JVtkqukl, of Collide ^ook,
FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION of the DISCIPLINE
OF THE
AFRICAN M. E. CHURCH,
BY
ALEX. "W". WATMAlfT.
DEDICATED TO THE
BISHOPS AND MINISTERS,
OF THE
i91, (swwm&m*
S?r THE A UTHOR.
BALTIMORE:
HOFFMAN & CO., PRINTERS,
S. TF. Cor. Baltimore # Sh trp Streets.
<PREFAC.E.
For several years, the writer of this work has seen the great
necessity for the Ministers of the A. M. E. Church having a
Manual or Guide, for the better administration of the Discip¬
line, and, therefore, he has ventured to undertake the task.
At the General Conference, which met in the City of Phila¬
delphia, May, 1848, a delegate offered a resolution that some
person be appointed to write explanatory notes on the Discip¬
line. It was considered a work too elaborate to be undertaken
then, therefore, nothing more was said about it.
The writer, then and there, resolved in his own mind, that
at some subsequent period, he would commence such a work ;
and believing that, that period has arrived, he now undertakes
to prepare the same, and will take the liberty to consult and
quote from some of the best writers on the Methodist Discip¬
line in this country. This will not be presented as an official
guide, but more suggestive, and advisory; the writer only
being responsible, and if any good results from the perusal of
these pages * to God be the glory.
The African M., E. Church, was organized A D.,1816,
and being a daughter of the M. E. Church, she adopted the Ar¬
ticles of Religion, the General Rules, and also the Catechism of
faith of the Mother Church, and although her Form of Gov¬
ernment is Episcopal, she sets up no particular claims to
Apostolic succession. But, if there is any importance to be
attached to it, her's is as genuine as any other Methodist in
this country.
MANUAL A. M. E. CHURCH.
CHAPTER I.—Probationers in the Church.
.The visible Church of Christ, was considered by the
Fathers, a congregation of faithful men, in which the pure
word of G-od is preached, and the Sacrament duly administer¬
ed. It is laid down in the General Rules, that there is only
one condition previously required of tho&e who desire admis¬
sion into the Church : A desire to flee from the wrath to
come, and to be saved from their sins. It was thought to be
wise then, and a similar opinion is entertained now, that per¬
sons entering the Church, should serve out a probation, and
therefore, that probation has been fixed at six months, and
when that time expires and tW person is recommended by the
leader, the minister calls such before the Church, when they
are properly examined, as per Discipline, and if the answers
are satisfactory, the minister extends to the person, the hand
of fellowship.
CHAPTER II.—Reception of Members of other Churches.
The General Conference of 1860, ordered, that persons in
good standing in other Orthodox Churches may be received
into the A. M. E. Church upon the recommendation of some
members of the Church, who know them to have been in
good standing: in the Church of which they formerly were
members.
A member on probation is entitled to the watch care of
the Church, and has a right to attend the religious meetings,
such as class and love-feast, but is not entitled to hold any
official relation as steward, class-leader, exhorter, or local
preacher, except where new societies have just been formed.
It would not be improper in such cases, for the minister in
5
charge, to appoint a probationer to the position as class- lea¬
der, and then such leader could not be properly a member of
the Quarterly Conference.
Some have thought it incorrect for probationers, who have
never been baptized, to partake of the Holy Sacrament; but,
according to the form of Discipline read at the Sacramental
service—viz. : "Wherefore, ye that do truly and earnestly
repent of your sins," &c , it would be no violation to allow
those who can comply with the above, to partake of the Sacra¬
ment before they are baptized.
A member on probation is never arraigned for trial before
a Committee on Charges, like full members. If they do not
attend to their duties, or walk disorderly, the minister is re¬
quired to drop their names from the roll x>f probation. But
in all cases, great care should be taken and christian forbear¬
ance exercised at all times ; for it ia not wise to act from
mere rumors
The General Rules require leaders to inform the minister,
of any that walk disorderly, and "will not be reproved. A
member on probation is not allowed to present a charge
against a full member in the Church.
CHAPTER III.— The Church Membership.
"Church relation, from the nature of the case, must de¬
pend upon the mutual pleasure of the parties but no Church
Covenant ought to be construed as a pledge and obligation
to remain during life. Circumstances surrounding one may
be such as to require them to leave one Church and join an¬
other; for instance, a lady may marry a gentlemen of another or¬
thodox Church, and she feeling it to be her duty to be with her
husband, might wish to change her relation to another
Church ; in that case she ought to be granted a letter, provi¬
ding all obligations have been faithfully discharged. "When
a Church relation is formed, the member virtually promises
to observe the rules and regulations of the society, and if he
6
violates them, or refuses to submit to the Discipline of the
Church," he must be tried, and therefore, no one can legally
withdraw from the Church, until those charges are properly
investigated. The best writers on Methodist usage have
said, "That it is contrary to the economy of the Church, to
allow ministers or members, when guilty of gross violation of
the Discipline, to evade its salutary authority and force, by
' declaring themselves withdrawn from the Church." In some
cases, ministers charged with grave offenses, are allowed to
withdraw from the Church and ministry, by giving up their
credentials, which in effect, is equivolent to expulsion.
"If a member makes an application to withdraw from the
'A. M. E. Church, and after a short time expresses a desire
t® remain, if the withdrawal has not been announced, and no
entry has been made on the books of the Church, it is in the
power of the Church to either declare him withdrawn, or to
allow him to recall his request." But if the withdrawal has
been received and recorded, it is irrevocable.
A member refusing to attend to his duties or meet class,
does not, by that act, leave the A. M. E. Church, but is
always held responsible to the Church for such violation.
When a minister, either local or traveling, desires to
withdraw from the A. M. E. Church, his request must be
presented to the body to which he properlv belongs, to whom
he is amenable ; the local preacher to the Quarterly Conference,
and the traveling preacher to the Annual Conference. In
the interval of the Quarterly Conference, the local preacher
may send his to the minister in charge or presiding elder,
and the traveling preacher to the bishop, but the finality of
the case is at the Conference. The Conference may allow him
to withdraw it, before action is taken.
Every member in full connection who wishes to remove
from one charge to another, is entitled to a note of recommen¬
dation, if there are no charges against him.
"If charges are preferred against a member, and at the same
7
time he wishes to withdraw, yet signifies his willingness to be
tried, the minister in charge is guilty of mal-administration, if
he does not proceed to try said member."
"No minister in charge, is bound to give a recommendation
of membership to any person belonging to the A. M. E.
Church, unless he is satisfied that the said member desires to
remove his relation to another charge in the same connection,
yet, as a matter of Christian courtesy, he may give a recom¬
mendation to a person in regular standing, who desires to be¬
come a member of another Christian Church."
It sometimes happens that members remove without a let¬
ter : in that case, the preacher ought not to remove their
names from the Church Record, but should note the fact,
that the persons have removed without obtaining certificates.
"When a member receives a certificate of membership from
a preacher having charge of a circuit or station, he is respon¬
sible for his moral conduct from the date of his certificate, un¬
til he joins, to. the society receiving him upon that certifi¬
cate."—Bishop Baker.
"There is no definite time beyond which a certificate be¬
comes null and void."
CHAPTER IV.—Trials of Members.
1. "Every full member must be brought to trial before the
Church, or a select number in the presence of the regularly
constituted pastor, who shall appoint the time for the meet¬
ing." In no case should a member of the Quarterly Confer¬
ence be placed on the committee.
2. The meeting should always be opened with religious
services, then the object of the meeting stated by the presi¬
ding officer. The accused and the accusers should always be
brought face to face, and if this cannot be done, then let the
next best evidence be produced. Proper notice should always
be given to every accused person, so that he may have time
to prepare for his defence.
8
3, A competent secretary should be appointed to take
down correct minutes of the trial. When the names of the
. committees are announced, the presiding officer should ask
the accused if he has any objection to any one of the commit¬
tee, and should he say yes, then the one objected to must be
withdrawn and another put in his place.
4. The presiding officer should always appoint some one
to represent the Church, and to allow the accused to defend
himself in person, or by some person whom he may select,
providing, he be a member of the A. M. E. Church.
"The charges and specifications being read to the accused,
he is asked to say whether he is guilty or not; if the accused
voluntarily confesses that he is guilty of the charge, no fur¬
ther evidence will be required; the case is at once given to
committee. But in no case should the confession of an ac¬
cused person made under a threat or promise, be received as
legal evidence against him. [Mode of conducting a trial
see hereafter.] "Where three or four members are charged
with having committed an offence jointly, the charges
and specifications ought to be written out separately, and
each one tried separately, unless they should prefer being
tried together, then the committee, judging from the evidence
whether one or all, are guilty.
It has been considered improper for a presiding officer, to
charge a committee, before they retire, as to the law and
facts in the case. But there may be cases, in which it be¬
comes necessary for the presiding officer, to give to the com¬
mittee certain instructions.
If a copy of the charges and specifications (which charges
and specifications must, be duly signed by the proper person,)
be left at the usual residence of the accused, it, with the
written notice for him to attend his trial at the appointed
time, shall be regarded as a sufficient citation.
"If an accused member on trial, refuses to answer to the
charge, or answer foreign to the purpose, it is deemed in
9
law equivalent to answering not guilty, unless he is dumb."
(Baker.)
It is not reasonable, for a member to be held to answer on
a second indictment, for any offence, of which he was once
acquitted by a committee, nor is. a person on trial bound to
give evidence against himself.
The law of the land will not allow a person to be tried
for an offence, that has been committed over two years ; "But
the law of the Church, allows the members to be tried for an
offence committed any time since he joined the Church."
"Maya person, who has not been formerly read into full
membership in the Church, but has for years been allowed
all the privileges of membership, and is supposed by the
pastor and society to be a member, plead the fact of non-re¬
ception as a bar to proceeding in case of alleged immorali¬
ty ?" No. He shall be tried as others.
"If an accused member has any demurrer to offer to the
charges, he should present it'atthe opening of the case."
"Errors in a oharge, when the true intent evidently ap¬
pears, may be corrected, but no new amendment can be made
during the progress of the trial.
No new charge or specification can be admitted during
the trial, yet a charge may be withdrawn before a verdict is
rendered.
"When charges are preferred against a member, the pas¬
tor in charge has no right to rule out such," but they must
go to the committee.
"When an important witness is non est, by no fault of the
accused, or accuser, for whom he is to testify, or when a
party is surprised by evidence which he did not anticipate,
the' trial may be adjourned, upon the application of the
party."
If an accused member evades a trial, by absenting himself
after being duly notified, and without retaining any one to
10
appear as his council, it does not preclude the necessity of a
formal trial. The pastor should appoint a competent person
to conduct the defence. If the committee believe from the
evidence, and the circumstances of the accusation afford strong
presumptive evidence of guilt, then the accused must be de¬
clared guilty by the committee, and the pastor must exclude
him.
"The trial must be limited to the particular charge brought
against the accused " If the accused should prove an alibi,
or if a different crime is proved from the one alleged against
him, he must be acquitted.
