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FIGHT MY. S. T. JO NHS, D.D.
HAND-BOOK
OF
THE DISCIPLINE
OF THE
AFRICAN
METHODIST EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH
FOR THE
USE OF MINISTERS AND LAYMEN
A GUIDE TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE
DISCIPLINE AND USAGES OF OUR CHURCH
TO WHICH IS ADDED
BRIEF HISTORICAL, EXEGETICAL, AND PARLIAMENTARY
DEPARTMENTS
SUPPLEMENTED BY A FEW EXAMPLES OF
LEGAL CHURCH FORMULA
BY RIGHT REV. S. T. JONES, D.D.
PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF 1SS8
PRINTED BY HUNT & EATON,
NEW YORK.
PREFACE.
In writing what may be called a hand-book explan¬
atory of the more intricate portions of the Discipline
of the Church, mainly for the benefit of the younger
and less experienced ministers, as well as laymen, I
have been guided partly by my own personal knowledge
of Methodistic usage, partly by the peculiarities of our
law and the well-known customs of the fathers of our
Church; but mainly by what seemed just and fair, and
in keeping with the genius and polity of the Methodist
Church generally, to the end that there may be such
similarity in administration as shall at least approxi¬
mate harmony, if it does not fully reach it. Many parts
of the book have not been touched ; not that sugges¬
tions of improvement did not occur to my mind, but
because I had simply to do with simplifying—not
making or amending—the laws adopted by General
Conference.
Grateful to the members of the General Conference of
1888'for its unanimous indorsment of the portion of the
Hand-Book submitted to it, and in compliance with the
generally expressed wish that the work might be enlarged
somewhat, I have .given such explanations as seemed
warrantable, on the score of justice and fairness, to
propositions gathered during and since General Con¬
ference, to which I have added a brief historical de¬
partment, some simple directions on rules in Conference
proceedings, a few examples as a guide to the formula¬
tion of charges, a form of certificate of church member-
4
PREFACE.
ship, supplemented by the brief exegetical view supple¬
mentary to my report in General Conference as
requested by that body. Having prepared the last half
of this unpretentious little Hand-Book for the most
part during seasons of affliction, the absence of any
thing like intellectual brilliancy, to which I lay no claim
at best, may be easily accounted for. If any little
gleam of light herein reflected tends to assist the honest
though inexperienced administrator the better to find
the path to just and fair dealing among church mem¬
bers, however humble—God be praised. I shall be
satisfied. Respectfully,
February, 1890. S. T. JONES.
INDEX.
PART II—(DISCIPLINE.)
CHAPTER I.
PAGE OF
DISCIPLINE PAGE
48. Restrictions as to Marriage 7
48. In Relation to Probationary Absentees 7
CHAPTER II.
51. Rights and Powers of a Bishop 8
53. Rights and Powers as to Ordination and Preaching 10
53. Of Elders or Deacons Ceasing to Travel II
59. Of Transfers 3°
CHAPTER V—END OF SECTION III.
92. Salary of a Changed or Suspended Minister 12
92. Of Pastoral Contract 12
CHAPTER VII.
105. Trial of Members 12
109. Of Arbitrations 14
109. The Rights and Powers of Chairmanship, Section 7 14
109. Of Appeals of Members Generally 14
110. Section 9, Of the Rights of Expelled or Suspended Members. 15
no. Section io, Of Rumors. 15
in. Of Trials—Preacfiers and Exhorters * 16
XI2. Of Trials—Elders and Deacons 16
115. Of Appeals to a Bishop, Section 5 17
116. Of Courts of Appeals 18
118. Of the Trial of a Bishop 18
119. Section 4, Of Trials in General Conference .. 21
6
INDEX.
CHAPTER VIII.
! OF ,
LINE *
Section I, Article I, Qualification for Delegate to Gen¬
eral Conference 22
126. Of Lay Delegates 22
137. Of Quarterly Conference Questions - 23
138. Section 5, Of Stewards 23
138. Section 6, Of Minister's Dues 23
139. Of Estimating Committee 24
139. Article 8, Section 3, Of the Collections of Class-leaders. 24
142. Arcticle 9, Section 4, Of Attendance to Class-meeting 24
143. Section 4, Of Vacant Episcopal Districts 24
144. Article 11, Of the Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary
Society 25
74. Section 7, Of Trials of Members, Charges, and Chairmen
of Committees 25
105. Section 1, Of the Duty of a Chairman of a Committee 26
T07. End of Section 1, Of the Rights of Accused Members 27
48. End of Section 7, Of the Validity of a Letter of Rec¬
ommendation i 29
58. Article 7, Of Transfers and Transferees 30
60. Of Transferring Powers 30
45. Of Probationship 31
46. Of Eligibility to Membership 31
50. Of Children's and African Mission Days 32
163. Of Ritualistic Service—Communion, Baptism, Marriage,
Burial, etc 33
200. Of the Ordination of Elders and Bishops 33
133. Of the Choosing of Lay Delegates 33
92. Article 5, Of the Called Conference on Pastors' Salary 34
80. Of Trustees, their Powers in Relation to Church Property. 34
129. Of Located Ministers 27
HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
OF THE
AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH.
Page 48, Section 5, Chapter I, Part 2.
Question. Does the prohibition as to marrying pro¬
hibit the union of Christians with the unconverted ?
Answer. Manifestly no, or the rule would be con¬
stantly violated alike by deacons, elders, and bishops.
The terms " unawakened persons," " unbelievers," and
" ungodly persons " must be understood as referring to
those only in this connection who are positively unbeliev¬
ers in the broadest and most comprehensive meaning of
the term; one destitute of morals, probity, faith, or charac¬
ter; a heathen; persons who reject the Gospel, and re¬
pudiate all religious principles. All who recognize the
truths of the Bible, who respect Christianity, and who
believe in the necessity of being saved through faith in
Christ, are ranked in all religious statistics among
Christian believers.
Page 48, Section 7.
Ques. What is the status of those who are changed
from the members' to the probation list in consequence
of absence ?
Ans. 1. Those who settle and pay their financial obli¬
gations may resume membership. 2. Those who fail to
8
HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
do this shall be dropped at the expiration of six months
after such change.
Page 51, Article i.
Ques. What are the duties, powers, and rights of a
bishop ?
Ans. Possibly no part of our law is less clearly under¬
stood than that which defines the functions and powers
of a bishop. The Church, or connection, is a religious
compact in which each church or society becomes a
part by an agreement voluntarily entered between the in¬
dividual church or society, on the one hand, and the
community of churches, on the other; the individual
delegating to the community all control of the pulpit—•
that is, all doctrinal and spiritual control whatever;
agreeing that these shall henceforth be managed and
controlled by the community of churches entirely—itself
being apart—as from time to time agreed upon by a
body of ministers and laymen called the General Con¬
ference, meeting quadrennially for that purpose and
others, under certain clearly defined restrictions. This
body makes, alters, amends, or changes the laws accord¬
ing to its judgment, inside of these restrictions, and
is, by agreement, the source of supreme rule and gov¬
ernment, and all regulations contravening or antagoniz¬
ing these are simply null and void. With a view to
harmony and efficiency in the administration of the
government of the Church, this supreme body has pub¬
lished from time to time, in a book styled the " Doc¬
trines and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal
Zion Church in America," a code of rules and regula¬
tions for its government, and has chosen certain men
to the office of bishop, and invested them with the power,
and enjoined them with the duty, to see that these rules
are carried out ; and has specially conferred upon them
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH.
