THE UNITED EVANGELCAL CHURCH.
Earnest differences of opinion in the Evangelical Association concerning the powers of the general conference and of the episcopacy, more especially the latter, resulted in a division of that body, and the organization of the United Evangelical Church in the fall of t894. These differences existed for many years but did not take on an acute form until 1887. In that year the general conference assumed original jurisdiction in the case of an accused brother and, overruling his protest, pro ceeded to try him in a manner which called forth the most earnest protestations from nearly one half of the delegates. From that time forth the_ contest was characterized by an ever-increasing earnestness and determination; the parties thereto being known, from their comparative strength in the general conference, as the Majority and the Minority, respectively. Different interpretations of the Church law resulted in the calling of two general conferences in 1891. Repeated efforts on the part of the Minority to have the differences adjusted by arbitration. including a declaration to that effect signed by four hundred and forty-one ministers, were unconditionally rejected by the Majority leaders. The civil tribunals were then resorted to and, after prolonged litigation, the courts of final resort decided that the Majority general conference had been legally called, that therefore its adherents constituted the Evangelical Association and were entitled to the church prop erty.
On October to, t894, former members of the East Pennsylvania conference, with an equal num ber of lay delegates, met in convention, organized as the East Pennsylvania Conference of the United Evangelical Church. and called a general confer ence, to meet in Naperville, Ill., November 29, t894. Similar action was taken by former mem bers of other annual conferences, and on the day designated the conference, composed of an equal number of ministers and lay delegates, represent ing six annual conferences, convened and declared itself "The First General Conference of the United Evangelical Church." Articles of faith and a dis cipline were adopted, and submitted to the annual conferences for ratification at their sessions in the following spring. While the doctrines, spirit, and distinctive features which characterized the older organization in her earlier days, have been care fully preserved, the church polity has, in a number of particulars, been radically changed. The powers of the general conference and of the bishops are closely limited and clearly defined. Bisho; are elected by the general conference for the term of four years, but are not eligible for more than two successive terms. The general conference can never deprive an annual conference of the right to determine the legality of its own organization; it has no original jurisdiction to try any person; and it can legislate only by the concurrent action of two-thirds of the members of all the annual con ferences. Lay representation, equal in number to
the ministerial membership, has been introduced in all the general bodies of the church. In the con ferences, annual and general, the lay delegates have all the rights and privileges of the ministerial members, except that they cannot vote on the reception, ordination, and expulsion of ministers.
The ministry consists of two orders—deacons and elders. The itinerant system of ministerial appointments obtains and can never be abolished. Ministers are appointed to their charges annually by a committee of the annual conference, consist ing of the bishop and the presiding elders. No one can serve longer than four years consecutively on the same charge. The governing bodies are the quarterly, annual, and general conferences. The first meets four times a year on each pastoral charge, the second annually on each conference district, and the third, representing the whole church, once every four years.
Starting with practically no property, eight years ago, the United Evangelical Church has to-day 24o parsonages and 82o churches, valued at $2,52t.8t4. A publishing house, located at Harrisburg, Pa., and owned by the church, supplies the necessary denominational literature. During the year ending in April, t9o2, $7t.t8t. or an average of $i.12 per member, was raised for missions. A mission has been established in the city of Changsha, province of Hunan, China. Two missionaries, with their families, are now on the field, and others are ex pected to follow in the near future. There are three flourishing educational institutions : Al bright College, at I\lyerstown, Pa.; Western Union College, at LeMars, Iowa, and Dalles College, at The Dalles, Oregon.
The church has at this time (July, 1911) twelve annual conferences, located in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, IoNN a, Nebraska, Kansas, and Ore gon, with pastoral charges in New York, Mary land, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Cal lifornia; 780 ministers and 73,616 members. The membership of the Sunday schools is 97,133, and of the Young People's Society—the Keystone League of Christian Endeavor, 25,000. In addi tion to the missionary society and its auxiliaries, the following organizations have been effected: A charitable society, to aid aged and disabled ministers, and a church extension society, to assist weak congregations in securing church homes. Every department of the work is well organized and prosperous. The gain in mem bership, while not so large as it should have been, has been steady from the beginning, and the outlook for the future is promising.