After charges have been entertained, and the trial has
proceeded, until the complainant has produced his testimony,
the case cannot then be withdrawn, without the consent of
both parties.—Bishop Waugh.
"It is highly improper, ordinarily, to conduct a trial in a
public congregation." None should be present except the
parties summoned, at least, unless they are members of the
Church." If the counsels on either side should request the
witnesses to be separated during the trial, the presiding offi¬
cer shall order it, and only one should be present at a time.
"When testimony has been admitted as correct and jour¬
nalized, it cannot be taken from the record, without the con¬
sent of both parties."
In all cases of conviction and expulsion of a member, an
appeal to the ensuing Quarterly Conference must be allowed,
providing, the person should signify his intention so to do.
The presiding officer should always ask when he announces a
person expelled, Do you appeal ? If he answers affirmative¬
ly, it must be entered on the minutes of the trial. A mem¬
ber expelled cannot betaken back into the Church, without
proper humility and acknowledgment,
CHAPTER V.—General Law of Evidence.
1. "Every Administrator of Discipline should have a cor-
11
rect knowledge of the General Laws of Evidence, as estab¬
lished by the civil judiciary; in ecclesiastical courts, mere
technicalities should never subvert the principles of equity,
yet the General Law of Evidence established by the wisdom
of ages, are as applicable in establishing matters of facts, be¬
fore an ecclesiastical tribunal as before a civil court."
2. "So far as judicial proceedings are concerned, the A.
M. E. Church is divided into four classes: 1st., private
members, 2d., local preachers, 3d., traveling preachers, 4th.,
Bishops; and distinct tribunals and different degrees of respon¬
sibility are established for each."
A. The evidence must correspond with the allegations,
and be confined to the point in the issue.
B. It is sufficient if the substance of the issue be proven.
C. The obligation of proving any fact, lies upon the par-
,ty who substantially asserts the affirmative of the issue, and
he should bring forth all his evidence before any defence is
made, for no man is required to prove a negative.
D. "The evidence should be procured, of which the nature
of the case is susceptible. Oral testimony cannot be substituted
for documentary, when such testimony can be procured."
E. "Hearsay evidence is not to be regarded as competent
in a Church trial, for it generally relates to what some other
person said; it is only admissible in proving general char¬
acter "
CHAPTER YI.— Witnesses.
"The Roman law required the evidence of two witnesses as
the foundation of a decree."
In our courts, one witness is enough, if his testimony is
corroborated by strong collateral circumstances, to establish
the fact, and therefore, a single testimony corroborated by
strong collateral circumstances, may convince an intelligent
committee of the moral certainty of the guilt of the accused,"
12
Common law forbids that a party to the record in civil
suits should testify either for himself or for a co-suitor in the
cause ; but the laws of some States allows persons on trial for
grave offences, to testify in their own behalf. It might not
be amiss in some cases, to permit an accused member to testi¬
fy in his own behalf, as the Church always allows the com¬
plainant to testify.
"No other relationship except that of husband and wife
disqualifies a person from testifying for or against another.
In ecclesiastical courts, however, the husband and wife
should mutually be allowed to testify for each other, and the
committee should give such weight to their testimony, as they
consider it is entitled to under the circumstances."
"Persons of reputed veracity are competent witnesses in a
Church trial, without regard to their particular religious be¬
lief or church relation." The Discipline of the Church has
always declared witnesses without, should not be rejected.
The presiding officer of a trial should always determine
the competency of a witness, but the committee must deter¬
mine what weight, if any, ought to be given to such testi¬
mony.
It has been conceded, a pastor is a competent witness
against any of his flock, yet if he is the principal witness,
another should be appointed to preside at the trial, and then
*f the pastor is a competent witness against a member, he is
also a competent one for a member. Judges of civil courts
can be made witnesses iu some cases, "but in no case is a
pastor to be both presiding officer of a trial and a witness."
CHAPTER VII.—Examination of Witnesses.
1. "Witnesses are to be examined, first, by the party pro¬
ducing them, and afterward cross-examined by the opposite
party."
2. "Each witness should be called upon to relate what he
knows of the case, and his testimony should be written down
13
and read to him by the Secretary; every question and an¬
swer should be written down which either party deems essen¬
tial to the case."
3. Leading questions are not allowed to be put to a witness
in direct examination. Sometimes leading questions may be
put to a witness, when there appears to be. some hostile feel¬
ing exhibited toward the party producing him, or an omission
is caused by want of recollection; a witness may be contradic¬
ted by another, providing, the foundation for it is laid by the
counsel on the other side, by asking him if he did not say on
such a day, to such a person, a certain thing ? if he answer no,
then he may be contradicted by showing that he did say thus
and so.
4. "Witnesses are never allowed to write down their tes¬
timony to read in court, but they can refresh their memory by
referring to something written, such as a diary, to fix upon the
time when they were in a certain place, or what they did at a
certain time."
5. All witnesses must depose to such facts only as are
within their own knowledge. In some cases, persons are ex¬
amined as experts as to handwriting.
6. "A witness who may desire to correct his testimony is
allowed to do so, but it should be written down just as it was
given first with all its corrections, and it is for the committee
to decide whether the latter statements are more worthy of be¬
lief, than the former."
7. "All exceptions to evidence ought to be made at the
time, when it is first taken." After the verdict, it is too late
to take exceptions.
8. "If no counsel appears for either party, the presiding
officer should put such questions as may be -necessary to
elicit the truth, guarding carefully against any bias toward
either party. No questions should be put to a witness, the
relevancy of which does not appear."
9 Witnesses in Church trial are never sworn, because
14
there is no power vested in the Church to administer an oath,
and the evidence of good character is not allowed when the
general character for Veracity has not been impeached. _ Yet,
witnesses may be impeached in two ways : first, by disproving
the fact stated by him, by the testimony of other witnesses;
second, by general evidence affecting his credit for veracity.
CHAPTER VIII.—Deposition.
It is considered in all cases advisable, where it can be done,
to produce all important witnesses at the time and place of
the trial; but as no Church can compel the presence of any
witness, it becomes necessary sometimes to take the deposi¬
tion ; the testimony of an absent witness may be taken before
a person appointed by the minister or a bishop of an Annual
Conference, in the place where the said witness resides, pro¬
vided, in every case, sufficient notice has been given to the
accused party, of the time and place of taking such testimony.
The notice should state the hour and place of taking the tes¬
timony, the notice to be delivered to the party in person, or
left at his usual place of residence. "A notice left at the
Post Office has been considered as not sufficient notice, as it
might not have been received by him."
The following fprm of notice, has been considered a good
one.—"To John Jones. Whereas, Henry Wilson has re¬
quested me to take the deposition of Daniel Cain, of Boston,
to be used in the examination of charges and specifications,
preferred against you, by Noah Hart, I do therefore, appoint,
the 25th day of March, 18— at 12 M. at the house of the
said David Cain, as the time and place for the said person to
testify what he knows, relative to matters contained in said
charges and specifications, and you are hereby notified that
you may then and there be present, and put such questions
as you4may judge fit." Yours &c. J. C. HARRIS, Pastor.
The depositions should be as concise as possible, setting
forth the questions asked and the answers given. Deposi¬
tions should be sealed up by the person taking them, and re-
15
main so, until opened by the proper authorities.
Depositions should always be rejected if it appears that the
opposite party was not notified to attend at the time and
place appointed.
CHAPTER IX.— Appeal. _
1. The privilege of appeal js allowed both to preachers
and members, by the Discipline of the Church. It was or¬
dained in the organization of the A. M. E. Church, that the
General Conference should not do away with the privileges of
our ministers and preachers of trial by a committee, and of
an appeal; neither shall they do away the privileges of our
members of trial, before the society or by a committee and of
an appeal. It is required however, in order that the appeal
may be entertained, that the condemned person signify his
intention to appeal within a given time.
2. "The court appealed to, and not the court appealed from,
is to judge whether or not the party has a right to appeal. No
appeal should be rejected, unless there are very manifest
reasons for it."
3. "All appeals must be to the next ensuing Quarterly
Conference in the case of a member ; to the next ensuing
Annual Conference in the case of a local preacher; to the
next ensuing General Conference in the case of a traveling
preacher. In all cases the party must signify their inten¬
tion to appeal at the time of his condemnation."
4. ''When an expelled member forfeits his right to an ap¬
peal by neglect, no subsequent Quarterly Conference can
grant him the privilege of an appeal."
5. "A Quarterly Conference cannot try an appeal when
the testimony is not duly recorded, for if the minutes are in¬
accurate, the case ought to be referred back for a new trial,
that those who did the work carelessly at first, may have the
opportunity of doing it correctly."—Bishop Heddmg.
6. In case of a local preacher appeals to the Annual Con¬
ference, and it is found that the minutes of the trial were not
16
signed by the presiding officer of the Quarterly Conference t
and by a majority of the members of the said Quarterly Con¬
ference who were present at the time of the trial, the appeal
cannot be entertained , or if the Discipline has been illegally
administered, the case should be remanded to the court hold¬
ing original jurisdiction over the member, for a new trial.."
Bishop Baker .
Mode of Conducting Appeals.
1. Presentation of the appeal, setting forth the reason why
the appeal is made.
2. The charges and specifications and the judgment of the
court below are heard.
3. Deciding whether or not to admit the appeal.
4. If admitted, reading the records of the trial and other
documents that were before the lower court.
5. The appellant by himself or counsel is heard.
6. The court below by its representative replies.
7. The appellant or his counsel closes.
8. The appellant retires from the room, and then the Con¬
ference decides either to affirm, reverse, or send it back for a
new trial. The members of the court below, ought always to
be excused from voting on an appeal case.
9. In no case of appeal can new evidence be admitted;
only the'minutes and documentary testimony taken and pre¬
sented at the first trial, can be introduced.
10. When an appeal is taken by an expelled member, to
to the Quarterly Conference, and that Conference remands
the case back for a new trial, he is an accused member, and
the pastor in charge should proceed to try him again, unless
the charges are withdrawn.
11. "After the Quarterly Conference has affirmed the de¬
cision of the court below, no subsequent Quarterly Confer¬
ence can re-open the case; the decision of the appellate
coiirt is final." But when the appellate court reverses the
decision of the court below, the appellant is re-instated in his
17
former membership, without any action of the court, from
which he took an appeal."
13. If an excluded steward or class-leader is restored to
membership by the Quarterly Conference, such action doe8
not restore him to his previous official relation; for stewards are
always nominated by the minister in charge, and confirmed by
the Quarterly Conference, and class-leaders are appointed by
the minister in charge also ; and therefore their restoration is
only to membership. It must be understood that no lay
member can take an appeal, until he has been excluded from
the Church, and the act of expulsion- stands until the decis¬
ion is reversed.
CHAPTER X.—Quarterly Conference.
