The Negro's church,.

Some Aspects of the Negro Rural Ministry 251
discovered that an outstanding urban pastor had gone to the
pastorate of a rural church.
4. PREACHERS AND NOT PASTORS
It has been asserted, and with much truth, that Negro rural
ministers are preachers and not pastors. This contention is to
some extent supported by certain facts. Many of the pastors
serve two, three, four and occasionally five churches. The
strictly country church has preaching services one Sunday in
the month. The rural church that has preaching two Sundays in the month is the exception. Furthermore, rural pastors usually live a considerable distance from their churches.
Of 159 rural churches, only 5.7 per cent. have pastors who
live close by, while 61.0 per cent. have pastors living from
1 1 to 300 miles away.
It may be urged that automobiles and paved roads have
eliminated distance, and that the rural church gets real supervision from its pastor. In some instances this is probably true.
But it is also true that automobiles and paved roads make
it possible for the Negro pastors to spend less time with their
flocks. Before the days of the automobile, the pastor came at
week-ends, by train or in a buggy, and lived around with the
members. Now, he can leave the city or the town early
Sunday morning and arrive in time for the eleven o'clock
service, and leave for home immediately after the evening
service (if there is one).
The four problems are distinctly rural; and must be effectively dealt with if the rural church is to have a more adequate ministry. The salary of the rural ministry is discussed
in chapter xv.