Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-04-21
NJ. CHURCH, SOUTH.
The General Conference viii Meet
q Memphis In May.
IN QUADRENNIAL SESSION.
1900 Churches and 100000 Commu-
nlCanlS Represented.
TIE WORK BEFORE The BODY.
TIE WORK BEFORE The BODY.
Review Action Of Annual Conferences
LegIslatc and Make Decision-Eiect
Church OHiccrs and Bishops.
Ccorrespondcnce OF the Dispatch)

month.
Tho conference convencs In the FIRST
Methodist church. and the opening excr-
clscs will be conducted by Bishop John
G Kecner u. D.. Of New orleans, and the
other members Of the College OF B'shops
will prcsidc daily I'm order Of seniority.
Bishop Kccncr was elevated Ia the cps
copacy at the General Conference held
in this city in 1870. and returns attef
lapse Of twenty-four years the senior
Bishop Of the Church.
This conference represents the h's'S'
most aggressive. and wealthiest rc'iS''"'
body In the South. and the coming S'S-
sion. because of the many important "'''
stres 10 be considered. VIII engage '"'
attention of the entire Church from OPEN
ing-day t. adjournment.
The General Conference meets quau'e"-
nially in May, and is composer " VIZ
clerical delegate for every thir'y-siN mn
hers OF each annual conference anu d"
equal number Of lay delegates
The Church will he represented by u"
,Jsbons between three hundred ana TOUT
hundred characterized and iay-ele0'.
"a from ,hirtv-six annual conferences ana
ce,.on mission conferences in twenty-eishO
e,o,cs stretching from the Atlanuc 10
,.o pacific oceans. and from Mexico Ira
~ -, and China. and represents
- 90 communicates and ministers ana
1900 churches. with parsohaseS' FVHou'.'
cOllcaes universities. hospitals, aSEl"..,9'
md other church property an Over ''o
south 10 the value Of nearly >-o''o'VoV'
WORK OF CONFERENCE.
J. ftrh. 81
~ M. church, and is a legislative ana
~ .' h,1y II is invested with full
,.ou,ars 10 make rules ana regulations
t,r me church. consider suggestions, IN
,,c,,rat, new departures Of work lay
ut n.w lines of advance. review the
action II ihc annual conferences ana ar
rorra for the successful execution OF al
Tho work. This body reviews the work
Of th.. correctional officers 81 the Church'
considers the acts Of the general supeHh-
tcndents. creates new departments as the
Church croWs and demands eIocls tn'
bfsbous AMI officers. and arranges for the
surport oi tho same. This body mas
chare. Of the missions Of the Church
domestic md foreigu-elccts the secre-
,ari.s selects the board of missions That
sends out the missionaries, ana leVieS
tax upon the several annual conferences
for the support OF this work. This con-
ference is the last resort or final appear
from the decisions Of the bishops ana
tho action OF the annual conferences.
This work Of the body Is usually OF
much interest throughout the connection,
but the coming session promises TO be
OF interest greater than for some time
because OF two or three cases Of i'm
uor,auce that are expected to be argued
b,fore IL.
QUESTION OF EVANGELISTS.
The case TO be appealed from the North
Georgia Conference. in which the celc-
bratcd evangelist. Rev. Sam Jones, was
located at his own request, becaus, OF
refusal t. take regular pastoral work,
viii he of interest to the ministry ana
laity in all parts Of the Church. If an
action is taken in the matter. the order
Of evaneol. SITS viii l%ely be created and
placed under tho jurisdiction OF either the /
bishops or General Conference. tr.' 't'sr |
wandering ministers may b. o.. "a
some recognized authority. an o,n- |
tinue free lances To attack a. arch |
and ministry without fear or fat..
AUTHORITY OF THE EPISCOPACY. |
There are two cases touching the au-
thority Of the Episcopacy TO be consid- |
cred by the conference. Both cases have |
been much discussed by the ministers. |
and debated pro and con through the re- |
igious papers for the past two years, |
ana nave awakened a widespread interest. |
The more important one-that Of Dr. |
Kelly Us. Bishop Hargrove-will be APP |
pcIled from the Tennessee Conference.
This is the case where Rev. ID. c. Kelly. |
u. D.. q prominent Nashville pastor. |
left his charge 10 accept the nomination |
for Governor of Tennessee upon the Pro- !
hibtion ticket. and after his church had |
been passed by the presiding elder, Rev.
II. +. Haynes, j.. D. and accepted by |
the conference. was challenged by the |
presiding bishop, a committee appointed, |
by whose verdict he was suspended from |
the ministry for six months. The ques- |
ton the conference will be asked to act
upon in this case is the authority of the
Episcopacy. The bishops are responsible
to this conference. not only for their
moral conduct and the doctrines they
teach, but also for their administration
Of the government of the Church and all
decisions which they make on questions
of ecclesiastical law. The question OF
the power Of the bishops and the SUI
premacy Of the clergy is no new one
!n the Church. and from the beginning
has caused some bitter struggles in its
councils. IL was this questiOn-certain |
objections to Episcopal authorty-and the
exclusion Of laymen from conferences
that caused the division in the Methodist
Episcopal Church in 1928, which issued al
last In the formation of the Methodist |
Protestant Church. and ii promises TO |
cause trouble in the Southern Church I'M |
less something is done TO enact certain |
restrictions to the office demanded by |
some of the ministry.
Rev. Sam Jones thinks the bishops have |
too much authority. and has intimated |
II there were taken from them the abso-
lutte appointing power things would soon |
even up.
The Episcopacy, however. will not be |
reduced to a limited term of Office at |
this session. as is expected In the North |
ern Church, but II is thought a step viii |
be taken by the passage of resolutions
delegating TO the presiding elders of each |
annual conference an equal authority with |
the presiding bishop in the appointment
OF the ministers to their year work. III |
this becomes a law an attempt VIII be |
made to make the Office of presiding
elder elective then the question of trans
fers." election of conncctional officers TO
the General Conference ara some others
will be considered.
ELECTION OF CHURCH OFFICERS.
The selection Of the correctional otn-
GERS is a part Of the work sof this body
OF much interest. 1t has been intimated
there are to be changes made In the
B'iN'iitNi VI StNfidi VI tit AiON
true this Is waits 10 be seen.
The positions TO be filled at this time
are: Book agents. Nashville editor Quar-
terly Review; editor Sunday-school books
and periodicals.: editor and assistant edi-
tor Christian Advocate, Nashville; editor
Paciiic Methodist, San Francisco: the
selection of three missionary secretaries,
and the Board OF Missions; secretary and
assistant secretary. and Board of Church
probably an Epworth League secretary.
To iii these important positions the
names OF many wel-known cergymen
are heard. Rev. j. ID. Barbee, ID. d., and
ID. NJ. Smith are likely 10 be returned TO
the management OF the publishing house
at Nashville. Rev w. T. Harrison. ID.
ID, VIII likely be returned as book editor
end to the management OF the Quarterly
Review. and Rev. f.. r.. Hoss, d. d., and
Rev f.. VI. Bounds. ID. d., likewise TO
the Christian Advocate. Rev. ii. c. Nor
rison, ID. d., the eloquent mission secre-
tary. viii, In all probability. be returned,
and II Is thought Rev. s. A. Steel. ID. D.,
I.. N.u