Daily Kennebec journal., 1882-03-28

The Annual C0nferenc nces Soon to he n Id
How the Machinery OF . Great Church
Organization Works.

| Organization Works.
| As the conferences of the Methodist Epis-
copal churches of New England are to hold
their annual sessions in the month of April
and as a result of these sessions there will
| occur great changes in the relations of pastors
and people, three or four hundred clergymen
being assigned to new fields of labor, and as
| many churches receiving new pastors. all
| within period of 30 davs few facts in re-
latlon to these conferences. the changes that
| are to take place, and the methods by which
these changes are effected will be Of interest
Methodism in New England as a denomina-
ton is less than 100 years old its first preach
| ers having visited its soil between the wears
| 1880 and 1850, but may be seen from the
statistics < iven below it has had a marvellous
growth and has attained remarkably COM
mandng religious power and influence.
There are six annual conferences in New
England, covering its entire territory, except
that portion of the State of Connecticut lying
west of the Connecticut river. which is as
| signed to the New York East Conference, and
that portion of the State of Massachuset
west of the Green Mountains, which is assigned
| to the Troy Conference. Originally this
whole territory comprised in one confer
ence, the New England, but churches and
members multiplying, subdivisiOn has been
made, until the number is at present six.
The territory of these conferences is arranged
by the General Conference. delegated body
meeting once in four years, and there has
been tendency in recent years to arrange
the boundaries according to State lines and
with reference to railroad communication.
An annual conference is a body composed
exclusively of ministers. and each member is
amenable to the body. his only church rea-
| tions being involved in such member ship
Each conference is under the Episcopal su-
peryision of one of the bishops of the church,
who presides at its annual meeting and
signs to each minister his field of work for
the year. No minister is appointed to any
church, college, or in short to any position,
except for one year at time, though there
may be successive annual appointments to the
same church other position. varying in
| number according to the character of the ap
pointment. No minister be appointed to
the charge of any church for more than three
years in succession, though after an interval
of three years he may be returned. The only
exceptions to this rule are missionaries, pre-
siding elders, who may be appointed 10 the
same district four years in succession-pro
fessors in schools and colleges, editors Of
church periodicals, secretaries of the benevo
| lent organizations of the church, agents and
chaplains of temperance and other reforma-
| tory institutions etc, who NAV be appointed,
| if the circumstances demand it, and the bishop
| is requested by the proper authorities so to
do. for anv numoer of wears in succession.
According to the Methodist Episcopal econ
omy the choice of pastor for the church rests
| wholly and alone with the presiding bishop.
| He is supposed to have such 4 knowledge of
| the needs of the churches and the character
| and abilities of the different ministers, as to
! make fitting appointments And, as bearing
| on sucb fitness it is a significant fact that out
| of some II 900 appointments made each year
by the bishops of the church not more than
half dozen cases can be annually found where
| n churcb refuses to take the pastor assigned,
or where the minister refuses to assume the
charge of the church to which he is appointed
Nov ENGLAND has a resident bishop in the
person of Bishop Foster. whose episcopal res
| idence is in Boston, but he does not necessa-
rilv have superyisiOn of the New England
| conferences The bishops as well as the
| o,har c,a,yv are it;nerant. and their superin-
| tendency ;S general Atpresent the episcopal
s,narv;s;on Of the New England conferences
i qiven below. Bisbop Merrill. whose epis-
conal residence is at Chicago. has supervision
| of and will preside at the New England South
ern Conference. which meets at Providence,
| X L.. Aprll , : the New Engidnu InettlHR NJ
| Vorthamnton Mass. April IL, and the Yer
mont meeting at Ludlow. Vt, April %. And
R;sbon Foss. whose episcopal residence is at
| U:na.no,;s N;roasnta has sunervision of
.na Vii nres;de at the New Hampshire Con-
ference meeting at Lawrence. Mass. April
10 the Maine. which meets at Augusta. April
oG and the East Maine meeting at Waldo
boro Me. Nav 3.
| Some estimate of the extent of the labor in
led in this sunervision NAV be formed
f-nr, tho folIowing statistics concerning the
.',,,,',ar of churcbes and ministers in these
nnnfsrences "u named. There are 9sl churches,
w;,h a membership of lO9. .3s2. holding church
nroper,y to tine value of s7.7776.s43 These
s;x Conference have a membership of 93l
minister's each of whom. excluding the super
a,nua,ed and superuumerary must be appoint
"a 90 s,ma fald of labor. and each of these
&. " 80 80, ho .ss;onad nastor When
ch'rc"es us uus. u ,hs, ,ha.. h;!hons have .Iso
Is re".o "; IS Gand ,hst in some ra.es thi. i.
suptt ;.;, - 20 ,bssa cooference.1 several
o,har conferences in other parts of the coun-