History of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Vol. III

Wesleyan Heritage Publications, 1998.
(В файле 264 с.).Another important event, in the history of American Methodism, was at hand: the second General Conference. The first, called the Christmas Conference, (in 1784,) had been an extraordinary convention of the ministry, held, at the instance of Wesley, for the episcopal organization of the Church. No provision was made for any subsequent similar assembly. The rapid multiplication of sectional or "annual conferences" facilitated the local business of the denomination, but rendered legislation on its general interests difficult, if not impossible. If the early custom of carrying general measures from one conference to another, till all had acted upon them, still continued, it had now become exceedingly inconvenient; it delayed the enactment of such measures nearly a year; there could be no ready comparison of opinions, or answer of objections, between conferences remotely apart; and the last in the series for the year might, for want of such consultation, defeat the votes of all that had preceded it, thereby requiring the measure to be repeated in a revised form through another year. Asbury's favorite "Council" failed as a substitute; it was defective, as has been shown, by giving the bishops supreme control of its constituency, and endangering the uniformity, if not the unity, of the Church, for its enactments were to have effect only in such Annual Conferences as should approve them. Some other mode of general legislation was therefore necessary. The memorable assembly of 1784 presented the expedient example, and accordingly a General Conference was called for 1792.