1. The Quarterly Conference is composed of all the travel¬
ing and local preachers, exhorters, stewards, class-leaders
and the male superintendents of the Sunday Schools of the
Circuit or station, and such members of the Annual Confer¬
ence as the Mshop may designate, such as presidents of Colleges,
agents and editors who sustain no pastoral relation to any
society, and of such superannuated preachers as reside on the
charge. "All members of a Quarterly Conference not under
charges, have equal rights to speak and vote in the Quarterly
Conference, except on questions affecting their own stand¬
ing "
2. In those Annual Conferences, where there are presiding
elders, they are the presidents of the Quarterly Conferences,
but in their absence, the Conference shall select the minister
in charge.
3. The presiding elder (if any,) must appoint the time of
holding a Quarterly Conference; where there is no presiding
eider, the minister in charge must do it.
•4. The trustees of all the A. M E. Churches, the super¬
intendents of the Sunday Schools, and also the leaders of the
Church choir are required to make quarterly reports to the
Quarterly Conferences.
18
5. "A Quarterly Conference may adjourn from time to
time to finish any pending business ; but it cannot adjourn to
a distant day, to take up new business, which would properly
belong to a subsequent Quarterly Conference."
6. "The president of a Quarterly Conference has the right
to adjourn the Conference over which he presides, when in
his judgment, all the regularly prescribed business shall have
been transacted."
7. "The members present at any regularly called Quar¬
terly Conference, constitute a legal quorum for the transac¬
tion of business. A tie vote in a Quarterly Conference de¬
cides the question in the negative, as a presiding officer is
not entitled to vote," unless a majority of the Quarterly Con¬
ference request him to do so.
8. The Quarterly Conference has power to hear complaints
and try appeals of lay members, and to license proper
persons to exhort and preaeh, and also recommend suitable
persons to the Annual Conference for admission into the
traveling connection.
9. "The minutes of a Quarterly Conference must be read
and approved at the close of the session, when they are taken,
for they cannot be approved at any subsequent session."
CHAPTER XI.—Exhorters.
1. "Exhorters were recognised in the early part of the
history of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and are
still recognised in all the branches of the Methodist family.
The father of Methodism permitted none of his members
to hold religious meetings without a special note from the
assistant."
2. "The character of the office is indicated by the name.
It is not expected that an exhorter will attempt to preach
formally, to read a text, announce a theme, and divide his sub¬
ject ; but he will sing, pray and then read a passage of Scrip¬
ture, and make such remarks as he may feel disposed." "The
office when faithfully discharged, has rendered great service
19
i® extending the Redeemer's Kingdom."
3. "No person can be licensed as an exhorter, who is not
» full member of the Church, or who has not been recommend¬
ed by his class."
4. • All licenses are given by a majority vote of the Quar¬
terly Conference, and signed by the president; every exhor¬
ter is subject to a quarterly examination in the Quarterly
Conference, and his license must be renewed annually.
5. Exhorters are responsible for their official conduct to
the Quarterly Conference, but they should always be tried in due
form by a committee of the Church of which they are mem¬
bers, and allowed an appeal to the Quarterly Conference and
not to the Annual Conference ; exhorters removing from one
charge to another, should receive a note of recommendation,
certifying their official relation.
CHAPTER XII.—Local Preachers.
1. No one can be licensed as a local preacher in the Afri¬
can M. E. Church, until the following steps have been taken:
(A) He must be recommended by the members of the
Church, who shall have been called together for that purpose
by the pastor.
(B) He must be examined before the Quarterly Conference
on the subject of doctrines and Discipline of the A. M. E.
Church.
2. The license of a local preacher is given by the Quarter¬
ly Conference and not by the presiding officer, and hence,
must be signed by him.
3. "A Quarterly Conference has power to refuse to renew
the license of a local preacher, without any impeachment of
his moral character, or finding any decrease of piety, talent
or usefulness.—Bishop James."
4. All license is given for one year and one year only, and
hence, in the interval of the year, a license cannot be revoked,
unless the Quarterly Conference in due form for cause as¬
signed, deprives the local preacher of his ministerial offiee,
20
then should no action be taken, at the close of the year, upon
his case, then the license becomes null and void. The ques¬
tion of renewal of the license of a local preacher under some
circumstances, may be laid over as unfinished business, until
the next Quarterly Conference; if a local preacher through
wilful neglect, fails to meet the Quarterly Conference and
thereby his license expires, the same preliminary steps are to
be resorted to regain it as in the first case. The fact of the
Church having once recommended a person for local preach¬
er's license does not compel it to renew the recommendation,
if the subject should be submitted to it again. If a Quarterly
Conference for good and sufficient reasons, refuse to renew
the license of a local preacher, it is not in the power of a sub¬
sequent Quarterly Conference to consider the question and
grant a renewal.
5. "The license of a local preacher must be renewed one©
every Conference year, rather than every Calender year."
6. It is not required for an ordained local preacher to have
his credentials renewed annually, for his ordination parchment
authorizes him to preach, until they are surrendered or made
Void by the action of the Church, or he violates the ordination
vows. But all ordained local preachers must pass an exami¬
nation in the Quarterly Conference, respecting their gifts as
well as labors and usefulness; usage demands that this exami¬
nation should be quarterly. If a Quarterly Conference refuse
to pass the character of a local deacon or elder, for any good
reason, the minister in charge ought to proceed to an investi¬
gation of the case, according to the disciplinary rule. No
local preacher can be employed by a bishop or an elder, to
travel, except in the interval of an Annual Conference ; but,
the Quarterly Conference has the power to say whether in
their judgment, such local preachers would be useful or not.
8. All local preachers are amenable to the Quarterly Con¬
ference, where they reside, for their Christian character, and
the faithful performance of their ministerial office. If such
should be appointed by the bishop or an elder to a charge,
21
then they must hold their relation in that particular charge.
When a preacher is discontinued by an Annual Conference,
he is amenable to the Quarterly Conference of the circuit
where he had his last appointment.
9: Before a local preacher can be ordained a deacon, he
must have been licensed four years consecutively. A request
must come from the Church to the Quarterly Conference;
then he must be examined by the Quarterly Conference on
the subject of doctrine and Discipline, and he must also re¬
ceive a testimonial from the Quarterly Conference, signed by
the president and countersigned by the secretary. This rec¬
ommendation must set forth that the applicant is a suitable
person to receive such orders, and that he was recommended
by request of the Church ; then he must pass an examination
before the committee of the Annual Conference and receive
its approval.
10. A local deacon is eligible to elder's orders after he has
been in that office four years; he must obtain a recommenda¬
tion from the Quarterly Conference, certifying of his gifts,
graces and usefulness, and also the necessity of his official
service as a local elder in that charge ; if he cannot attend
the Annual Conference he must certify his belief in the doc¬
trines and Discipline of the A. M. E. Church under his own
signature.
11. "The recommendations of a Quarterly Conference for
the ordination of a local deacon or elder, are not valid after
the next ensuing Annual Conference."
CHAPTER Xlli.— Trial of Local Preachers.
1. "All local preachers, deacons and elders are amenable
to the Quarterly Conference for their faithful performance of
the office they fill, and in case of wilful neglect of any rea¬
sonable duty, should be treated the same as in cases of improp¬
er tempers, words and actions. The local preacher thus of¬
fending should be reprimanded by the minister in charge,
and should that reprimand fail to reform him, then one, two
22
©r three confidential friends should be taken as witnesses ; if
he still persists in the neglect of duty, the Quarterly Confer¬
ence may proceed to try him, and deprive him of his ministe¬
rial office." But in no case should a local preacher's tempor¬
al affairs be interfered with, so as to deprive him of his liveli¬
hood. -
2. In the organization of the A. M. E. Church, local preach¬
ers were admitted to membership in the Annual Conferences,
they were granted all the rights in the Conference of the
traveling preachers; they voted on all questions and served
on committees. The A. M. E. Church is the only Metho¬
dist Church in this country that has ever extended this privi¬
lege to the local preachers; technically their membership in
the Annual Conference is only an honorary one, for the rea¬
son they are amenable to the Quarterly Conference for their
conduct, and it has power to try, suspend and expel them.
The Annual Conference is their court of appeal, and no*<
their court of trial.
2. When a local elder, deacon or preacher is reported to
be guilty of some crime expressly forbidden in the word of G-od,
Jt is made the duty of the minister in charge to call him before
a committee of local preachers, who shall hear all the evidence
in the case, and if the report is sustained, the committee shall
suspend him until the next Quarterly Conference, when his
case shall be tried and bfe acquitted, suspended for a certain
period, or expelled as the case may be, according to the
judgment of the Quarterly Conference.
' 'It requires the preacher in charge on mere report, to call
a committee, which is of the nature of a court of inquiry, to
ascertain whether or not, there be cause for trial."
(jBishop Morris.')
3. The minister in charge in all practicable cases, should
inquire into complaints against a local preacher, by a com¬
mittee before they come to the Quarterly Conference ; should
those preliminaries not be taken, it will not prevent the
23
Quarterly Conference though from proceeding to try the
ease; if expelled, he is allowed an appeal to the Annual
Conference, next ensuing
4. The committee of local preachers may in case of neces¬
sity be called from another circuit or station, as the Discipline
says the neighborhood.
5. The investigating committee in the ease of a local
preacher, should always proceed as in the case of an accused
member. The preacher in charge is the presiding officer, and
should have correct minutes of the charges taken, together
with all the testimony ; and if the accused is found guilty, the
minutes, with the decision of the committee, must be laid
before the Quarterly Conference.
6. "The suspension of a local preacher is always by the
committee, and never by the minister in charge."
7. The examination before* a committee is not a trial prop¬
er on the merits of the case, and, therefore, if the committee
acquits the accused local preacher, charges can be founded
upon the same report, and be tried at the Quarterly Confer¬
ence—while the law says, a man cannot be tried twice for
the same offence, yet he may be examined twice.
8. "Should an accused local preacher, deacon, or elder,
refuse or neglect to appear before the examining committee
or the Quarterly Conference, he may be tried in his absence."
9. The Quarterly Conference alone awards the punishment;
in the trial of local preachers, suspension by the investigating
eommittee is not a penalty judicially awarded, but a public
arrest of character until the case can be tried before the proper
tribunal. The President of the Quarterly Conference cannot
expel a local preacher; he only announces the decision.
(Bishop Baker.)
10. If an expelled local preacher has taken an appeal to
the Annual Conference, a subsequent Quarterly Conference
cannot re-consider its action and restore him, nor if they have
acquitted him, can a subsequent Quarterly Conference con¬
demn him.
24
11. "When a local preacher has been brought before the
Quarterly Conference, and the evidence has been taken, and
the pleading closed, it is not lawful for the Conference to ad¬
journ and leave the decision of the case to the next Quarterly
Conference."
12 The Quarterly Conference should never alter or change
the wording of any charge or specification without the con¬
sent of both parties, and the counsel on both sides.
13. It has been thought wise, when a matter involved in
a charge presented against a local or traveling preacher is
pending before a civil or criminal court, to defer action till
the court settles the matter. In every case where action
assails the moral and religious character of the local or trav¬
eling preacher, they ought to be suspended till the case is
settled, one way or the other in the court.
