536 



METHODISTS. 



time had arrived " when a comprehensive plan 

 should be devised for some direct and adequate 

 representation of the laity in the transaction 

 of the business of the conference, in consist- 

 ency with the recognized principles of our 

 economy and the provisions of the poll-deed. 

 ... That any plan devised for the direct and 

 adequate representation of the laity in the 

 transaction of the business of the conference 

 should provide for the admission of laymen 

 into conference during the time when the 

 matters shall be dealt with and decided which 

 are hereafter declared to be within the prov- 

 ince of laymen conjointly with ministers." 



The conference carefully discussed the re- 

 port of the committee, and embodied its con- 

 clusions in a resolution, adopted by a vote of 

 369 to 49, which declared " that lay repre- 

 sentatives shall be admitted into and take part 

 in the proceedings of the conference during 

 the time when such matters shall be considered 

 and decided as shall be hereinafter declared to 

 be within the province of ministers and lay- 

 men acting conjointly ; but that the details of 

 the proposed scheme be referred to the district 

 meetings when the laymen are present, and 

 subsequently to a mixed committee to be ap- 

 pointed by this conference, that shall present 

 a report to the conference of 1877 for final 

 settlement." 



A minute was adopted to be entered upon 

 the conference journal, which provided "that 

 as soon as practicable the conference will ad- 

 mit laymen to take part in its proceedings, 

 when the matters shall be considered and de- 

 cided which are classed in the report of the 

 mixed committee under the following heads : 



" 1. Committees of Privilege and Exigency. 

 2. Missions (foreign). 3. Schools Kingswood 

 and Woodhouse Grove, Clapton, Southport. 

 4. Chapel Affairs. 5. The Children's Fund. 

 6. Home Mission and Contingent Fund. 7. 

 Worn-out Ministers' and Ministers' Widows' 

 Auxiliary Fund. 8. Theological Institution. 

 9. Education. 10. Higher Education. 11. Re- 

 ligious Observance of the Lord's-day. 12. Ex- 

 tension of Methodism in Great Britain. 13. 

 Temperance. 14. District Sustentation Funds. 

 15. Proposed alterations and divisions of dis- 

 tricts and circuits against which there is any 

 appeal. All pastoral matters are reserved to 

 the Ministerial Conference." 



The recommendations of the mixed commit- 

 tee were ordered to be referred to the district 

 meetings of the September following, when the 

 lay members should be present, for considera- 

 tion in a special session. The most important 

 of them provide : that "the conference, when 

 considering such matters as are declared to be 

 within the province of ministers and laymen 

 acting conjointly, shall consist of the presi- 

 dent, 220 ministers, and 220 lay representa- 

 tives ; but that all ministers of ten years' stand- 

 ing, permitted by the district meetings to at- 

 tend the conference, shall be entiteld to at- 

 tend the meetings of the conference during 



the time last mentioned, and to take part in 

 the discussion, but not to vote ; " that the " lay- 

 men shall be admitted into the conference, for 

 the transaction of the business before stated at 

 such time or times as the conference for the 

 year preceding shall have determined ; that no 

 new law on any subject within the province of 

 the conference when composed of ministers 

 only, proposed during any annual session of 

 the conference, shall come into force until it 

 shall have been submitted to the district meet- 

 ings when ministers only are present, and un- 

 til their reports, if any, shall have been con- 

 sidered, and such laws confirmed by the next 

 annual session of the conference when so com- 

 posed ; and that no new law within the prov- 

 ince of the conference when composed of 

 both ministers and lay representatives, pro- 

 posed during any annual session of the con- 

 ference, shall come into force until it shall 

 have been submitted to the district meetings 

 when laymen are present, and until their re- 

 ports, if any, shall have been considered, and 

 such law confirmed by the next annual session 

 of conference when so composed ;" that the 

 consideration of all questions coming from the 

 district meetings shall be referred to either 

 phase of the conference, according to the sub- 

 ject-matter, or, in case of doubt, as the presi- 

 dent shall decide; that the ministerial mem- 

 bers of the conference when laymen are pres- 

 ent shall consist of the president and members 

 of the legal hundred, and, in especial, excep- 

 tional cases, ministerial representatives ap- 

 pointed by the previous conference, when min- 

 isters only are present ; that a layman, to be 

 eligible to the conference, must have been a 

 member of five years' continuous standing at 

 the time of his nomination, and shall be also a 

 holder of office in the Society ; that one-fourth 

 of the lay representatives shall from time to 

 time be elected by the conference, when com- 

 posed of ministers and laymen. And, further, 

 " each circuit shall be represented in the dis- 

 trict meeting by two members of the quarterly 

 meeting, of whom at least one shall be a cir- 

 cuit steward. From the list of persons so 

 nominated, the district meetings, as so consti- 

 tuted, shall elect the allocated number of rep- 

 resentatives by the combined votes of minis- 

 ters and laymen." 



A declaration was made and recorded that 

 "the conference records its judgment that 

 the extension of the influence and cooperation 

 of the laity is not in any way inconsistent 

 with the integrity and efficiency of the pasto- 

 ral office, the inviolability of the connectional 

 principle, the authority of the district com- 

 mittees, or any of the essential principles of 

 Wesleyan Methodism." 



The question of the best means of assisting 

 local preachers in preparation for their work 

 had been submitted by the previous conference 

 to a special committee. They had consulted 

 with the district meetings upon the subject. 

 Upon the report of the committee, the confer- 



