The New York herald., 1878-03-25
The Strength and Weakness Of
the Denomination.
NOTIFICATIONS DEMANDED.
Tendency to Push Out of Conference
All But Pastors.
Ministerial Changes at the Ensuing Confer
enceS in New York and Brooklyn.

Next Wednesday week, April 3, the annual gather
ing Of the Methodists will be ushered In, Two of
whose conference.-the New YORK and New York
East-will meet, the former in St. Luke's Methodist
Episcopal Church. this city, and the latter In First
Place Church, Brooklyn. Bishop Andrews Will pre-
side here and Bishop Foster In BROOKLYN This fact
increases the interest OF five six hundred minis
ters and OF nearly ninety-three thousand church
members. who are 10 be moro or less 'anccied
by the appointments TO bo made by those
conferences. This annual transfer OF pastors
has caused and Is still producing much dis
satisfaction both among ministers and churches
1t Is looked upon by many persons as
the greatest element Of weakness In the deuomina.
tion one that impars It's usefulness and that will
eventually divide II. The discipline Of the Church
makes II the duty OF the bishop presiding at annual
conferences Ito fix the appointments OF preachers,
provided he shall not allow any preacher remain
In the samo station than three years success
Iivoly." number OF exceptions are made, how
svcr In OF secretaries Of the several benevolent
boards Of the Church, college professors, mission
arics, presiding elders and Others. Some OF the
bishops, II not ALL find the appointments already fixed
before tho conferences meet, and they expected
merely to ratiiy the changes. II they be not arbi-
trarily inclined they may do this but sometimes, TO
hse political phrase, they smash the slate, and
then there are heartburnings ami vexations OF
spirit, ana perhaps little bitterness of
feeling, In the breasts of disappointed brethren.
There are rot few ministers who think
that the bishops and the General Conference have
altogether too much authority over the individual
mt moers and the organized bodies called annual con-
ferences 1t Ia only iaw weeks since the Rev. Joseph
Pullman. Of Brooklyn, read paper before the Pscach
ers' Meeting Of this city, which ne strongly advo-
sated the Prosbyterianizng of
he Methodist Episcopal Church Ho thinks the
after was the system used by New Testament Chris
aans At 1rst In this direction.
MODEL THAT woN'T WORK.
The great trouble with all ecclesiastical commun-
tics, except the Roman Catholic, Is that they attempt
TO copy after the United States They must
have their congress- conference, assembly, general
association synod large enough and weighty enough
10 lcgisats for all the subordinate bodies-each In its
turn making laws for the next below Or they re-
their poliiy and mako the lower the legislative
body and the highest merely u court of appeal The
former Is the Methodist, the latter the Presbyterian
polty.
The annual conference In the Methodist Episcopal
Church Is but little better than police force
cute tho laws framed by the higher court. the Gen.
sral Conference. For want OF something better to
do therefore It's chief business In these latter days
has been to reject candidates Tor the ministry, to
"examine' the character OF each preacher which
animation III a mere matter of form. The bishop as
hs great father OF all the preachers asks:-
"Is John good boyY"
Aud the presiding elder who is for the time being
he schoolmaster, answers:-
"Very good, sir; very good"
That's the whole OF tie examn alton Of character.
The real business and tho important business Of
annual conference Is the opportunity that II
gives once year Tor the reunion of brethren and Tor
church committees to set their eyes on the coming
ELDERsHP MEMBERSHIP.
The next court below the annual Is the quarterly
conference, over which the presiding elder little
bishop presides. HIS position life one his
superior's is But he mold TO four years At
least, and he Is shrewd enough for four or eight
moro years in other districts Tho territory en-
braced within annual conference divided into
districts OF nearly equal size the lumber of
churches as 1t possible to get them. SO the
elder shall be able go them all
In three months The object Of this quarterly visIta-
ton is theoretically excellent but practically worth
es 1t is Intended that by personal visitation OF the
churches In his district the presiding elder shall OBJ.
tain such information will be OF use to tho bishop
in his appointments OF the preachers But prac-
tcay the elder knows little nothing OF 1vesixths
Of all the churches in his district.
Last year the New York and New York East
crences each cut off district, leaving former
the former numbers 4s.7o4 and Of the latter 49, 1866,
According TO the latest minutes OF each. The New
York Conference suffered a loss during the year
1867 Of $50 the aggregate Of the preceding
terence year. The New York East Conference the
pthcr hand gained 123. The aggregate membership
Of both, however, shows net increase Of 233
the preceding year, while their probationers num-
berea thousand included in the above totals
II is believed that the PROBATION system should be
abolished. 1t has been laid aside by tho Methodist
Episcopal Church South, by tho wesleyans and
vtner corresponding bodics and no other Christian
denomination pretends 10 have aDything Of the s0rt
II source OF weakness 10 Metnodsm day, and
tor the purposes for whlcn II established 1t IS
worse tnan worthless. For the class leader, who Is
the lowest bishop in the Methodist Church, and Is
theoretically expected to VISIT every member o MIS-
class least a week, never one-hali
thirds Oi them, and can't tell whether they living
cody lives or not. Indeed, class meetings have be-
come dstastclu TO large following IN the Methodist
Episcopal Uhurcb. And since TINS Is SO, and there
II aoes little absurd to keep up the probation
sry system winch was based upon the class meeting
Buperv,son
ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITY IGNORED.
These are tho three JuaIcatorcs OF the Methodist
Ep'scopal Chufch; all oil 'hem supervisory and only
Due legislative. The class loader watches over tho
soul vi the Individual member and the quarterly con-
terence over he entire local church Tor cburchcs;
The annual conference over the quarterly and tho
General Conference annual The latter makes
uli tho laws and provides all the machinery Tor
their execution But tho ann ual conference may fail
refuse to execute any OF the court above and
che quarterly conference may do the same, and tho
disregard Tor law reach 10 the bumblest member or
probatoner And, indeed, this IS practically the state
of the case. rhe General Conference organizes GER
tam benevolent Interests such us the Sunday school
Union, tho Tract SOCIETY," the Frcedmens Aid society,
&C., appoints officers iVr hem and then orders the
nusi conferences TO arrange ana that collections
taken up In ali the charges Ior those interests
But the quarterly conferences. which nearest 10
the individual members, often refuse TO permit the
collection OF sucn moneys Hence more than one
Lhird OF the 10000 churches IN the demon nation
not contribute one cent 10 thoscAintercsts. he
PASTORS VINO are expected TO bring the matter least
peiorc lheir either tear
Of Interest fail To present thcm, aud the whole
business goes by default fhe machinery, IL IS said,
costly. tho Interests are too numerous the itin-
tracy places Church at great disadvantage with
otncr churches anu degree OF unrest prevails
before known IN Mcthodsm. Every
Methodist church In tue land pays Tor three minis
tcrs, ono OF whom II may never see, nnother II may