New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-22
ARANDONING LILY PREACHERS.

| There is now in session in Parkersburg,
! West Va, an Association of Methodist Local
| Preachers representing directly or indirectly
| the various MethOdsms of the whole country.
| The special interest of this session of the Ma
| tional Association " comes from plan pro-
! posed in Baltimore and called a " New Depart
| ure." This new departure has very lnno-
| cent look, but would involve q very radical
| change. From the beginning of Episcopal
| Methodism in this cOuntry-that is, for about
| hundred years-MethOdst local preachers
! have. like tinerants or regulars, held religious
services under official or semi-otiicial appoint
| ment. In an earlier day Philip Embury,
| CAPTAIN Webb and others among the actual
| founders of American MethOdsm made their
own Appointments and went and came at pleas
| IRE, being practically self-drecting evange-
lists. When Asbury became the agent of
Wesley in organizing the MethOdists converted
under the local-preacher system, tue evange-
lists fell cheerfuly into limo, and flied up tho
gaps for which no regulars could be had.
Asbury said in those days that two local
prearhers-men who worked daily on their
farms or in their shops-were equal to one
A." travelling preacher v; and in fact good half
of Asbury's work was done in this gratuitOus
way by an irregular force which he put under
the regular principle" 80 when you are sent"
The last thirty years have seen revolution
in Methodism. The circuit system Twelve to
twenty preaching places being often embraced
in circuit with one prcacher-n- charge) has
almost disappeared. The Methodists, like
other people, now have churches and pastors.
One preacher fills one pulpit the year round.
In former days from two to five men followed
each other from point to point Of a circuit. The
reader Will perhaps recall this system as faith
fully described in Edward Eggleston's CIR
cuit Rider" In those days the local (or lay
preacher was Il companion and helper of the
glorious company of circuit riders, and he
did full half of the work and shared equally
in the honors. The revolution which
broke the circuits up into stations took
away the greater part of the occupation
of the lay preachers; but the churches
have gone on making lay preachers a good deal
as though nothing had happened. There are
now more than 25,000 " local preachers in
the United States, all of whom have or might
have voice in the convention now sitting at
Parkersburg. What is proposed a return
TO the ways of Captain Webb and Philip
Embury. "Let u.s." say some leading lay preach
eIs, find our own appointments, organize
yourselves, direct our own efforts. The Church
"authorities have no work for us to do There
ais, nevertheless, plenty of work to be done.
Let us stop waiting to be sent and go in
search of places to preach the gospel" 1t is
no exaggeraton to interpret all this as mean
ing that American Methodism has got
ready to abandon lay preaching and
that the lay preachers are making
last effort to vindicate their usefulness
as a body. 1t is not expected by those who
have watched this latest movement that it
will even seriously check the tendency to
abandon lay preaching. The present plan
could only succeed as Il new Methodist Church
and for secession not a score of men among
the $4,000 could be mustered. The lay
preachers are IN point of fact the most loyal
section of Methodlsts they will not march
without orders.
The situation is a peculiar one, for there
can be little doubt that the lay preachers are
vastly more formidable force-on paper
than any possible Salvation Army. They are
20, 900 men, who mostly have some theologi- |
cal study, are accustomed TO public speaking, |
and arc generally Jealous believers If they |
ItIcntu dnyNlltIc vi u DtN departure lltc |
earth would shake under them. But they will |
not march, The body is diversely made up
and has no power to combine its action for !
special ends. There are in fact three sorts of |
Methodist local preachers: CD All licentates are |
so styled. Several thousand young men |
on the way TO the regular ministry are |
called local preachers" (2) All ex-ministers |
who have not been expelled are said |
to be "l0cated," that is, returned to the |
class from which they were originally taken,
(3) Lay preachers embrace about one-half |
of the whole body The first two sections are |
not laymen at all in point of character or
reputation and the combination of those |
sections with the laymen licensed TO preach !