County Survey M anual The INTERCHURCH WORLD MOVEMENT of NORTH AMERICA County Survey Manual prepared especially for those participating in the Rural Survey Issued by The Rural Survey Division Interchurch World Movement 111 Fifth Ave., New York City County Survey Manual J In view of the immensity of this task and the necessity of completing it within a reasonable length of time, we must not allow our attention to be diverted from the major purposes involved. The history of the sur- WHAT vey movement shows no parallel in size or import- RURAL ance to this undertaking. Completeness, thor- SURVEY oughness and absolute accuracy are indispensable. INVOLVES In spite of the great area to be covered, each in- dividual community or church is likely to be a center of interest, and the facts on it are likely to be subjected to minute inspection. Three processes are involved: (a) The securing of aU necessary data bearing upon the task of the church in the areas stirveyed. (b) Assembling this material, tabulating it and pre- senting it in graphic form. (c) Interpreting the material in terms of a budget and of a program of adjustment and promotion. The securing and assembling of the material are the functions of the survey men under the direction of the state survey super- visor. The interpretation in the terms of the budget and the program is primarily the work of those forces and organizations, local, state and national, whose interests are involved, and is not the responsibility of the survey men. The task of the survey men, therefore, is to secure for conference all the facts necessary for the formulating of budgets and programs. 3 11 . SCOPE OF SURVEY Many topics of interest and importance must be excluded from this initial study. Some may properly be made the subjects of later supplementary studies. In pre- paring schedules which will be used, five things have been in mind: (a) The discovery of those factors in the community’s life which condition religious work. We must present an accurate and sympathetic picture of the community in which the church is at work. (b) To discover the unit of territory and population which should be made the basis of parish organiza- tion and development. This is the least imder- stood aspect of the present rural problem. The effort must be to discover what are the actual boundaries of existing communities and what the relation of these communities is to the parish boundaries. (c) To locate and study various other social insti- tutions whose work is related to the work of the church. (d) To minutely analyze the church as a working or- ganization. This is our point of major emphasis. This whole survey is concerned with the church in its relation to the community life. (e) To make clear the various ecclesiastical relation- ships which must be taken into account in deter- mining the policy for any given community. This will take us into the realm of church extension and development. This is a field of vital im- portance. 4 III. (a) All information secured by the survey must be brought down to terms of a definite geographical area. This is a survey of counties and communities. We are not seek- CHARAC- ing information in the large, but ^ERISTICS . , 4. . 4. - OF METHOD prunarily facts in concrete form applicable to given unit of territory. (b) In preparing the schedules we have tried to regard the structural integrity of community life. It is necessary that the surveyors should not ig- nore or under-estimate any problem which is vital to community development. (c) Our information must be secured in measurable and comparable terms. It is necessary to make compilations of figures on various units for various purposes. For example, most denominations will wish to assemble the material for their own work by such ecclesiastical units as prevail within their respective denominations, viz.: Presbyteries, Districts, Associations, Classes, etc. It is, there- fore, necessary to secure facts and figures in such a way that the data of one county can be com- pared to or added to the data of another. For this reason, you should impose on all survey men the necessity of using accurate units of measure- ment accurately. One cannot add up “I think so’s” and “about’s.” (d) A survey is made to discover facts and not to prove theories or establish theses. All connected with the survey must be open-minded in their work. 5 IV. e) We must keep before us that this survey is not a still hunt of an amateur detective, but is an open undertaking in which we provide the leader- ship and direction, but in which we must have the cooperation of local forces. All adjustments grow- ing out of this survey will have to be made by local forces, and the survey, so far as possible, must proceed through them. (a) National Headquarters. This rural survey is part of the whole Home Missions Survey, under the leadership of Ralph A. Diffendorf- er, but, so far as operation is concerned, it will be conducted as RESULTS a unit, though in close touch with other aspects of the Home Missions Survey. A Rural Survey Committee has been formed to have general oversight. The Secretary of the Rural Survey Committee of the Home Missions Council, Dr. Edmund deS. Brunner, has been taken over by the Inter church World Movement to be Sec- retary in charge of the Rural Survej'. To him should be addressed all general questions of policy and procedure. Associated with him as Staff Secretary, in charge of method of survey, is Hermann N. Morse, of the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions. To him should be addressed all technical questions of survey procedure, inter- pretation of blanks, tabulation, etc. The address of the National Headquarters for this survey is — 894 Broadway, New York City. 6 V. (b) State Headquarters. In each state will be a state supervisor, a State Survey Council, consti- tuted as elsewhere described in this manual. (c) In each county will be a group of survey men, one of whom shall be designated as leader. A County Survey Council shall also be formed. These county men are responsible to the state oflSce and make their approach to National Headquarters through the state oflBce. (a) To organize and cultivate the Coimty Survey Council. For particulars see VI — (a). (b) Do the actual field work of the survey. Detailed instructions are GENERAL given in this pamphlet. One mem- DUTIES ber of the county survey team should be designated as the leader. He shall report weekly of the progress of the survey to the state supervisor on blanks which will be furnished. All inquiries from the county men representing the survey