CHAPTER XIV.—Trials of Traveling Preachers.
1. The nature of the investigation of an accused traveling
preacher by a committee in the interval of the Annual Con¬
ference, is the same as that of a local preacher's above
described : preliminary in its nature ; the committee can only
suspend from ministerial services and church privileges,
until the ensuing Annual Conference.
2. "The object of a committee is to attend to complaints of
charges in the interval of Conferences, and thereby secure the
character of innocent brethren wrongfully accused frem re¬
proach, or by suspending such as are adjudged guilty."
(Bishop Redding.)
3. If any of the traveling preachers, deacons, or elders,
shall be abused of any crime, a charge shall be made
known to the stewards of the circuit or station, who shall
speedily lay such charge before the official board, and it (the
board) shall authorize them if deemed necessary, to call in
the next neighboring elder ; but, if there should be a presid¬
ing elder on the district, then he shall bring the accused be¬
fore a committee of traveling preachers, or for want of travel-
25
ing preachers, local elders, deacons or preachers; the com¬
mittee not to consist of less than three. If possible, the
accused and accuser shall be brought face to face.
4. If the person be clearly convicted, he shall be suspend¬
ed by the committee, from all official standing in the church,
until the ensuing Annual Conference, at which time his case
shall be fully considered and determined
5. If the accused flee from trial, it shall be received as
presumptive proof of guilt, and out of the mouth of two or
three witnesses, he shall be condemned. Nevertheless, in
that case, the Annual Conference has power to re-consider
and determine the whole case.
6. "The acquittal of an accused traveling preacher, by the
investigating committee, as in the case of local preachers
does not prevent the charges being preferred, and a trial held
before the Annual Conference to which he is amenable."
(jBishop Payne.)
7. "If the charge be preferred at the Conference, the case
may be referred to a committee, if the accused has no objec¬
tion to it; but he shall be allowed to object to any one on the
committee." (Bishop Brown.)
8. Every accused traveling preacher ought to be notified
by those who accuse him, of their intention to charge him at
the Annual Conference, so he can prepare his defense.
9. An Annual Conference has the power when charges are
preferred against a member of the body, and the case cannot
conveniently be tried at the session, on account of the absence
of witnessess, to refer it to a committee to examine ; and in
that case, they only have power to suspend till the next
Conference.
10. If an accused traveling preacher does not appear eithe
before the committee or Annual Conference after he shall
have been duly notified, the same formality should be observ¬
ed in his trial, as if he were present. Competent couns
26
should always be appointed to conduct the case, and correct
minutes taken.
11. "A traveling preacher under suspension by a committee
in the interval of the Conference, has no right to vote on any
question at the ensuing Annual Conference, until his case is
determined finally." (Bishop Shorter.)
12. "When a preacher has been tried in an Annual Con¬
ference and suspended for one year, the Conference cannot
at the expiration of that time expel him for the same offence,
or continue the suspension for another period. When a
member has suffered the punishment which was adjudged by
the Conference at the time of his trial, he is deemed clear by
the law." (Bishop Hedding.)
13. In case of mal-administration, the person so offending
shall be reproved by a Bishop or a presiding elder, or should
a second transgression take place, one, two or three preachers
should go and show him the impropriety of his course, and if
he is not cured, he should be examined before a committee
in the interval of the Annual Conference. The ensuing
Annual Conference should fairly try the case, thus examined
by the committee, and if found guilty and impenitent, the
said defendant may be suspended or located. (Mal-adminis¬
tration, is the administering the law badly.)
14. Heresy and schism in ministers are to be treated as in
other cases of gross immorality; but if those so offending do
solemnly engage not to disseminate such erroneous doctrine
in public or private, he shall be borne with, till his case be
laid before the next Annual Conference, which shall deter¬
mine the matter.
15. "In all trials before the Annual Conference, the Sec¬
retary must carefully take all the testimony''given in the
Conference—but documentary testimony need not be spread
upon the journal of the Conference, but must be properly
filed and preserved."
16. "When any member of an Annual Conference sh^ll
27
be charged with having bo conducted himself as to render
him unacceptable to the people as a traveling preacher, it
shall be the duty of the Conference to which he belongs, to
carefully investigate the case, and if it appears that the com¬
plaint is well founded, and he does not give the Conference
satisfaction, that he will amend or voluntarily retire, the
Conference may locate him, without his consent, provided>
that he shall be at liberty to defend himself in person, or by
his counsel; but should he be located in his absence, without
having been previously informed of an intention thus to pro¬
ceed against him, he may apply to the next Conference to be
heard in his defense,' in which case they shall re-consider the
matter." (.4. M. E. Church Discipline, 155.)
17. "Ministers who are in debt, and neglect to pay their
debts, the same course must be pursued as in other cases laid
down in the Discipline for calling preachers to an account.
The presiding elder (if any), shall be called by the stewards?
who shall call the preacher and the other party together, and
the usual mode of arbiters shall be resorted to.' If the
preacher refuses to comply with tBe decision in the case, after
ample time has been given, the presiding elder or the elder
called in, may appoint another committee, who shall suspend
him till the ensuing Conference ; at which time and place both
parties shall appear either in person or by their representa¬
tive. The arbiter's document shall be laid before the Annual
Conference, and if the said Conference should reject the
decision of the arbiters chosen, in the interval of the Confer¬
ence^ then they shall determine what is due, and the time
granted for payment, and if uot complied with, he shall
be suspended or expelled." (Discipline.)
18. Should there be any omission on the part of the
stewards on the circuit or station, to have the cases of crime
in the interval of the Conference, examined by a committee
as the Discipline directs, it shall not prevent the case from
being tried at the Annual Conference.
19. "After a traveling preacher shall have been tried and
28
expelled, the Annual Conference shall demand from him his
credential, which shall be retained among the records of the
Conference ; and should he be expelled for gross immorality,
he shall not be admitted into the ministry again, under four
years from the time he was expelled ; he must join on proba¬
tion, and be recommended from the church to the Quarterly
Conference, (this applies to local as well as traveling preach¬
ers); the Quarterly Conference restoring an expelled local or
traveling preacher, must petition the Annual Conference for
the restoration of their parchment. The traveling preach¬
er when admitted into the Annual Conference again, must
serve a probation of two years ; but he is not required to go
through the four year course of studies." (Bishop Campbell.)
CHAPTER XV.—Annual Conference.
1. The Annual Conferences meet at such places as in
their judgment they think best. The bishop always fixes the
time for the Conference to meet, and it is expected that he
will also conduct the religious service of the first day session,
and then request the secretary of the last session to call the
roll (if he is present), which should always be made out by
him previous to the meeting of the Conference, and in every
case the oldest elders' names ought to be first on the roll;
after the calling of roll is through with, the Conference should
proceed to elect a secretary, and then proceed to the business
as laid down in the Discipline.
2. All the preachers, whether in full connection or on
probation, are required to be present at the Annual Confer¬
ence, and undergo the required examination.
3. It shall be the duty of at least one of the bishops to be
present at each Annual Conference to preside therein ; but
in his absence the Conference may appoint a President, pro
tern.
4. Ministers from other Evangelical Churches can be
admitted on trial in the Annual Conference, by giving the
29
Conference satisfaction that they are in orders and taken our
ordination vows.
5. "If a preacher has withdrawn from the Church and
ministry, he cannot again he re-admitted without the usual
two years probation, though he may have returned to the
Church and his credential restored." (Bishop Baker.)
6. But a preacher who has been located, either with or
without his consent, may at any subsequent session, be ad¬
mitted again to his former stand ing. at the option of a
majority of the Conference.
7. "When a member of an Annual Conference in good
standing demands a location, the Conference is bound to
grant it to him ; but if he is in debt to the Book Concern, the
Conference may require him to secure the debt before they
grant his request." (Bishop Baker.')
8. "The location of a traveling preacher is to be reckoned
from the final adjournment of the Conference session, and not
from the time the vote for location was passed."
9. A located preacher is entitled to a certificate of location
under the hand of the presiding bishop of the Conference, in
the following words :
This is to certify, that Rev. A. B., an elder in good
and regular standing in C. D., Annual Conference of the A*
M. E. Church, was granted a location by his own request.
Given under my hand this A. D. 18
R. H., Bishop.
The above certificate will admit him into any of our chur¬
ches and Quarterly Conferences.
10. A supernanuated preacher possesses all the right, power
and prerogatives of an effective one, in an Annual Confer¬
ence : he can serve on any committee, vote on any question,
and be a delegate to the General Conference.
11. No preacher on trial can sustain either supernumerary
or superanuated relation to an Annual Conference; (a) He must
so
be a full member of an Annual Conference before he can be
granted a supernumerary relation (b) He must be partly worn-
out in the itinerant service; while a superannuated preacher is
one entirely worn out in the work.
12. Preachers on trial, attending our institutions of learn¬
ing, and have been admitted into the Conference for two years,
if they pass a satisfactory examination, are eligible to admis¬
sion into full connection, and to be elected to deacons' orders.
13. "When Annual Conferences requests a Bishop to ap¬
point a preacher to some literary institution, it is not obliga¬
tory upon him to do it."
14. When a preacher is transferred from one Conference to
another, his rights, privileges and responsibilities in the Con¬
ference to which he is transferred, shall date from the date of
his transfer ; but it will not be lawful for him to vote twice
on the same constitutional question, nor counted twice in the
same year, as the basis of the election of the delegates to the
General Conference.
15. "The Conference year commences when the appoint¬
ments are announced in the Annual Conference, and con¬
tinues until the announcing of the appointment at the next
ensuing Conference." (Bishop Waugh.}
16. The records of each Annual Conference, should be
correctly kept by a Secretary, and signed by the Presiding
Bishop ; and the journal should be sent to the General Con_
feaence to be examined by the Committee on Itinerancy.
CHAPTER XYI.—Presiding Elder.
]. The General Conference of 1868, gave the Annual
Conference power to create and establish the office of Presi¬
ding elder for the best interest of the ministry and Church
within its own bounds, whenever and wherever they may
deem necessary.
2. The Annual Conference must see the necessity of the
office, or by the advice ©f the Presiding Bishop, then they
31
can by vote, establish the said office, with the number to.be
appointed.
3. It is the auty of a Presiding Elder to take charge of,all
elders, deacons and preachers, both local and traveling, and
also exhorters, in his district, and be present at all the Quar¬
terly Conferences ; to travel through his district at large ; to
take care that every part of the Discipline be enforced in his
district; but he shall not have power to employ a preacher
who has been rejected by the previous Annual Conference,
without permission from the said Annual Conference to do so
4. He shall have power when the interest of the Church
may require it, to remove or charge a preacher or preachers
in the interval of the Annual Conference ; he shall decide all
questions of law in the Quarterly Conference, subject to an
appeal to the Annual Conference ; but in all cases the Quar¬
terly Conference shall apply the law. When it becomes
apparent that a Presiding Elder is inadequate to perform the
duties of his office, the Bishop may move him; he can
remain four years on one district, unless removed for causes
by the Bishop. The trial of a Presiding Elder, for crime, is
as other traveling preachers, with the exception that the
preachers forming the committee, shall be elders and deacons.