9
the right and duty of being the sole managers and dis¬
posers of the power delegated to it as the supreme voice
of the compact—namely, the control of the pulpits, the
doctrines, and the entire spiritual concerns of the
Church. Hence, they are to preside in our Annual
Conferences, fix or arrange the districts, including sta¬
tions, circuits, and missions, according to their judg¬
ment, make the appointments of the preachers, and
decide all questions of law arising in the Conference.
Their duty is not confined to the internal affairs of the
Conferences; they are to travel through the districts
once a year, if possible, to oversee, not only their spe¬
cial work, the spiritual, but the temporal affairs of the
Church as well. And if at any time in the " interim,"
one day, one week, one month, six months, or nine
months after the close of the Conference, their judg¬
ment decides it best—not for any particular church
merely, but for the whole Church, or any particular
part thereof—they may change or transfer a preacher as
promptly as they may receive one ; no contract made,
or arrangement entered into with a society, church, or
officiary can be legally pleaded, either by church or
preacher, in bar of such change or transfer. The order
of the bishop in each case is peremptory, and his power
absolute; very justly so, too, it would seem, since
neither the church nor preacher in the case is charged
with the duty of determining what is best in this respect
for the whole Church, or any part of it; while it is the
special prerogative of the bishop thus to determine. Any
interference, therefore, or want of respect to the orders re¬
sulting from such determination is, on the part of the
preacher, a violation of his solemn vows, and on the part
of the Church a violation of the stipulations upon which
it entered the compact, each being subversive of good
government.
10
HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
Page S3.
Ques. May a bishop ordain without the consent of an
Annual Conference ?
Ans. He is empowered to ordain only those who have
been elected by the Annual Conference.
Ques. Is it competent for a bishop to ignore the ex¬
amination of a candidate by the committee on orders,
which has reported favorably, and recommended ordi¬
nation; or to set aside the election of the Conference to
orders by an episcopal examination and the imposition
of self-imposed obligations as a condition of ordination ?
Ans. Manifestly, no. Such discretionary power has
never been delegated to any one by the General
Conference in the matter of ordination. The right to de¬
termine the fitness for the office has been wisely left to
the Conference and not to the bishop. Any examina¬
tion as to fitness after the sanction of that body is alike
unfair to the Conference and candidate, and is at the
same time an unwarranted and dangerous exercise of a
single judgment or opinion, unauthorized to decide,
against the solemn sanction of the body which the Gen¬
eral Conference declared to be fully competent. The
admission of a single requirement not specially made
a condition of ordination would open a door for the
fancy of a bishop extending even to the most trivial
matter, and would really give the bishop sole power over
ordination. Bishops, in common with preachers, are
not to amend our laws, nor to impose any additional
obligations, however strongly their peculiar notions in¬
cline them to do so. He is to ordain deacons and el¬
ders who have been elected by the Annual Conference.
Ques. Does the phrase to " oversee " the spiritual and
temporal affairs of the churches imply that the bishops
are necessarily to preach in all those churches.
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH.
11
Ans. It does not—the General Conference seems to
have wisely conluded that the churches, having been
provided with pastors to attend to the services, left it
optional with the bishops to accept an appointment to
preach, but imposed no obligation upon them to do so.
Though preaching is manifestly in the line of their
calling, yet they should not be expected to fill two or
three appointments in each, or indeed any, of the
chuches they visit ; nor does the General Conference
so require—hence, its entire silence in reference to it.
Article 2, Page 53.
Ques. When does a deacon or elder cease to travel,
in the meaning of the second and third articles ?
Ans. Whenever he fails to give regular and personal
attention to the work assigned him, or any part there¬
of, unauthorized by*the bishop presiding over that
work. A charge or complaint to that effect, fairly sus¬
tained, will warrant suspension by the committee until
the Annual Conference.
Ques. What is the inference as to the right of trans¬
fer, page 59, seventh article.
Ans. That the entire power of transfer is suspended
upon the option of a minister for four years.
Ques. Does this provision nullify or abridge the right,
power, and duty of a bishop to " change " preachers
when in his judgment it becomes necessary ? (See power
of a bishop, page 52.)
Ans. Manifestly, no; since it would in that case
abridge the power of the bishop to improve the work
in any way, except by consent of the preachers ; thus
placing him, for all practical purposes, in subordination
to his subordinates, save in the matter of their appoint¬
ment from Conference. It is clearly evident, therefore,
that the right to change preachers remains to the bish-
12
HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
op and extends at least to any preacher and to any
part of the bishop's district, and by inference beyond
it, if there be pressing necessity: but he may not per¬
manently transfer a preacher without his consent. A
preacher changed to any field beyond his Conference
limits will, for the time, and until he returns to his own
Conference, be amenable to the Conference and bish¬
op in whose district he labors. He may return to his
own Conference after the expiration of the time for
which he was appointed when changed, three months
after giving notice to the bishop, in whose district he
may be laboring, of his intention so to do. A change is
not necessarily a " transfer."
Page 92, Close of Section 3.
Ques. Does the phrase " unless sooner changed by a
bishop or forfeited by the decision of a competent
comittee " leave it optional with a church to pay a
pastor who has been removed by the bishop, or sus¬
pended by a committee ?
Ans. No, such pastor is only estoped from claiming
the entire year's salary; he will be justly entitled to
whatever may be due .up to the time he is removed.
Ques. Does the absence of a written contract (92,
fourth section) exclude a pastor from the benefit of
this section ?
Ans. It does not—he still claims under section first of
this article, although no formal contract has been made.
In the event of this officiary failing to enter into
contract with the preacher appointed by the bishop
he may make a contract with the membership of the so¬
ciety, according to section two of this article.
Part 2, Chapter 7, Page 105, Article 1—Trial of Members.
Ques. What are we to understand by the privilege
accorded to members in this section of being tried be-
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH.
13
fore the society, instead of a committee, or select num¬
bers of the society?
Ans. It simply gives the members the choice of either
course, which is not to be denied them ; since troubles
frequently arise when the society can dispose of the
matter much more satisfactorily than a committee, that
mode was often resorted to in early Methodism with
very good results, and may be still.
Page 106, Chapter 7, Article 1, Section 1.
Ques. When is it proper for a pastor to select a com¬
mittee from a neighboring church ?
Ans. Whenever, from bad reports long in circula¬
tion, the minds of the members of the church to which
the accused belongs are likely to be so far biased
against him or her as to prevent them from judging im¬
partially in the trial, justice to the accused would sug¬
gest this course under such circumstances.
Ques. Is it proper for a pastor to expel a member
found guilty by a society or committee ?
Ans. It is not : he has no power to expel. The
committee or society is required to fix the penalty by
vote. The pastor simply announces the court's decis¬
ion, nothing more.
Section 2, Page 107.
Ques. Does the law require or permit hasty or summary
proceedings against passionate, hasty, or impulsive per¬
sons ?
Ans. No ; it invariably inclines to mercy, and forbids
our depriving any one of membership in the visible
Church until we shall have exhausted all lenient and per¬
suasive means of reformation.
Ques. Section 3. What is the nature of the discord for
the persistent sowing of which expulsion is the penalty ?
14 HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
Ans. Any language tending to discourage conformity
to, or observance of, the rules or commands of the
Church, speaking or writing in opposition to the estab¬
lished usages of the Church, or disparagingly or lightly of
any matter of discipline, or any course tending to foster
insubordination to the expressed will of the General
Conference.
Page 108 and 109, Section 4.
Ques. In case of an arbitration does the decision of
the arbitrators require an immediate settlement ?
