The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-12
AN UNCERTAIN LIFE.
The Methodist Minister'S Chances Of
Rasidenee and salary Like a Lottery.

Residence ana OaAdLV Like a AOLkbEyH
Barring the wind and the action of
petit jury there is perhaps nothing 50
uncertain as the life and residence Of a
Methods pRlister. There is only one
thing Of which he can be reasonably GER
tain and that is with good behavior and
satisfactory work he is liable to retain his
pastorate for the period Of one year. Be
yond that he can see nothing until the
critical moment when the decision Of the
bishop and his cabinet is announced.
Salary and the cost Of living Is one thing
about Whichhe must not concern himself.
II viii avail him nothing. When the con-
ference meets the pastor is there. He
attends TO the business before him with
all due regard for the seriousness and inn
portance Of its nature, but until the Sc
cret session Of the bishop and his cabi-
net, composed of the presiding elders of
the various districts, is over, and the APP
pointments are announced, he is absolute
Iy in the dark so far as his next place Of
. residence is concerned, and place Of res
idence carries salary with it, though, of
course, the ministers do not let that
consideration enter into the question.
Years, ago before the matter was placed
i'm the hands Of the congregation, the
Methodist conference fixed the salary Of
the ministers it appointed, and they were
all uniform. a minister was allowed $l5O
a year and his board if a single man, and
5000 and his board if married. This was
invariable and applied to all the charges,
large and small. For each child minis
ter was allowed $50 a year in addition to
the above amounts. Now, however, the
matter is left with the church or. the
board Of stewards of each church, and
the salary is pretty well determined from
year to year, and quite uniform. The
stewards confer with the pastor and de-
termine what his necessities Will require
and the congregation is assessed for that
amount for the pastors salary. The size
of cOngre cation and its composition also
cuts figure in the rather tacit compet-
ton for places.
1t is unnatural for even a minister to
put away all ambition, and on the size of
his salary depends, to some extent, his OPP
pOrtunites for charging his usefulness
and knowledge. But this seems to cut
little figure with the bishop and his cabi-
net 1t seems rather harsh to take pas
tor from a 81 500 or 5000 charge, where he
appears to have just enough to supply his
family with necessities and conVeniences,
and exile him perhaps to some country
village where it is a heavy tax on the con-
gregation to pay $500. This is an extreme
case, but such things are by no means in
frequent, and there is no saying no. The
decision of the bishop and his cabinet is
law. BY these changes it happens every
year that some of the ministers are sent
to pastorates where their salary is $500
less than it was the year before, and
some other minister may reap
the benefit of the change and
receive like increase. And
yet a Methodist minister will tell you there
has never been known a case where one
Of them complained about the matter OF
salary. And why should they? 1t would
accomplish nothing. If they ever say
a., hi al oh
themselves it is only in so far as their
ambition to serve one of the foremost
charges in the district is concerned, and
few of them have anything to say about
this.
The last night of the conference is said
to be the supreme moment in the life of a
Methodist minister. That supreme mo-
ment comes once a year, and no doubt it is
a time that brings many silent fears and
doubts. The bishop and his cabinet are
in session until late in the evening. A
member of the cabinet may have prom
ised a pastor that he shall retain his
charge or be given a better one That
cuts no figure and the cabinet does not
seem to hold itself bound to consider
promises. They file in before the assem-
bed pastors and interested members of
| the church, and after long secret ses-
sion their decisions and appointments are
publicly announced.
1t is said that politics cuts a big figure
in a Methodist conference, especially in
the secret session of the bishop and his
cabinet There is no direct evidence of
the truth of this statement, but when
spoken of, the fact that certain pastors
always receive appointments to the fore
| most charges in the circuit, or are made
presiding elders is pointed to Significantly
! How do they manage it?" some will
| ask, unless il is by inhuence?' and it
may be that they speak with some reason
| Then, too when a pastor goes before a
| conference his record must be clear. His
| work for the past year must be satisfac-
/ tory, his moral record unclouded and he
| must be free from debt. No matter
| whether or not the congregation has failed
| to keep it's part of the verbal contract
and raise the stated salary the pastor
/ who would receive another appointment
| must have no debt to anyone hanging
| above him. He must enter his new charge
! untrammeled and without obligations.
/ If these conditions are not complied with
! he is not considered by the conference.
No pastor can retain any charge to
which he is appointed for more than four
years. After that time he must under the
laws of the church, be changed. 1t may
| be- however that he will be given one of
equal Importance and dignity, but this
is by no means certain. Some say that
If he has influence he can circulate around
| the largest and most important charges
his chances. which are at best a lottery,
or what is more apropos, like the church
grabbing.