The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-05
CONFERENCE TOPICS.
Equal Representation Of
Laymen and Ministers
10 Be Discussed at the
Methodist Meeting.
WHO WILL SUCCEED Mr.. FAULKS ?
Sessions TO Open in Calvary NJ. B.
Church, East Orange, March 30
Among the Churches.


The annual meeting of the Newark Con-
terence of the Methodist Episcopal
Church will be held in the Calvary Metho-
dist Church of East Orange, Of which DR..
Henry A. Buchtel is pastor, for eight
days beginning Wednesday, March 30.
Bishop G. A. Goodsell will preside and the
Secretary will probably be the Rev. John
f. Dodd. who has acted in that capacity
f0s a number of years. The Newark
Conference embraces all the Methodist
Churches in the upper half of the State
and all of Staten Island.
The question that will probably make
the most stir in the Conference is that OF
equal representation for laymen and min
listers. Once in four years there is a con-
ference of all the Methodist Conferences
in the United States, called the General
Conference. Hitherto the number of
ministers attending as delegates have
been much greater than the number cf
delegates. Each Conference is entitled
to send one minister to every As in the
Conference. In the Newark Conference
the number of ministers sent as delegates
is five. Until fifteen or twenty years ago
there were no laymen represented at the
General Conference; then a change was
made. and each conference was allowed
to send two laymen to the General Con-
ference. The laymen were elected, not
by the Conference but by laymen. Each
church in the Conference, prior to the
General Conference, elects a delegate.
These delegates meet together and select
two of their number to represent the lay
side of the Conference at the General
Conference.
Now the laymen have become dissatis-
fed with such representation of two to
five in the Newark Conference. and in
some conferences of two to seven or w
to eight, and they are seeking for equal
representation, the same number of min
listers as laymen. The question is being
agitated from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
in UNCONVENTIONAL papers and in churches,
by ministers and by laymen. Some are
heartily in favor of the proposed change
and some are bitterly opposed to it. The
question viii be brought before the New
ark conference and, so far as the con-
ference has the power, the question will
be decided. The decision either for or
against must be approved by a two-thirds
vote of the conference. Some conferences
have already made their decisions, others
are now making them. The General Con-
ference, which meets in two years, has
the power to finally decide the question.
It may or it may not take it up.
The question of next Importance is, of
course, that of appointments. All the
ministers in Jersey City pulpits have un-
expired terms to fill. The Rev. Mr..
Molyneux, now at Alpine, has been in
vited to succeed the Rev. Mr.. Van
Deusen as pastor of the Monroe Mem
orial Church. of Bayonne. What will be
lone with Presiding Elder James E.
Faulks is a topic of most absorbing in
terest. Mr.. Faulks' term of six years has
expired, and it is not yet known if he
will be appointed to another district as
Presiding Elder or be given a church.
Next year several changes will be neces-
sary in this city, as the Rev. c. r. Hull,
at the Linden Church, Greenville; DR..
Wilding, at Hedding. and the Rev. Nath-
aniel Brooks, at Palisade, have each
served four years. The Rev. e. o. How
land, of James, has served three years.
Those who awe served two years are
The Rev. S. F. Goodman, of Centenary;
the Rev. T. C.. Mayhem, of st. Paul.
and DIR. B. f. Randolph, of Trinity.
Those who have served but one year are:
The Rev. w. L. Hoagland. of Emery; DR..
MCGOWAN, of Grace; DIR. c. r. Barnes of
Lafayette; the Rev. r. M. Aylesworth, OF
Simpson, and the Rev. C. E. Little, of
West Side.