should be addressed to the state supervisor. (c) To make a map of the county. Detailed instruc- tions for this will be furnished later. (d) To tabulate the material secured in the survey and to prepare it for the consideration of the County Council, or of other conferences which may be held. Detailed instructions on this will be furnished later. (e) Following the completion of the survey, certain conferences will be held for the consideration of 7 ^e) the material and for the preparation of budgets and programs and the making of necessary adjust- ments. The county men will naturally be called upon to lead in the discussions in these confer- ences relative to the conditions in their county. VI. The county workers will have all expenses incurred in the work paid. It is unfortunate that their time also cannot be paid for, but this would make the cost of the sur- INITIAL prohibitive, as there are almost 3,000 rural STEPS counties in America. Expenses for travel, postage, meals while away from home in the interest of the survey, should be included in itemized accounts and submitted to the state rural survey supervisor. All supplies will be furnished by the state supervisor. (a) The County Survey Council must be democratically organized. Some such plan as this is suggested. One minister from each denomination, one man or woman from each natural geographic unit in the county, such as the districts of the Sunday School Association or other recognized divisions. The County Secretary of the Y. M C. A., the county agent of the Farm Bureau or some Chris- tian who is a member of the committee might aiso be ineluded. The County Sunday School Associa- tion should have one representative and possibly also the Red Cross Home Service Section. This council should advise with the surveyors, should assist in assembling the program and should be responsible for the calling of a County Conference S ^a) after the program has been approved by the State Survey Ck)uncil. Towns may very properly have a sub-committee to direct their local surveys. (b) The next step is to make certain preliminary studies applying to the entire county. For par- ticulars see the schedule entitled, “General Ques- tions for County Survey.” It is desirable at the outset that full material along these general lines should be assembled and that the surveyors should get in touch with county officials and officers of county-wide organizations in order that the sur- vey may proceed with the fullest cooperation of an local forces. (c) It is desirable at this stage of the survey that there should be a certain amount of pubUcity through the local press that the people at large through the county may be informed of what is to be undertaken and why. The purposes of the Interchurch World Movement, the scope of the survey and the use to be made of the material should be set forth. These things having been accomphshed, you are then ready to begin the field work in the study of communities and churches. The schedule entitled, “Survey of a Community” is for the study of each individual community unit. The schedule entitled, “Sur- vey of a Church,” is for the study of each individual church. In the community study, go to a number of well-informed men in the community representing different interests as the farmer, store-keeper, professional man. It is desirable that you should secure the opinion of a number of different men on the answers 9 to all the questions on this schedule independently, in order that 3’ou may have some check as to the accuracy of your informa- tion. Use blank sheets of paper freely for the taking of notes on all interesting points not specifically covered by the ques- tions. Also, keep a clipping file. Much material in reports of societies, in news notes published in the local press, etc., will throw light on some of the social and economic and religious prob- lems. For the survey of each church, go first to the minister of the church if he is resident in the county. You will secure the major part of your information from him. Additional informa- tion on various points may be secured from other officers of the church as the treasurer, Sunday school superintendent, etc. You should visit each church building personally and secure the information as to building and grounds in that way. So far as possible, you should secure a picture of each church building. It would be best at the outset of your survey, by consultation with ministers and others, to locate so far as possible all the churches in the county, and to note their location and denomina- tional affiliation on the map. You can generally borrow from ministers copies of the year books of the various denomina- tions, which will help you to locate the churches and assure your overlooking none of them. A map of the county has been furnished you and this you should use for record as the work proceeds. The outlines of each com- munity and parish should be clearly indicated, aceording to the instructions given you in the schedules; also, the location of each church and the residence of each minister. This material wiU later be transcribed to a summary map according to instructions to be given later. 10 VII. The name of the surveyor should be written on the first sheet of each schedule filled. This is for the purpose of checking the material. An answer should be given to every question on every schedule. If the question does not apply, SCHEDULES or if the information is not available, indicate that EXPLAINED fact. If the question is left blank, it is impos- sible to tell on later examination of the schedules whether this was because the information was not available or for some other reason. Where figures are called for, they should be secured by actual count. Do not substitute guesses or approximations for actual count, except in the two or three instances where an estimate is clearly called for. If, for any reason, it is impossible to secure an actual count and an estimate is used, mark it so. Having selected some center as the one in which to start, first determine the outlines of your community, according to the method on page one. This information should be secured by inquiry from a number of different people. Mark the outlines of the community on COMMUNITY your map plainly. The territory which you have SURVEY thus indicated is the territory which is to be studied with the use of this schedule. There will usually be, however, some territory, “neutral zones,” between com- munity boundaries and not included in any community. Such territory should be arbitrarily added to the community to which