Ans. It does, unless the party against whom the
decision is made takes an appeal for a second arbitra¬
tion to the Quarterly Conference. In the latter case
the final settlement is deferred"and the case continued
for future decision and final settlement.
Section 6, Page 109
Ques. Who is to decide as to whether a party is justi¬
fied in going to law ?
Ans. The committee or society before which the
party is arraigned.
Section 7.
Ques. When may the chairman of a committee, the
pastor in a society meeting, the bishop in the court of
appeals, or in an Annual Conference, or in committee
of the whole in a Conference, appeal from the verdict of
any one of these respective courts ?
Ans. Whenever, in the judgment of any one of these
officers, he has good and substantial ground for believ¬
ing that the ends of justice, either to the plaintiff or the
defendant, require and justify such a course.
Ques. What is the effect of such appeals upon the
parties contending ?
Ans. The Church is estopped thereby from the inflic-
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH.
15
tion of the final penalty adjudged to be due to the
offender, and the supposed offender being still legally-
held, for some infringment of law, or impropriety, is
estopped from the full enjoyment of rights, privileges, or
functions belonging only to unchallenged membership,
until the matter is adjusted.
Qucs. In the absence of the provision contained in
this seventh section (page 106), save in the trial of lay
members, does it apply with equal force in all trial of
members, both clerical and lay ?
Ans. Manifestly, since it is a general principle appli¬
cable to each and all; and to deprive any one of the
benefit of this provision would be an invidious distinc¬
tion against one portion of the Church and in favor of
others, which would be unjust.
Ques. Does the provision in the eighth section, page
109, of the Discipline apply to all cases of complaint of
persons upon whom a penalty has been inflicted by the
decision of any court ?
Ans. Certainly; except the decision of the final
court of appeals; from which there can be no appeal.
Section 9, Page 110.
Ques. Who is to judge the exception in the case of
an expulsion which entitles the excluded party to the
"privileges of the Church ?"
Ans. The committee or society, or either court by
which the expulsion was pronounced, which shall also
designate the particular privileges to be exercised, and
the limit of tii'rie they are to be extended, or when the
restriction shall cease.
Section 10.
Ques. What should be the character of a rumor, and
who shall be the judge of its being of sufficient magnitude
16 HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
to warrant " any person " being deprived of all church
privileges until the matter, ©r rumor, is investigated ?
Ans. The rumor should be of such a nature as would
seriously damage, not only the person on whom it was
raised, but also the reputation of the church that would
allow such person any church privilege whatever—
under any circumstances a crime sufficient to exclude
any one from the kingdom of grace and glory. The
pastor, or acting pastor, with two or more members of
judgment and standing, may constitute a court for this
purpose and agree to deprive, a lay member. The pas¬
tor, with two or more official members, may deprive an ex-
horter, local preacher, elder, or deacon. The pastor,
with two or more deacons, may deprive a traveling
deacon or elder; five elders may deprive a bishop; but
in each and every case of this kind care must be taken
that the rumor is of crime, that there seems little or no
doubt about its reality, and that the parties urging
action are reliable for truth and honesty. No frivolous,
commonplace rumor should be allowed to deprive any
one of church privileges for one moment; and yet no
implication of positive crime, or even grave misde¬
meanor, should be allowed to attach to the character of
any one while they are taking an active part in religious
exercises. The rights of the members, and the charac¬
ter and reputation of the Church, must each alike be
preserved.
Section i, Article 2, Page 111.
Ques. Does the sentence, "shall be expelled, sus¬
pended, or set back," etc., in reference to local preach¬
ers and exhorters, render it necessary that the commit¬
tee inflict some one of the penalties there named,
without regard to the penitence of the offender ?
Am. No; offenders against the rule of the Church
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH.
17
ought always to have the benefit of earnest and sincere
penitence when coupled with the solemn promise of
amendment, even to the second or third offense, when
the offense is not of such a notorious character as to
seriously damage the good name of the whole Church;
but the committee must be convinced of the real peni¬
tence of the party, and be influenced by his actions and
a ready compliance with the rule violated, so far as
may be, guarding well all interest, both of offenders
and offended.
Article 3, Page 112, Section 1.
Ques. When does it become the " duty of an accused
[person] to appear " before a committee or society to
answer ?
Ans. In this and all other places in the Discipline
where the phrase "before whom it shall be the duty of
the accused to appear;" "bring accused and accuser
face to face," and like phrases, the party or parties are
presumed to have had proper notice from the pastor or
chairman of the committee, with ample time to warrant
attendance. The committee or society must be certain
of this fact before they can legally inflict any penalty
for non-attendance. The committee, or other court,
must be certain that the party has had timely notice,
either written, printed, or verbal.
Section 5, Article 5, Page 115.
Ques. "What constitutes grounds of an appeal to a
bishop in the interval of the Annual Conference.
Ans. Any illegal proceeding in the interest of or
against the accused, a verdict founded upon prejudice
or favoritism.
Ques. What is the power of the bishop in his appellate
capacity ?
Ans. Plenary, over the case presented. He may re-
18 hand-book: of the discipline
verse the judgment of the court below, or confirm it;
acquit the party injured, or remand the case for a new
trial, selecting the court, and appoint the time.
Ques. May either party to the suit appeal to the bishop
for redress ?
Ans. Manifestly; this is implied in all courts of ap¬
peal. They are open for correction alike to both plaint¬
iff and defendant.
Page 116, Section I.
Ques. What are the initiatory steps to the convening
of a court of appeal ?
Ans. When any member of an Annual Conference
has been deprived of rights, privileges, or functions, he
may notify the bishop of said court. In that case the
bishop shall notify the foreman elected to said court in
said Conference, who shall, in connection with his col¬
leagues, consult the members of said court in the two
neighboring Conferences, and agree on a time and place
of meeting, of which the appellant shall be duly notified
ten days before the time of meeting. The court must
convene within forty days from the adjournment of the
Conference from which the appeal is taken.
Ques. Is the action of the court of appeal final ?
Ans. It is; the party appealing must be informed by
the bishop of the Conference from which he appeals
that he has the choice of either court for redress, the
court of appeal or the General Conference; and having
chosen the former, he can appeal no further. Never¬
theless, he may avail himself of the benefit of any error
which the General Conference may discover in its re-
viewal of the court's acts.
Page 118, Article 7, Section 1.
Ques. Is it proper in the event of a bishop being
accused of " improper conduct," or the lighter de-
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH. 19
grees of "misdemeanor," for a committee to suspend
him ?
Ans. Manifestly not; since it would be a departure
from the well-established principle of Methodistic usage,
which grants to all offenses of a minor nature repeated
reproof with a view to reformation ; an invidious distinc¬
tion as against a bishop, since all others accused of
minor offenses, even by our own Discipline, are secured
the benefit of penitence and amendation. It would,
therefore, be an act of transparent injustice to deny
them what is carefully and repeatedly guarded to all
other portions of the Church. Most assuredly the Gen¬
eral Conference could never have meant to permit any
nice, fastidious persons to gratify their whimsical idiosyn¬
crasies upon the slightest " fault " or " omission " on the
part of its chief pastors, to subject them to peremptory
suspension at the hands of a "pastor" (who may or may
not be in orders) and an " elder " and a " deacon." And
yet, such is the wording of this 118th page of Disci¬
pline. For if they judge him guilty of the charge, no
matter how frivolous the offense, they have power, in
connection with three more elders and three laymen, to
suspend him from all official standing till the ensuing
Annual Conference. No mitigating circumstances are
to be pleaded; they shall have power to suspend hiin, if
accused of the fault of manifesting a little anger or
temper, or for omitting any minor duty by reason of
forgetfulness, is the manifest inference.