5. The Presiding Elder's salary is the same as all other
traveling ministers in the Conference, and is to be apportion¬
ed to the people in the district to which he is appointed.
6. Within six weeks after the adjournment of the Annual
Conference, the Presiding Elder shall call the pastors in his
district, and one steward to be elected by the official board,
together in a district meeting, to assist in assessing the
charges in his district to make up his allowance.
7. The ministers in charge are required always to an¬
nounce the appointments of the Presiding Elders when so
requested, and should they wilfully neglect to do it, it is con¬
sidered insubordination, and they can be tried for it.
32
CHAPTER XVII.—General Conference.
1. The General Conference meets once in every four years,
on the first Monday in May, at such place as may be deemed
best. The delegates should be elected at the last Annual
Conference preceding the General Conference, and the Secre¬
taries of the several Annual Conferences in every case, are
instructed to make out a correct list of all the delegates and
alternates, both clerical and lay, elected from the Annual
to General Conference, and forward the same to the Secretary
of the last General Conference, so that he may have a correct
roll made up to call at the opening of the session.
2. A Bishop sustains the relation of moderator to the
General Conference. He represents no section or interest of
the Church ; he can claim no right to introduce motions, to
make speeches, or to cast votes on any question. As Presi¬
dent he can neither form rules, nor decide law questions in
the general Conference ; and on mere questions of order, an
appeal may be taken to the body.
3. No one of the Bishops is considered the President of
the General Conference. The order of presiding is a matter
to be arranged among themselves; the one who occupies the
chair, for the time being, is the legal president of the Con¬
ference. It is also considered improper for a Bishop to vote
at an election for Bishops, in the General Conference, for
that duty belongs to the delegates exclusively. <
4. The General Conference possesses power to make rules
and laws for the regulation of the Church, but cannot change
the articles of religion, nor establish any new standard, or
rules of doctrine, nor change the government so as to do away
with the Episcopacy, and th^ privilege of the members, preach¬
ers and ministers, of a trial by committee, and appeal. The
General Conference is also forbidden to change the general rules
5' The General Conference is empowered to try the appeals
of suspended or expelled members, of the Annual Conference,
and also, appeals from the decision of Bishops, given in the
33
Annual Conference ; but in all cases of appeals being tried be¬
fore the General Conference, the delegates who were present
at the Annual Conferenc, and voted, ought to be excused from
voting on the case at the General Conference.
6. The Editor, General Business Manager of the Publica¬
tion Department, and Financial Secretary, by virtue of their
office, are members of the General Conference.
CHAPTER XVIII.—Election and Duties of Bishops.
1. The Bishops are elected by the General Conference.
It requires a vote of the majority of all the members present,
and they must be consecrated by the imposition of the hand
of a Bishop and six elders.
2. It is the duty of a Bishop to preside in the Annual
Conference; to make the appointments of all the traveling
preachers, in conjunction- with the other Bishop (if present)
and Presiding Elder (if any); he can appoint presidents,
principals and teachers to our institutions of learning, when
requested by the Annual Conference ; but he is prohibited
from allowing a preacher to remain in one charge longer^
than three years, nor in one city more than four years, except
the Editor, General Manager and financial Secretary.
3. He has power, when requested by an Annual Confer¬
ence, to appoint agents for the benefit of embarrassed Church¬
es and literary institutions, in the interval of the Conference,
to charge, receive and suspend preachers; to travel through
his Episcopal district at large, overseeing the spiritual and
temporal business of the Church.
4 He shall decide all questions of law in the Annual Con¬
ference, subjeci to an appeal to the General Conference ; and
should the General Conference set aside the decision of a
Bishop, it does not in any way reflect upon him, it only
shows that an hundred men's judgment is better than that of
one.
5. The Discipline does not allow him to let a preacher re¬
main in a charge where the evidence is presumptive, that his
34
continuance would be deleterious to the interest of the Church,
and also, he must give every preacher three months notice, if
he wishes to transfer him to another Conference; while it is
the duty of the Bishop, to attend to the district assigned to
him, yet he is authorized to settle matters in another district,
when notice is given to him by the officer of the Church.
- 6 "There can be but one official president of an Annual
Conference, though other Bishops may preside, and assist in
all the duties of the chair. No Bishop has a right to make
a motion, to vote, or to speak on controverted questions in an
Annual Conference ; he may adjourn the Conference when in
his judgment, all the business prescribed by the Discipline is
^finished. If a motion is made in an Annual Conference,
which if passed would be a positive violation of the Discipline,
the Bishop ought to refuse to put it; no decision given by a
Bishop outside of an Annual Conference, is considered bind-
ing."
7. Previous to 1856, the Bishops sometimes left preachers
without appointments; but that General Conference inserted
in the Discipline, that the Bishop should make out appoint¬
ments for all the traveling preachers, whose standing is fair-
If a preacher wishes to be left without an appointment for a
year, the Annual Conference must pass a resolution reques¬
ting the Bishop so to do.
8. Each Bishop in the A. M. E. Church is required to
undergo an examination in person, by a committee selected by
*he General Conference at each session, as to his character,
his administration and decisions. If upon an examination it
is ascertained that he is guilty of violating the Discipline, or
of any crime sufficient to exclude a person from the Kingdom
of Grace and Glory, or has acted so improperly as to demand
his suspension, or expulsion, the General Conference shall
suspend him from his Episcopal function, or expel him; he
has the right to object to any member that may be appointed
on the Episcopal committee.
9. If a Bishop should in the interval of the General Con-
35
ference bJaccused of any crime named in the above section,
the minister in charge of the work where such alleged crime
or crimes were committed, shall notify five elders to form a
committee to meet at some stated time and place, before
whom, the accused Bishop shall appear and be examined, and
if on examination, the charges are sustained, the said com¬
mittee shall have power to suspend him from all his official
functions, until the ensuing Annual Conference (within
whose bounds the transaction took place), who shall have
power to reverse the decision of the committee, and restore
him to his former functions. But if found guilty, the An¬
nual Conference shall continue his suspension until the next
ensuing General Conference, whose action shall be final. All
accusations and charges must be given to him in writing, with
*he names of the persons who are to be summoned as wit¬
nesses, and sufficient time given him to prepare his defense.
CHAPTER XIX.—Ministers in Charge.
1. "A minister in charge is one who has the pastoral care
of a circuit, - mission or station, by the appointment of the
regularly constituted authority of the Church. He may be
an elder, a deacon, an un-ordained preacher on trial, or a
local preacher employed by the presiding elder to fill some va¬
cancy ; all appointed by competent authority possess full and
equal powers as preachers in charge." Their duties as laid
down in the Discipline are numerous ; one particular duty en.
joined upon a pastor on entering his charge, is to organize all the
exhorters and local preachers into a class for mutual im¬
provement ; and those who refuse to unite with such a class,
shall be reported to the next Quarterly Conference for reproof
and removal from their official positions ; any minister in
charge, neglecting to attend to said duty shall be punishable,
according to the judgment of the Annual Conference. The
minister in charge must leave his successor a particular ac¬
count of the state of the charge.
2. The Discipline does not allow one minister in charge to
36
interfere with another one's charge; if he should do so, he
shall be dealt with as in other cases of breach of the Discipline,
except where he may be called in as per Discipline.
CHAPTER XX.—Class Leaders
1. Leaders are appointed by the minister in charge, and may
be changed when their usefulness ceases; they are to be men of
sound judgment, and truly devoted to Grod; they are instruc¬
ted to meet each other's classes often, so as to ascertain which
is the best mode to lead class.
2. Thay are required to enquire how every soul in his class
prospers; not only how each person observes the outward rules,
but how he grows in the knowledge and love of God. Proba¬
tioners should be placed in separate classes to themselves when¬
ever it is practicable, and leaders of experience appointed. If
any leader permits an expelled member to enjoy the privileges
of a class-meeting, or furnish such with a ticket for love-feast,
he is to be removed from his office by the minister in charge.
The Discipline does not recognize the office of assistant class-
leader; a good man may be requested to aid a leader in the
discharge of his duties, but that does not make him a member
of the official board.
CHAPTER XXI.—Official Board.
1. These meetings are held once every week, and are com¬
posed of all the leaders, stewards and exhorters ; local preach¬
ers are not considered members of the Official Board, except
they be leaders or stewards, but the minister in charge may
order them to attend to receive their appointments.
2. The Board has no power to try and expel members ; it
may require a member to appear before it, to explain some
rumor respecting themselves ; or it may send out committees
of inquiry, and may also drop probationers, who fail to at¬
tend their classes, or wilfully disregard the authority of the
Church. The chief business for the Board to do, is to see
that the leaders pay into the hands of the stewards, what they
37
have collected from their classes for the preacher, Church or
poor.
3. The members of an Official Board cannot exercise any
temporal power in the Church, unless where there are no
regularly appointed Trustees, then the stewards may exercise
this authority temporarily. Trustees are not members of the
Official Board, unless they are exhorters, leaders or stew_
ards.
4. The leaders shall report any who are sick or walk
disorderly and will not be reproved; and any who have left
without a certificate, or who neglect their classes, and those
who have died, that their names may be marked upon the
Church record; the stewards shall pay over to the preacher
what is due him and make any report respecting the condi¬
tion of their funds ; the Board shall have a treasury in which
the class money and collections for the poor shall be depos¬
ited.
CHAPTER XXII.—Election and Duties of Trustees.
L. Trustees are always elected by the members of the
Church, at a meeting called for that purpose, by the pastor
in charge, after due notice shall have been given from the
pulpit, at least one Sabbath before the election.
2. Each Board of Trustees shall consist of not less than
three nor more than nine persons, all of whom must be twenty,
one years of age, and full members of the Church, except in
new missions, or other emergencies : in every case they ought
to be men of christian integrity, and if possible, who can
both read and write; where the laws of the State or Territory
requires a specified mode of election, that must be observed,
otherwise, they are to be elected annually.
3. The minister in charge, in all cases, shall nominate
twice the number necessary to be elected ; he shall appoint
three or five competent male members as judges. The mem¬
bers present, then shall proceed to cast their ballots; and
those receiving the majority of votes cast, shall be declared
88
by the judges and minister, he Trustees elected. In those
States where Trustees of Churches are required to be sworn,
a certified copy of the election, signed by the minister in
charge, as the president of the meeting, and countersigned
by the Secretary, should be presented to the proper officer,
and the Trustees elect sworn in. This ought to be done as
soon after the election, as possible.
4. The duties of the Trustees in the A. M. E. Church,
are thus defined : (A). The yshall manage all the temporal
concerns of the Church not otherwise provided for.
