St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-04-12
GENERAL CONFERENCE AT CLEyE-
LAND TO BE OF UNUSUAL I'M
PORTANCE.
WOMEN WILL BE ADMITTED.
NUMBER OF IMPORTANT CHANGES
IN THE CONSTITUTION TO BE
DISCUSSED.
TIME LIMIT MAY BE ABOLISHED,
Giving Opportunity for the More
Brilliant Pastors to Secure City
PuIpits.

Ine IWenty-SeVenth general confer
ence of the Methodist Episcopal church
will meet in Cleveland, O., May 4, 1896.
This church was organized formally
Dec. 25, 1854. The first general con-
ference was held Nov. 1, 1892, and reg
ular sessions have been held every
four years, meeting after 1900 on the
first Monday in May. All legislation
for the church is passed in this body,
which is made up of one ministerial
delegate for every forty-five travelling
preachers and two lay delegates from
each conference. The Importance of
the coming gathering appears from
the greatness of the church where in.
terests shall be considered, which mum
bers 100000 members; has 40
annual conferences; nearly 1900 trav-
cling preachers; pays over $4,000, 900
yearly fer benevolence. and $1,000, COO
Tor ministerial support. It has organ
lzations all over the world, and repre-
sentatives from foreign. conferences
shall have their seats at Cleveland
With power equal to home delegates.
Its general SUPPLEMENTARY is differ
ent from that of any other Episcopal
body; its bishops are itinerants as well
as the pastors, and are assigned Diff
ferent work. every year by a commit.
tee from their own number. There
are now eighteen bishops who ere all
men Of mark and influence They are
not members of the general confer
ence, but preside in turn,
There will be several questions of
great interest to the church which will
be considered. Memorials from con
fefenees, preachers meetings and
quarterly conferences will come in bv
the hundreds, and il will seem at first
that the whole constitution is about to
be changed. The danger, however
VIII De In the seeming, for the general
conference is always conservative
pody, preserving with great care the
traditions of the church, and vet
adapting the economy to varying times
and the needs of the people. Among
the questions that shall be seriously
considered are the following:
F1rst-The removal Of the timo limit
Will demand attention. In earIy Meth
odlsm the time was as short as six
months, later it was changed to ono
year, then to two years, then to three
and then in 1883 to five years # is
now considered by many in the church
that the time has come to remove II
altogether. 1T is feared by many thai
thls proposed change would cripple
ana destroy the itinerancy, the pecul-
lar system according to which Metho-
olst- preachers are appointed year bv
year by the bishops, but it is contend
ed by those in favor Of the change
that the itinerancy would not suffer but
that the church would be able 10 hot.
ter adapt herself to the needs. in orr
great cities, if the pastors could have
longer terms of service. Some change
VIII probably be made and the system
niouiIieu so as to give longer terms Of
service in extreme cases.
Second-It is proposed to elect the
presiding elders and give them co-or-
olnate power in making the appoint-
ments According to the present svs-
ten' the bishop has full power to an
point both the presiding elders and
pastors. The presiding elder is mao
tlcally sub bishop. He has from
twenty to fifty pastors and churches
under his care; he is ported about the
wants Of both pastor and people and
is httlngly their representative. 40
cordlng to the present method. he has
only an advisory vote In making the
appointments, though his influence is
usually great. 1t is now proposed to
give MIN vote in the cabinet. which
is made up Of the bishop and presid-
ing elders Of the annual conference
and to give to the bishop the eastine.
vote. IT now the elder has a vota in
making the appointments then II 10
argued the place is Of sufficient innor-
lance 10 call for election from the
men who are to be in his hands He
shouid be in truth their representative
IhIrd-lt is proposed to modify the
present probationary membership. The
present law of the church demands that
person coming into it, save by GER
tlhcate, Shall serve a term of six
months probation. This demand grew
out or the large number of reviyals
throughout the church. which brought
at once hosts of men and women of
untried characters into the church and
1t seemed necessary to have a neriod
in which to test the sincerity of the
new members. 1t is now proposed
since we are not taking them in. in
the same way In these later DAYS. hut
through the regular services Of the
church, to change the old method
and either reduce the term Of proba
ton or abolish it altogether. 1t is a
question, however whether the time is
yet ripe for change of this kind. IT is
hardly likely that anything more will
be done than merely to shorten the
term
Fourth-It is proposed to elect the
members of the official board by the
membership. By the present method
the members of the board, which is the
ruling, body in the local church. are
nominated by the pastor, and elected
by the board each year at the fourth
quarterly conference. 1t is objected
that this makes the board self-perpet-
uating and that the membership have
no real representation, though: the
charge is more theoretical than real.
70 remedy this difficulty it is proposed
to change the law that the board NAV
be nominated and elected yearly at a
meeting of the members, called for
that purpose. This question has been
agitated for several years. and the
change has many advocates in the
Northwest. 1t is doubtful however
whether it will be done at this coming
session.
Fifth-The question of equal lay and
ministerial representation in the gem
era1 conference will also demand at
tention. 1t is only in late years that
the laymen have been represented in