Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-03-28
ABOUT A GREAT caURca


This is the centennial year Of the organi
zation of the Methodist Church in this com.
try. The general conference will meet or
the first day Of May in Philadelphia, and 9
great deal of discussion of Methodist affairs
win prevail both before and after shs meet.
ing. At this conference some bishops are 10
be chosen, and much interest Is felt In the
| result.
Methodism in this country has grown
some since 1884. Then all the preachers
were included in one confsrencs. The pres.
ent number of annual conferences Is ninety
nine, exclusive of ths fifteen mission districts,
the latter baving total membership larger
than the whole church in 1884, The mum.
Der of conferences has doubled In twenty
five years. There are now ten bishops.
The whsle number elected and consecrstad
has been thirty y-fve II the present number
survive until the general conference Of this
year three of them will have served four
years, six of them twelve years, and one,
Bishop Simpson, thirty-tvo years In 1884
the numerical returns showed eighty-three
itinerant preachers and IA 1856 lay members.
The number of itinsrant preachers reported
in the general minutes Of 1852 was II OPS
for the sinele branch of the
church known as the Methodist Episco-
pal, to- which are to be added
1885 preachers, chiefly local preachers, max
ing total of 1858 preachers, iaad the lay
members Of the same branch are reported as
numbering 1,742, ,o21. The total number of
Methodist minister's in all the branches of
the church in the United States is Is, s39,
which is exclusive of 81, ia local preachers,
and the number of members In all the
branches is 3,S93, 724. The magnitude of
these figures only appears when it is stated
that the total number of Baptist ministers in
the United States is Is, ,246, and the total
number of members is 1859, ,129, and the
total number of Presbyterian ministers, the
next largest among the denominations, is
8,s9S, and the total number of members is
1,Oe2, 94f. The total amount of moneys
contributed by the Methodist Episcopal
church alone for the last year in church
work is between 1000, 600 and $40, ,oeo.-
600.
1t is great honor to be bishop in this
Church ,and it is therefore not surprising that
EuoEe uhS Oeen some ealk eDonE zoo mue0
management" in the election, of bishops.
A writer in the Boston Advertiser, who
evidently is well acquainted with the history
of Methodism in this country, says: It was
said at the last conference that the bishops
named the number of men they desired
eiscted, and made the number conform to
the men whom they said could probably be
elected. But the men now in Office are not
regarded as equal in all respects to some of
their predecessors in this art of diplomacy.
The Church is old enough to have discovered
in some of her chief ministers.a great knowl
edge and proficiency in what would be called,
in more secular affairs, system and art of
statecraft. But when the Church comes to
hear it said that bishops maks bishops, the
secret is out, and the art is up. Never was
this secret more endangered than in the ont
look for the coming general conference, be-
cause Of the impression which has been
abroad that this art has hithero bssn worked
with some success.