This Week in Texas Methodist History February 28

 

Olin Nail Calls for Reduction of Annual Conferences in Texas from Five to Three, March 1936

 

Two weeks ago the subject of this blog was how Texas Methodists cooperated across conference lines in 1934,  1936, and 1938 to celebrate the centennials of Texas Methodism, Texas Independence, and the bicentennial of Wesley’s Aldersgate experience.  I mentioned that the three celebrations fostered connections across the conferences and helped create a feeling of common identity among Texas Methodists.  The celebrations elevated the work of the Joint Planning Commission which coordinated the centennial celebrations.  The work of the Joint Planning Commission soon led to the establishment of the Committee for Future Work consisting of five clergy and five laity from each conference.  The most lasting legacy of that committee is the Texas Methodist Foundation whose mission transcends conference boundaries. 

 

Although the celebrations were the work of committees, much of the energy for the historic celebrations was provided by two preachers, Olin Nail of the West Texas Conference (today the Rio Texas Conference) and A. J. (Jack) Weeks, editor of the Southwestern Christian Advocate.  One would expect Weeks to have a multi conference-wide perspective since the Advocate served all the conferences in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and sometimes Colorado.  Nail’s perspective of the unity of Texas Methodism across conference lines came from his passion for history.

 

In March `1936 Texans were preparing for the 1936 annual conference sessions were to be held in Houston so that attendees could attend celebrations at the San Jacinto Battlefield.   That month ground was broken for the construction of the monument.  That monument had important Methodist connections.  Jesse Jones, a member of Houston St. Paul’s and also a board member of Houston Methodist Hospital, was Secretary of Commerce and Chair of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, He had shepherded the funding through.  The architect was Alfred Finn, the architect for St. Paul’s. 

 

Inspired by the unity of Texas Methodist History, Olin Nail called for a reduction of the number of annual conferences in Texas from five to three.  Actually Nail was omitting the New Mexico Conference which included churches in El Paso, Odessa, Pecos, and other western cities.  He was also omitting the Spanish speaking churches in the state.  He had no intention of integrating the Spanish speaking Methodist churches into the English language churches. 

 

 

Naturally Nail began his call for consolidation with a historical sketch.  He contrasted the difficulties of travel experienced by Jesse Hord on his coastal plain circuit one hundred years earlier with the ease of travel in 1936.  He noted the consolidation of one room school houses and reminded readers that two bishops (Smith and Boaz) presided over the Texas Conferences.  One of his main arguments was that the reduction in the number of annual conferences would give addition appointment opportunities to the approximately 1000 ordained Methodist preachers in the five conferences of the MECS.   It is interesting to note that Nail did not include a cost-saving argument.  Conferences of 1936 did not have the large number of employees who now carry out conference programs. 

 

The reduction in conferences called for by Rev. Nail did not occur.  The boundaries of the conferences have basically remained relatively stable since 1910 when the Central Texas Conference was created from the southernmost portion of the Northwest Texas Conference.