderships were organized. On May 26, 1845, delegates from these three elderships met at Pittsburgh, Pa., and organized the "General Eldership of the Church of God in North America," which name was changed in 1896 to the "General Eldership of the Churches of God in North America."

The eldership in eastern Pennsylvania dropped the word "General" and became the "East Pennsylvania Eldership of the Church of God."

Missionaries were sent into the Western states, and churches were organized in Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. In nearly all these states and territories, annual elderships have been organized, in cooperation with the General Eldership.

DOCTRINE.

In doctrine the Churches of God are evangelical and orthodox, and Arminian rather than Calvinistic. They hold as distinctive views, that sectarianism is antiscriptural; that each local church is a church of God, and should be so called; that in general, Bible things, as church offices and customs, should be known by Bible names, and a Bible name should not be applied to any thing not mentioned in the Bible; and that there are not two, but three, ordinances that are perpetually obligatory, namely: Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the religious washing of the saints' feet. The last two they regard as companion ordinances, which are always to be observed together, and in the evening. The only form of baptism recognized is the immersion of believers. They have no written creed, but accept the Word of God as their only rule of faith and practice. They insist strongly on the doctrines of the Trinity, human depravity, atonement through the sacrifice of Christ, the office and work of the Holy Spirit, man's moral agency, justification by faith, repentance and regeneration, practical piety, the observance of the Lord's Day, the resurrection of the dead, the eternal being of the soul, and future and eternal rewards and punishments.

POLITY.

The polity of the churches is presbyterian. Each local church votes for a pastor, but the annual elderships make the appointments within their own boundaries. The church elects its own elders and deacons, who with the pastor constitute the church council, and are the governing power, having charge of the admission of members and the general care of the

church work. The ministers within a certain territory, and an equal number of laymen elected by the various churches (or charges), constitute annual elderships, corresponding to presbyteries, which have the exclusive right to ordain ministers. Laymen, on recommendation of churches, may be licensed as exhorters. The different annual elderships combine to form the General Eldership, which meets once in four years, and is composed of an equal number of ministerial and lay representatives (elders) elected by the annual elderships.

WORK.

The missionary activities of the Churches of God are under the control of the Board of Missions of the General Eldership, composed of persons elected quadrennially. There is also a Woman's General Missionary Society, independent in its organization, but under the general supervision and control of the Board of Missions.

For home mission work the denomination raised in 1916 the sum of $2,824, which was expended in general evangelistic work, in church extension, and in aiding weak churches. There were 13 missionaries employed, and 24 churches aided.

The foreign mission work dates from October, 1896, when the first missionary sailed for India, and is in the hands of the Woman's General Missionary Society, subject to the control of the Board of Missions. The report for 1916 shows 3 stations, occupied by 4 missionaries and 11 native helpers. These missionaries are stationed in the Bogra District in Bengal and use the Bengali language in their work. They report 1 native church organized, with 27 members, and 7 schools, with 188 pupils. The contributions for this work in 1916 amounted to $4,162, and there is property valued at about $20,000. The work progresses slowly, as the Bogra population is very largely Mohammedan. The educational work of the Churches of God, in its permanent form, began in 1881, when Findlay College, Findlay, Ohio, was incorporated. Fort Scott Collegiate Institute, in Kansas, originally established in 1901, was adopted by the General Eldership in 1905. The report for 1916 shows about 300 students in these 2 institutions, property valued at $138,479, and an endowment fund of $135,664, while the contributions for its support amounted to $15,000.

There is a publishing house and bookstore at Harrisburg, Pa., worth over $100,000 where the Church Advocate and other journals are published.

The number of Young People's Societies reported was 213, with 8,469 members.

From this table there appears to have been a falling off in the number of organizations, church edifices, and Sunday schools, but a considerable increase in the membership, value of church property, debt on church property, number of churches reporting parsonages, value of parsonages, and number of Sunday school scholars. There were 443 organizations reported in 1916, as against 518 in 1906, a loss of 14.5 per cent, and 391 church edifices, as against 417, a loss of 6.2 per cent. Membership, however, increased from 24,356 to 28,376, or 16.5 per cent, and the value of church property from $1,050,706 to $1,418,787, a gain of 35 per cent. Sunday schools decreased in number from 411 to 393, but gained both in number of officers and teachers and in number of scholars, the latter increasing from 29,487 to 39,259, or 33.1 per cent. Contributions for benevolent purposes diminished from $26,550 to $21,992, a loss of 17.2 per cent, the greater loss being in contributions for domestic work.

