The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-09
DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF
MODERN AMERICAN METHODISM
From Address the School Of Journalism Of Columbia University BY
Rev. H. K. Carroll D. D, Washington Secretary Of the
Federal Council of Churches Of Christ in America

The importance of the Methodist church
as contributor to daily history hes
in part. in the character of its ecclesiastl-
cal system. which is unique. OF course
It's marvellous growth. unequaled among
Protestant bodies; its vast numbers; It's
great institutions. educational, puphsh'hs'
missionary benevolent-all entitle 1t 10
notice with other denominations-as pro-
foundly affecting human interests, al
home and abroad. But its peculiar claim
TO place in the columns OF news
paper is due chiefly TO its form OF orGan-
ization and its methods of denomination
al work Its ecclesiastical system, in
Guiding the itinerancy of its minlsters'
constantly compels public attention.
Let us take up its episcopal feature
Any denominat ion that selects A few men
from the body of its ministry and gives
them large authority and makes of them
demonina tional leaders. who carry about
with them a sort of ambassadors! dig
nifty and power. puts itself in the way
of making news that the public would
like to have. The churches which have
bishops as the Roman Catholic. the
Protestant Episcopal, and the Methodist
Episcopal. all present picked men OF an
order or an ONCE. which exercises great
power and influence.
But the Methodist episcopacy differs
from all other forms Of eplscopacy known
TO the world. 1t does not claim apostolic
succession, or to be A third ministerial
order, do the episcopates of the Ro-
man. Anglican. and Greek communions: il
docs not insist that It has any pecular
divine right to exercise its powers; II
joes not possess any legislative rights,
and it is not limited 10 the performance
nf spiritual nit @ as in the Moravian
"hurch. nd al" all it is not diocesan.
Nevertheless it unique powers and
influence
The Methodist bishop is the crown
Of a system of supervision that lfor
completeness. efficiency and adaptab bill
ity is quite worthy OF the wide atten
lion il has received. IT was not work
ID out in theory by a mind. or minds
nile to combine pure philosophical
thinking with practical knowledge. II
was an evolution. step by step under
he pressure of circumstances: or. as
Methodists themselves would prefer Ia
say, providential development John
Wesley. the founder of Methodism
was led from time to time. by the ext
Eencies of his remarkable work in
Great Britain and ireland, to adop,
feature by feature. the PRACTICAL sys-
tenn of Methodism mp to, II not includ-
ing. that OF episcopal supervision. Let
me, for the sake of clearer under
standing. outline this system. First
in every society or church is the class
leader, meeting once a week his class
of twelve more members to give
spiritual counsel and encouragement
There were A number of these class
leaders in every church, and they re-
ported to the pastor and to the church
conference quarterly. This feature OF
the system. l am bound TO say, is rap
idly disappearing. Second. the pastor
supervising the work of the class
leaders, of the exhorters. of the local
preachers and of the church or cir
cult. Third. a district superintendent
generally known presiding elder
supervising the work of the pastors
and churches in his district and re.
porting to the bishop and the snnua
conference. Fourth, the bishop, SUI
pervisinE the work of the district su.
pcrintendents, who are his appointees
and his Cahinet of advisers the ses
sion of the annual conference. and
appointing annually all the pastors tC
all the churches or charges
This, in brief is the system Of SUPER
vision, and it Is effective that though
= bishop in charge of a conference he a
thousand miles away. he is kept in close
touch with conditions in the conference
and can. without announcement delay Ali
vacancy in pastors;e caused by death
resignation or removal.
Consider the power a bishop has %
The power Of patronage. He has the ap-
pointment of every pastor The minister
may present his wish for a particua
kind OF appointment, the church that he
desires to serve MAJ desire him; but the
bishop has the final decision. He may
consent. or he may refuse to consent
He may make the appointment, or he
may send the minister to another church
"A Eaf. 81 to
ar church. He may act arbitrarily
though, matter Of fact. the success
of his work depends upon his doing in
all cases the right and reasonab bic thing.
the patronage of the Church of England
that is. the power of appoin tment, is d.
vided. The state appoints TO some of the
livings. the archbishop or bishop to some
and various persons to others. In the
TWO leading Methodist bodies OF the
I'nited States. thirty or more bishops ap-
point annually 500 ministers to 500
churches or charges. That is to say.
every minister puts himself once year
into the hands of A bishop for appoint
ment
-, The Methodist bishop is an itinerant,
like the preacher. He may preside at an
annual conference anywhere in the world
and appoint the ministers % their charges.
He NAV live in San Francisco and hold
conferences in Texas or Florida or Ma inc.
Bishop Henderson, whose episcopal resi-
d"ncc is Chattanooga, Tenn. held this
war tn" Newark and New Jersey CON
fer"nccs. 4 Methodist bishops duties
arc not confined to a single conference.
There arc no dioceses in the Roma n
'athoIir or Protestant Episcopal
Churches. He rs Il bishop Al large for the
whole territory Of the Methodist Church.
90 The Methodist bishop is eE Of
ficio member OF all the church
boards. such as foreign missions.
home missions, education and the like,
and exercises a strong influence in
Sha pinE the policies and tranSactinE
the business of these boards.