The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-03-05
M. P. GENERAL CONFERENCE.
Some Notes on the Governing Body of the
Methodist Protestant Church.

The regular quadrennial session of the Gen
| eral Conference of the Methodist Protestant
| Church, will be held in this city, beginning on
the third Friday, 10th day of May, next, and
continuing for about ten days or two weeks.
| This body embraces representatives from
all the Annual Conferences of the denomina.
ton, in the United States, and is composed
of nearly, if not quite, one hundred and fifty
members, the ratio OF representation from
each Annual Conference being one minister
and one layman for every two thousand per-
sons in full membership in the church.
The highest officer of the Conference is a
President, who is elected by ballot, and pre-
sides at all the sessions of the body. He con
tinues in Office for four years, and until his
successor is elected, and is, during the in
term of the meetings of the General Confer.
ence, the connexional officer of the Annual
Conferences.
The Methodist Protestant Church was organ
lied in the city of Baltimore, in 1928, upon
the principle of constituting the General and
Annual Conferences, of an equal number of
effective ministers and duly delegated lay
men, The new association, from the begin
ming, met with great success, many churches
and conferences being speedily organized.
But the question of slavery, which had been
agitating the country for years, and which
was disturbing element in nearly all the
churches, soon found its way into the Meth
odist Protestant Church also. SO that in
1858, nineteen Annual Conferences of the
free states, by convention held in Spring
field, Ohio, decided to suspend all official re
lations with other churches and conferences
until the cause of disagreement should be re-
moved
In 1866 they dropped the word Protestant,
and that branch of the church was known rs
H. Ma4I,oI;,4 h.,
and as the years rolled on, there was an in
creasing desire among the thoughtful men Of
the church, for reunion of the separated
bodies. This was facilitated by fraternal in
terehanges at the General and Annual Con-
ferences, and on the 1lth Of May, 1877, in
the city of Baltimore, a union, on terms sat
isiactory to both sections, was consummated.
Since that time the church has greatly pros
pered.
The denomination has number of educa
honal institutions, prominent among them
being the Western Maryland College, of this
city, and Adrian College, in Adrian, Michigan.
The Methodist Protestant, published at Bal
timore, Nd, and The Methodist Recorder,
published at Pttsburg, Pa, are the official
organs of the church.
The church has number of missionaries in
the foreign field, and are also actively en-
gagged in home missionary work. From fifty
to seventy-five young men are now IN theo-
logical training at Westminster and Adrian,
for the ministry of the Methodist Protestant
Church.
The attendance at the coming session of the
General Conference is expected to be large,
as many important questions will be brought
before the body. The Maryland Annual Con-
ference is one of the oldest and most infuen-
tial conferences of the church, and will, we
doubt not be represented by some Gifts ablest
ministers and laymen.
1t will be pleasure to our citizens, we are
sure, TO have representatives. from this emf
nent body of notwithstanding rs they do
from the different sections of our country
hold their quadrennial session in our midst;
and true to the hospitable instincts of our
people, we are equally sure they will meet
with a genuine Maryland welcome.