Certain items not included in the above summary are church expenditures and number of members

under 13 years of age, reported for the first time in 1916, and the languages used in church services.

Church expenditures amounting to $266,338, reported by 402 organizations, cover running expenses, outlay for repairs and improvements, benevolences, and such other items as passed through the church treasury.

The number of members under 13 years of age, as reported by 310 organizations in 1916, was 1,129, constituting 5.4 per cent of the 21,015 members reported by these organizations. Assuming that the same proportion would apply to the 7,361 members reported by the organizations from which no answer to this inquiry was received, the total number of members under 13 years of age for the entire denomination would be 1,524.1

Of the 443 organizations, 437, with 28,028 members, reported services conducted in English only; 5 organizations, with 314 members, in German and English; and 1, with 34 members, in Slavic only. As compared with the report for 1906, this shows a decrease of 2 in the number of organizations using a foreign language, and of 53 in the membership of such organizations.

The number of ministers on the rolls of the denomination was 427. As shown by the following table, 187 sent in schedules of whom 124 reported annual salaries averaging $650. A considerable number of those reporting stated that they were also engaged in other occupations.

HISTORY.

This is a group of Negro churches in Texas, organized about 1908 as a separate body, in protest against what they deem the wrong subservience of the regular denominations to class and race prejudice. They hold that not only the white but Negro denominations have erred greatly in their interpretation of the Bible; and that as the Negro race has advanced since 1865 most rapidly in its spiritual life, notwithstanding the iniquities and prejudices of very many, they should seek the union for which Christ prayed in an organization based distinctly on His Word.

STATISTICS.

The organizations of the Church of the Living God, all of which are in the state of Texas, were reported for the first time in 1916. The statistics for 1916 are given below, and the relation of these statistics to those of other bodies is shown in the general tables in Part I.

This denomination, in 1916, had 28 organizations;

1,743 members-612 males and 1,131 females; 27 edifices; church property valued at $23,875; and a debt on church property of $1,033, reported by 6 organizations. The number of Sunday schools was 27, with 129 officers and teachers and 491 scholars. No parsonages were reported, nor were there any general contributions for missionary or benevolent work.

Church expenditures amounting to $6,199, reported by 27 organizations, cover running expenses, outlay for repairs and improvements, benevolences, and such other items as passed through the church treasury.

The number of members under 13 years of age, as reported by 28 organizations in 1916, was 180, constituting 10.3 per cent of the 1,743 members reported for the denomination as a whole.1

English is the only language used in the conduct of church services in this denomination.

The total number of ministers on the rolls of the denomination was 30. Of these, 25 were reported as in pastoral work, but none of them received a salary. 1See Introduction, p. 10.

HISTORY.

The Church of the Living God, "Christian Workers for Friendship" was organized at Wrightsville, Ark., in 1889, by Rev. William Christian. In 1915 the name was changed to Christian Workers for Fellowship. There have been two secessions from this church: The Church of the Living God (Apostolic Church), now known as the Church of the Living God, General Assembly; and the Church of Christ in God, which more recently has consolidated with the parent body.

The distinctive characteristics of the church are believers' baptism by immersion, the washing of the

saints' feet, and the use of water and unleavened bread in the Lord's Supper. The local organizations are known as "temples" rather than as "churches," and are subject to the authority of a general assembly. The presiding officer is styled the "chief," or "bishop," and the ministry includes evangelists, pastors, and local preachers.

A considerable number of ministers are engaged in general missionary work for the extension of the church; Sunday schools occupy a prominent place in the church life; and there is a gospel extension club engaged in works of mercy, particularly along the lines followed by fraternal societies, rendering assistance in the care of the sick and the burying of the dead.