The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-08-04
FREE METHODIST Curncu.

IyI
sion of doctrinal differences for Mi,
odism had no doctrinal differences VI
FREE METHODIST CHURCH.
me nearest approach to split or
Goctrinal grounds was in 1860, when The
Free Methodist Church was orpanizad
~ fhIS - organization was effected at Pekin
N. T. by number of ministers who had
heen expelled from tho Genesee Confer.
ence OF the M. f. Church. Its r,oiec.
tors insisted strenuously upon the Dor
,flne OF entire sanctification. This I,
0e sure, was no new doctrine to Metho.
d!sts, yet in the popular Interpretation
given TO it by these reformers il was ',U, nen
we may safely say. to the bulk of the fol.
lowers of Wesley. This offsloot was
also distinguished for a bitter opposit;on
to secret societies, a popularity Which !,
stiii fe.ains, as evidenced by the fact that
INC iraternal delegate from the NJ. H.
Church to it's last general conference was
asked oy the presiding officer ifhe was a
Aason, and when he replied that he was
PAD the penalty by being refused recor
nilion by that body. Another pcculiari.
~ OF this Church is the adherence of lis
members 70 plain modes Of dressing. Ia
inns peculiarly, however, time is said to
De working. some notifications. The
FREE Methodist Church eschews Bishons
and Presiding Elders. 1t has thirteen
annual conferences, 27I preachers and
1862 members
METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH.
a very influential body of Methodists
Is that which is known IS the Methodist
Protestant Church. The difference
which led to the formation Of this Church
had reference solely to questions OF
church government. There were those
IN the Methodist Church, even rs early
as IN 1920, who we're anxious to dispense
with the Presiding Eldcrship, and WHO
ieit that the laymen ofthc Church should
be represented in its conferences. 4
long and bitter controversy cnsued on
these subjects, the leader on the anti.
I;ldership side being a wealthy layman.
VIM. 5. Stockton, who began the publ.
cation at Trenton, n. j., of a periodical
called ''Thc Wesleyan Repository."-.
After four years this gave place to
The Mutual Rights" published in the
same interest. Meanwhile, fagrant in.
stances of disObedience to the order of
the Church occurred in tho reform party
and rs result some cxpulsions took
place. The expelled members. in 1912
organized themselves iuto body called
The Associate Methodist Reformers. 4"
and in 1880 there was formed from this
nucleus the body known as the Metho.
dist Protestant Church. This Church
has neither Bishops nor Presiding Eel.
ders. at it's organization it adopted in
substance the rules of the NJ. f. Church,
and the Articles of Religion held by that
body. Its organizers did not regard
themselves as seceders from the parent
body. They claimed, rs do their follow.
ers for them, that they organized their
Church when, having been expelled from
the Methodist Episcopal fold, they we're
without church home, and were, there
fore, at liberty to act for themselves, as
they did. This Church commenced with
about eighty ministers and 5000 mem.
bers. 1t now has 1914 ministers, and a
membership Of about 5000.
COLORED METHODIST CHURCHES.
The connection with the Methodist
Episcopal Church of large numbers of
colored people, and the early prejudice
existing against this class, are two facts
which, as might have been expected,
have given rise to several divisions of
Methodism along social lines The first
of these occurred in 1916, when the a fri
can Methodist Episcopal Church was
formed. The colored people in those
days attended the same churches that
the white people patronized, and had a
certain portion of the meeting houses re-
served for their especial use. In a Ger.
tain church attended largely by colored
people, an innovation was introduced in
the shape OF a gallery, and straightway
diapute arose as to where the dusky
hucd brethren should thenceforward sit.
An effort was probably made to crowd
them out of the main body Of the church
into the gallery. This dispute was the
entering wedge which, so far as church,
privileges 60, has'now entirely separated
the two races. The African M. L.
Church organized with about 5000 men,
bers. 1t now has membership Of about
2l5,O00
Other colored branches of Melhodism
are the Methodist Episcopal Zion
Church, organized in New York in 1920,
and the Union American Methodist
Church, organized in 1918. The former
took its name (Zionl from the church
in New York where the colored people
who started the new organization had
long worshiped. 1t began with less than
1900 members, and now has nearly 900
600. The latter was organized by Rev.
Peter Spencer. 1t is weak body, hav-
ing 121 preachers, and 1000 lay mem
bers. Perhaps one reason for the slow
growth of this Church is the practice
which prevails in it, Of requiring every
member to contribute no less than $3.50
q year to the support of the gospel.
Another fruitful cause of dissention
among the followers of Wesley has been
the question of the right or wrong of sla-
very. The question is now forever set at
rest, SO far as this country is concerned,
but forty years ago it rent in twain the
great Methodist Episcopal Church, and
still later threatened to disrupt our ma
tion. There were many in this Church,
even at the time of its organization, who
opposed this institution, aud this faith
full band steadily increased, both in mum.
bers and influence. The Church as u
body, however, did not seem to keep
peace with its antislavery wing, and in
1904 large numbers, for conscience
sake, left its fold, the result being the
formation in the latter year of the Amer
ican Wesleyan Church.
THE WESLEYAN CHURCH.
This Church was organized at Utica,
n. Y. It's distinguishing characteristic
was its incorporating hostility to hu-
man slavery. 1t also opposed secret So
cieties, and refused membership to all
who belonged to such bodies 1t fur
thcrmore differed from the mother
Church in dispensing with Bishops and
Presiding Elders. Until slavery was
abolished the Wesleyan Church was