Warren Hugh Wilson (1867 – 1937) was an early pioneering contributor to

rural sociology Rural sociology is a field of sociology traditionally associated with the study of social structure and conflict in rural areas. It is an active academic field in much of the world, originating in the United States in the 1910s with close ties ...

and the Country Life Movement; and a leader within the Board of Home Missions of the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

. He is one of the first sociologists to study rural life and the church. In 1942, the Dorland-Bell School for Girls and the Asheville Farm School for Boys merged and was renamed to

Warren Wilson College Warren Wilson College (WWC) is a private liberal arts college in Swannanoa, North Carolina. It is known for its curriculum that combines academics, work, and service as every student must complete a requisite course of study, work an on-campus ...

to honor Warren Hugh Wilson's contributions to rural

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. Specifically, he urged the community to adapt and update their historical Appalachian ways to changing conditions in the region, which included training and education for rural people. His published works include twelve books and pamphlets, thirteen periodical articles, seven parts of a series, six addresses, and seventeen surveys,. Throughout his career as a

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

and sociologist, he created a model for all

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

denominations with

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

in the countryside.

Early life

Warren Wilson was born in

Tidioute, Pennsylvania Tidioute is a borough in Warren County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 688 at the 2010 census. Etymology The name is an Iroquoian word meaning "protrusion of land", referring to a sharp bend in the Allegheny River. Geography Tid ...

, which is a

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

community in northwestern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He was raised on both a farm as well as the city. Wilson attended

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

, Union Theological Seminary, and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Career

After graduating from

in 1890, he began to work as the first secretary for the Student Department of the

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He graduated with his bachelor's degree in divinity in 1894 from the Union Theological Seminary in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

. Wilson served as a founding pastor of Christ Church in the Quaker Hill community in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He also served a pastor in the urban congregation at Arlington Avenue Church in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. During his

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

program at

, he studied under Franklin Giddings. Wilson conducted and submitted his doctoral thesis "Quaker Hill: A Sociological Study", which was a thorough study of the community and considered to be the first sociological study of rural life in America. After receiving his

from

in 1908, he was appointed one of the two superintendents of the Department of Church & Country Life within the Board of Home Missions of the

. While in this position, he conducted surveys and research on rural churches, promoted rural life conferences, and formed summer school programs for rural pastors across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Many of these writings focused on the problems and needs of rural

and the surveys were considered the first of their kind. The information gathered included information about farming, churches, life styles, and education. He believed that poor economic, social, and educational conditions were related to poor church and community programs. Wilson, like many Country Life Movement reformers at the time, saw the country church as essential aspect to a more efficient countryside. He believed the country church could influence the

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...

, spiritual,

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

, and

moral A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. A ...

lives of the rural community. Many of the community programs he began for rural pastors, including summer sessions and conferences, had topics ranging from efficient farming, fruit raising, being a

, and rural

evangelism In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

. These programs connected modern calls for efficiency with the efforts of the country

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Personal life

Wilson married Pauline Lane on June 20, 1895, in

Quaker Hill, New York Quaker Hill is a hamlet in the town of Pawling in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The community shares its name with the twelve-mile-long ridge on which it is located; the ridge is located near the Connecticut state line. Quaker Hill ...

. They had four children: Margaret, Julius Lane, John Albert, and Agnes Elizabeth.

Notable works

* ''Quaker Hill: A Sociological Study'' (1907) * ''The Farmer's Club in the Country Church'' (1911) * ''The Country Church Program'' (1910) * ''The Church of the Open Country; A Study of the Working Farmer'' (1911) * ''The Evolution of the Country Community: A Study in Religious Sociology'' (1912) * ''The Church of the Open Country: A Study of the Church for the Working Farmer'' (1912) * ''The Evolution of the Country Community'' (1912) * ''No Need to be Poor in the Country'' (1912) * ''Community Study by Groups: A Practical Scheme for the Investigation of the Problems of the Large Town Or City Ward from the Point of View of the Church and Its Work'' (1912) * ''The Revival of Interest in the Country Church'' (1912) * ''The Church at the Center'' (1914) * '' At School with the Country Pastor'' (1914) * ''The Second Missionary Adventure'' (1915) * ''Rural Education in War'' (1917) * ''The Farmer's Church'' (1925) * ''Rural Religion and the Country Church'' (1927) * ''To the Mountains'' (1932) * ''The Farmers' Church and the Farmers' College'' (191?)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Warren Hugh 1867 births 1937 deaths Warren Wilson College people American Presbyterian ministers Rural sociologists People from Warren County, Pennsylvania Oberlin College alumni Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni Columbia University alumni Presbyterians from Pennsylvania