The Negro's church,.

Origins of the Church

33

paratively dull.2" In the church likewise, there were no stirring changes, although there continued a solid and steady
growth during these years.
There was no decrease in the number of churches originating (except in the rural area which declined from an
average of 3.2 churches to 1.7 churches per year) and there
was also no stimulated advance. The origins of the churches
from 1900 to 1914 show that 140 of the 609 urban and 26
of the 185 rural churches were established. Of the 140
urban churches, 7 per cent. were missions, 4 per cent. were the
result of the migration of Negroes, 14 per cent. were splits,
and 75 per cent. resulted from the initiative of individuals or
groups and other causes such as beginnings from Sunday
schools, revivals and prayer meetings. In the rural areas
during this time 62 per cent. of the 26 churches resulted from
the initiative of individuals or groups, 26 per cent. were splits,
1, or roughly 4 per cent. from Sunday schools, 4 per cent.
were missions, and 4 per cent. were withdrawals from white
churches.
The Migration Epoch
The epoch from 1915 to 1930 was characterized by the
marked migratory movement of Negroes in the United
States. It consisted of the general movement of members of
the Negro population from the rural to urban centers, and
from the urban South to the urban North. The report on
Negro Problems in Cities, T. J. Woofter, Jr., Director, and
the Negro Year Book 1931-32, by Monroe Work, point out
that the migratory movement brought changes in the attitude of the whites toward the Negro in the South; created
or aggravated problems of health, recreation, and housing in
the cities; and introduced new problems for skilled and unskilled labor in the entire country, but especially in the large
northern cities.
20Woodson, C. G., op. cit., chapters ix and xi.