Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-08-27
OPEN APPOINTMENTS
OF PASTORS URGED.
BY CHURCH PAPER

open appointments of preachers
openly arrived att to paraphrase the
famous declaration of President Will
son with regard to the Paris peace
conference, are advocated by the Wes-
Ieyan Christian Advocate, the official
organ of the North and South Geor-
gia conferences of the Methodist
Episcopal church, south, in this
weeks issue bearing date of Fri
day, August 26.
The secrecy surrounding appoint
ments of preachers in Methodist con-
ferences is one of the traditions of
that denomination. To say the least,
appointments are supposed to be Sc
c1et, whether actually secret in ev-
cry Individual case or not. Appoint
ments are supposed to be made by
the bishop and presiding elders in ex-
ecutive session, and are not suppos-
ed to be known until the bishop
reads them out at the closing SEES
sion of the annual conference.
In an editorial entitled Democracy
and the Church. the editor of the
Wesleyan Christian Advocate. Rev.
w. P. King, comes out this week in
secrecy in connection with the ap-
pointment of pastors, and publishes
letters from Bishop Edwin D: Mou-
zon and Bishop H. M. DuBose in sup
port of his position.
Text of Editorial
The editorial is as folloWs:
Amid the democra tization of the
state and industry, the church that
remains undemocratic does so at her
own great peril. Human society can
not continue half democratic and half
autocratic. You cannot have democ-
in q cta re- and the church
main unaffected. The church is
made for man and not man for the
church That particular policy is
most divine which most perfectly
meets the human need Democracy
in the church is against any one man
exercising an excess of power,
whether a preacher in any ecclesias-
teal position or a layman.
"The most-perilous use of power
is where a churchman with over
his judgment always outwelghs that
of the majority. The excess of pow
err not only reacts injurlously on the
possessor. but obstructs freedom OF
expression and tends to produce toady-
ism in weaker personalities. The
man who possesses power inconsist..
ent with democracy is in danger OF
not obtaining full knowledge OF a
situation. His advisers are fire.
uuently those who are prone TO tell
him what they think he wants to
'The opposers of democracy are
fond of insisting that a few heads
are wiser than many heads, but they
want themselves numbered under the
head of the few heads. We are per-
fectly willing to admit that a large
measure of wisdom belongs to the
select minority, if we are of the Sc
lected..
1T is the verdict of common sense
that to avoid bungling, the direct
Of enterprises Of any
kind must be entrusted to the few
but the majority will insist that they
making the selection. but also that
they shall make whatever restrlc-
lions are in harmony with the DEM
ocratic principle.
Urges Bishop to Yield
1T is evident that agitation look
ing towards drastic changes as to
limitation of power and limited ten
ture of bishops can only be avoided
by, tho bishops refraining from the
which theoretically belongs to them,
and Of their won will complying with
the judgment of the majority in GER
tain matters of policy, where no moral
issue is involved. A moderate and
economical use of legal authority on
the part of bishops will do far more
to allay any unrest and dissatisfac-
ton in the church than appeals to
constitutional rights and preroga-
tives and presidents. There can be
no permanent harmony in a church
where the judgment Of the majority
is persistently antagonized.
AN occasion Of much controversy
throughout the church has been in
connection with the presiding
eldership. There is not in the agi-
tation antagonism to this factor of
our ecclesiastical machinery nor any
depreciation Of the Importance of
this official position. Aside from al
legal technicalities involved, the
presiding elders are in reality the
representative Of the pastors. This
argument from the analogy Of the
president and his cabinet breaks
down, for a bishop on beginning the
SUPPLEMENTARY of an annual con-
ference works with a cabinet not Of
his appointment, and the bishop who
follows him is in the same situation.
The analogy also fails because of the
entire absence of similarity between
the functions of a presidents cabinet
and the presiding elders.
Some method must be worked out
that will give to pastors a voice in
the selection Of presiding elders. Con-
stitutional difficulties and changes
could be avoided by a selective sys-
tenn voluntarily submitted by the
bishops, in which the conference
would be allowed to name twice the
number of presiding elders required,
and the necessary number appointed
from this list. With a majority Sc
lecting the presiding elders they
would have no ground to criticize
their own actions, and the demand
Of democracy would be at least in
o.
tenure in the office, 1t would be
through the will of the majority. We
believe that some procedure substan-
TALLY like this would meet the ap-
prevail Of presiding elders and pas
tors. There appears tc DO an in
creasing sentiment over the entire
church against a heightened tenure
IN the presiding eldership. In some
conferences it is the unwritten law
that there shall be frequent rotation
in this position. This method has
worked we'll, and men untried in the
office have shown capabilities that
had been unrecognized We are fully
will be allowed to make use of the
selective method Of naming the pre-
siding elders. or there will result
either legal limitation of the tenur.
Of office or the still more drastic
change to the elective presiding ell
dership.
christian democracy results in y
larger respect for the personality of
every man. There are two bishops III
the Methodist Episcopal Churt h,
South. who favor the open method
in making appointments. The secret
method is only a time-honored GUS
tom, based on what was supposed
to be expedient and convenient; with
no claim to support either in Scrip
ture or the law of the church.
100000 Is Taken
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