THE METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH.
1. Origin. In Int Mr. Wesley sent Mr. As bury to America, and later made him his "gen eral assistant" and placed him in charge of the preachers and Methodist Societies in America. Shortly after the Revolutionary War, Mr. As bury wrote Mr. Wesley urging him either to come over himself or to send ordained ministers that the sacraments might be given to the Methodists; and in 1784 Mr. Wesley "ordained" Dr. Coke, and "appointed Dr. Coke and Mr. Asbury to be joint superintendents" over the Methodist preach ers and societies in America. Dr. Coke came over, and having ordained Mr. Asbury at the "Christmas Conference," held in Baltimore, 1784, the two "joint superintendents" and the preachers present organized the Methodist Episcopal Church. In the structure of the government then formed are found the causes which led to the organization of the Methodist Protestant Church. No right of representation in the An nual Conferences or in the General Conference was given to the laity of the church, and even the rights of the preachers were not clearly de fined and settled. The bishops, that is the name by which the superintendents came to be called in a short time, claimed and exercised the power of appointing all the preachers to their fields of labor, but the preachers claimed the right of appeal to the Conferences from the appointing power of the bishops. Thus dissatisfaction arose at an early day. Other- questions between the bishops and the preachers came up which caused trouble, especially the "presiding elder" issue, the bishops claiming the right of appointing the pre siding elders, many of the preachers insisting they should be elected by the Annual Confer ences.
During the years 182o-183o the right of the laity to an equal share with the ministers in the gov ernment of the church became the supreme issue. Periodicals were established, in which the re forms demanded by ministers and laymen were advocated. As the controversy went on, "Union Societies," consisting of ministers and laymen friendly to reform of the church government, were organized. The struggle became more and more intense on both sides, the bishops and a large majority of the ministers being determined not to yield their power, the reformers becoming more resolute in the position they had taken.
In 1827 a convention of representatives of the Union Societies was held in Baltimore; a "Me morial Address" was drawn up to be presented to the ensuing General Conference which was to meet in 1828 in Pittsburg, Pa. The Address was brought before the Conference, but failed of its purpose. The logic of events had at last con vinced the reformers that the organization of an other Methodist Church had become a necessity, and another convention was called, and met in November, 1828, in Baltimore. "Articles of As sociation" were framed "for the government of such Societies as shall agree thereto," the So cieties to be known as "The Associated Metho dist Church ;" the organization of Annual Con ferences was authorized, and another convention was called to meet in the same city, November, 183o, to perfect the organization thus begun. The convention thus called, consisting of an equal number of ministers and laymen elected by the Annual Conferences, met at the time and place appointed.
2. Constitution and Discipline. A Consti tution and Discipline were adopted, in which all the main principles for which the reformers had struggled were embodied. The rights of minis ters, members and churches, were carefully de fined and guarded. The General Conference, the supreme legislative body of the church, meets once in four years, consists of ministers and lay men, elected in equal numbers by the Annual Conferences, and these consist of ministers and laymen, the latter elected by the churches. Thus the government is strictly representative. The name, "The Methodist Protestant Church," was adopted.
3. Development. For twenty years the church prospered, but after the year 1850 the slavery question seriously disturbed it, and in 1858 a convention of representatives from the An nual Conferences in the north and west was held in Springfield, Ohio, and all official connection the Conferences in the south was suspended. After the civil war, an attempt was made to unite the \Vesleyan Methodist Church and the Confer ences just mentioned, but the attempt failed. A strong desire arose in the south and the north to reunite the two wings of the church, and in 1878 two conventions, one representing the church in the south, the other representing the church in the north and west, were held in Balti more, and the reunion was effected. In the nego tiations with the \Vesleyan Methodist Church, the Methodist Protestant Conferences had dropped the word "Protestant" out of their name and were known as "The Methodist Church." but they gladly accepted the former name, which the Southern Conferences had never changed.
4. Doctrine. Notwithstanding its many di isions, Methodism the world over has held fast its doctrinal unity. There was no dispute as to airy theological doctrine involved in the contro versy which caused the organization of the Methodist Protestant Church. The contest was concerning the polity of the church. The Methodist Protestant Church holds all the t i.ths contained in the ecumenical creeds of the early centuries. Rejecting all the doctrine's distinctive of Calvinism, she is Arminian in ti,Lology. That God loves all mankind, that Christ died for every man and that eternal salva tion is possible to every man; the freedom of the will, justification by faith alone, the necessity of regeneration and sanctification, are firmly held and taught. In a word, the Methodist Protestant Church holds and teaches all the fundamental truths held by orthodox, and evangelical churches. All hierarchical theories, sacerdotalism, and the inherent efficacy of the sacraments, are repudi ated as unscriptural.
5. Statistics. Home and foreign missions are carried on with success. The church owns several colleges and seminaries, and two publish ing houses. Two weekly religious newspapers and an excellent Sunday-school literature are pub lished. The minutes of the General Conference of the year 19co show a membership of 177,066; number of ministers and preachers 2,781 ; total value of church property $4,754,721.