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 458 METHODISM sionary, publishing, and educational interests were greatly crippled by the war, but are now- reviving. Its "Minutes" for 1873-'4 give the following figures: 3,134 travelling preachers, 5,344 local preachers, 663,106 members, and 370,102 Sunday school teachers and scholars. 3. African Methodist Episcopal Churches. The refusal to accord equal privileges in church sit- tings, in the administration of the eucharist, &c., to the colored members of the Methodist church, had caused great uneasiness and dissat- isfaction. In 1787 they had discussed their grievances in a convention at Philadelphia. In 1816 a general convention of colored Metho- organized a separate church, "in order to dists secure their privileges and promote union among themselves." At the first general con- ference in 1816, Richard Allen, a principal leader in the movement, was elected first bish- op. The doctrines and government of this church agree with those of the parent body. It has a book concern in Philadelphia, a week- ly periodical, one college, and church property to the value of $4,500,000. There are 10 con- ferences, 7 bishops, 600 travelling preachers, 1,300 local preachers, and 200,000 members. In 1819 a secession from this church was or- ganized, under the title of the "African Metho- dist Episcopal Zion Church." They annually elect their superintendent, and in 1873 had 694 preachers and 164,000 members. The "Col- ored Methodist Episcopal Church in America," organized in 1870 from members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, South, and in sympa- thy with her, has 3 bishops, 1,318 preachers, and 67,888 members. 4. Methodist Protestant Church. This body was organized by former members of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1830, primarily for the alleged reason that its government secured to the itinerant ministers the unlimited exercise of the legislative, ex- ecutive, and judicial powers of the church, to the exclusion of all other classes of ministers, and of all the people. Members of several gen- eral conferences had exhibited marked dissat- isfaction with some leading features of the government, and a very respectable minority struggled hard to effect important changes. A periodical, "The Wesleyan Repository," was commenced in 1820, and continued to the. gen- eral conference of 1824. Numerous petitions were presented to that body, praying for a rep- resentation of ministers and laymen in the law- making department. Immediately after the adjournment of that conference a meeting was held in Baltimore, when it was deter- mined to publish a periodical, entitled "The Mutual Rights of the Ministers and Members of the Methodist Episcopal Church," "for the purpose of giving the Methodist community a suitable opportunity to enter upon a calm and dispassionate discussion of the subjects in dis- pute." This meeting resolved itself into a union society, and recommended that similar societies be organized in all parts of the Uni- ted States, "in order to ascertain the number of persons in the Methodist Episcopal church friendly to a change in her government." This measure was followed by persecution and ex- pulsion of some of the reformers. In 1826 the Baltimore union society recommended state conventions to be held in the several states to inquire into the propriety of preparing one united petition to the general conference of 1828, praying for representation, and to elect delegates to meet in a general convention for the purpose. Conventions were accordingly held, and delegates elected. In North Caro- lina several members of the Granville union society were expelled for taking part in this convention. In 1827 11 ministers were sus- pended, and finally expelled, from the Meth- odist Episcopal church in Baltimore, and 22 laymen, for being members of the union soci- ety. They and their friends immediately or- ganized under Mr. Wesley's general rules, ta- king the title of the "Associated Methodist Reformers." In November, 1827, the general convention, composed of ministers and "lay delegates elected by the state conventions and union societies, assembled in Baltimore. This convention memorialized the general conference of 1828 that the government of the church might be made representative, and more in ac- cordance with the mutual rights of the minis- ters and people. To this memorial the gener- al conference replied adversely. The reform- ers then withdrew in considerable nuriibers, in different parts of the United States, and called another general convention in Baltimore, Nov. 12, 1828. This convention drew up 17 "Ar- ticles of Association," to serve as a provision- al government for the Associated Methodist churches. A subsequent convention, which was held in Baltimore, November, 1830, adopt- ed a constitution and discipline for the gov- ernment of the Methodist Protestant church. The Rev. Francis Waters, D. D., of Baltimore, was elected president. This constitution opens with the enunciation of certain elementary principles which lie at its foundation. It con- sists of 17 articles, defining the government and discipline of this body. This church agrees with the parent body in doctrine, but differs in eccle- siastical government. The general conference is composed of equal numbers of clergy and lai- ty, elected by the annual conferences in the ratio of one delegate of each order for every thou- sand communicants. The office of bishop is not recognized, but the president of general conference is chosen by ballot. The annual conference consists of all the ordained itinerant ministers within a district, and it elects its own president. The composition, duties, and pre- rogatives of the general, annual, and quarterly conferences are quite similar to those of the like bodies in the parent church. In 1858 most of the annual conferences in the free states became intensely anti-slavery, and de- manded of the general conference which met in Lynchburg, Va., in the month of May, such legislation as should exclude slaveholders from