(B). They are to guard all the real estate,—Churches par¬
sonage, school-houses and other property owned by the
people in the connection. (C). They shall improve the said
property or real estate, with the consent of a majority of the
legal voters of the Church, who may be called together for
that specific object by the minister in charge ; it is provided,
however, in the event that a majority of the legal voters
should not be present after due notice is given, a majority of
those present can transact the business ; and it shall be con¬
sidered legitimate. (D). It is the duty of the Trustees to
procure, by purchase or hire, a house for the preacher and
family, and to see that it is comfortably furnished. Any
Trustee ceasing to be a member of our Church by reason of
expulsion, or otherwise, immediately ceases to be a Trustee,
except in case of debts or where he is a joint security, and then
no longer than such relief caga be given a,« will satisfy the <
creditors.
5. The minister in charge is always chairman of the Board
of Trustees, (where the laws of State or Territory do not
otherwise provide), and his signature is necessary at all
times, to make the acts of the Trustees valid; in the absence
of the minister in charge, he may appoint a president pro tem,
and in all such cases his signature is legal. It is the duty of
the Trustees in the A. M. E. Church, to make a written re¬
port to the Quarterly Conference, of all their receipts and
expenditures for the quarter, after such report is approved by
39
the Quarterly Conference ; then the Trustees are required to
make a report once a year to the whole Church, showing their
quarterly reports were approved of by the Quarterly Confer¬
ence.
6. All the Church property of every description, is held
according to Discipline, by a Board of Trustees, who hold it
in trust for the use of the members of the A. M. E. Church*
Neither the Bishops, the General nor Annual Conferences
have ever claimed the Church property ; all that the Bishops
demand, is, the mere right to supply the pulpit with properly
accredited ministers and preachers of the A. M. E. Church,
who shall preach and expound God's Holy Word therein.
7. "If the Trustees of any Church should refuse to receive
the minister or preacher, and shut the doors against him, the
Court would issue a peremptory mandamus, commanding the
Trustees to admit the preachers thus appointed to said*
Church." (Bishop Baker.)
8. Each Annual Conference is authorized to suggest such
modification in the deed as they may find the usages and laws
in the different States require, so as to secure the property
firmly by deed, and permanently to the African M. E. Church,
according to the true intent and meaning of the deed of set¬
tlement. Any congregation or Church in the A. M. E.
Church that will not submit wholly to the spiritual govern¬
ment of the General and Annual Conferences, must be dis¬
owned.
CHAPTER XXIII.—Stewards of Circuits and Stations.
1. They must be men of solid piety, who know and love
the Methodist Doctrine and Dicipline, and of good natural or
acquired abilities, to transact the business of that office.
2. Stewards hold their office for one year, but may be re¬
appointed from year to year. They are always nominated by
the minister in charge, but the Quarterly Conference has
power to confirm or reject such nomination. They are re¬
sponsible to the Quarterly Conference for the faithful perfor-
40
mance of their duties, and the said Quarterly Conference may
dismiss, or change them at pleasure, without any formal
charge being preferred against them; there should never be
less than three nor more than nine.
3. "One of the stewards has been designated a recording
steward. This office does not necessarily constitute him the
Secretary of the Quarterly Conference; for it has the right to
elect a Secretary. But his duty is to record the doings of
the Quarterly Conference, and reports of the Sunday Schools,
the reports of the Trustees made in the Conference, and also
the leader of the Church choir; in other respects, his duties
are the same as other stewards. A minister in charge has
not the right to accept the resignation of a steward aild de¬
clare the office vacant. The Quarterly Conference which
confirms him in office, can alone accept of the resignation."
4. The Discipline makes it the duty of the Stewards to
keep an exact account of all the money collected for the
support of the preacher in the charge, and to make an accu¬
rate return of every expenditure of money, whether to the
minister, Church, sick or poor; to seek the needy and dis"
tressed, in order to relieve and comfort them ; to give advice
if asked, in arranging the work on the charge; to provide the
elements for the Lord's Supper, and register the marriages
and baptisms, and to be subject to the Bishop, elder, deacons
and preachers of the charge.
5. The preacher in charge may nominate a Board of stew¬
ardesses, compo secT of the most influential sisters of' the
Church, of not less than three nor more than nine, to assist
^he stewards in the discharge 6f their duties. But the
stewards shall have power to confirm or reject the nomination
of the stewardesses, and the minister in charge, together with
the stewards, may for neglect of duty, remove any of the
stewardesses, and fill their places with others.
6. The Board of Stewards are required to ha^e regularly
labeled Church Records in which to record baptisms, marri-
41
ages, deaths and a list of probationers and members ; a min¬
ister in charge may suspend a steward who refuses to do his
duty and temporarily fill the vacancy until the meeting of the
next Quarterly Conference, at which time, it shall dispose of
the case. Stewards are always tried as other laymen, and are
allowed an appeal to the Quarterly Conference.
CHAPTER XXIV.—Rules of Order.
1. As we live in an age when it is not an uncommon
thing for Bishops and ministers of the A. M. E. Church, to
be called upon to preside over the deliberations of important
meetings, therefore it is essential that they should be well
posted in parliamentary rules, which will be found here
inserted.
2. It often happens that a temporary organization is neces¬
sary. In such cases, some person who is a member of the
meeting, sh@uld rise and call the house to order, announcing
the arrival of the hour for the opening of the meeting, and
suggest the name of some one present to take the chair.
That person should act as chairman, until a permanent chair¬
man is elected. If it is a religious meeting, the president
pro tern, should conduct the service or call upon some compe¬
tent person to do so. After the service, a Secretary pro tern
should be appointed; if several secretaries are appointed, the
one first named is the chief one. In all deliberative represen¬
tative bodies, it is necessary to ascertain who are properly mem¬
bers. This may be done by the general consent either before or
after the permanent organization, and before proceeding to any
other business. This can be done in two ways, by a committee
appointed for that purpose, or by the Secretary receiving the
credentials, and recording the names of the delegates. In case
the seats of any of the delegates are contested, they must be
heard in their own defense, and then retire until the cases are
determined. The other delegates whose seats are not contested
form the proper court to decide the questions of all contested
elections, unless referred to a special committee by them.
42
Permanent Organizations.
3. This is as usually done in one or two ways: by raising
a committee to nominate all the officers for the meeting, or
proceed to ballot, or nominate and confirm by acclamation.
Presiding Officer.
4. The duties of a presiding officer- are defined thus :
A. To call the members to order at the appointed time.
B. To conduct the religious service, or have it done.
C. To direct the calling of the roll at the opening of
each session, unless otherwise ordered, and the records of the
previous meeting to be read.
D. To announce the order of business, if any orders have
been put forth respecting it.
E. To receive all documents and messages and announce
the same to the meeting.
F. To put to vote all questions which may be regularly
submitted or that arise in the proper course of the proceed¬
ings and declare the result; he shall always rise to put a vote
to the house.
Gr. To see that the laws of debates and due order and
decorum are always observed by every member present.
H. To decide all questions of order.
I. To authenticate by his signature, all the acts and pro¬
ceedings of the assembly.
J. To appoint all committees that are not otherwise pro¬
vided for ; he is expected to be dignified at all times when
occupying the chair.
The presiding officer should give direct and proper atten¬
tion to each person while addressing the assembly, and not to
hold conversation with any one at that particular time.
The greatest amount of impartiality should always be
observed. Minorities and opponents ought to have their
interests guarded as tenaciously as those of the majority, or
48
even the most particular friends. When the President with¬
draws from the chair, the first Vice-Prenident (if more than
one) should take his place; if there be no Vice-President,
the President can appoint some person to occupy the chair
in his temporary absence.
If in the absence of the President, it should become
necessary to chose a President, pro tem., the Secretary is the
proper person to conduct the proceedings.
The Duties of the Secretary.
5. The general duties of the chief clerk or Secretary of a
deliberative body are the following :
A. To keep a correct record of the procee'dings of the
assembly.
B. To read all papers which may be ordered to be read.
C. To notify the chairman of each committee of his ap¬
pointments, giving him a list of his colleagues and to inform
them of the nature of the business referred to them.
D. To authenticate by his signature, all the acts passed
by the assembly.
E To carefully preserve all the documents and papers
belonging to the assembly, and to allow none to be removed
from his table without permission of the said assembly.
The Secretary, if a member of the body, is not deprived of
the privilege of takiqg part in the deliberation of the meeting,
he should always stand when calling the roll, or reading, and
also he ought to write a clear legible hand; all the items of
business for the sake of easy reference, should be recorded in
separate parts. (For the duties of the Secretary of an Annual
Conference, see Annual Conference,)
Members.
All members have an equal right to submit propositions to
the assembly, and also to explain all the features; offer what¬
ever recomendations in their discussion which they may
deem necessary.
44
No member ought to be interrupted when speaking, except
by the President to call him to order, when he departs from
the question, indulges in-personalities, or uses disrespectful
language ; but any member is allowed to call the attention of
the President to the subject when he thinks a speaker out of
order, and any member has the right to explain if he feels
himself misrepresented.
A member who knowingly violates the rules of decorum,
may be named by the President, that is the President may
say that Mr. A, from B, is guilty of certain improper con¬
duct. The member thus accused, is always entitled to be heard
in his own defense; and he must withdraw from the assembly
to decide the case. The only punishments which any delibe¬
rative body can possibly inflict, are reprimanding, prohibition
to speak, or vote for a ,time, and expulsion; sometimes it re¬
quires the offender to ask pardon on pain of expulsion.
Any member wishing to spe'&k, must rise and respectfully
addre^ tj^ cjiair, and should not proceed until his name is
announced. If two members should rise and address the
President nearly at the same time, he should give the floor*
to the one whose voice he heard first. If the decision of the
President at any time is not satisfactory to one of the mem¬
bers, the opinion of the assembly may be taken on it.
Motion
When a motion has been made and seconded, the Presi¬
dent must state it to the assembly before it is considered in
their posession. Speeches are never allowed without a mo¬
tion being made and seconded, and then stated by the
President.
All motions or resolutions introduced by any member must
be in writing, if the President, Secretary or any two members
request it. According to the rules of the House of Represen¬
tatives, and those of the General Conference of the A. M. E.
Church, any motion or resolution may be withdrawn by the
mover at any time before amendment or decision is reached.
45
No new motion or resolution can be made and entertained
until the one under consideration is disposed of, which can be
done by rejection or adoption, unless one of the following
motions should intervene, which motion must have precedence
in the order in which they are placed—namely, adjournment?
indefinite postponement, laying on the table, reference to a
a committee, postponment to a given time, or a substitute,
which may be designated as an amended amendment.
All motions should be put in an affirmative and not in a
negative form.
Indefinite Postponement'.
If a motion has been indefinitely postponed, it cannot be
called up, or resumed during that session. If a negative de¬
cision has been given, there is nothing to prevent its being
called up again at any time.
Laying on the Table.
This motion is always considered proper, when the assem¬
bly wishes for more information upon the subject: if decided
in the affirmative, the principal motion and all other questions
connected with it are removed from before the assembly,
until they are taken up again, which may be done any time,
at the pleasure of the assembly. But if not taken up, it
amounts to a postponement; an amendment may be offered
to a motion and that laid on the table without affecting the
original motion
Referring to a Committee.
