A Short History Of The Methodists... - Media Sabda Org

'N.M. has applied to us for liberty to preach as a local preacher in our circuit; and after due enquiry
concerning his gifts, grace and usefulness, we judge he is a proper person to be licensed for this
purpose; and we accordingly authorize him to preach.'
2. "Before any person shall be licensed as a local preacher by a quarterly meeting he shall bring
a recommendation from the society of which he is a member.
3. "A local preacher shall be eligible to the office of a deacon, after he has preached four years
from the time he received a regular license, and has obtained the testimonial which is directed in the
fourth section of the first chapter of the form of discipline. The testimonial must be signed by three
elders, three deacons, and three preachers.
"Signed in behalf of the Quarterly Meeting, N. M. President of the Meeting."
At the General Conference in 1808, there was an alteration made on this subject; and it now
stands thus, "A local preacher shall be eligible to the office of a Deacon, after he has preached four
years from the time he received a regular license, and has obtained a testimonial from the quarterly
meeting of the circuit to which he belongs, after proper examination, signed by the president, and
countersigned by the secretary, and his character has passed in examination before, and he has
obtained the approbation of the yearly conference."
In 1796, for the first time we fixed a rule to make some allowance to local preachers in given
cases.-1. "Whenever a local preacher fills the place of a traveling preacher, he shall be paid for his
time, a sum proportionable to the allowance of a traveling preacher; which sum shall be paid by the
circuit at the next quarterly meeting, if the traveling preacher, whose place he filled up, were either
sick or necessarily absent; or, in other cases, out of the allowance of the traveling preacher.
2. "If a local preacher be distressed in his temporal circumstances, on account of his service in the
circuit, he may apply to the quarterly meeting, who may give him what relief they judge proper, after
the allowance of the traveling preachers, and of their wives, and all other regular allowances, are
discharged."
At the same time we formed a rule for the trial of local preachers, which is as follows: "If a charge
be brought against a local preacher, or local deacon, or elder, the preacher who has the oversight of
the circuit, shall summon three or more local preachers of the neighborhood, or for want of local
preachers, so many leaders or exhorters. And if they, or the majority of them, on due examination,
judge that the local preacher, deacon, or elder aforesaid, has been guilty of such a crime, or has
preached such false doctrines, as require his suspension from all public offices in our church, the
preacher who has the oversight of the circuit, shall accordingly suspend him from all public offices,
till the ensuing quarterly meeting.
"And in such case, and in every case where a meeting, assembled as above described, shall deem
the said local preacher, deacon, or elder, culpable, the next quarterly-meeting shall proceed upon his
trial, and shall have authority to clear, censure, suspend, or expel him, according to their judgment.
And the presiding elder, or the preacher who has the oversight of the circuit, shall, at the