Show church facing crisis in shift of population in the great cities I 1 by REV W W PICKETT congregationalist detroit tho the present day shift of the city population into the suburbs i is s a direct challenge to the christian church 11 to go out and capture these areas if the church is not to be faced with a steady di diminution on of power powei in the city we are facing a an emergency and a crisis so long as american society was dominantly rural christianity was a dominant infill influence but with the movement of population to the large cities the church failed ailed to maintain its ita civic and social ingue influence nce and the city is ia pagan wi with ith spots of christianity now there is a movement equally as important toward the suburbs which will transform the entire texture of city life Is this generation of the church going to fail to capture the suburbs as the generation of our fathers failed to capture the lie city millions are moving out to territory whore there are no churches the problem that we must decide is ia whether these great sections 0 of f the metropolitan area shall grow up as christian or non christian the suburbs must have the help of the established institutions of tile the city and unkei we take steps to win the suburb suburban ali areas we will be faced with a steady diminution of t the he churchs churche power in the city |