Sometimes a proposition is regarded favorably, and some
alterations are wished ; it is then proper to refer it to the
Standing Committee, if such a one has been appointed, on
that particular subject, or it may be referred to a select com¬
mittee.
If it is thought best it can be referred to both committees :
one portion to the standing and the other part to the select.
If a committee make a report, and the assembly wishes for
certain alterations or amendments, a motion may be made to
46
re-commit the report; if that motion prevails it goes back to
the committee, but if not, it must be considered in its present
form. If a subject is referred to a committee with certain in¬
structions, of course they must be obeyed.
Division of a Question.
When a proposition consists of two or more parts, so inde
pendent and distinct, that if one be taken away, the other8
will remain entire, and it is supposed that the assembly may
approve of some but not of all the parts, it is frequently more
desirable to resolve it into its primary parts, than to attempt
to modify it by amendments.
Where a deliberative body has adopted no rule providing
for the division of complicated questions, no division should
take place without a definite motion to divide, unless unani¬
mous consent is given.
Filling Blanks.
When blanks are left for the assembly to fill, the proposi¬
tion to fill is not by any means an amendment, but an original
motion ; and also when filling blanks where different numbers
are named, the question should be put first on the largest sum
and longest time.
Amendments.
The mover may modify his own motion, or accept of an
amendment offered by another member before it is has been
sta ted to the assembly by the chairman. In this case, it be¬
comes a part of the original motion. But in all other cases,
it must be put as a regular motion.
Rules respecting Amendments.
Amendments may be made in three ways—first, by striking
out certain words; second, by inserting words; third, by
striking out some and inserting other words.
1. When a proposition consist of several sentences or reso¬
lutions, it should be taken up in order, and each paragraph
amended according to pleasure of the assembly ; and when it
47
is thus passed through, it is deemed out of order to introduce
new aiilendments into the first part of the proposition.
2 Any amendment may be amended, but there it must
cease: There can be no such a thing as an amendment to an
amendment of an amendment. The question should always
be first put on the last amendment, and proceed in that order,
and the resolutions adopted as amended.
3. Whatever is agreed to by the assembly on a vote either
adopting or rejecting, a proposed amendment cannot after¬
wards be altered or amended.
4. The opposite of the above rule is true; whatever is
disagreed to by the assembly on a vote, cannot afterward be
moved again.—Striking out. If an amendment to strike out
is rejected, it cannot be moved again to strike out the same
words, or a part of them, unless it is proposed to insert" other
words in connection with them. The same rule applies in
reference to inserting the same words, or a part of them.
The motion to amend those relating to striking out and insert¬
ing, applies as in cases of amendment. Striking out and in¬
serting— If the motion is divided, the question is first to be
taken on striking out, and if that is decided in the affirmative,
then on inserting ; but if the former is decided in the nega¬
tive, the latter of course falls.
If the motion to strike out and insert is put undivided, and
decided in the negative, the same motion cannot again be re¬
newed, but it may be moved to str ke out.
1, Insert; 2, Insert the same with other words; or 3, Insert
a part of the same words with otherb, or 4, Strike out the
same words with others and insert the same; or 5, Strike out
a part of the same words with others, and insert the same; or
( Gushing's Mantial), on putting the questibn itais always prop¬
er first to read the passage proposed to be amended, as it
stands, then the words proposed to be struck out, or inserted
and lastlythe whole passage as it will stand if the amend¬
ment be adopted
48
Defeating a proposition: Amendments may be made to pro¬
positions which will not only modify the meaning, but conveya
directly opposite sense, and often in legislative bodies, bills
are amended by striking out all after the enacting clause and
inserting a new bill; and resolutions are amended by striking
out all after the words "resolved that," and inserting a propo¬
sition of an entirely different character.
Privileged Questions.
Questions of this class are of three kinds : 1st, motion to
adjourn; 2, motions relating to the rights and privileges of
the assembly, or of its members individually; 3, motions for
orders of the day.
Adjournmeat.
A simple motion to adjourn cannot be amended, but must
be decided without debate. A motion to adjourn to a partic¬
ular day is debatable, and may be amended in regard to the
time. "A motion to adjourn is not in order: 1st, when a
member is speaking, 2nd, when a vote is being taken on any
question; 3rd, a motion to adjourn being negatived, cannot be
renewed until some other business is transacted or another
proposition is made." (Matthias' Manual.)
An adjournment without date, is considered equivalent to a
dissolution.
When a question is interrupted by adjournment before any
vote is taken upon it, it is thereby removed from the assem¬
bly and does not stand before it at the next regular session
but must be brought forward in the usual way. But an ad¬
journment of a special meeting is always regarded as a
continuation of a former meeting, and the business should be
resumed the same as if no adjournment had taken place.
Order of the day.
When the consideration of a subject has been assigned by
the assembly to a certain day. it is called the order of the
day
If any other proposition arise on the day assigned for the
49
consideration of any subject, a motion for the order of the
day will supersede suck propositions, and nius tbe first put and
decided.
To entitle this motion to precedence, it must be for the
order of the day generally; if there is more than one, and
that not for any particular hour, the question to proceed to ic,
is not a privileged one until the hour has arrived ; but if no
hour is fixed, the order is for the entire day and every part
of it.
If the motion for the order of the day prevails, the original
question is removed from the consideration of the assembly in
the same manner as if it had been interrupted by an adjourn¬
ment. If the motion is decided in the negative, the order of
the day must be suspended until that subject is disposed of.
The order of the day, unless disposed of on the day assigned,
fall, and must be renewed for some other day.
Incid ental Questions.
Such as questions of order, motions for the ^reading of
papers, leave to withdraw a motion, suspension of a rnle, an
amendment of an amendment, must be decided before the
question which gave rise to them.
Questions of Order.
Is is the duty of the presiding officer to enforce the rules
of the assembly; any member noticing a breach of the rules
may call his attention to it, and insist upon the enforcement
of it. When a question of order arises, all other business
must be suspended until that particular point is settled. The
presiding officer must decide the point without debate. If
the decision is not satisfactory, any member may appeal to the
body. The question ought then to be stated thus.—"Shall
the decision of the chair stand as the decision of the body ?"
A question lil?e this when stated, is debatable, arid the presfc
ding officer is at liberty to debate it. When a question has
been put and the decision announced, if any member shall
claim the question was not properly understood, the presiding
50
officer is empowered to recall his decision, and allow the
question to be put again.
Previous Question.
The intention of the previous question is chiefly to put an
end to debate, and taking immediate action on the main ques¬
tion; the question is generally put in this form, "Shall the
main question be now put ?" If it is decided in the negative,
the debate must continue : if in the affirmative, the vote
must be immediately taken_in the for id in which the question
existed at the time. A previous question cannot be amended.
According to the rules of the House of Representatives of the
United States, the previous question can only be allowed
when demanded by a majority of the members present, and
when it is so ordered, it brings the house to a direct vote
upon the motion; when the previous question is moved and
seconded by the proper number, all further amendments, and
debates must cease. The President then rises and says, The
previous question having been moved and seconded, "Shall
the main question be now put ?" If the meeting decides in
the affirmative, the question ought then to be put first on the
amendments, (if any), and then on the main question.
Order of Proceeding.
When the assembly does not prescribe any itemized order
of proceedings, the President may present any regular busi¬
ness according to his best judgment. In our Annnal Confer¬
ences, the regular disciplinary questions are presented by the
Bishop, by disciplinary authority, and ought to be taken up
as laid down ; when he (the Bishop), asks the question,
"What preachers are admitted on trial ?" If it is a Confer-,
ance where there are Presiding Elders, he should call oyer
their names and ask if they have any recommendations of
preachers for admission ? If the answer is "Yes," then let the
recommendations be read, and then the report of the chair¬
man of the Examining Committee, for all candidates ought
always to be examined before their cases are reported to Con-
51
ference, and disposed of, then and there; and so with all the
other classes as they come up in the Discipline.
In considering a proposition consisting of several paragraphs,
the paper should first be read through entirely by the reading
clerk or Secretary, and then a second reading ; there should
be a pause at the close of every paragraph so that amendments
may be presented, and when the whole paper is read through
in this order, the final question should be put on agreeing to
or adopting the whole paper as amended, (if any). When
there is a preamble, it should be considered after the disposal
of the resolutions or propositions under it. When a paper
has been referred to a committee and reported back with
amendments, these amendments must be first disposed of>
unless amended before other amendments are introduced.
"Mr. Cushing says it is unparliamentary to introduce a
proposition, and at the same time move the previous question:
it is thought best to take no notice of such a motion."
Order in Debates.
The presiding officer is not presumed to enter into debates»
but he is allowed to state matters of fact within his know¬
ledge, to inform the assembly on points of order when called
upon to do so, or when it is necessary to do so.
When the President rises to speak, all other members
should be seated until he is first heard, but this does not
authorize any President to interrupt a speaker, unless he is
out of order. No member should speak more than once upon
the same question without permission from the assembly, un¬
less it is to explain
If a member use offensive or abusive language toward other
members, he may be called to order by one or more rising
for that purpose, or by the President, and the words objected
to, be written down by the Secretary or some one else, that
the offender may disclaim or apologize for the offense, or re¬
ceive the censure of the assembly.
52
Taking the Question.
Strictly speaking, no question can arise in a deliberative
body, without a motion being first made and seconded ; yet
it sometimes occurs for the dispatch of business, a President
may infer that a motion has been made, and puts the question
accordingly. The question being stated, the President puts
it first in the affirmative. "As many as will pass the mo¬
tion say Aye," "As many as are opposed, say No." If the
President or any member have doubts as to the result by the
voices, a division shall be called for and then members shall
rise and be counted ; sometimes the counting may be done be
the President, or by the Secretary. Every person within the
bar is bound to vote on every question, unless excused.
If the members are equally divided upon a question, the
President generally gives the casting vote. This rule how¬
ever, does not apply to the President of an Annual or Quar¬
terly Conference. (Bishop Baker.
A person not present when the votes are taken, cannot vote
without permission of the body, and not then, if it would
change the result of the vote ; but in no case can a person
absent, when the vote is taken, move a reconsideration. If
there is no quorum present, when a vote is taken, there can
be no legitimate business done: they can only adjourn.
Reconsideration.
When a motion or resolution has been passed, it is in order
for any member who voted in the majority to move a recon¬
sideration of it, and when reconsidered, it is placed just where
it was before the decision, and leaves it open for discussion,
amendment, adoption, rejecttion or laying on the table.
Committees.
Committees appointed on a particular subjest are called
Select Committees ; those appointed to consider subjects com¬
ing before the body. in the ordinary way, are designated
Standing Committees. It is usual in all assemblies to make
53
up the Committee of a majority of those who are known to be
favorably inclined toward the measure suggested.
