This Week in Texas Methodist History October 28

Methodist Protestant Conference Announces Appointments, October 1864

The business of the the MECS annual conferences in Texas were severely disrupted by the Civil War, but the Methodist Protestant Annual Conference was able to conduct business as usual.  The Civil War prevented bishops from coming to preside over annual conferences in Texas.  In the absence of a bishop, conferences elected one of their own members to preside.  The major disruption was that ordination of elders could not occur without the presence of a bishop.

The Methodist Protestant Church, which grew out of a democratic reform movement in the MEC, never had bishops, so they conducted business as usual.

In October 1864 the Methodist Protestant Church convened its annual conference at Salem.  There are so many Salems in Texas I cannot be sure of which Salem it was –possibly in Cherokee or Wood County.  

Instead of a bishop, the MP Church had a President, elected by the members for a one year term.  The entire conference served as the “Stationing Committee”  and made the appointments.  Unlike the MECS, the MP Conference had lay delegates.

There were 16 clergy and 7 lay delegates in attendance.  Three men were ordained deacons and one was ordained as an elder.   There were nine appointments:

Cass

Bonham Mission

Dallas

Cherokee

Canton

Tyler

Tarrant

Clarkeville (sic)

Paris

In 1939 the Methodist Protestant Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Methodist Episcopal Church South merged to form the Methodist Church.