Show PROPOSED CHURCH MERGER Co of Disciples of Christ Fa Favor Favor Favor vor Closer Relations With the Baptists Cincinnati April 3 With a proposition before it looking towards the merger of two no great groat church organizations the tho ninth annual congress of the Disciples of or Christ met here today toda At the 1906 con eon confess congress gress fess a committee of ot ten was appointed I to o make overtures and formulate a plan for closer cloer relations between the Baptist and the Disciple churches It Is understood under understood understood stood the delegates will advocate a mer merger mt merger r j ger ber A proposition to merge m rge the educational educational lonal with the home and foreign mission missionary ary ar societies of the church was nas Yot J down The Tune merger was fought on the ground that missionary society funds being gh given ghen given en for lor a specific purpose cannot be ap applied plied lied in educational that complications likely would arise if the educational work comprising some forty Christian colleges in various parts of the country should be placed in control of or orthe the missionary societies Before the educational society the shortage hortage in the number of ministers was the principal topic it being shown that there are about members in the Christian churches of the country countr and only about ministers The vacant pulpits already number over 2000 00 and that number Is constantly increasing |