Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-05-01
The Methodist Ittnepacy,

Extract of sermon preached by Rev. c. F.
Cline, pastor Of Grace NJ. e. Church, yesterday
morning:
Text-Acts XVIII:11.-"And he continued
there a year and six months teaching the
word of God"
Many persons fail to see any good reason
for changing the pastors of the Methodist
Episcopal church so often and regularly, and
we are often asked "Why do you submit to
it?' We submit to it because it possesses
many advantages over the "settled pastorate."
First-It provides all the churches with
pastors and all the pastors with churches.
The report of the committee on "Pastorless
churches and churchless pastors" at the con-
vention of Congregational churches In the
United States, held at st. Louis, October,
1880, contained some interesting facts. Out
of 2,674 churches 904 were without pastors,
and out of 3,S42 ministers 1,136, nearly one.
third of the entire number, were without
churches; and during the three years proceed
ing the convention 3,l75 pastoral dissolutlons
had taken place, or 467 Congregational
ministers, out of 3,S42 in the United States,
did not change in the space of thres years, and
this may be safely taken as sample of the set
tied pastorate in all the churches holding that
form of ecclesiastical polity. So the asettied"
paStorate generally proves to be quite unset
tied. After 262 years labor in the United
States the Congregationalists number about
SS3, 900 communicates, and the Methodists,
after 116 years labor, number nearly $500, 900
commandments. Nothing succeeds like sue
cess.
Second-The itineracy promotes good
health and physical vIgor. After preaching
two or three years effectively to the same peo-
pie, the vital force OF most men becomes ex-
hausted. The nervous strain in the prepara-
ton and delivery of sermons is often very
great, but if ''settled," the minister does not
wish to ask a furlough, but it might be con-
seGusa as nossbv want f m5s9 Of re-
his people to think they they have have
an invalid fastened upon them. So he labors
on till disease is permanently seated or the
nervous system utterly shattered. Indeed,
examples of this are too common.
Again: Under the itinerant plan no minis
ter is required to 60 ''candidating." Of all
the humllating anxiety candidating or wait
ing for "call" must be the worst. Every
effective Methodist preacher in the
world has charge, and must have, and that
without candidatipg.
The itinerant plan also possesses the advan-
tage OF the best use aud distribution of talent
throughout the whole church. Some minis
tiers are good revivalists, some pastors, some
strong in doctrine, while others have gift for
binding churches. Now the ideal man in
WHOM al tneSe are com 0lneQ Is very rare.
Under our system a church is found in need
of some special service and the presiding
bishop puts his hand upon the right minister
for the place.
Nor is this all. Changes in the pastorate
under any system are inevitable. II pastor
succeeds in the settled pastorate he will most
likely receive call to some more desirable
field of labor. Death, too, makes vacancies,
and disturbances from unforeseen causes are
liable 10 arise in day. And then distress
ing interval between the going of one pastor
and the coming of another ensues, and in
most cases the new pastor is not settled with
out more or less secret dissatisfaction. Fur
ther: when q pastor is disliked from
any cause the disaffected are compelled to
do one of two things: to hear a man
preach they do not like, to leave The church
FER the time being at least and 60 elsewhere,
or raise fuss big enough to force him to re-
sign. The latter IS generally done, and such
conflicts over minister work untold evil.
The intimacy with Its frequent, legal, peacahle
changes obvlates these difficulties.
Moreover; the intimacy systematizes and
promotes sound doctrine. Nearly all the
heresies that have rent the church have origi-
mated In the pulpit. It was in this way that