The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-06-25
NEW YORK HERALD SUNDAY JUNE 25 1s7soUADRuPLE SHEET
Church in liza. Unit. l7ss the Annual Conference was

Church In l773 Until I797 the Annual Conference
composed Of all tho preachers belonging to the denom-
inaton but since that period IL has bee composed OF
preachers within a gwen district There are about
ninety annual conferences. embracing the territory Of
the United States with about $50 ministers
10 each Conference These meet annually and are pre-
sided over by OF the bishops At those gatherings
the private character and Official conduct or each
preacher pass formally in review Persons admit
ted and ordained as members Of the body and as mii
listers OF the gospel, and laid aside quietly some
times against their own will, or are expelled or sus-
pended az circumstances require. Much interest
gathers about the statoning Of the preachers BY the
bishops This ~ done al the Annual Conference at
the close OF whose the appointments, or in
many casos the disappointmenis ''read out" in
open conference Men often realize sensation rs u
pierced with bullet when their names are announced
for places where they to going and did not
expect 70 be scnt Tho places sometimes rebel also
against taking certain preachers The Bishop always
preaces the reading of the appointments with ad
dress designed 10 prepare the minds OF tho dear
ing very strongly that the Forthcoming an
nouncements being the voice OF the Church
must be the voice Of God. Whether the
other mode OF preachers putting themselves
into the ecclesiastical market and waiting for
toner Is preferable 20 episcopal supervision Is qucs
ton yet unsettled There is much moro friction In The
annual conferences of the Melhodiss Church on this
point than formerly and the opinion h quite prevalent
that the General Conference Wall SOON give the bishops
carte blanche respect the time that preacher
may remain in any one appointment Tho legal limit
nowis three years the optional one two or three
More than half OF all the preachers in tho connection
change pastorates every year.
DISTRICT cosrERHNCEs.
The geographical territory embraced within
nual conference Is divided into given number OF dis
trcts watched by bishops, styled presiding
elders. district conference Is held twice year.
These gatherings comprise the pastors and ordained
ministers, loca preachers cxhorters. amt district
steward from each local church The work OF tho
schools, missions and Church matters generally
within the bounds Of tho district Local
preachers are licensed by tho Conference and are re-
sponsibc TO II tor their Christian char acter and
duct Exhorers also-a class OF once useful nscn now
fast becoming deiunct-arc hero made and unmadc.
This District Conference is experiment in Method
ism authorized, as 1t was, four years ago by the
General Conference. II was lett optional with the
quarterly conferences accept or reject It. very
lew nave adopted 1t. Tho experiment sub
tanaly tried in 1890 and alter SUCCESSIVE failures
was repealed by the Geucral Conference OF 1885,
QUARTERLY CONFERENCES
These held every three months in connection
with each local church IN Cities and with two more
mcnt Of the presiding elder who is its chairman. 1t
Is composed Of the preacher preachers and all the
official members Of the church or churches The bust
ness Of this Conference Is designated by the General
Conference and Is printed in tho Dsciplncn Expelled
members of the church may appeal TO the Quarterly
Conferences but member OF the Methodist Episcopal
church be expelled except for affecting his
or her moral character, and amer he or she
has had due notice OF the charges and full oppor-
tunity to DO heard before the committee Of the church
appointed for that purpose by tho pastor or preacher
in charge But church member has right to appeal
from tho lowest TO the highest tribunal OF tho Church.
on fair showing that justice has been denied him IN
the lower juiicntory. Quarterly conferences IN days
gone Oy, when circuits large anu the people scat
tered, imposing OCCASIONS and necessity; but
now, the altered condition Of social HE, they have
become very formal institutions IN the Church.
PASTOR CONFERENCES.
These are hold in connection with each local church
once week. or often circumstances require They
composed of the pastor, who acts chairman and
the stewards and class leaders OF the church The load
report to the pastor the spiritual condition OF tho
members connected with their various circles groups
casscs and the trustees report and pay to tho
pastor the funds they have collected toward his support
Pastors now are generally paid their salary monthly in
advance and not weekly At this Conference plans are
smaured Tor the temporal and spiritual interest OF the
Church.
In all this machinery thore is very little friction,
the duties OF each officer Of the Church, we'll tho
business of the various conferences infinitely de-
fined and LAID down in little book called the sDlsci-
pline asdirccted by the General Conference Indeed,
the business OF tho General Conference take up tho
machinery OF Methodism and adjust II to the changing
circumstances OF experience Hence tho laws OF tho
Methodist Church not like those Of the Modes and
Persians, that changed not. They changed more
less every quadrenniuln. and the discipline" which
records tneso laws reprinted at the close OF each Gen.
era Conference TO that great organizer and founder
John Wesley tho Church Is indebted for tho plan on
which all Its operations are based.
G. G. G0SS 81 varick street.