The Negro's church,.

110

The Negro's Church

The per cent. of average attendance, 42.5, compares favorably
with the per cent. of regular contributors, 43.8. On the average, 57.5 per cent. of church-members, or more, are not
present at services on Sunday morning. The evening services
do not compare favorably with the morning services. In a
few isolated cases, the evening congregations are larger than
those of the morning, or are equal to them; but these instances
are rare. The average evening attendance per church is 130.4,
slightly more than half of that reported for the morning services. There is no way to check the number of visitors who
worship in these churches. It is obvious, however, that if an
investigation could be made at this point, it would show that
the average attendance on the part of the membership would
be considerably reduced. It must also be stated that the average Sunday membership attendance at church cannot be appraised by attendance at any one service. Many people go to
church only once on a Sunday; and it may be to attend
Sunday school, eleven o'clock service, young people's society
or evening worship.
ATTENDANCE AT PRAYER MEETING NEGLIGIBLE
Three hundred and eighty-eight churches gave 15,156 as
the attendance at the mid-week services or prayer meetings.
On this basis, the average attendance per church at prayer
meetings is 39; or 6.7 per cent. of 226,748, the combined
membership of the 388 churches.
PROBABLE IMPLICATIONS
The very small attendance at the night services and prayer
meetings when compared with the total membership and the
attendance at the eleven o'clock services, can be explained in
part by the fact that nothing very attractive goes on at these
services. Ordinarily the minister preaches his best and most
effective sermon in the morning. He is not only physically
less fit at night, but he is mentally less prepared. As for the