The Negro's church,.

Financial Status of the Rural Churches 265
with the present set-up, be able to command a trained ministry and develop an effective program. Life on the farm is
less permanent with the Negro now than formerly. The
Negro rural population is gradually decreasing, and rural
church-membership seems to be less stable than that in the
city. These facts alone make it very difficult for the rural
church to make much progress. Economic stability is a necessary factor for real church development. If the churchmembers continue to move away, and if the number of Negro
farm owners and prosperous renters does not increase, the
rural church is likely to prove even less effective in the future
than it is at present.