Middletown transcript., 1896-03-28
BOSS AND BOssEE.


BOSS AND BOssEE!
The Rev. Vaughan s. Collins has
many admirable qualities. One OF
them is, he is man of convictions and
is not afraid to give them utterance.
No:fear of the bishops displeasure or
of offending the presiding elders deter
red him from offering and advocating
the following resolutions at the Will
mington Annual Conferences which ad-
journed in Dover this week:
"That no pastor be appointed to a
charge by bishop without the con-
current vote of majority Of the pre-
siding elders. :,
ssThat the annual conference should
annually nominate the presiding eld-
ers''
This is step in the right direction.
It means to remove the absolute power
of the bishop and put it 10 representa-
tive hands, primarily in the hands OF
the men who are the most interested
the preachers themselves. Mr.. Collins
showed how completely the preachers
are now in the hands Of the presiding
elders who receive their appointment. s
from the bishop in the statement that
of 210 delegates elected to the General
Conference at the fall conferences but
9S were preachers. The Wilmington
Conference follows in the same line.
OF the four delegates elected three are
presiding elders. And it has been ever
thus. The men who are elders by the
favor of the bishops, when the General
Conference comes around are elected
delegates by the preachers, and as the
elders pass out of the office other men
pass in and become delegates. Why do
the preachers elect the elders? The
elders make the appointments by and
with the consent of the bishops, and
30 on the circular chain is formed.
Mr.. Collins is quoted on our first
page as saying "the Methodist preacher
is the most bossed man on EARTH" The
gentleman forgot the average Metho-
dist layman. He has absolutely no say,
no put, in church affairs-except to
pay his money. The quarterly confer
ence governs the local church and it is
a self-perpetuating body by and with
the consent of the pastor. This confer
ence fixes the salary and the preacher
fixes the nominations in the conference,
and thus this circular wheel of which
the pastor is the "bishop' and the "of-
fetal brethren" are the ''elders" 'bos-
ses" the outside layman and laywoman
in the church. The preacher may be
"bossedn in the annual conference but
he becomes a "bossee" within his own
church, and while the preacher has a
boss, tie people have boss and bos-
see. The Methodist Episcopal Church
has lost the influence and the aid of
many good man, because Of this sys-
tenn. We are glad to say the system is
seldom abused; the fault is more in the
machinery itself than in the running
Of it. Mr.. Collins denied that he meant
any reflection on the bishops or their
Cabinets, neither did he; nor do we on
the pastor and the "official brethren.
1t is the boss system that we both OBJ
ject to rather than the boss. Bosses or
leaders are necessary in every move
ment and in every cause. The ques-
tion is as to the limitations of their
power.
But we see scme good sister and some
weak brother who has been in leading
strings so long that his nerves are very
skaky, hold up their hands in horror
at such rebellion against church rule
and church authority. We might de-
fend our right to do this, but it is
easier to point TO Rev. Vaughan S. Col
Inns as the champion for greater liber-
ality and freedom in church govern
ment, nor do we believe that he would
stop with the changes that he proposed
in the late session of conference but
that he would 60 further and take the
people into his plans Of more demo-
cratic ideas. At least as one of the
people we can say what is good for the
pastor should be good for the people,
so pass the dish little further that a II
may be partakers thereof.
This is serious question deserving
the consideration of Methodist congre-
cations as we'll as the officials. In too
many churches one or two men because
of their wealth or from other consider
ations, usually monetary, obtain al
most dictatorial power and as conse-
quence the church suffers and The peo-
pie suffer. Every man of experience
and observation knows this to be true.
Every preacher in the Wilmington Con-
ference could with name and place
point to one or more examples of this
kind. What is the remedy and how
can it be appliedp If the "boss" is to
60 why not the "bossee?" The columns
of the TRANSCRIPT are open.
GALL the Republicans in Sussex