Ques. When may a bishop be suspended ?
Ans. When he is charged and found guilty of mani¬
fest crime sufficient to exclude him from the kingdom
of grace and glory, and manifests no penitence, and sues
for no pardon; or when he is clearly proven to have
violated the law, or failed to observe its requirements
and promises no amendment. To admit that he may
20
HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
be suspended for the slightest "fault" or "omission," as
the language employed seems to warrant, is to invite the
fault-seeking (who always find, or affect to) to subject
him to momentary arrest and suspension ; a condition
of things never contemplated by the General Confer¬
ence to any member, certainly not to its chief pastors
Page 119, Section 2.
Ques. Does not this second section, under the head of
"Trial of Bishops," contemplate the right or propriety
of any one of the officers named therein being accused
and tried for misdemeanor ?
Ans. It does; but it does not compel suspension for
minor faults or omissions, as does the first section.
Charges may be preferred against any officer named in
this section for misdemeanor ; but it will become the
duty of the committee of investigation to determine the
character or degree of the offensebrought forth, and
act accordingly. Blackstone says "crime and misde¬
meanor are synonymous;" but in common usage the
word crime is made to denote offenses of a deeper and
more atrocious dye, while " small faults " and omissions
of less consequence are comprised under the gentler
name of " misdemeanor." Since there is no term de¬
fining the intermediate degree of offense between crime
and misdemeanor, it becomes a nice distinction for the
committee to determine the gravity or lightness of the
misdemeanor, and whether it deserves a penalty as a
simple reproof.
Ques. What need is there for this second section ?
Ans. As a remedy against omissions of duty, and a
guarantee to the enforcement of rule in the church.
Previous to the enactment of this section the right of
the Conference to act upon matters which might have
been disposed of in the interim was questioned ; so
OF THE AFRICAX M. E, ZIOX CHURCH. 21
that favoritism or negligence was allowed to circumvent
the law. Hence the provision in the section giving
the Conference the unquestionable right to proceed
and making the failure of the minister receiving the
charge, and those summoned to meet and act thereon,
an offense.
Page 119, Section 4.
Ques. Is it competent for any party to present charges
against any officer or member of the General Confer¬
ence during its sessions ?
Ans. Not unless such charge be for a violation of the
rules of that Conference, or of the Discipline, occuring
since or during its sitting. Law, rules, regulations, and
not character, are subjects for the consideration of the
General Conference, therefore no cognizance may be
taken of any crime or improper conduct by the General
Conference dating behind its sitting, save in the form of
appeal from a lower court, or matter of a strictly legal
character; and in all such cases as are cognizable by
said Conference the same methods observed in similar
cases elsewhere should, as far as possible, be carried
out by it, since summary proceedings against offenders
would be quite as unjust, and far more anomalous, in
that body that strictly prohibits such proceedings out¬
side of it. Besides, to receive and try charges in the
General Conference, as is evidently contemplated by
the language of this fourth section, would be practically
to violate the third restrictive clause under which that
body is to proceed, since the court of final appeal be¬
comes the prosecutor, rendering itself a party to the
original indictment, and thereby disqualifying itself to sit
as a court of appeal in the pending case should such be
taken, and consequently destroying the unalterable right
of its victim to enjoy the benefit of appeal from which
it is barred by the restrictive clause referred to above.
22 HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
Chapter 8, Page 121, Section 1.
Ques. Does the requirement of four years' travel, as
a qualification of delegates in the General Conference,
make it necessary that the traveling shall be done in
the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church ?
Ans. No; it simply means that persons elected to
that body shall have" had four years' experience in the
itinerant work of the Methodist Church, so as to be
sufficiently familiar with its workings to be able to take
an intelligent part in the enactments and regulations for
its government. Travel or service in any branch of itiner¬
ant Methodism will be respected and credited in this
case, as in all others.
Chapter 8, Article 3, Page 126.
Qu&. What was the object of the admission of lay
delegates to the General Conference ?
Ans. To make the laity a party in the formulation
and enactment, alteration or changes, of rules and reg¬
ulations for the government of the Church, originally
the enactments of the General Conference were required
to be submitted to all the Quarterly Conferences of
the connection, and receive the sanction of two thirds
of them before they could become law ; thus delaying
every new measure or change, however important, four
years.
Ques. Does the Electoral College or the District
Conference take precedence in the election of lay dele¬
gates to the General Conference ?
Ans. The Electoral College. (1.) For the reason
that the Conference may not have adopted the presid¬
ing eldership, and in that case there could be no reg¬
ular " District Conference." (2.) For the reason that
it is optional with the churches, through their lay del-
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH. 28
egates, to delegate to the District Conference the privi¬
lege to choose them, or to retain that right to the Elect¬
oral College. Presiding elders should ascertain the
will of the churches in this matter before proceeding in
the selection; and thus avoid conflict.
Article 7, Section 4, Page 137.
Ques. What is the object of the fourth question in
the "order of business " of the Quarterly Conference ?
Ans. The nomination of the preacher in charge may
be made in that body, so that the persons nominated
may be known, at least to the members of the Quarterly
Conference, previous to the time of election, to the end
that any mistake of the preacher in charge, as to the
proper persons for the important office, may be known
and corrected.*
Page 138, Section 5.
Ques. Are stewardesses members of and amenable to
the Quarterly Conference ?
Ans. They are; and should, be heard therein in all
matters connected specially with the care of the pas¬
tor and family, just as the superintendents of the
Sunday-schools are on all matters connected with the
Sunday-school.
Page 138, Section 6.
Ques. What are the conditions rendering a member
of a society unable to pay their general and local
assessments ?
Ans. Inability to command wages, a dependent on
the charity of the church, or other institution or per¬
son. All who labor for a living are taxable.
* Note.—In the election of trustees (Discipline, page 80, section 3), the
election may be by ballot, or by any other mode agreed upon by the meeting, or
by the chairman thereof.
24 HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
Page 139, Section 7.
Ques. Does the appointment of an estimating com¬
mittee give the Quarterly Conference power to fix the
salary of the succeeding pastor ?
Ans. It does not; it simply makes preparation for it,
by appointing a committee to confer with the pastor who
shall be appointed to the charge from the next Annual
Conference. No further action should be taken until
said pastor is conferred with. See article five, chapter
five.
Page 139, Article 8, Section 3.
Ques. Are the leaders of classes required to pay all
moneys collected by them to the preacher's steward ?
Ans. Such moneys only as they may have collected
for the preacher's salary, or living—all other moneys, not
otherwise designated, must be paid to the trustees, or
board of stewards where there are no trustees.
Page 142, Article 9, Section 4.
Ques. What constitutes " a lawful excuse " exempting
members from their attendance at class ?
Ans. Infirmity or sickness, rendering it impossible ;
absence from the city, town, village, or place of meeting,
so as to render it impossible to meet without great
difficulty.
Page 143, Section 4.
Ques. Does the provision in this section give the Con¬
ferences of a vacant district the right to choose the
bishop to fill it ?
Ans. By no means ; it only requires that in the se¬
lection the board shall have special regard to the suc¬
cess of the work, rather than any special interest or
accommodation of the appointee.
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZIOiV CHURCH. 25
Page 144, Article 11.
Ques. How are the duties of members of Conference
in reference to Home and Foreign Missionary societies
of Conferences to be kept separate from their duty to
the Women's Home and Foreign Missionary Society ?
Ans. Their duties are not necessarily conflicting.
