The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-04-30
BIG CONFERENCE
OF METHODISTS
Government Of Church May be
Modified at Quadrennial Ses-
sion This Week
MUST KEEP ABREAST OF TIMES
Four New Bishops Will be Chos-
en-. Some to Retire
Bishop n. w. Warren Of Denver Will
Preside When Session Opens at
Minneapolis.

Minneapolis, Mimi April SO-All.
preparations are completed for the
General Conference of the Methodist
Episcopal church which begins here
tomorrow its twenty sixth quadrennial
session as a delegated body. Throngs
of delegates and visitors TO the con-
ference are arriving in the city. An
nations. races and tongues are repre-
scnted among the visitors. From Eli-
rope. Asia. Africa and South America
have come men bringing greetings to
the conference either as delegates or
fraternal visitors. Today the various
committees were busy completing the
arrangements for the gathering or
putting the final touches to the re-
ports that they will present to the
conference. Bishop II. w. Warren Of
Denver, the senior bishop I'm point Of
service. will preside at the opening
service tomorrow.
Four Radical Changes.
The delegates are looking forward
to the most interesting and important
conference the church has held in
years. During the three or four weeks
/ that the sessions will continue a vast
amount of routine business viii be
transacted. old bishops will be retired
and their successors elected. and vari-
Gus PROPOSALS calling for radical re-
forms in the methods of church ad-
ministrauon win he considered and
acted upon.
The overshadowing question TO come
I before the conference will be the mod
ihcation of the Episcopal form Of gov
crnmcnt Within the past two years
\ the question has been debated at the
annual conferences and by the lay
mems associations. Briefly stated the
! "insurgents" ask for four radical
changes; the abolition of the office of
district superintendent, formerly pre-
siding elder. rs now constituted; the
election of bishops i'm sufficient mum
Der 10 allow each bishop to have a
term OF resident office. about four
years N a district; restoration of the
pastoral time limit, and rules for regu-
lating the transfer of members.
Modification Of System.
The clergymen and laymen who want
modification Of the cpiscopacy point
out that the conditions that required
the organization of the present sys-
TEN. which i'm the past has been most
efficient, no longer exist. New condi-
tions require the church leaders, or
bishops To he familiar with the prob
Ions of the various conference dis
tricts, so as TO counsel the clergymen
and Initiates methods of work. Near
" all of the church leaders concede
that there is some foundation for this
orgument I'm favor of the proposed
changes. At the same time it is point
ed out. the General Conference Is al
very conservative body and it Is IKE
that very few of the proposed reforms
/ viii be adopted.
Nav Remove Bans.
Another subject on which there Is a
diversity of sentiment is whether there|
shall be a supreme court of Method
ism. II is pointed out that it is incon-
gruous for tie General Conference 10
no both a legislative and judicial body
A commission has been working on the
! constitution of the proposed 1udlciai
tribunal since the General Conference
four wears ago. The commission VIII
renort n plan for the proposed court
20 interpret the church law, the mem
hership OF the tribunal to consist oil
three bishops. six ministers ana SIX
laymen. While the report of this COM
mission will be placed before the gen
oral conference, II is believed doubt
ful II action at this time win be taken
to create such court
To Name Four Bishops.
There are to be probably four bish-
oos olacted 70 ali vacancies, although
in this the General Conference has the
mower to increase the number OF new
bisbons as circumstance may require.
! Amone those talked of most prom-
| nentIv are President Francis j. Nc
| connel Of DePauw University Kew
pr David G.. Downey. head OF the
sunday school Board: Rev. Dr. Homer
G.. StuntZ, co-ofdlnate SVN'0"iS
Home Mission Board; Rev. DIR. Mat
thew Hughes of Pasadena. Cali KEY.
Andrew Gillies OF Minneapolis anu
Rev. DIR. william O. shepard, district
superintendent Of Chicago.
The bishops who may retire are
pishon Henry w. Warren oV Denver
who Is eighty years old. and Bishops
David Moore of Cincinnati and Earl
cranston Of washington, both Of whom
arc more than seventy years OF age
The question OF their retirement how
ever. depends wholly upon the ac''on
of the General Conference.
Methodists Church Figures.
The Methodist Episcopal church has
A membership Of 2234.S22, lSsSN
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