The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-25
TO MAKE A BISHOP
COMING GENERAL CONFERENCE OF
THE MBTHoDISTS.

terestlng questions VIII Cotne SP' IN
Guiding the Time Limit and the Woman
Delegate-A New Bishop VIII Also be
SeIected-History of the Church and its
Power.
If the hundreds of Methodist minis
tiers now in the city are interested IN
one thing more than another it is the
forthcoming general conference of the
church to be heldsin Cleveland, Ohio.
This gathering of lawmaking officials
Of Methodism in the United States will
in some ways be the most momentous
one held since the church was establish
ed in this country. The number OF del
egates will be the largest; women for
the first time will be admitted; the time
limit" question will be one which will
unquestionably involve a heated con-
troversy. Outside of these, some Ques-
tons of doctrine will be brought up.
Some of the delegates to the conference
are radical enough in their views to
cause animated controversies, but the
women delegate question will no doubt
be the leading theme for argument.
There may be some new bishops ap-
get one, and they have their hopes CEN
tered on DR.. Earl Cranston, senior agent
of the Western Methodist Book concern.
Nearly all of the delegates to the con-
ference have been chosen, and the list
is a formidable array of Methodist lead
eTs.
The Methodist church in the United
! States claims approximately 100000
communicates. This, of course, includ-
es all branches of Methodists, but the
Methodist Episcopal church proper has
in round numbers 2,250,O members,
whose church property is estimated to
be worth a little above 500, 900, 900. There
are over $1,000 Methodist Episcopal
ministers in the United States, and 26,-
| 900 church organizations, which have
under their control $4,000 church ed!-
| fees, whose seating capacity is put
down at 6,500O00 persons. In addition
| to these churches there are 1900 halls
with seating capacity OF 2SC,000 per-
sons. The church ranks in number OF
! communicates as second in the United
| States, the Catholic being first. There
are nearly three Catholic communicates
| to every Methodist Episcopal commun-
! icant in the United States, while. on the
| contrary there are two and One-half
/ Methodist organizations TO every Cath
! clio organiza ton. This is explained by
the fact that Catholic parishes contain
sometimes as many as $4,000 communi-
! cants.
The Methodist church is strongest in
| the southeastern states, while the pro-
| portion of Methodist church member
ship to all communicates ranges from
J % to so per cent. This percentage holds
true, generally speaking, in Kansas,
| Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama,
Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North
| Carolina, Virginia, WestVirginia, Tenn
essee, Oklahoma, Indian Territory and
Indiana, which is the strongest Method
list state. In Colorado, Nevada, Mon
tana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebras-
ka, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylva-
mia, Ohio, and in the New England
states, with probably the exception OF
Connecticut, Methodists claim from 10
to % per cent of the church population.
| In Utah they have nothing, practically
speaking. The percentage of Method
ism in New Mexico, Arizona and Idaho
is from to 10 per cent. In Indiana
it runs over so per cent, and in the Vir-
ginias and some other states this holds
| true. The Methodists are second in
their holdings of church property. In
the order of denominational families the
Methodists lead( with S133, 200, 900 worth
of property.
The seventeen branches of Methodism
in the United States are the following:
Members.
Methodist Episcopal ...........2,2 5O, 900
Union American Methodist
Episcopal ........ ........ 2.400
African Methodist Episcopal. $4,000
African Union Methodist Pro-
| TeStant $500. ----.-.-.-. o,oUU
African Methodist Episcopal Zion $3.50. O00
Methodist Protestant ........... 10000
Wesleyan Methodist ............ 16, 900
Methodist Episcopal South ....1, 225, 000
Congregational Methodist ...... 5000
Congregational Methodist (col-
Oreu $500 $500. ...--.-------.. SUI
New Congregational Methodist. II, 900
Colored Methodist Episcopal =. 10000
Zion Union Apostolic ........... 2,400
Primitive Methodist ......... 4,S09
Free Methodist ......... 500
Independent Methodist ..... 1000
Evangelical Missionary ...... LOCO
Methodism. to which are attributed so
many branches in Great Britain, Africa.
end elsewhere. is a result of a movement
begun at oxford university, in Eng
land in 100 ny Tnlf1u and Charles WaSlp "