A branch Church of Christ, Scientist, does not exist alone; it is not merely a church, large or small, in a certain locality made up of a group of people who are students of Christian Science. A branch of a tree grows out from the trunk and cannot exist in any other way. It draws its supply of nutriment and its ability to bring forth leaves and fruit from the trunk to which it is attached. If broken or cut off from the trunk, a branch may survive for a time, but it gradually withers and fades away. Such is the relationship of a branch church to The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Mother Church, deeply rooted in the Science of divine Mind, stands firmly with the revelation which was received by Mary Baker Eddy. The Church keeps the vision of this revelation clear and bright and is constantly concerned in fulfilling its purpose of being the trunk and actively imparting to its branches all that will help the continuous unfolding of the revelation and show forth its effect in leaves and fruitage.
This is not a humanly devised relationship; we could expect it to fail if there were nothing more than material ties holding it. The Mother Church and its branches symbolize in their relationship Jesus' words: "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. . . . Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." John 15:5, 8;
