The sun., 1897-02-07
cHrRCHPEOPLE STARTLED
,xeREGATTONALIS 4 LEGIsL<IED
uTTOF fXISTENCB.
... ar. Law That Has Bee- Sleep
The ,b, statuts Books Diseoverea
p,v-suth Church Aroused - A
ss,,,.. TO Propose Proper Aetfou.

u.nber Of the Rev. Dr. A. j. h. Behrendss
,...h in Brooklyn Informed DR.. Bchrends
d.v. ago that he dhe PASTOR would be
s,,x.d In conformity with the law. to preside
vi church meetings at which he was present
.,.r pr. Behrends was surprised at the
he rb. pari.hioner found the authority for
.,.,sm.nt in the Religious Corporations
n.,sed by the Legislature In 1898.
~. act is known to few persons in
It'd IN churches although an amendment
60. made in 1896. II Is not however, so
-, the mere prescription that the pastor Of
.,.nuslic.l church shall be the presiding
a..r,, Ali meetings OF his church, or In his
.h..nc, the oldest in point OF years amonr the
..,.,aips officials of the church. which has
.I--.d IN. Congregattonalists Of Brooklyn a.
.,.v have not been stirred in some years. ss it
,.,h, further Implications OF the law that the
-, /. 10 be made q sort of boss, or die
20, aad, moreover. that . church which
hall no, bow the knee TO govern
,.g body not OF its election may be
.,,ineui,hed and its property conhscated
10 the .a.d prescribed governing body. such is
an. latter Of the law as laid down In the Relig-
IAN, Corporations act Of 1895, known as chap
,,r a. Of the general laws The Congregational
,,,xdo not ike It The members of Plymouth
,onsr.sation. accustomed from the foundation
AZ
,c.ion. thought and church government e.
,.ei.IIy are aroused by this apparent attsmpt
"a mt them under restraint, and they have led
,h.r.y I'm an effort at redress and correction.
.we want no boss" said Thomas @. Shear
nan the father Of the movement, yesterday.
-wshave got along since the organization of
Plymouth Church without any. and without
,ntsrtereuce in the governments Of the church.
a. Congrexationalism has got along for 500
ys.rs. DR.. Abbott doesn't want 10 be . boss.
W, think this law is . mistake. lt appears
Ia bs another manifestation of the much
.otsd tendency OF tho time toward do
Ing something for somebody else In .
,sy which you think Is better than
thsir way, desire TO tinker. Somebody thinks
h. can bring up somebody else's children bsster
,hAn they are being brought mp. The father II
h.li,yed not to be educating them somebody
else thinks they ought TO be educated, 90 law
n pa,sed to do lt differently. II the education
b ct fault. all right; but we've governed our
,slyes successfully. It is the very essence
Of CongregationAlism that q church shall
soyern itself; without that right Congre-
rst,ouallsm 10 nothing. there II no Con-
rrsxAtionalism- Yet here is . law, OF which
nobody concerned apparently knew any
thing during It's preparation and passage.
which says that . minister OF . ConErsgA-
uonal Church shall preside ut all church meet
nxs or. II he isn't there, then the oldest man
smoug the church officers. and that he shall
count the votes. and that q Congregational
Church shall conform its practices to the rules
Of the Congregational Union ito which IL il not
subject. and with the election Of which It had
nothing to dol. and that tho Congregational
Union shall have the right to declare Congrs-
gatonAl Church extinct and Its property for
conform to the union's rules. teachings, and
doctrines. II church II not self-Eovsrn!ng it
/. not Congregational. In our churches our pas
tnr is not our boss leader. he 10 only OF
We respect him. We love him: but he has no
S w. s' are not | the t only ones sffseted By the
law; IL seems 10 apply TO the Presoy terians a.
M. Bsp,,st chSrches' Which are sslf. .sovernins
precisely As ours are self-governing. are placed
BY the terms OF the law under tho soyernance Of
which !. snpowersd to declare . church under
certain conditions extinct and TO acquire It's
what they will think OF it when they come 70 SEQ
what IL hl They arc in better care than the
Coe.resAt9nalists because they have voted 70
put themselves under governing body. while
We have never consented to be under any body;
but will they enjoy . law which gives the gov.
erning body right TO conhscate the property of
those churches which do not conform TO ia re-
Quirsnsntsl
acqlie-ced IN Or. BrgFs's teachiugs might be
Il is NOR. tkAn two years since the Briggs idea
eSass Sfs.rbsd anf sS0 III: isn i .it.r or
which the governing body may act Il Offers
.plsndM OPPORTUNITY for Elder McDougAl
and the Cincinnati people to take some of our
Preseyteran brothers. nice church property
out there. IL is such a law as was never heard
thinE Tie T outcome 20 % OF Il would be. II il we're
construed according 10 the letter. that Cougrs-
sationAl and Baptist churches which have here
haV weFA
would be by act OF the New York state Lsgisla-
tare declared 20 be under the control OF govern
ing bodies in the slect!on OF which they had no
voice. do not think that any one interested Ia
The governing bod - referred TO bad AMI thing TO
vas the feSat T Ia part ar OF Of the dssir. for uni UNI
!ormlty which THE sCN has already noted. on
the part Of the Revsory Commission and re-
uncounectrd statutes. and have aimed To bring
These together !n system OF general laws: but
hsy is SaSs S SS and WI sa1.
nad IN this state set Of disconnected laws. but
md pa been 'ae best system in ". .pywh'rs,
When Mr. shsarman's attention was called To
.aesatlteof lsGo-a result Of tho surprise
paIlshoner upon his pastor-he made mp his
lnnu lhat @omethng should be done about it at
Snes, n ana he brought the subject before meet
ing OF plymouth Church held on Friday even
my lie denounced the statute u legal
monstrosty as one OF conhscatlon and robbery.
"a nAosurdtY, amt he explained that from a
eonver,atlon he had had with q mem Der OF the
legislature ot 1888 and n former member
u plymouth Church senator Brush. he had
satshed himself that 1t had become q law with
oSt having attracted attention or study from
Shs methHers OF that body. As result of Mr..
.neAmah action, u CON mlttee OF the church
ns appointed 10 look into tho matter. The
committee is made up OF Mr.. Snearman. BEN
isnin r Blair, William Rudd, and Rossiter w.
.Dr. Abbott considers the question OF this
.atule I ana what II involves as i'm mportaut He
noon:
,,Lhe fundamental principle OF Congrega-
ouiH'm IS that each church is complete In
rhe, mat no governing body Is over the
o .u'p.es aud that each has a right to elect its
rn s ers aad frame It's own rules, without
An! lhier!-repce from outside itself.
A,tpW'- tAA Religious Corporations law, in
nVGle proyideA that at every meeting Of
muclurcR, and apparently OF tho society, tho
nnsIer aha,! preside, or In his absence the
oiaets oiatuets IN ths order of age beginning with tho
neas ana that lie shall be the Judge of the
STSssshca,tols II voters, and declare the result
M. Ine votes cast. This violates one of the funda-
casaa! n,a! prime yles Of Congragationalisua, Ac-
S1.u'hs Z" which each church has the right to
r,.. Us Us own moderator and determine its own
Hes ~ procedure.
~ seem, 70 provide, in the second place, that
Iy yNongfeSational church not ma aiming re-
,cmH ,Ha services according to the discipline, Gus
con auH hsages ot the governing body for two
NhHeCuLtNe years shall ba Artlnct and