The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-04-30
Scheduled to Elect Bishops, Retire
Others and Act on Matters of
General Policy.
CHURCH SYSTEM MAY CHANGE
Many Believe District Superintend-
ents Are Not Needed and Office
Be Abandoned.

Minneapolis, Mimi, April 3O.-Ail
preparations are completed for the
general conference of the Methodist
Episcopal church which begins here
tomorrow it's twenty-sixth quadren-
NAL session as delegated body.
Throngs of delegates and visitors tc
the conference are arriving in the
city. All nations, races and tongues
are represented among the visitors.
From Europe, Asia, Africa and South
| America have come men bringing
greetings to the conference either as
| delegates or fraternal visitors. To-
day the various committees were
busy completing the arrangements
for the gathering or putting the final
touches to the reports that they will
present to the conference Bishop
H. w. Warren of Denver, the senior
bishop in point of service, will pre-
side at the opening service tomorrow.
The delegates are looking forward
to the most interesting and import
ant conference the church has held in
years. During the three or FOUL
weeks that the sessions will continue
a vast amount of routine business
will be transacted, old bishops wills
be retired and their successors, elect
ed, and various proposals calling for
radical reforms in the methods OF
church administration will be con-
sidered and acted upon.
The overshadowing question to
come before the conference will be
modification of the Episcopal form Of
government. Within the past two
years the question has been debated
at the annual conferences and by the
laymen's associations. Briefly stated
the :'insurgents'' ask for four radical
changes: the abolition of the Office
of district superintendent, formerly
presiding elder, as now constituted;
the election of bishops in sufficient
number to allow each bishop to have
a term of resident Office, about four
years, in a district; restoration OF
the pastoral time limit, and rules for
regulating the transfer of members.
The clergymen and laymen who
want a modification of the episcopacy
point out that the conditions that re-
quired the organization of the pres
ent system, which in the past has
been most efficient, no longer exist.
New conditions require the church
leaders, or bishops, to be familiar
with the problems of the various
conference districts, so as to connse:
the clergymen and initiate methods
of work. Nearly all of the church
leaders concede that there is some
foundation for this argument in fav-
or of the proposed changes. At the
same time, it is pointed out, the gen.
eral conference is conservative
body, and it is likely that very fsM
of the proposed reforms will be adopt
ed. .---.-r
Want a Supreme Court.
Another subject on which there is
diversity of sentiment is whether
there shall be supreme court of
Methodism 1t is pointed out that
| it is incongruous for the general con-
ference to be both a legislative and
| judicial body A commission has
been working on the constitution CT
the proposed judicial tribunal since
the general conference four years
ago. The commission will report a
plan for the proposed court to inter
pref the church law, the membership
of the tribunal to consist of three
bishops, six ministers and six lay
men. While the report of this con.-
mission will be placed before the
general conference, it is believed
doubtful if action at this time will
be taken to create such court.
There are to be four bishops elect
ed to fill vacancies, although in this
the general conference has the pow
er to increase the number of new
bishops as circumstances may re-
quire. Among those talked of most
prominently are President Francis ].
Mcconnell of DePauw University.
Rev. DR.. David G. Downey, head Of
| the Sunday school board; Rev. Er.
Homer G. Stuntz, coordinate secre-
Continued on last pase-1