The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-27
A REPLY TO THE LAYMEN
DIR. LEONARD, OF NEW YORK, Elk
PLAINS THE NJ. Il. MISSION DEBT.
Hard Times, and Not Mismanagement,
the Cause-TwO Cents on Dollar
Cost of Administrations.

last night, gave the first authoritative denial
to the charge that the debt of the church is
she outcome of mismanagement and bad
business methods Such a charge was made
at the recent conference of laynen held at
the same place DR.. Leonard said that the
debt. which at the end of the present fiscal
year Will approximate 100000 is due TO the
fact that during the hard times of the last
four years the income has not kept pace
with the growing demands of work con-
stantly charging He asserted that the
cost of administration of the missions of the
church is only cents on the dollar, as con-
trasted with a cost of 8 cents on the dollar
In other churches. The debt of the Baptist
Church, until recently, was 100000. Mr..
Rockefeller proposed to contribute S25O,O0O,
providing the church would raise the bal
ance. The Methodist Society sent out call,
asking if there was not a Rockefeller in the
Methodist Episcopal Church to give 100000.
on the condition that the laymen of the
church raise the other $780, 900. DR.. Leonard
said last night that he felt confident the
present plan that is being pursued to raise
the debt would be- successful, and that when
the general committee meets November
next the entire amount can be iquidated.
Speaking of the recent laymen's confer
ence held in Roberts Park Church, DR.
Leonard said he had read in the Christian
Advocate that tho statement had been made
at that meeting that the call for the lay
men to raise $l0e,VO0 had been laughed at, ana
lad been taken as conclusive evidence that
the affairs of the great correctional So
cieties of the church had been mismanaged.
The missionary society, he took 1t, was one
OF the correctional societies referred to, and
as of the administrative officers of that
society, he deemed 1t a fitting time ana
place TO reply TO this grave charge. BY way
of parenthesis, DR.. Leonard said that he had
always been an advocate of the idea of
equal lay and ministerial representation in
the General Conference since that subject
had been advocated, and had spoken in
favor of it at four General Conferences, and
had voted Tor 1t when the opportunity
afforded. This statement he thought, would
purge him of feeling antagonisuc to the
movement, but he declared that he must
deprecate the idea OF taking mismanage-
ment IN the affairs of the missionary So
ciety as the basis for the reform.
HISTORY or THE SOCIETY.
DIR. Leonard said that in answering the
charges made he would discuss the organi-
cation, administration and fields of activity
of the missionary society. He pointed to the
great institutions of the church, it's
great publishing house, its 100000 members,
its missionary society, its church extension
society, freedmens aid society, it's educa-
tional institutions and other accessories, as
indicating that it is one of the greatest
churches in the world. 1T seems strange"
he said, that any one should declare that
all this is the result of acknowledgement and
bad business. To assert that no mistakes
have been made would be to assert shat we
as a people were infallible To this church
has been given the greatest victory in the
history of Christianity" DR.. Leonard told
of the development of American Mehtodism
from the time Wesley sent the first ac-
credited bishop to this country, and the first
conference was held and a new ecclesiastical
body was formed, the M. Z. Church of the
United States, down to the time the first
missionary work began, in 1873 Then he
went into the details of the administration
of the present society which is controlled
by two bodieS-the board of managers and
the general committee. The board of man.
ayers, he said, was made up of thirty-two
laymen, thirty-tWo ministers and all the
bishops of the church, now numbering
twenty. The laymen. he said, who form
part Of the board, are men OF prominence
and influence in business life and are known
throughout MethOdiSm To say that they
had been hoodwinked and had permitted
mismanagement for thirty-two years was
TO make a very serious charge. He read a
few of their names, commenting on their
occupation, showing that on the board were
men prominent in business life and profess
siona life men who had been eminently
successful in conducting their own affairs.
Although the bishops are permitted to sit
with the thirty-twq ministers and thirty
two laymen, DR.. Leonard said that as
matter of fact he only knew of one occa-
sion in nine years when more than four
were present. and generally there is only
one, the resident bishop of New York. Many
times all the thirty-two ministers are not
nrQSanf thai lAWmGn
the majority and really guide affairs. The
board OF managers has many committees.
the most important is composed exclusive
ly of laymen, as is the requests and legacies
committee. The committee of general ref
erence to which very important subjects
are sent for consideration has fourteen
members, seven laymen' and seven minis
ters.
when such charge is made said Or.
Leonard, the proof ought to be at hand.
The man who makes this charge should
show the proof or shut his mouth. l call for
the proof"
1t is the general committee that makes
the annual appropriations for the mission
work at the annual meeting in November
of each year The General Conference di-
vides the entire church into fourteen dis
tricts, over each of which one man is APP
pointed for four years The board of man
ayers appoints fourteen men from it's own
number to serve on the general committee,
TO which are added the twenty bishops,
the treasurer and secretaries. When the
general committee meets to prepare the APP
cal New York committees, which give care
full thought to the demands that come for
money from any part of the world. For in
stance the New York committee having
charge of the work in Inuia considers re-
quests from that country, and is prepared
TO furnish the experience and knowledge
that has been acquired through the year by
correspondence with that field. Besides
this, the representative appointed by the
General Conference has been over the field
and knows by personal observation just
what its needs are. Dr. Leonard said that
the system is so we'll planned that when
any district is being considered there is
some man present who can say that he has
been over the ground personally through
the year and knows the situation. To his
knowledge is added the experience that has
been acquired by the local committee. The
minister said that any layInan who attend
ed meeting of the general committee
would be surprised, and ne did not believe
that layman would go away saying that
the work was not being carefully managed.
The missionary society of the NJ. E. Church,
he said has charge of both the home and
foreign work while in most other churches
there are two societies. By having the
work consolidated under one engagement
as it is. the cost of administration is re-
duced TO the minimum.
COST OF OPERATION
THE cost to the American society,"" he
said lis cents on the dollar, while the
cost to your society is but cents Taking
into consideration the $4,000 of rentals col
lected by the Missionary Society for its
third interest in the New York Missionary
building, the cost is less than / cent on
the dollar on church contributions"
He went on to show how The society