This Week in Texas Methodist History April 30
Delegates Convene in Louisville to Create MECS-- May 1, 1845
The 1844 General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, held in New York City, had been the scene of acrimonious debate about slavery. The debate had not ended in compromise. Instead most southern delegates came to the conclusion that a new denomination should be formed that embraced the "peculiar institution" of slavery. During the winter of 1844/45 annual conferences throughout the South elected delegates to a convention called to create such a denomination.
The delegates convened at Louisville, Kentucky, on May 1, 1845. Texas was represented by Robert Alexander (presiding elder of the Galveston District), Littleton Fowler (presiding elder of the Sabine District), and Chauncey Richardson (President of Rutersville College). John Clark, who had been a Texas Conference delegate to the General Conference of 1844 had voted with northern delegates and found it prudent to remain in New York.
Delegates organized themselves into committees and began the work for which they had been elected. In about two weeks they announced the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. That denomination continued until 1939 when the northern and southern branches of the church as well as the Methodist Protestant Church united to form the Methodist Church.
The 1844 General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, held in New York City, had been the scene of acrimonious debate about slavery. The debate had not ended in compromise. Instead most southern delegates came to the conclusion that a new denomination should be formed that embraced the "peculiar institution" of slavery. During the winter of 1844/45 annual conferences throughout the South elected delegates to a convention called to create such a denomination.
The delegates convened at Louisville, Kentucky, on May 1, 1845. Texas was represented by Robert Alexander (presiding elder of the Galveston District), Littleton Fowler (presiding elder of the Sabine District), and Chauncey Richardson (President of Rutersville College). John Clark, who had been a Texas Conference delegate to the General Conference of 1844 had voted with northern delegates and found it prudent to remain in New York.
Delegates organized themselves into committees and began the work for which they had been elected. In about two weeks they announced the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. That denomination continued until 1939 when the northern and southern branches of the church as well as the Methodist Protestant Church united to form the Methodist Church.
posted by texman at 9:24 AM
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