The person first named is not necessarily the chairman; he
calls them together and then they elect their own chairman;
they should always have an eye to competency. They may
receive instructions when the business is first referred to
them; a committee cannot sit while the assembly is sitting,
without special permission. When a communication or a
petition is referred to a committee, and they are entirely op¬
posed to it, they ought not to suppress it, but report it back
with their objection. Standing Committees in Annual Con¬
ferences should be changed every year. Reports may be
made to the body by the chairman, or by any other member
of the committee
Reports of Committees.
All reports ought to be written fully and plainly, without
erasure or interlineation, and may be signed by the chairman
or Secretary, or by all the members of the committee.
A report may be received by direct vote, or by the general
consent of the assembly. When -a report closes with several
resolutions, the assembly should first act on the resolutions,
and then on the preliminary remarks "When the report of
,a Select Committee is accepted, they are considered dischar-
ged."
Minority Reptrts.
"Should a report of a committee not be unanimous, and
those in the minority be desirous of placing their views before
the meeting, the matter should be introduced immediately
after the majority report has been read; a member will then
move that the report and resolution thereto attached be post¬
poned for the present for the purpose of enabling the minority
to make a report as a substitute. If this motion prevails, as
is almost always the case, the minority report will be then
presented, received and read. It is then in order, on motion,
to take up for consideration the resolution attached to either
reports." (<Mathias, Manual.)
54
' 'Sometimes when the majority report is under consideration,
the minority report may be moved as an amendment or a sub¬
stitute for it. A protest cannot be inserted on the journal
without the consent of the majority.''
Recommendation to the Traveling Connection.
To the Bishop and members of the P. B. Annual Confer¬
ence, to be held at C., April, 18
Dear Fathers and Brethren :
We, the members of the Quarterly Confer¬
ence of Dayton Circuit or Station, being acquainted with the
gifts, graces and usefulness, and having implicit confidence
in the christian integrity of our brother J. C , do hereby
recommend him as a suitable person to be admitted on trial
in the traveling connection, he having been carefully examin¬
ed by us on the subject of doctrines and discipline.
Done at a Quarterly Conference, held at the above
named charge, June-24, 18—, and signed by order and in
behalf of said Quarterly Conference.
r. a., p. e.
B. J., Sec'y.
Recommendation for Deacon's Order.
To the Bishop and members of the B. Annual Conference.
Dear Fathers and Brethren :
We, the members of the Quarterly Con¬
ference of R. S. (Circuit or Station), being acquainted with
the gifts, graces and usefulness, and having implicit confidence
in the christian integrity of our brother J. C., do hereby rec¬
ommend him as a suitable person to be ordained deacon. The
Church of which he is a member having requested us so to do,
and he having been four consecutive years a regularly licen¬
sed local preacher, and examined by us on the subject of doc¬
trine and discipline.
Signed on behalf of tha Quarterly Conference.
D. W. p. e.
R. H., Secy
55
The same form should be followed in the recommendation
of a local deacon's for elder's, only it must show that there is a
necessity for his official service as an elder in that particular
charge, and also that they have entire confidence in his
Christian character.
Mode of Trial.
The following Mode of Trial should always be adhered to.
A. The arraignment.
B. Reading the charges and specifications to the accused.
C. Demanding his reply to the charges.
D. The accuser calls and examines his witnesses.
E. Cross-examination by the accused.
F. The accused puts in his evidence.
Gr. Cross-examination by the accuser.
H. Rebutting testimony by the accuser.
I. Repetition.
J. The accuser opens the argument.
K. The accused follows in the defence.
L. The accuser closes the argument.
M. The committee retires.
N. They return and render the verdict.
0 Presiding officer announces the acquittal or expulsion
of the accused
Rules of Order for the Government of the General Conference
of the A. M E. Church, held in Atlanta, Georgia, May 1,1876.
1. The Conference shall convene at 9 o'clock, A. M., and
adjourn at 2 o'clock, P. M., unless otherwise ordered.
2. The President shall take the chair at the precise hour,
to which the Conference stood adjourned, and cause the Holy
Scripture to be read, singing and prayer, and on the appear¬
ance of a quorum, (one third), shall have the journal of the
preceding day read—which journal shall be approved, (with
corrections if necessary), after which business shall proceed
in the following order: 1. Re-consideration, if any. 2.
Unfinished business. 3. Reports of Standing, or Special
56
Committees. 4. Resolutions, Petitions, Memorials, Ap¬
peals. But notice of all motions to re-consider the action of
the previous day must be given while the journal is being
read, unless the said notice was announced on the day pre¬
vious ; otherwise, the chair shall disregard them. The
President shall strictly require the order or orders of the day
to be taken up and considered at the time appointed, unless
otherwise directed by a two-thirds vote.
3. The President shall decide all questions of order, sub¬
ject to an appeal to the Conference ; but in case of such an
appeal, the President and appellant shall only be heard.
4. The President shall appoint all committees not otherwise
ordered ; but any member may decline serving on more than
one committee at the same time, unless on a special com¬
mittee.
5. All motions and resolutions shall be reduced to writing,
if the President, Secretary or any three members request it.
6. When a motion is made and seconded, or a report is
read and presented by the Secretary, or stated by the Presi¬
dent, it shall be deemed in possession of the Conference but
any motion may be withdrawn by the mover at any time
before decision or amendment.
7. No new motions shall be made or resolutions offered
until the one under consideration is disposed of, except a
motion for adjournment, laying on the table, previous ques¬
tions (none of which are debatable), indefinite postponement,
referring to acommittee, offering a substitute, postponement to
a certain time, an amendment, an amendment to an amend¬
ment, or recommitting, (which are debatable).
8. No member shall be interrupted while speaking, except
by the President to call him to order when he departs from the
question, or uses personalities, or discourteous language ; but
any member may call the attention of the President to the
subject, when he deems the speaker out of order; and a
member may explain if the thinks himself misrepresented,
57
and should any one refuse to come to order when so called, he
may be silenced for a day by the President, unless he makes
the chairman a satisfactory apology.
9. When any member is about to speak, debate or deliver
any matter to the Conference, he shall rise from his seat and
respectfully address the chair.
10. No person shall speak more than twice on the same
subject, nor more than ten minutes at a time, without
special permission, (unless to correct wilful misrepresentation),
nor shall any member speak more than once until every
member desiring to speak shall have spoken, though he may
represent another by his consent.
11. When any member rises to speak, it shall be the duty
o.f the chair to announce the name of the speaker and his
Conference.
12. No member shall absent himself from the Conference
-without permission from the chair, unless he is sick, or other"
wise unable to attend.
13. No member shall be allowed to vote on any question,
who is not within the bar at the time when such question is
put by the President, except by special permission.
14. Every member who shall be within the bar at the time
a question is put, shall vote, unless excused.
15. All questions pertaining to petitions, resolutions, or
amendments, to change the Discipline, shall first be read be"
fore the Conference, and lie over a day before being altered,
rescinded or repealed, if desired by one-third of the Conference*
unless on the last day of the session.
16. All resolutions offered to amend, enlarge, or change
the phraseology of the Discipline, shall be read three consecu¬
tive times before the Conference if desired by any member, and
referred to the appropriate committee, if necessary.
17. The previous question shall never be demanded upon
any resolution, before two members shall have been heard pro
and con, if desired.
58
18. A motion to lay an amendment upon the table, removes
the whole question from before the house for the present, and
if not lifted from the table, is equal to an indefinite postpone¬
ment of the subject; but it does not destroy the right of the
further consideration of the question at any future time.
19 Privileged questions are as follows: 1st, motion to ad¬
journ; 2d, motions relating to the rights and privileges of the
Conference; 3d, motions relating to members individually; 4th,
motions for the order of the day.
20. When a question of order is raised, all other business
must be suspended until the point it settled. The President
must decide the point w ithout debate, subject to an appeal to
the Conference; but nothing is a point of order, that does not
involve a supposed breach of the rules, or special order.
21. Reasonable time should be given for the minority to re¬
port, before final action shall be taken on the report of the
majority.
22. Should the Conference, at any time, go into the com¬
mittee of the whole, the presiding Bishop may call one of the
elders to the chair
23. When a member rises and gives notice of an intention
to offer a resolution, he may preface it.
59
Deceased Bishops of the A. M. E. Church.
Richard Allen, elected 1816, died 1831.
Morris Brown, " 1828, " 1850.
Edward Waters, " 1836, " 1847.
W. P. Quinn, " 1844, " 1873.
Willis Nazrey, " 1852, " 1875.
Living Bishops of the A. M. E. Church.
Daniel A. Pajne, elected 1852.
Alexander W. Wayman, " 1864.
Jabez P. Campbell, " 1864.
James A. Shorter, " 1868.
Thomas M. D. Ward, " 1868.
John M. Brown, " 1868.
Conferences of the A. M. E. Church.
Alabama Conference.
North Georgia
Arkansas
c t
New York
Baltimore
<«
New England
California
"
Ohio
Florida
t c
Philadelphia
Georgia
i 6
Pittsburg
Indiana
(i
South Carolina
Illinois
i i
Texas
Kentucky
(i
Tennessee
Kansas
ti
Virginia
Louisiana
6 i
West Tennessee
Missouri
< <
West Arkansas
Mississippi
"
West Florida
New Jersey
a
West Texas
North Carolina
i <
West Mississippi
Conference.
INDEX.
PAGE
Preface ®
Probationers *
Reception of Members from other Churches *
Church Membership, °
Withdrawal of Members and Ministers, «
Member refusing to attend their duties, ®
Trial of Members, ^
Presiding Officer at Trials, |
Copy of Charges, ®
Charge of the Presiding Officer, °
General Laws of Evidence, 1®
Judicial Proceedings, -
Witnesses 11
Examination of Witnesses, 12
Chni ch Witnesses are never Sworn 13
Deposition, 1^
Appeals, IS
Mode of conducting Appeals 16
Quarterly Conference,.... 17
Exhorters, , 18
Local Preachers,
Local Deacons, 20
Recommendation for Ordination, 21
Trial of Local Preachers 22
Expulsion of a Local Preacher, 23
Trial of a Traveling Preacher, 24
Trial at Conference,. 26
Maladministration, 26
Annual Conference, 28
Ministers from other Churches, 28
Location of a Minister, 29
Superanuated Minister, 29
Supernumerary Minister, 30
Presiding Elders - 30
General Conference, 3'2
Editor and General Manager, v. 33
Election of Bishops, 33
Examination of Bishops, 34
Minister in Charge,.. 35
Class Leaders—Official Board 36
Election and Outies of Trustees', 37.
Church Property, 39
Stewards, ; 39
Stewardess, 4fr
Rules of Order,.. 41
Presiding Officer, 42
Duty of Secretary, 43
Members l ights 43
-Motions, -. 44
Indefinite Postponement, 45
Laying on the Table 45
Referring to a committee, 45
Division of a Question 46
Filling Blanks...Amendments, .. 46
Rules respecting Amendments- 46
Privileged Questions...Adjournment...Order of the Day, 48
Recommendations for Traveling Connection and Deacon's Order 54
Rules of Order for the Conference of the A. M. E. Church, 55
List of deceased aud living Bishops...Conferences, 59