Radio Script #1233

Little Talks on Common Things
March 9, 1980

A significant change has occurred during this century in the way Protestant churches seek to control the conduct of their members. Up to the time of the Civil War, all the so-called evangelistic churches had strict rules that were generally well enforced. To determine whether a member was guilty of an accused offense, he was tried before a church tribunal in much the same way as by a civil judge and jury. In fact the churches had authority much like a legal subpoena. If a member summoned to bear witness in a case refused to appear at the trial, he could be held in contempt of the church, as in a civil case such a reluctant witness could be held in contempt of court.

Not always were the church behaviour rules printed for all to see. Often Congregationalists, Baptists and Presbyterians did not publish a book of rules, although some of their churches did, especially in the early 1800′ s. On the other hand, the Methodists became well known for the editions of their Book of Discipline.

So please understand, if this broadcast refers especially to that denomination, it is not to call special attention to them. Many of their regulations and some of their trial procedures apply equally to other denominations. In fact, the official records of Waterville’s First Baptist Church are filled with church trials and disciplinary actions. In these cases we know what the general charge was against the accused (it was sometimes for attending Universalist meeting) but we do not have the wording of the church rule under which the charge was made.

In the case of the Methodists, the Book of Discipline tells us what in many behavioral areas, a good Methodist could and could not do. Of course the Methodist rules were not the same through the whole 19th century. Each edition of the book saw changes, and they were usually in a more liberal direction. What I tell you today is found in the Methodist Book of Discipline, published in 1896, and thus does show the existence of such church regulations up to that date.

As I am sure you all know, the Methodists were founded in the 18th century by two presbyteries of the Church of England, John and Charles Wesley, in protest against the formalism of the English church. The Wesleys insisted that the church’s mission was not to perform the rites, but to practice persistent evangelism, winning souls to Christ.

In England, after a brief time, the separate group of these dissenting people formed officially the Wesleyan Church of Great Britain. In 1784 the American society of Wesleyans formed the Methodist Episcopal Church. That title shows that in both England and the United States, the Wesleyans at first did not intend to establish a separate sect, but to form an evangelistic branch of the Church of England. That had been also the intent of the Puritans at the time of the Commonwealth, not to form a new church, but to purify the old. Thus, while the Wesleyans on both sides of the Atlantic did have a separate sect, they held to the policy of an episcopacy, with a great deal of authority vested in the bishop. They held liberal views about baptism and communion. A candidate could choose either sprinkling or immersion as his or her form of baptism. At communion the doctrine of transubstantiation was vigorously denied; although using the sacred symbols, the bread and wine did not during the ceremony literally become the body and blood of Christ.

Now let us get to the Methodist rules of conduct. They were divided into several categories. First was immoral conduct, most often sexual licentiousness. If anyone was accused of incest, adultery, fornication, and similar offenses and crimes, the accused was tried by a jury composed of five members of the local church with the pastor presiding. If found guilty the accused man or woman was expelled. If the jury found mitigating circumstances, they could impose a lesser penalty. The second category of transgressions was imprudent and unchristian conduct. This included drinking intoxicating liquor, attending the theatre, horse races or circuses, dancing or other unseemly amusement. The Methodists long frowned on all card playing, but it is noted that the Book of Discipline did not forbid all use of those pasteboards. What the church members were forbidden to do was to play games of chance, and that, of course, included gambling with cards. It therefore forbade the menfolk to indulge in the half-a-cent-a-point game of bridge. Under that category of imprudent conduct, a guilty person was on the first offense subject to private reprimand by the pastor. On the second offense public reproof before the whole church, and on the third offense expulsion. A third category was neglect of the means of grace. That included failure to attend the services of worship, those set for week days as well as for Sundays. Of course an occasional absence was expected but if a member was absent three or four times in succession, he was treated with three steps of punishment: first, admonition by the pastor; second, called before a committee; third, expulsion. The fourth category of offenses was called Causing Dissension.

The rule said: “If a member shall inveigh against our doctrines or disciplines, the person so offending shall first be reproved by the pastor. If he persists in such permissive practice, he shall be brought to trial, and if found guilty shall be expelled.”

The fifth category was very worldly indeed. It concerned the business world. The rule said: “On any disagreement between members of the church concerning business transactions that cannot be settled by the parties, the pastor shall investigate the circumstances of the case and shall have authority to recommend to the parties compulsory arbitration to be decided by five arbitrators, two appointed by one party, two by the other, and a fifth by those four, all of whom shall be members of the church. If either party refuses to abide by the arbitrators’ decision, he shall be expelled.”

