Daily Republican., 1878-12-14
rhe REPUBLICAN has the largest
circulation Of any pape. In Dole
ware. Advertisers take nete Of
this.
Longer Te rms for Ministers.

Longer Terms for Ministers.
No matter how beneficial syster
has been when it becomes somewha
m0notonous it gets unpopular, an
finally there is a clamor for a change
Thus in the itinerancy Of Methodism "
find that some Of its old rules whicl
were deemed almost vital to the success
Of that denomination have become irk
some, and there is a. gradual growing
feeling not only amongst the Methods
ministry, but amongst the laity in tavo
Of an extension of the term of service o
ministers from two and three to fv,
years, and if We take the presen
growth OF feeling in favor of the chang,
referred to as a basis, ii is not improb.
able that the longer terms may b,
adopted. There certainly are man,
good and cogent reasons in favor OF I
lengthening of the term of service am
the reasons assigned in favor of shoi
term are in our opinion gradually
weakening. The ministers themselve,
and especially their wives and children
do not like continuous change. After
preac' Ing in church, getting acquaint,
ed with congregation and making
friends in city it is not pleasant for
them to pull up stakes, 60 somewhere
else and commence entirely anew
again. Many Of the pastors think that
these circumscribed prohibitions pre-.
vent them from doing full justice to
themselves, and that permanence or
leDgthening of the term of service would
be to their mental adv antage, enabling
them to deliver better sermons and to
grow into fuller and deeper sympathy
with their congregations. There is
still a preponderating influence in favor
of short terms and the argument used
is no doubt good one; for instance if a
church should get minister not quite
up to the mark in ability, literary at
tainments or spiritual gifts, no church
can be long troubled with him, and on
the contrary if he is every thing that
could be desired in a pastor, his in
6uence by the short term would be
spread over large territory. But then
the Methodist church i. not now like it
was in the days of Wesley and Asbury,
and there is not the same strong rea-
sons existing in favor of short terms
that then existed. The short term was
an origination Of the primitive days of
Methodism and the reason of its pecu-
liar adoption at the time is not gener-
ally known nor understood. When the
sect was founded by John Wesley as
sisted by his brother Charles, near one
hundred aud fifty years ago, the min.
listers were not educated. neither
was it designed that they should be-.
In fact education was held in little es-
teen at that time as compared with
spiritual attainments, and minister
we're either chosen for their piety and
zeal or they accepted the calling with
out special mental or literary attain
ments, because they felt that to preach
was their vocation. Wesley who WAS
shrswd sagacious and well acquainted
with human nature, knew that un
trained uncultured men could not in
terest an audience very long from tn.
pulpit. Consequently, the term was
at first We believe only three months.
IT was afterwards increased to six and
then to twelve and until lately it was
two years, but now if pastor and people
are agreed minister is allowed to
stay three years, but there is no law
or will of the church by which he can
stay longer than three years consecu
lively. AS many Of the Methodist
minis ters are atpresent regularly edu
Gated schslarl y men, there would ap-
pear to be No longer any good reason
ior limiting the term to two or pven
three years. As those in cities rank
with clergymen of other denominations
in intellect and attainments there
seems to be no cause now for their limi-
tation Of service.