Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-05-07
NUMBER 40.
The Methodist General Conference.

Episcopal Church, now holding its quadren-
n al OF at Cincinnati, consists of about
| four hundred members, two hundred
and fifty of these being clerical, and one
hundred and fifty ley delegates. While
it cannot change the articles of reli-
gion, the basis of clerical or lay representa-
ton, the episcopacy, the itinerant general
superintcndency, the general rules, the privi-
lege of trial and appeal, or divert the proceeds
of the publishing concerns, or the chartered
fund, from the relief of aged and infirm
preachers, the General Conference-which is
great Congress of the church-has full
power to act upon all matters outside of
these, and can alter or amend at pleasure
The board of bishops is elected and con-
troled by the General Conference, which
thus actually controls the entire machinery
of the church. In addition TO all matters
pertaining to the details of the church work
the General Conference takes direct charge
of the larger interests of the denomina-
tion, suchas the Missionary, Church Exten-
sion and Freedmen's Aid societies, which do
not properly come within the scope of the
annual conferences. The General Conference
selects the managers of the great public con-
Germs Of the church, the editors of the Off
cial organs, and the officers of the societies
named
Methodism, in its various branches in
America, now has an actually enrolled men,
bership of over 100000 persons. The
branches have all sprung from the Methodist
Episcopal Church, which is the largest of all
the divisions, having Il, 800 preachers, over
12,4O0 local preachers and LOO, 900 men,
bers. This great organization is at the pres
ent time superintended by Dine bishops and
450 presiding elders. The bishops, accord
ing TO the present usage, are elected for life,
but there is no regulation in the discipline
making this life office, and the episcopal
terms can be limited by the General Confer
encc. The bishops appoint the presiding
elders and it is claimed that as the bishops
are held accountable for the proper discharge
ofthese duties, they should have entire control
Of the presiding elders, thing which would
be impossible if the latter were elected by
the preachers The supporters of an elect
| cd presiding eldership claim that the office
of presiding elder is more than superyisional;
that the presiding elder actually controls the
ministerial appointments, and that on this
account the preachers should have vote
upon the choice of the presiding elders. The
pastoral tenure, and how 1t shall be limited,
is another question of great interest. There
are some who urge the removal of all limit,
so that the bishop may reappoin. the same
man TO the same church as long as it Is mutu-
ally desired sthers would place it at six
years instead of three. and others would
have discretionary power vested in the
bishops or elders.
The proposition to give the lay delegates
seats in the annual conferences, will undoubt-
edly be discussed. 1t twas only in 1872 after
lay delegation had been discussed for fifty
years, that the laymen were admitted to
the General Conference, and the PROPOSE
tion to admit lay delegates TO the annual
conferences is merely an advance on the
line which was then carried. The most im-
portant matter TO come before the General
| Conference is, of course the election of the
new bishops, the managers of the publishing
interests and the editors of the church organs.
About six new bishops will be chosen, and
| it is probable that the most of these will be
| Western men The men who are now most
prominently named for the are Rev DR..
c. d. Foss, president of the Wesleyan Uni
versity, at Middletown, Conn. Rev DR..
| Hurst, principal of the Drew Theological
Seminary at Madison, y. j.: Rev. Dr. Henry
W. Warren, pastor of the Arch-street NJ E.
Church at Philadelphia Rev. DIR. Fowler,
the editor of the New York Christian AdC0-
cate; Rev. DR.. Walden, one of the agents OF
the Western Book Concern at Cincinnati
Rev. DIR. Fuller, editor of the Atlanta, Ga,
| Christian 1Grocate, and Rev. DR.. Reid, now
the corresponding secretary of the Missionary
Society. DIR. Curry contests with DR.. Fow-
Ter the editorship of the Christian AdcocGtc.
Another matter of interest that will come
up will be proposition to provide for the
ordination of women. This will come up
in the form of an appeal from the decision of
one of the bishops. This bishop was pre-
siding in an annual conference, when
church in Brooklyn, over which a Miss
Oliver is pastor, presented petition asking
that their minister be granted the privilege
OF the imposition of hands. This petition
was in due form, and, had it asked for the
ordination of person of the male gender,
would have been submitted to vote Of the
conference. The bishop, however, in CON
formity with a rule adopted by the Bench of
Bishops, refused to so submit it, thus de-
priving the conference of the privilege of ex-
pressing itself on this interesting subject.
| The bishop was willing and even anxious 10
have an appeal taken from his decision TO the
| general conference. and this was done.