The Conference society is the medium through which
its members aid, financially, the home and foreign work,
especially the former, and is regulated solely by the
members of the Conference respectively. They may
pass over their contribution to the vice-president of the
Women's Society of their respective Conferences, or
they may dispose of it to those in their midst who are
on missions on which they have received an inadequate
support. Their obligation to the Women's Home and
Foreign Missionary Society is a separate one, and
makes it their duty to organize societies wherever in
their charge the numbers and interest will warrant it,
auxiliary to the Women's Home and Foreign Missionary
Society, and to notify the vice-president of his district
of such organization, so that she may be able to furnish
them with a constitution and all needed information.
Where such organization cannot be established, he is
to lift a collection annually in each society in his charge,
and send it to the vice-president for the same object.
Ques. Is it competent for a preacher to prefer a charge
or complaint against a member of his charge, either lay
or ministerial, and then sit as chairman of the society or
committee which tries the case ?
Ans. By no means. A preacher should avoid as far
as possible bringing charges or complaint against a
member of his charge when there is any possible way of
subserving the ends of justice otherwise, and under no
circumstances should he sit upon a trial of a member
26
HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
against whom he has complained. Preachers are fre¬
quently severely censured for failing to arraign members
for violation of law, which they are supposed to have a
knowledge of, but the only remedy is to teach the church
members that they, and not the preachers, are to make
complaints and present charges, but it is his duty to see
that they are investigated. The magistrate's knowledge
of an offense does not warrant him in making an arrest
—that belongs to the police. Every member of a church
is charged with the duty of watching over every other
member, not for evil purposes, but with a view to each
member's good and the character and credit of the
church ; and, therefore, each is bound to correct the
improper conduct of the other, either by private reproof
or by bringing the persistent wrong-doer to trial by the
presentation of a charge or complaint to the proper
officer.
Ques. Are persons transferred from one Conference to
another subject to a vote of "the Conference to which
they are accredited in order to admission and recog¬
nition ?
Ans. No; they come with certificates of their stand¬
ing in another Conference, which certificate or transfer,
like any other certificate, or the letter of a member
from another church, is valid to admit the bearer.
No bishop should transfer a preacher without a per¬
sonal knowledge of his actual standing at the time of
transfer, and no transfer ought to be acknowledged by
any bishop unless this sentence is subjoined : " Given on
my personal knowledge of his correct standing."
Ques. Is it proper for the chairman of a committee to
be absent from the committee while they are agreeing on
their decision ?
Ans. No; the chairman, being an important member
of the committee, must remain with it till it agrees on
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH. 27
its verdict, just in the same manner and for the same
purpose as the foreman of a jury—to assist in making up
the verdict.
Page 129.
Ques. When an itinerant preacher, deacon, or elder
is located under Conference Question No. 9, what rela¬
tion does he sustain to any Annual Conference ?
Ans. None whatever—he becomes amenable to the
Quarterly Conference to which he is assigned.
Ques. How may he resume his relation to the itiner¬
ant ranks ?
Ans. Through a recommendation from his Quarterly
Conference, or presiding elder, and the consent of the
Annual Conference, either with or without examination
as to his qualification ; since the Annual Conference is
not presumed to know his moral standing, while his
Quarterly Conference and his presiding elder does. If
he has been located by Conference on account of in¬
efficiency for the itinerant work he will be subject to
examination, just the same^as if he had never been ad¬
mitted ; but if his location was granted at his own
request he may be admitted by vote of Conference with¬
out such examination.
Page 107—Rights of Accused Members, End of Paragraph,
Section 1.
Ques. May an accused member employ counsel other
than such as is designated in this paragraph in complex
or difficult cases ?
Ans. The phrase "have the right" would seem to
confine that right to a member of the African Methodist
Episcopal Zion Church only ; but, as Bishop Hood very
justly observes, " the idea of counsel implies a counselor,"
the most comprehensive definition of which term, as given
28
HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
by Webster, is one " who is consulted by a client in a law
case; whose profession is to give advice in law and man¬
age for clients." It would seem but reasonable that
the right to defend the very endearing relationship of
church membership by all and every available and
proper means ought not to be denied to the humblest
member. No one would think of depriving any one
of natural life without the benefit of skillful counsel;
and church life, which, to most persons, is next in im¬
portance to natural life, ought to be as sacredly and as
skillfully protected. If the necessary skill can be had
inside the Church, let it be utilized; if not, let it be
sought outside. It may not have been necessary in the
earlier days of the Church, when the relation of mem¬
bership was so much more valued and so sacredly
guarded, just as was natural life; but, in these times of
undue advantage inside, scarcely less than outside, of
the Church, the rights of church members may well be
guarded and defended by every legitimate means, and
as no lawyer is likely to be able, even if he tries, to convince
a committee that wrong is right, or vica versd, the ends of
justice are not likely to be hampered, much less thwarted,
by the admission of skillful counsel in difficult cases.
Minor cases will require no great amount of skill, and,
therefore, no very skillful counselor. The fitness and
propriety of the admission of outside counsel seems all
the more striking in view of the language in the same
section: "Witnesses who are not church members shall
not be rejected." . Why reject the right of the accused
to go outside for defense, and retain it to the accuser
for condemnation ?
Page 48—Of Absentees.
Ques. What relation, if any, does an individual sustain
to the Church when he or she has obtained a letter of
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH. 29
recommendation to unite with some other portion or
society of the same connection ?
Ans. Such persons continue to be a part of said con¬
nection. They have not been expelled nor suspended,
nor have they withdrawn from it; they have simply
asked and have been granted permission to change their
position from one part of the general society or family to
another part of it. They hold a recommendation from one
pastor of that particular church to another, and that is
as valid a recommendation to all others, including him¬
self, should circumstances warrant it, as is frequently the
case ; otherwise the pastor recommending the person
would have recommended to all other pastors one whom
he himself would not receive on his own recommenda¬
tion, which in that case would be a cheat and a fraud.
Ques. How long does such a recommendation retain
its validity ?
Ans. That depends on circumstances. It is valid
until presented or received by some society or pastor
from the hand of the original receiver and holder of the
letter, however short or long the period from its date to
its presentation. Should the party die before present¬
ing it, or should circumstances prevent a thorough in¬
vestigation of the course of conduct pursued by him or
her since its date, even after its presentation, and prior
to the death of the presenter, the paper becomes void
by the default of the holder ; but otherwise the validity
remains unimpaired and the person received thereon is
amenable to the church or society in which they are
received for their Christian deportment from the date
of their letter to the time of its reception, as well as for all
dues ordered by the General Conference, just precisely
as if they had been members of the particular society
during the entire period.
Ques. Should the party have been arraigned, tried,
30
HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
and convicted by the civil authorities for some misde*
meanor or gross immorality, for which he or she had
served out a penal term in work-house, jail, or peniten¬
tiary, would their letter still be valid as a guarantee to
their admission into a Christian society or chuYch ?
Ans. Undoubtedly ; since the Church is not governed
in its righteous judgments and decisions by the not in¬
frequently very unrighteous technical advantages of the
civil law. The law of God and the civil law are often
antagonistic to each other. A single instance will suf¬
fice for the suggestion of many others : " Bewray not
him that wandereth " was once antagonized by the civil
law of this Christian land by the positive denial to every
one to give shelter, food, or assistance in any way to the
fainting, famishing, and tired fugitive from cruel, Heav¬
en-condemned bondage, supplemented by an inexorable
command, enforced by legal penalty, to return him to his
cruel master. Let fitness for membership in God's
Church be determined by God's righteous rule, rather
than by man's selfish enactments.
Page 59—Of Transfers.
