Editorial April 29, 1911 Issue

THE ORGANIZATION OF BRANCH CHURCHES

Archibald McLellan

Primarily a Church of Christ, Scientist, stands for the promulgation of Christ's Christianity,—the preaching of the Word, and the healing of the sick through the demonstration of the teachings of the Master, whose "great commission" to his disciples is the authority and the standard for his followers in all ages. The Church of Christ, Scientist, likewise stands for the manifestation of divine Love in the affairs of men, and for that unity of action and harmony of purpose which always accompanies consecrated effort to do the will of the Father, even as it was done by Christ Jesus.

It is self-evident that in the forming of such a church as this, all animosity, all self-will, all exaltation of personality, all strife and emulative ambition should be put aside, and that there can be but one legitimate reason for its institution in a city wherein there are already one or more branch churches; namely, the actual need of providing for the many that the older organizations are unable to accommodate for lack of room. Only under such conditions as these is there any occasion for the establishment of another church.

In last week's issue of the Sentinel the organization of Tenth Church of Christ, Scientist, of Chicago, was noted, and we have since been informed that this church has held its initiatory public service and has taken its rightful place in the Master's vineyard as a vigorous branch of The Mother Church. The particular reason for again referring to this newest branch church is that it is a case in point. It was found that the congregation of Fifth Church had so increased in numbers that the church edifice was no longer adequate to the demands on its capacity. After due consideration of the situation, it was decided that a hundred or more members should withdraw and form a new church in a neighborhood which seemed to be most desirable, and it is significant that, although there were about four hundred in attendance at the first Sunday service of Tenth Church, the congregation of Fifth Church was not appreciably diminished.

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