New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-11
CONGREGATIONAL LAW {.
THE TROUBLE IN DIR. NEwMAN's CHURCH.

MATTER rPoN GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND QOoiE
AUTHORITIES.
Touching the troubles in the Rev. Or. Newmans
church, Deacon Foster said to TRIBUNE reporter
CO Saturday: -.
Now that the Ranney party have to certain o of
tie discussion In aticn to Dr. NT%as p"S
we can take the que Ion o 1 &c nndeg principles
the whole affair .,,, g. bora q nos,or
IT, m .n,ber of some other denominatioLf
Se,ond Il there any authority IL Congresauehahsin
These t two questions are the and substance
Of tie entire trouble; I and r,@oe1iIsd as
the Church the true poty Of the
with such broad s9 a. cb 10 member is allowed the full
latitude OF his religious training ana me rgnI OF
lrenng is hppt iSe doctrine of tie local church
f9slls5e" be "eyanseca" and then it is strictly
For such church then, the qualifications for pastor
are that his views and teachings should be eyanget-
such views as are evangelical administer the affairs
of Congregational church without barn or prejudice,
even II he come from some other church Wch may haNo
very fixed and rigid faith. , ,..,+
In regard 10 the second question we find two distinct
views The Rev. II. NJ. Dexter. OF Boston represents one
view. He holds that ongregatonalism Is beld IN ooS S
by rules and oogaGns IKE Elmer b oSnssr from other
churches more less authority can be exercl,eu Ne
i9s ea Sf BacoH of e always
feet freedom ard Independence OF the Local o,fro
ts own affairs without regard outside churches. ana
that the whole force Of council was aGNSO; 4y tbrongb
cons view has gained the victory, and running s ~,
an the manuals OF the Congregational chtTcnes VI ,
state and likewise other states is he one cIesiasca
tv and in matters OF doctrine, order aud discipline Is
% va, hos mi. view gained ground that even Dr. Dexter
avs i'm his hand book o. 129l3S of the churches on s
sh tbs local Church has the independent selfcom
Ieteness known the autonomy under CHRIST Oh
II is obvious that without independence autonomy can
not exist aud councils or other bodies could exert any
he
dependence would be destroyed. -, .. oooh Loco,
As result then we say we must ooR 20 sasn i -
requires pastor be member OF the local chnIe6
for himself whether he shall join not unless some
provision made for his joining at the time lie was
In The case Of DR. Newman, his church has a manual
but il silent the subject OF the pastor joining Inc
gotations carried on by the society IN calling nm thcIo'
clause which ne me
Of the Madison Avenue Congregational Church ana te
five members OF the committee who acted In calling Dr.
Newman have declared over their own signatures nt
they these facts aud they told the church they
That clause referred to found in the printed plain
statement Of facts 10y four of the i've original comt'ee'
FRIDAY, Dec 80 1881. DR.. Ranney, Mr.. Breen and Mr.
generally DIR. Newman discussed very fully the most
sdvsabe method of his leaving the Methodist Church
taking location 70 the Central Methodist Church al
ns gsin ON January l. iss2 when the committee again
called DR.. Ranney, DIR. Finch and Mr.. Brush came a.
"Dr Newman said he would never again return 10 the
itinerancy and he had 10 doubt the per
nanency OF his relations with our church 80 ,..r
Ifthenthe local church can call an evsngenea minister
10 nm its pulpit and the local church is fully independent
TO make It's own manual and yaws, and 1t has not re-
ued by any such bylaw that the minister should join the
CHURCH but the society making the contract agreed
as in Dr. Newmans that he should remain member
of another denomination then we must conclude that Ut
Newman's position fully warranted In law justice ana
truth remaining the permanent pas.9rh 0i me i
Methodist Church
When Dr. Ranney was informed last night of
Mr. Fosters statements he smiled and SAID:
.'Nir Foster is lawyer ana consequently has the
ability TO find authorities for whatever cause he peases
B When he presumes quote the Rev DR.. Dexter, he
hood. Al the beginning of this trouble pans
of writing DT. Dexter asking him few questions on
the salient points in dispute. Here is the substance Of
70 Apply these principles to the case in hand: II the
Madison Avenue Congregational Church be ndepend-
eIt body il may constitute any man It's pastor in any
establish by practice. But If 1t be Congregational
Church. there is only, one way In which II can place
s s"ye f three in ds ls P Viz iUf' TGo
cregaton must formally call the candidate TO be Its pas
Tor: C2 he must formally accept the call; go lie must be
formally indicted to that position by the eonsenting ac
tion OF ecclesiastical council OF Congregations
Enthusiastically neighborlng chnrches-convoked by
Letters missiye" for that specific purpose. If no
council has been called he eannot become coneIegation
ay pastor because 10 opportunity gwen 10 me SISTER
churches by their delegates even 50 much as TO the Ques
ton Of admitting him TO 5er ad ana assuming
position of the acting pastor u.s. the same as tDat OF any
y,
10 the right Of the society to terminate Ills service when
ever il uleases to do So"
om that the pastor Of the church shall be member OF
II and its standing moderator and that If acting
iIr Newman is not a member Of the church. think
that DR. Dexers statements meet MI lace TO lace
When inc church built for Dr. RepWOrth $4,000
was maid for the ground and $4,000 fOT the building
and organ While Dr. hcpwolih was pastor the church
mortgage OF about $4,000 on the church property.
since DR. Newman became pastor although he prom sed
Of he mi a
wears have already elapsed ana not cent has been paid
:y The debt ON the contrary, every copper that his
tnd Ind scrape together has gone to make up bis
salary until even the IOor FUND has suffered from his
unsuitable demand The church as you hmow is
lutte necessity or otherwise the nails win rust out
W %G inc the cnarcG has not been painted since DE-
Newman became connected with it. We have
Since 1e' we have known Dr. Newman they have
not once taken up and shaken. The want of al
this has been the want OF money. Few months
ago widow of former :, m. n6 OF the he
$4,000 Well this too went 10 ray Dr. Ne"lnan,s salary
They talk of the church manual which was prepared
man instructed Mr. Foster TO prepare 1t the latter cent
letters to ali the congregational churches IN the country
sent IN bill $1,000. which was paid out oft Poor
Fund The OF the church mas been disastrous SINCE
this materis simply 10 prevent from going amy further
The meeting tomorrow night viii be an important one
and will in al probability bring matters to crisis Tue
letters from church party Will be discussed and the
question of discussing the sexton aad ushers will be
settled
Mr. McNab the chief usher remarked to a TRlB-
1NE reporter last night that he did not expect TO
appear again as an usher for ne thought the aGtlon
of the Board of Trustees would be adverse 10 him.
Mr. Senior, the sexton, is to be dismissed, ii is
claimed by both parties because he has not chosen
10 take either side but anxious TO retain his POSI-
ton has been too obliging alternately 10 DR.. New
man and Dr. Ranney.
1t was said by a lady who is familiar with the
movements of the Church party that Clerk Sey-
iaour Lad prepared a series of charges against DR..
Ranney and several others, TO be presented TO the
Board of Trustees tonight in which Mr.. Sey-
Inour says that when he took charge of the
church books there was an important
deficit in the accounts, and that after
he had investigated the matter he ascertaiued that
Dr. Ranney had taken three, peTs from the church