Ques. May a bishop transfer a member of the Annual
Conference while the Conference to which he belongs
is in session ?
Ans. Certainly not: the member in that case must re¬
ceive his transfer from the Conference by vote. The sec¬
retary of the Conference furnishing the written or printed
certificate and the bishop signing it. A bishop is only
warranted in giving a transfer in the interval of the
Conference upon the consent or recommendation of the
presiding elder, or oversight of the applicant.
Ques. What is the limit of the transfer of a preacher ?.
Ans. The close of the ensuing session of the Con¬
ference to which he is transferred. Nevertheless, if un-
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZIOJV CHURCH. 31
avoidable circumstarfces prevented attendance, he may-
send his letter by mail to the presiding bishop of said
Conference.
Page 45—Of Probationship.
Ques. What is the design of the Church in the require¬
ment of a six months' probation previous to eligibility
to full membership ?
Ans. Two-fold: (i.) In order that the Church,
through the careful observation of its class-leaders es¬
pecially, may determine whether the life and deport¬
ment, general and special, of the probationers are in
harmony with the Christian life ; and (2) to give the
probationers time and opportunity to familiarize them¬
selves with the rules of the Church, to the end that
each may be the better prepared to enter into a mutual
permanent agreement.
Page 46—Eligibility to Membership.
Ques. Does the serving out of the six months' proba¬
tion entitle one to full membership ?
Ans. It does so far as time is a condition of full
membership. But there are other important conditions
necessary. Among these is an affirmative answer to
the question, chapter 9, article 1, page 147: " Question 2.
Have you saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?"
Those who can give an affirmative answer to this ques¬
tion profess to be saved by Christ: since no one can be
assured of their possession of saving faith who is not
converted, justified by faith, actually saved, and no one
is entitled to or should be declared a full member of
the Methodist Church who is unconverted. Probation-
ship continues in their case until they are converted ;
otherwise we should have the anomaly of an uncon¬
verted Church, or an unsaved Christian society, which
would be an absurdity.
32
HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
Page 50—Children's Day Collections.
Ques. Are the collections on Children's Day and Afri-
can Mission Day confined to the children of our Sab¬
bath-schools ?
Ans. They are not. The inauguration of Children's
Day and African Mission Day was designed to enlist the
children of the Church in the interest of its activities,
the educational department of the Church being one
with which they could most readily become familiar,
and be most likely interested in. These days were set
apart in order to enlist their interest and efforts, and to
excite in them a feeling of responsibility and pride'in
the thought that their youthful influence and efforts were
being utilized in the interest of humanity in a way here¬
tofore unknown to them, entitling them to special com¬
mendation. It is, therefore, expected of parents and
church members, and of all who would encourage the
worthy efforts of youth, that they will give the children
their moral, intellectual, and material aid, so as to in¬
crease their collection and encourage their commenda¬
ble rivalry, and develop in them useful manhood and
womanhood.
Ques. Is it allowable for superintendent, pastor, and
trustee, or either, to appropriate any part of any of the
special collection of that day, morning, afternoon, or even¬
ing, to any other interests than those named in the
Discipline ?
Ans. No. The law of Children's Day declares that
the collections during the day shall be appropriated for
the benefit of the institution (Livingstone College). The
law of African Mission Day says that all moneys raised
by one collection on that day shall be sent to the secre¬
tary of the Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary
Society.
OF THE AFRICAN AT. E. ZION CHURCH.
Page 163—The Ritualistic Service.
Ques. Is it proper to administer the sacrament of
baptism, or the Lord's Supper, or to conduct any of the
ritualistic services of the Church, without the Discipline
or Ritual ?
Ans. It is not, and should be carefully avoided, since
it savors of immodesty, detracts from becoming rev¬
erence, and is liable to result in bungling mistakes.
Reliance upon memory in these services should only
occur where darkness or imperfect light renders it
necessary. However capable one may be of performing
the service from memory, the open book should be held
in hand out of respect to the authorized regulations of
the Church.
Page 200—Ordination of Elders.
Ques. Does the Discipline enjoin or warrant the ad¬
ministration of the Lord's Supper in connection with,
and as part of, the ordination of bishops, elders, or
deacons ?
Ans. In the ordination of bishops only.
Ques. Is it proper or safe to give the communion
otherwise than directed, or to make it a part of, or
an appendage to, the ordination of elders ?
Ans. It is neither proper nor safe, since it justifies de¬
parture in method in an important service, and invites
innovations in any and every other service, which makes
it a dangerous example.
Page 133—Of Lay Delegates.
Ques. Does the Quarterly Conference or the members'
meeting take precedence in the election of lay delegates
to the Annual Conference ?
Ans. The members' meeting, of course, being strictly
34 HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
a lay body, and furthest removed from the minis¬
terial or official department of the church, and as
giving the fullest and most unobstructed liberty to
the people to act for themselves, which was the original
design.
Ques. Should local preachers, deacons, or elders be
chosen as lay delegates ?
Ans. They may be; but strictly laymen were asked
for and granted for the place.
Page 92—Special Session of Quarterly Conference.
Ques. Who shall preside at the special session of a
Quarterly Conference convened to confirm the agree¬
ment of the estimating committee and the pastor as to
his salary?
Ans. The presiding elder when present, where there is
a presiding elder in charge of the district or church,
but otherwise the pastor or his oversight may call said
Conference and preside.
Ques. Is it competent for the trustees of a society,
or any number of them, to dispose of church prop¬
erty without first obtaining the consent of the mem¬
bership ?
Ans. The uniform law, custom, and practice of the
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in reference
to the disposition of church property is, that no church
property can be permanently disposed of by any trustee,
board, or part thereof, or any Quarterly Conference, or
part of the same, unless such disposition has been pre¬
viously voted on and. agreed to by a decided majority
of the bona fide members of the said church enrolled on
the books and worshiping in the church edifice in
which such members commonly meet, owned by them,
with any other property of said church. Any disposi¬
tion of church property in the African Methodist Epis-
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH.
35
copal Zion Church of a permanent character, no matter
whether it be by sale, lease, or any other contract made
by whomsoever otherwise than in the foregoing manner
is illegal, and therefore void.
HISTORICAL DEPARTMENT.
Ques. In what year was the African Methodist Epis •
copal Zion Church organized, and where ?
Ans. In 1796, in the city of New York.
Ques. What was the immediate cause of their separate
organization ?
Ans. Caste prejudice on the part of our white brethren
and fellow members of the John Street Methodist Epis¬
copal Church, New York, with which a number of colored
persons had been connected from its incipiency.
Ques. What distinction does the John Street Method¬
ist Church, New York, sustain in the history of American
Methodism ?
Ans. That of being the mother church of the denomi¬
nation.
Ques. Were the founders of the African Methodist
Episcopal Zion Church in New York members of this
parent organization ?
Ans. They were, and continued to be such up to the
organization of the Zion and Asbury societies.
Ques. When were these organized ?
Ans. In 1796.
Ques Was this the date of their permanent separation
from the parent society ?
Ans. It was not. It furnished pastors to the colored
societies until 1820, at which date the formal and final
separation took place.
Ques. What was the date of the organization of these
colored societies into an independent itinerancy ?
36 HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
Ans. 1820.
Ques. By what name was the new organization known?
Ans. The African Methodist Episcopal Church in
America.
Ques. Was the separation mutually agreed on between
the Mother Church and the colored societies ?
Ans. It was. Bishop George wished them peace and
prosperity, and harmonious relations have ever existed
between them. The late Bishop Soule, of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, then a young minister in the
Methodist Episcopal Church, voluntarily performed the
duties of secretary in several of our early Annual Con¬
ferences.