The sixth category was closely related to the fifth, as it too concerned money. Its wording was: “To prevent scandal, when any member fails in business, or contracts debts which he is unable to pay, let two or three judicious members of the church inspect the accounts and contracts of the supposed delinquent. If they judge that he has behaved improperly or has borrowed money without probability of paying, he shall be brought to trial, and if found guilty shall be
expelled.”

A section of the Book of Discipline was devoted to the trial, not of mere members, but of preachers – the ministers and pastors. The main paragraph said: “When a preacher, whether ordained or unordained, is reputed to be guilty of some crime expressly forbidden in the Scriptures, the presiding elder shall call a committee to investigate, consisting of three or more member preachers, before which the accused must appear and by which, if found guilty, he shall be suspended from all ministerial services and church privileges until the next quarterly conference. The exact minutes of the committee shall be submitted to that quarterly conference for trial. If the trial finds the accused guilty, the Quarterly Conference shall affix a penalty for the offense. When a preacher fails in business or contracts debts which he is unable to pay, he shall be tried in the same manner as church members, except that final decree and penalty shall be decided by the Quarterly Conference.”
Besides the offenses already noted, any of the following could subject a member to trial and dismissal: use of profanity, especially taking the name of God in vain. That regulation, not only for Methodists but all the early evangelical sects, gave birth to many mild oaths such as egad, godfry, by Judas and scores of others.

It seems a bit unusual to have a Book of Discipline as late as 1896 have a statement concerning slavery. The statement said: “We believe that the buying, selling or holding in servitude of human beings is contrary to the laws of God and nature and it is inconsistent with the Golden Rule and with the rule in our Discipline that requires all who desire to continue among us to do no harm and avoid evil of every kind. We urge our ministers and people to seek the abolition by all lawful and Christian means of slavery”.

Members were forbidden to loan money on usury. That word had originally meant all interest on loaned money, but by 1896 it had come to mean excessive or unlawful interest. If common interest on a loan at a bank was 6% as it usually was in the 1890’s, a church member who charged 7 or 8 percent was committing an offense that could bring him to trial. Another offense was speaking evil of ministers and magistrates. They were persons to be highly respected. It was bad enough to gossip about a fellow member, but to do so about a minister or civil officer was just not to be tolerated.
Like Quakers and Menonites, early Methodists were opposed to any sign of ostentation. A rule said, “Members shall avoid all displays of gold or costly apparel.” The rules did not say that members should refrain from fun, but under no circumstances should they indulge in it on the Sabbath Day, and they were enjoined at no time “to take such diversions as cannot be used in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Another rule forbade members to sing any songs or read any books which do not tend to the knowledge or love of God.

The Book of Discipline laid down carefully the duties and public conduct of the clergy. If a minister’s listeners were not edified by his preaching, he ought not to preach. A minister should be diligent, never idle or triflingly employed. He should never spend any more time at anyone place than was strictly necessary. He should be constantly serious, avoiding all
lightness and joking. He should keep dubious thoughts about other people within his own breast. He should be ready to face a delinquent member directly, and strictly admonish such a person, but not talk about him to others. He should play no favorites but be a servant to all. He should be punctual, performing all his tasks exactly on time. He was not to discuss church rules but to obey and enforce them. His one great task, with which nothing else must interfere was to save souls. He should be sure never to disappoint a congregation; let him fit his subject to his audience and choose the plainest text he can. Never let him waiver into side paths, but stick to the subject. Do not pray too long; you do not want people already to be asleep when you begin the sermon. The minister must deny himself every useless pleasure; he must not overeat and stuff himself with food; he must drink only beverages he knows to be harmless to his particular health. If coffee or tea distress him he must avoid them. He could, of course, take wine medicinally or at communion.

Now listen to this: “As often as possible the minister shall rise at 4:00 a.m. From 4 to 6 he shall meditate, pray, read the Scriptures or the writings of Mr. Wesley.” From 6 to 12 he should use some time for study and preparation, and may spend the rest on his house and land. In the afternoon he should call upon the people, especially the sick and the aged, then have a devotional period from S to 6. He was expected to have his weekday meals at 6 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. The book says nothing about how he was to spend his evenings, but we can guess that it did not encourage gin rummy or solitaire. If he was to be up by 4:00 a.m., he probably was expected to go to bed early.

Well, this has been a brief glimpse of what was expected, not only of Methodists but of many Protestant church members a century and a half ago. And with that salute to church discipline now largely a thing of the past, we say goodbye until next week.

Year: 1980