it is most nearly related and studied in connection with that community. In this case in enumerating the population, number of households, etc., indicate clearly the number within the limi- tations of the community as determined and the number in the neutral territory. Be sure that no territory is left unsurveyed. n The questions on this schedule are for the most part clear in their intent and require no special explanation. General ques- tions involving judgment as those regarding leadership, social influences, social classes, etc., should be answered with care. Use blank sheets to give ample reasons for opinions expressed. The question, “What clearly defined neighborhood groups are there within this community?” should be interpreted as referring to any clearly distinguishable group which is smaller than the community — such neighborhood groups which center about some institution as the church, or school or grange. The limits are to be determined by the residence of the people who participate in that definite neighborhood life. “Designation on Map” means by what symbol or abbreviation has this church been indicated on your map? This is because space will hardly permit you to write out in full CHURCH the name and denomination of each church on SURVEY the map. “Attached to what other church or churches” re- fers to the circuit relations of a church. That is, with what other church is this church under the pastorate of one man? “How many pastors has this church had the last ten years?” This question is to secure information as to the average term of pastorate and the proportion of time the church has been without pastoral service. Under “Equipment for social and recreational purposes” list the various kinds of apparatus which the church has for play and recreation, whether in the church building proper, in a eommunity house or on a playground. Motion picture ma- chines, stereopticons, etc., should be listed. 12 Page two. Use this page to draw a rough but approximately accurate floor plan of the building in order that we may judge of its adaptability for the carrying out of any given type of program. Indicate the scale in feet. Under “Finance” the first questions refer to the general financial system of the church; whether the church works on a careful budget plan; whether payments are made weekly, quarterly or annually; how special benevolent causes are financed, etc. In the detailed analysis of the budget, do not include the budgets of auxiliary organizations as the Sunday school, except in so far as those organizations contribute to the general working budget of the church. Under “Membership” it is very important that the information called for here should be secured with the utmost care. Wherever possible the church roll should be secured and the total mem- bership and the number of members to be included under each of the sub-heads noted should be secured by actual count. The best way to proceed would be to ask the minister to read each name on the roU. As each name is read the surveyor will put a mark in each of the lines on this page which describe this par- ticular person. For example, the first name read is John Adams. John Adams is indicated as an active member. A mark is therefore put on the line “Net active members.” His family has not been counted before; therefore, a mark is put on the line “Families, number of.” He lives in the country and, there- fore, is marked on the line “Families resident in country.” He is an adult male and, therefore, is marked on the line “Resident males over 21.” He is a farm owner and, therefore, is marked on the line “Farm Owners.” Each name should be treated in the same manner. The total of the three lines “Non-resident,” “Other Non-active” and “Net active members” should together equal 13 the total of the line “Total on present roll.” The totals repre- sented by the four lines indicating sex and age should together equal the total of all resident members. The totals on the seven lines indicating occupation will give the entire number of members of the church who are gainfully employed. “Gain in the last fiscal year.” Either the last church year or the last calendar year should be taken, whichever is more convenient. It is not important which, but you should be careful that only twelve months and not less than twelve months are included in the count. “Meetings.” No questions here require specific explanation. The purpose of all questions on evangelistic services is to attempt to determine the value of those services in the life of the church and the communitj% not only by the number of reported converts, but by the general results secured. “The Parish.” This is one of the most important sections of this schedule When you reach this point take your map and mark on it the residence of the regular attendants living farthest from the church on each road. Draw lines connecting these points. You then enclose the area actually served by this church as represented by its membership. Where a number of churches are located in the same general area, do this for each church. Then write along the line of the parish boundary the name of the church in order that there may be no confusion. This study will determine the extent to which numbers of churches are serving the same territory and the amount of territory not definitely served by any church. The questions on “Sunday School” and “Other Organizations” require no special comment. 14 “Church Program.” Under this head, list and describe all un- dertakings of this church other than the holding of stated religious services, the maintenance of the Sunday school and other organi- zations. If this church has a definite program of work, definitely adopted, secure a copy of it. In the case of ministers serving more than one church in this community, the questions which refer to him personally need only be answered once. For each church, however, certain questions should be answered as “Distance this church from min- ister’s residence,” “Chief problems of church here,” “What does he consider the future of this field?” “Describe fully any at- tempts which have been made to federate or combine churches,” “What abandoned churches are there in the community.” In the case of ministers serving more than one church care should be taken that you learn not only the amount contributed by each church toward the minister’s salary, but also the total amount which he receives from all sources. If any other points regarding these schedules are not clear, communicate with your state supervisor. 15 No. 73. I. 10. June 1919 No. 73. I. 10. June 1919