Ques. Who were the leading spirits in the organization
of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in America ?
Ans. Abraham Thompson, James Yarick, and William
Miller.
Ques. Who was first honored with the episcopal office
in the new organization?
Ans. James Varick, of New York.
Ques. What was the leading motive of the colored ele¬
ment ?
Ans. A desire to share some distinctive part in the
Christian work—the exercise of the commendable zeal
which prompted the two and a half tribes whose lot fell
on the east side of the Jordan to build a memorial altar
that should witness their identity with the Israel of God;
the fear that the unchristian feeling thus early fostered
after the death of the founder of Methodism might
eventually deny to their children all participation in its
benefits.
Ques. What was the character of the ecclesiastical
polity adopted by the African Methodist Episcopal
Church ?
Ans. A limited episcopacy, in keeping with the views
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH. §7
of the founder of Methodism, who severely rebuked
Asbury for allowing himself to be ordained a bishop.
(See his magazine, vol. 16.)
Ques. In what do the functions of a bishop by sim¬
ple election differ from one who is elected and ordained
by imposition of hands ?
Ans. In nothing. Their prerogatives and duties are
identical, since the votes of any legally constituted
ecclesiastical body, and not the mere ceremony of in¬
stallation, whether it be ordination or otherwise, con¬
stitutes a bishop, in the opinion of Lord King and other
authentic writers.
Ques. Does the African Methodist Episcopal Church
still retain its original title ?
Ans. It does, but to avoid complications with our sis¬
ter Church, which bears the same title, the General
Conference, in i860, added the name "Zion" in New
York as a suffix to our connectional title, so that it is
now known as the African Methodist Episcopal Zion
Church in America, in contradistinction to the African
Methodist Episcopal Church.
Ques. Does the African Methodist Episcopal Zion
Church still maintain its original ecclesiastical polity ?
Ans. It does not. In 1868 the General Conference
agreed to designate its episcopal officers by the term
bishop instead of superintendent, as they had been
called up to that time ; in 1880 it resolved to elect
them for life, or during good behavior, instead of
for four years as heretofore; and in 1888 it resolved
that the ceremony of induction to the office should
be by imposition of hands instead of installation
without such imposition, as had been the former
custom.
Ques. Were these changes made by the General Con¬
ference in consequence of a conviction that its original
38 HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
polity was contrary to original Methodism, and therefore
untenable ?
Ans. Not at all; it was as firm in its conviction that
its original polity was in complete harmony with the
original Methodistic polity as ever. It had triumph¬
antly sustained itself as being in perfect accord with
Wesley's views on this subject in every encounter, so
that on this point it was fortified.
Ques. What prompted these changes ?
Ans. A desire to place ourselves in harmony with a
large majority of the Methodist family in the United
States, both colored and white ; the manifestation of a
commendable spirit of Christian accommodation and
denominational accord.
Ques. Were not these changes of questionable
authority ?
Ans. By no means, they find a precedent in the action
of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church in Baltimore, which ordained Francis Asbury ;
and another in the action of the General Conference of
the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which or¬
dained Richard Allen, neither of which Conferences
claim to have had any officers above an elder offi¬
ciating, while we had one or more superintendents,
which, according to Buck and other high authority, is
a bishop ; the terms superintendent and bishop being
-correlative.
Ques. In what does the African Methodist Episcopal
Zion Church now differ from the great body of American
Methodists ?
Ans. In principles, nothing; in details, very incon¬
siderably.
Ques. On what grounds is it claimed that the African
Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is the first colored
Methodist Church in America ?
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH. 89
Ans. On the grounds that the two first societies which
formed the basis of the organization were recorded as
an incorporate body in New York, June, 1800.
Ques. What advantage do the several branches of the
Episcopal Methodist family in America rightfully claim
over each other, on the score of regular episcopal
ordination ?
Ans. None whatever; each of them, in a way agreed
on by the votes of a majority of their respective general
ecclesiastical assemblies, created their bishops in the
manner which seemed to them just as nearly in accord
with former usage as their circumstances, conditions,
and predilections warranted ; and under divine guid¬
ance proceeded in their work as best they could, each
sharing the evidences of divine approval ; and the fact
that the episcopacy of each and all of them is denied and
repudiated by the regular episcopalian family every¬
where ought to furnish the basis of harmony among
themselves on the subject of their superior claims to
episcopacy over each other, however much they may
differ on other points.
Ques. Have the several branches of colored Method¬
ists in the United States been accorded full recognition
as a part of the Methodist family by the white Method¬
ists of the United States and Great Britian ?
Ans. They have, as far at least as the three prominent
organizations are concerned ; namely, the African Meth¬
odist Episcopal Zion, the African Methodist Episcopal,
and the Colored Methodist Episcopal Churches; all of
which were recognized at the fraternal gathering of
Methodists at Round Lake Camp-meeting, New York,
in 1873 and 1874; at the Ecumenical Conference at
City Road Chapel, London, in 1881, and at the
Centennial 01* Christmas Conference at Baltimore, Md.,
in 1884.
40 HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
EXEGETICAL DEPARTMENT.
The genius of methodism and its adaptability to
the spiritual needs of all, especially of the
lowly.
Methodism, though in harmonious accord with all
other systems designed to evangelize and Christianize
the world, differs, in many important features, from
nearly, if not quite, all others, (i.) In the simplicity and
comprehensiveness of its doctrines : man's utter help¬
lessness and inability to do aught acceptable to God
prior to repentance and faith; Christ's all sufficiency to
save, and keep in a saved state those to the uttermost
whom he does save; that complete salvation is condi¬
tioned on prayer, faith, watchfulness, purity, and perse¬
verance to the end of life. (2.) Ministerial earnestness,
simplicity, directness, and spirituality in administering
the word; direct appeal to the heart through the medium of
the understanding, and, therefore, in such plain language,
simple and forcible figures; as to suit the comprehension
of the uninformed, and such reliance upon the aid of
the Spirit as will give it unfailing effect. (3.) Simplicity
in ritualistic formula. The founder of the system be¬
came alarmed, on consulting the word of God, at the
godless and unnecessary exhibitions of pomp and show,
not only of the Romish Church, with its close imitation on
the part of the Established Church, but at the increasing
tendency of Dissenters to follow the pompous examples."
Hence the simple methods which he formulated for
Methodism, constituting an important departure in this
particular in the Christian .world. Uniformly as this
simplicity in ritualism has been insisted on by the more
conservative of the Methodist family, there are grounds
for serious apprehension that a spirit of vanity and a
OF THE AFRICAN M. F- ZION CHURCH. 41
desire for pomp and display are being fostered by the
more progressive element of the denomination, which
threatens serious and possibly disastrous innovations.
There is a growing restlessness on the part of many not
only to don the gown, and to vitiate the services by the
introduction of complications which are needless and
antagonistic to the genius and design of original Method¬
ism, but even the Romish example of an arch-bishop of
Methodism is not without advocacy. Happily, this
hankering after useless, heterogeneous, and doubtful
changes has gained but slight, if any, countenance in the
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. God forbid
that there should ever be any practical demonstration of
it within her borders, since no real practical advantage
or substantial good could possibly come of it. In these
times of increasing worldliness and the substitution of
formalism for godliness, earnest Christians should find
but little time to discuss priestly robes or ministerial
uniforms ; least of all should plain, earnest Methodists
find time to put them on when so many souls are perish¬
ing in the wintry blizzards of sin for want of the pro¬
tecting robes of Christ's righteousness. The time and
study necessary to furnish a perishing world with an out¬
fit of these will give but little opportunity to adjust the
inefficient, trifling, and superfluous details of the others.
