West Port Experiment

“For thorough and effective endowed territorial work, two requisites are indispensable. In the first place, the whole country must be divided into districts, each containing such an amount of population as shall be manageable by a minister and kirk-session; and provision must be made for easily rearranging these districts from time to time, so as to make them tally with the needs of a fluctuating and increasing population. In the second place, there must be an endowment fund applicable to each district, so as to render the minister so far independent of those among whom he labours, and more especially to make his services available for that portion of the population who care for none of these things, or who cannot pay for religious ordinances” (William Smith, Endowed Territorialism, p. 136).