Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-06-01
Its History as Told by the Venel
able DIR. LOVick Pierce

The growth of the Methodist
Church in America will be more
strikingly presented by considering
what she has accomplished during
the life of one man. DIR. LOVick
Pierce, now attending the General
Conference of the NJ. Z. Church,
South, at Atlanta, as a delegate
from the South Georgia Conference,
was born in the same year the Meth
Odist Church in America was or
ganized. The first conference con-
Day, 1871. Out of eighty-three
travelling preachers in America at
that time, sixty were present, rep
resenting 1886 members. By a
unanimous vote, that conference
elected DIR. Coke and Mr.. Ashbury
to be their Bishops and with equal
unanimity declared for a separate
ecclesiastical organization called the
Methodist Episcopal Church. The
second General Conference was held
in Baltimore, November 1892. At
that time the membership had in
creased to $3.50. From this time
forward to the present General Con,
ferences have been held quadrenni-
ally.
The fifteenth General Conference
brings the history to 1874, memo
rable era in the annals of the church.
The conference met in new York
on the LIST of May. 1t was COM
posed of $50 delegates, representing
33 annual conferences, t ,2S2 preach
ers and LILY, 1853 members. This
was the last General Conference of
United NJ. Z. Church. The Ghism
of slavery was introduced and en-
Uttered the cOunsels. On account
of a resolution passed at this con-
ference deposing Bishop Andrew
from Episcopal functions because
of his connection with slavery
though it was shown that he did
not own slaves, but that they were
| the property of his wife-fifty-One
| delegates from thirteen annual con-
| ferenceS petitiOned for a separate &C.
| cleSiaStical organization, a resOlu-
! ton was offered authorizing the con-
ference in the slavehOlding States,
if they found it necessary, to form
"a distinct ecclesiastical cOnnec-
| ton" A second resolution author
lied ministers of every grade in the
NJ. E. Church to- remain in that
church, or, without blame, to at
tach themselves A.. to the Church
South. The resolution providing
for "A distinct ecclesiastical Organiza-
ton passed by a vote of 147 to 10.
The first General Conference of
the Methodist Episcopal Church,
I
May, 1916. There We're eighty
seven delegates present representing
sixteen annual conferences and
45S, 400 members.
The last conference of the NJ. E.
Church, South, before the war was
held at Nashville, Tenn. There
were then 600, III members. During
the war the church was greatly de-
pleted, The regular work of the
ministry was to Il considerable eX-
tent suspended, and almost the
! whole colOred membership was
lost. The first General Con-
ference after the war was held at
New Orleans, in May, 1866. The
church membership was then re-
ported at 500. l0l. The quadrennial
report that followed was 81, 24I,
and the next 676,600. At the con-
ference now in session at Atlanta
the aggregate membership is about
100000. These figures will show
that the Church South has expert
enced a more rapid growth since the
war than at any previous period of
its history.
Since the division of the church,
in 1914, the NJ. +. Church (Which
means both branches, North and
SOUTH, has strengthened and in
creased rapidly, the entire number
of MethOdistS in the United States
being about 5000, 600.
Almost the entire history of the
Methodist Church in America has
passed under the personal Observa-
ton of DIR. LOVick Pierce. This
venerable father in Israel is now in
the 9th year of his age. He is a
wonderful example of long preserv-
ed VigOr both of mind and body.
lie still stands erect as most men of
60 years; able to preach once a week
and his sermons are clear and forci-
BILE, full Of thought and religious
JUNCTION.
DIR. Pierce was appointed by the
Church, South, after a division in
1874, to bear fraternal greetings to
the General Conference of the NJ.
y. Church in 1913, The Nj. f.
Church ut that time refused to re-
ceiYe the messenger or TO enter into
fraternal relations with the Church
South. Since the war, fraternity
has been established between the