RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1079, 18 March 1911, Page 9

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

CHOICE OF MINISTERS FOR CIRCUITS. BIGHTS OF LAYMEN. Should laymen nave a voice in the appointment of ministers to the various circuits governed by the New South Wales Methodist Conference? Ministerial and lay representatives on March 2 determined the. question for the timo being. The matter was brought up under cover of a motion by ltev. .), E. Carruihers:—"That in pursuance of tlm powers of permissive legislation vested in it by the General Conference, this conference resolves t-o consider and determine the third reading of stations in the representative session.'' The mover asked the conference to affirm tho principle, since the General Conference had already done so. At the present mo-ment-lay "representatives had scats on the Stationing Committee, but no voice in the final choice of ministers for the different circuits. It seemed to him that in thus conceding their lay representatives the privilege of having ' a voice in the business of the. Stationing Committee, they . woro rendering it worthless by leaving the final selection in the hands of . the ministers themselves. Admittedly there was some difficulty in that connection. It might also be argued that laymen would lie voting tn ministers about whom thoy knew litMr. W. Robson: And they would also vote regarding circuits about which they know little. Bev. J. E. Carruthers added that laymen were as fully and as clearly representatives of tho Church as tho ministers, and should have the extra power given them. Bev. W. F. Oakes: Then why liavo two sessions at all? ltev. J. E. Carruthers: Because wo havo gone so far as to enfranchise laymen on tho ono hand and disfranchise them on the other. Bev. G. J. l'rescott, M.A., after several points of order had been decided, expressed the hope that the conference would not be led away iiy what Mr. Carruthers had said. How far was his proposal going ta lead them? How far was tho enfranchisement of women in politics going' to lead them? What-was the ultimate goal in this matter?

A voire: No one knows. Rev. C. J. Prescott: The time had apparently arrived when some gentlemen would contend that there should lie no distinction between ministers and laymen —that tho latter should have the same authority and functions as wore given to ministers. He held it to be a matter of principle ami sound ecclesiastical statesmanship that it would bo better to understand that there were certain tilings' which they would do well to leave to tho ministers alone. Ho did not say the heavens would fall if they allowed laymen to preach in their church, or lay-readers to administer tho s.icramcnt, but what ho did argue was that none of these things were in the best interests of the Church. If this compromise were patched on, it might last for three years or it might not last for one. The lay representatives luiew little of the difficulties, of the position; they probably knew little of tho numbers of ministers who even new went away sick at heart and disappointed. He was sure the bulk of the ministers did not desire the change. Ho asked the conference tn hesitate before it accepted llr. Carnubers'.suggestion.After a long discussion, Mr. Carruthers replied, and contended that there could be 110 doubt about the present system being unsatisfactory. ' An amendment was moved by Hcv. W. AVoolls Rutledgo:—'That the conference resolves to consider and determine tho matter of stationing ministers in tho representative conference." The amendment was negatived by a largo majority, as also was the original motion,