SWEDENBORGIANS. The name popularly applied to those who accept the doctrines of Christianity and of philosophy as set forth in the writings of Emanuel They do not call themselves Swedenborgians. but members of the New Church. Swedenborg formed no ecclesiastical organization, and many of his followers do not sever themselves from their previous Church connections; but the majority have organized a Church which they have named `The Church of the New Jerusalem,' after the New Jerusalem of Apocalyptic vision (Rev. xxi.). The first movement toward organization began in Great Britain in 1782, when Robert Hind marsh, a printer of London. and certain asso ciates formed a class for reading and studying the writings of Svvedenhorg. TIIis grew into a society for worship :Ind preaching. Public ser vices were first held in 1788. The General Con ference of the New Jerusalem Church in that country began its sessions in 1789. and since 1815 has met annually. In 1902 the Conference con sisted of 73 societies, with an aggregate mem bership of 0337. There Were twelve societies, With a membership of 193, which do not belong to the Conference. and also 996 believers not connected with any society, enrolled as 'isolated receivers,' making a grand total of 7526 enrolled Sweden borgians in Great Britain. On the Continent of Europe there is a society of Swedenhorgians in each of the cities of Paris, Zurich, Florence, Budapest, Vienna, Stuttgart. Copenhagen. Stock holm, and Gothenburg. In the United States the first society of Swedenborgians was organized in Baltimore in 1792. The General Convention of the New Jerusalem in the United States and Canada held its first meeting in Philadelphia in 1817. With little interruption this hody has held annual sessions ever since. In this country the Swedenhorpian societies are grouped into State organizations, called associations. The General Convention is composed of twelve of these associations. and of nine separate societies. The individual membership of the bodies com posing the Convention as reported in 1902 was 6812. There is a smaller organization of the Swedenhorgians called The General Church of the Jerusalem. Its headquarters are in the States, though it has memhers ill other countries. It is an offshoot from the Conven tion. having withdrawn from that body in 1891. It reports a membership of 600. In .Australia there are four societies of Swedenborgian-. with
an aggregate membership of about 350; and there is a society in New Zealand: one on the island of Mauritius. in the Indian II-can; and. one at Durban. South .Africa. There are also circles of readers and students of Swedenborg of sufficient importance to be reported in the journals of the organization in British India, China, Japan. and South America. Taken all together there are not far from 16,000 registered adult members of the Swedenborgian faith in the world.
The ministry of the Swedenborgians is pat terned after the Episcopal order. In the General Conference of Great Britain there are 7 ordain ing ministers, 3.5 ordained ministers, and 12 recognized leaders and missionaries, making a total ministerial force of 54. In the General Convention of the United States there are 6 general pastors, 102 pastors and ministers. and 16 authorized candidates and preachers. making a total of 124 in its ministerial force. The Gen eral Church of the Yew Jerusalem reports one bishop, 16 pastors. 4 and 2 candidates, making a ministerial force of 23. The pastors and ministers of the societies scattered through out the world for the most part act under the authority of some one of these three general bodies, and their ministerial force of about 200 as reported above may be considered as eonstitut ing the entire elergy of the qwcdenlorgians in the world. In this classification t he ordaining ministers of the General Conference, the general pastors of the General Convention. and the bish op of the General Church hold among Sweden borgians a position similar to that of a bishop of the Episcopal Church, though with the ex ception of the bishop of the General Church they do not exercise sm•I1 authority.
A number of Swedenborgian societies in ng land conduct secular schools in connection with their religious societies. 'Hiere :u•e tell such institutions, with all aggregate enrollment in 1902) of 1375 scholars. There is also a New Church College, concerned for the most part in preparing young men for the ministry. In the Unit1 States there are The Waltham New Church School, at Waltham, Mass.; The rbana 1'niversity, at Urbana. I Ihio; The New• Church Theological School, at Cambridge. Mass.: and The Academy of the New Church. at Bryn Athyn, Pa., conducted by the General Church, which has also several parochial sehools in the United States and Canada. The sect publishes many journals.