The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-28
TOO MANY MINISTER'S
INDIANA NJ. e. CONFERENCE HAS NOT
KEPT PACE WITH THEM.
Debts of Preachers Precipitates n
MISREPRESENTATION Grows Tired
of Taking Up Collections.


The Indiana Conference is overcrowded
with ministers, and yesterday morning
when a class of seven men was brought be-
fore Bishop Fowler to be admitted on trial.
the bishop took occasion to say some things
which are calculated to discourage young
men endeavoring TO break into the minis
try, unless they are specially well fitted for
the work. There were twenty-one candi-
dates for admission, but only seven names
were reported by the committee. Bishop
Fowler said he believed that the confer
ence should hesitate about admitting
young men who had not had the advantage
of a thorough college training. Not that he
was ''inoculated with the college distem-
per-" he said, but because he felt that in
great State like Indiana, where the OPP
portunities were SO great and where the
people, of whom the ministers are pre-
sumed to be the leaders, are SO advanced
in the educational line. The class of seven
men who passed the requirements and were
admitted on trial was composed of S. J..
Cross, Charles s. Whitfield. E. ]. La Rue,
j. T. Breeder, Winfield r. Thorn, Frank o.
Beck, Alonzo L. Duncan and Oscar POlhe-
mus.
young men trying to get in the ministry,
a resolution was introduced at the after
noon session recommending to presiding
elders and quarterly conferences that few
persons be granted travelling connection.
The resolution also embraced a clause to
the effect that some superannuated minis
ters ought to be reinstated and made eff
fective. The resolution was adopted as in
OH
ton to the latter part of it There is an
other reason perhaps why the conference
should take action to prevent the increase
in the number of preachers. The report Of
the statistical secretary showed that there
had been a woeful falling off in everything
except the number of preachers. There
was an increase in the number of churches,
but a decrease in their value and a de-
crease in nearly all collections. The men,
bership shows decrease, as well as the
number of Sunday schools. the number Of
pupils and the number of people baptized
In fact, the report shows that the size of
the Methodist Church in the Indiana Con-
ference district has contracted, and while
the field may have grown proportlonate-
ly larger, the income for covering the field
is smaller 1t is necessary, therefore, to
cut down the force of workers or at least
to see that the force is not largely in
creased
STATISTICS OF THE CHURCH.
The report of the statistical secretary was
as follows: Number Of churches in the con-
ference, III, an increase of 8 over last
year; value of church property, $177S,9OO
a decrease of $11. $50; number of parsonages.
1871. an increase of /; value of. parsonages,
estimated, $196,95O a decrease of $50; spent
for church and parsonage improvements,
oar oOa &c ID oId 1a1,
SIG, 707, a decrease of 1868; total Indebtedness
outstanding. approximately, $96000 total
number of members in conference S,347, a
decrease of 1886; probationers, 26l6, a de-
crease of 913; local preachers, 2S2, a de-
crease of A; deaths during the year, 1,123
an increase of SO; children baptized, 49, a
decrease of 222; adults baptized, 2,919, de-
crease of l. 800: number of Sunday schools
1928. a decrease of II; officers and teachers
S,627, a decrease of Us; pupils, $3.50, de-
crease of 2.4S3; numbC r, of persons in home
department, 20J9; total collections for be-
nevolences, $46,457, a decrease of S2.2s9' to-
tai collected for missions, $19,S5S; collected
by woman'S foreign missionary socleues
$2,571, an increase of $400; collected by
woman's home missionary societies, $I0l6,
an increase of $745; collected for church ex-
tension. 81, l00 an increase or Wy; collected
for Sunday-school Union $3.50, a decrease Of
$23;V collected for the Freedmans Aid So
ciety S11S1, an increase of 1919; collected
for education, 1898, decrease of "a.
There was a lively discussion, begun in
the morning and not concluded until late in
the afternoon session. regarding the failure
of some ministers to pay their debts. The
argument began by receiving the report OF
an agent of the Methodist Book Concern
1t was shown that some ministers had a
habit of buying books and not paying Tor
them. The discussion grew warm, and
then the cooler heads suggested that It was
not fair to impute dishonesty to all the
members of the conference because rev
I.,1 low no
report was ordered revised and was accept
ed at the afternoon session At this time
a similar discussion arose over a motion
that the secretary be allowed small sum
of money to cover the cost of the confer
ence minutes for which he received no pay.
1t was shown that large number of min
customary for the Methodist Book Concern
to print the minutes and send a number of
copies to each minister IN the conference zee
members of his congregation or may give
them away, but he is to pay for them. The
bills range from less than dollar TO 81 or
S. according to the number of copies or
TOO MANY COLLECTIONS.
A few of those who had paid were very
severe on those who had not paid. There
was a proposition to take up a collection to
pay the amount of the shortage, for there
was complaint made that the funds Of the
conference could not be used for that pur-
pose, but some ministers objected to pay
ing one cent to help out the man who would
not pay Mr. Bennett suggested that, per-
haps in some cases, ministers were not able
on their meager salaries to feed and clothe
their families. He thought it uncharitable
for men getting a salary which ran up into
the thousands to roughly criticise the man
on salary of $3.50 a year. This brought
the conference to a better. feeling. and
motion was passed providing that the
amount of the deficit for minutes be collect
ed by the presiding elders from the men
who owe the bills, as far as possible, and
that the remainder be carried over to next
years account.
There was a shortage of about $6S in the
fund for the entertainment OF the confer
ence in this city, and q frantic and unsuc-
cessful effort was made to make it up. The
ton. but the members had by this time be-
come as tired of collections as their con-
gregations at home become before the year
Is out, and they rebelled against it. They
knew that there was $66 in the fund left
over from last year-more than enough to
cover the shortage-and they would not
submit to another collection. Treasurer
Roberts declared that one of three things
would have to be done. The collection
would have to be taken or the conference
would have to be redivided into two confer
ences, or the members of the conference,
when they came TO attend the conference
in the future, would have to pay their
board But the conference would not ac-
cept any of the three propositions, although
J. 3. Likely declared that he would rather
pay his board than to add another collec-
ton to the long number he has TO take
from his congregation. The matter was
left to be settled by the entertainment COM
mittee.
The last step in the consolidation of the
Indiana and the Southeast Indiana Confer
ences was taken yesterday. A special act
was Dassed by the last Legislature pro-