As the first generation of Massachusetts Bay settlers began to die off by the middle of the 17th century, the Congregational churches faced a membership crisis. "Full participation had been limited to the 'Visible Saints' those who had made a public affirmation of their faith and had been accepted into membership by a vote of the congregation," (Mulder 134). The second and third generation of Puritans did not have the same religious ambition their fathers had …showed first 75 words of 494 total…

…showed last 75 words of 494 total…different gender and social classes. It also lessened the difference between the "elect" members of the church from the regular members; as a result, women soon made up a larger portion of Puritan congregations. In all, the Half-Way covenant infused a positive change in the colonial church. Work Cited The Half-Way Covenant Mulder, J.M. Religion in American History Copyright 1978 Prentice-Hall Olmstead, C.E. History of Religion in the United States. Copyright 1960, Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1960.