(4.) Simplicity in church edifices and parsonages—
plain, convenient, and substantial buildings as a rule—
and the avoidance of costly and unnecessary embellish¬
ments, since these entail burdensome debt, and involve
a waste of means which .may well be saved and applied
to far more beneficial purposes of a charitable nature-
(5.) Personal intercourse for mutual strength and spiritual
encouragement—the class and prayer meeting. These
are indispensables in earnest Methodism and exert a most
quickening, cementing, and beneficial influence in prac-
42 HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
tical religion and vital godliness ; and want of interest in
either of them in the Methodist family gives color to the
charge of abandonment of its well-known principles, and
is just ground of alarm. (6.) Simplicity in church music
and singing. Instruments to assist the failing powers of
the human voice may be, and doubtless are, necessary.
Set pieces on special occasions may also be proper, but
any wide deviation beypnd these from the employment of
those heart-melting, soul-stirring, and life-inspiring songs
of original Methodism produced by the Wesleys, and
abounding in doctrinal beauty, appropriate to every state
and condition of life, robs it of its lyrical power and pecul¬
iarity, and, therefore, strips it of much of its influence for
good. (7.) Scrupulous regard for law. The absence of
any very special pre-requirement to admission into the
Methodist communion is a peculiarity very marked in the
denomination. Its easy access is to the masses one among
its most inviting features. Nothing appears more reason¬
able, therefore, than the necessity of careful and constant
administration of discipline, if reformation is the object
sought, in order to bring these crude and discordant ele¬
ments into harmony, and to maintain and crystallize that
harmony when once secured. Great care must be observed
and patience exercised, so that no one may be injured by
rash or precipitate action ; but firmness in the final execu¬
tion must follow the exhaustion of all pacific measures.
These simple, comprehensive, and homogeneous feat¬
ures of our common Methodism constitute its singu¬
larly fascinating charm and peculiar adaptability to the
lowly of earth.
Hence the avidity with which Methodism is em¬
braced and clung to by the lowly. In its original sim¬
plicity it supplies a spiritual need, a solace and a balm.
It was originally designed to bring to the hesitating a
recognition which dismisses his doubts, dispels his lone-
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH. 43
liness, and makes him feel that he shares as fully as the
most lofty of earth the fatherhood of God and the
brotherhood of man. Selfishness and pride, disdain
and loftiness, or any conduct which vaunts itself into
exclusiveness, from whatever consideration, is detestable
in any professed follower of Christ; but any thing less
than good Samaritanism, as taught in the New Testa¬
ment, violates every principle and designsof Methodism,
and becomes to the lowly a cheat and snare.
A FEW SUGGESTIONS ON RULES OF CONFER-
ENCE PROCEEDINGS.
All Conference proceedings, not specially constituting
a rule previously decided on as such, must be introduced
by a motion.
1. Every motion must be seconded, to be entertained
as such by the chairman.
2. Every motion contains a proposition or proposal to
do something, or refrainjrom doing, by non-concurrence.
3. It is the prerogative of the chairman to rule out,
or refuse to entertain, a motion when it proposes a viola¬
tion of law.
4. There may be a motion made to amend the prop¬
osition offered.
5. There may be a motion to amend the amendment.
6. There may be a motion to offer a substitute for
the whole proposal.
7. There may be a motion to refer the matter to a
standing or a special committee.
8. If the motion to refer is lost, there may be a mo¬
tion to postpone the matter to a time named or to an
indefinite period.
9. There may be a motion to lay any of these prop¬
ositions on the table, which, if carried, ends the further
consideration of the whole matter for the present.
44
HAND-BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE
10. The motion to substitute takes precedence of all
motions to amend, and the motion to refer takes preced¬
ence of all others in this connection. The motion to
adjourn takes precedence of all.
11. The motion to adjourn takes precedence of all
other motions, according to Mattheas's Manual, except
when made while a member is speaking, or when a
vote is being taken on any question: in these cases it
is out of order ; and also, when it has been voted on and
lost, to renew it before some other business is transacted
by the body i^ a breach of order.
12. When the hour arrives agreed on for adjournment
a motion for extension of time is out of order; if desired,
it must be agreed on by motion to suspend the rule in
order thereto before the time to adjourn arrives.
13. A motion or speech is not in order until the person
desiring to offer the one or make the other, is recognized
by the chairman.
14. Privileged questions should be disposed of imme¬
diately after the approval of the Journal.
15. All accounts should be settled and reports made
by members, both in the Annual and Quarterly Confer¬
ences, previous to the passage of the member's character,
in order to determine his faithfulness in discharge of
duty, and his fitness for continuance in his position.
A FEW SPECIMENS OF THE FORM OF CHARGES.
Specimen A.
Washington, D. C., Feb. 3, 1890.
Rev. J. S. Cowles, Pastor Galbraith Chapel, African
Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Washington, D. C.
Dear Brother : A sense of duty prompts me to
present a charge against John Duffee, who is a member
of your charge and of class No. 1.
OF THE AFRICAN M. E. ZION CHURCH. 45
charge, " drunkenness."
Specification i. That the said John Duffee was seen
on Third near M Street, this city, on the night of the 24th
of June, 1888, staggering under the influence of liquor,
and was actually drunk.
Specification 2. The said John Duffee, having been
admonished by his leader, refuses to promise reformation.
Signed, Andrew Woods.
Specimen B.
Philadelphia, Dec. 19, 1889.
Rev. G. W. Offley, Pastor Wesley African Methodist
Episcopal Zion Church, Philadelphia, Pa.
Dear Elder : I am induced from a sense of pro¬
priety to charge Daniel Harmon, a member of your
charge and of class No. 2, who has sought to do me a
serious injury by maliciously slandering my character
and good name.
charge, "slander."
Specification 1. That the said Daniel Harmon did on
the 10th inst., in the presence of witnesses, make use of
these words referring to myself.
(Here insert the words complained of).
Specification 2. That the said Daniel Harmon did on
another occasion, the precise date of which I cannot
now recall, call me a villain and a scoundrel.
Signed, James Vinton.
Specimen C.
Pittsburg, June 10, 1889.
Rev. G. W. Clinton, Pastor John Wesley African Method¬
ist Episcopal Zion Church.
Dear Pastor : I regret to be compelled, for the
sake of order in the church, to present Sarah Carr, a
member of your charge and of class No. 3, for conduct
unbecoming a Christian.
46
HAND-BOOK OF. THE DISCIPLINE
charge "imprudence."
Specification. On the evening of May 29, 1889, in com¬
pany with others, at the house of Mrs. F. Carter, this
city, in altercation with myself, the said Sarah Carr ex¬
hibited great excitement, sinful temper, and boisterous-
ness, with the use of such words liar," " thief," etc.
And, notwithstanding she has been visited and admon¬
ished by her leader according to rule of Discipline, she
still persists in her unchristian course when she meets
me. Signed, Mary Snow.
The above specimens, of the forms in which charges
should be written, will suffice as guides in any case,
whether it be immorality, theft, drunkenness, indulging
sinful temper or words, neglect of any church duty,
such as failure to attend class meeting, communion, or
the payment of church dues; sowing discord, the com¬
mission of any other misdemeanor, or the neglect of
any other duty.
Certificate of Membership.
This certifies that the bearer .... has been a member
of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church at ....
to date .... Signed, ...pastor.
York, Pa., Dec. 26,1889,