2. To devise a comprehensive plan (in conjunction with said board secretaries) looking to the sending of the message of the Gospel to the entire non-Christian world during the next twenty-five years.

3. To endeavor to form, through the various boards, a Centennial Commission of Laymen, fifty or more in number, to visit as early as possible, the mission fields and report their findings to the church at home."

Text-The Missionery Review of the World, January, 1907, pp. 19, 20.

XIX. THE EPISCOPALIANS AND A WORLD CONFERENCE ON UNION

At the General Convention in 1910 of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, held in Cincinnati, the following report was presented to the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies and unanimously adopted.

"The Joint Committee to which was referred the following resolution:

'Resolved, The House of Bishops concurring, That a Joint Committee, consisting of seven Bishops, seven Presbyters and seven Laymen, be appointed to take under advisement the promotion by this Church of a Conference following the general method of the World Missionary Conference, to be participated in by representatives of all Christian bodies throughout the world which accept our Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior, for the consideration of questions pertaining to the Faith and Order of the Church of Christ, and that said Committee, if it deem such a Conference feasible, shall report to this Convention;'

have considered the same, and submit the following report, and recommend the im mediate consideration and passage of the resolution appended to the report.

Your Committee is of one mind We believe that the time has now arrived when representatives of the whole family of Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, may be willing to come together for the consideration of questions of Faith and Order. We believe, further, that all Christian Communions are in accord with us in our desire to lay aside self-will, and to put on the mind which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We would heed this call of the Spirit of God in all lowliness, and with singleness of purpose. We would place ourselves by the side of our fellow Christians, looking not only on our own things, but also on the things of others, convinced that our one hope of mutual understanding is in taking personal counsel together in the spirit of love and forbearance. It is our conviction that such a Conference for the purpose of study and discussion, without power to legislate or to adopt resolutions, is the next step toward unity.

With grief for our aloofness in the past, and for other faults of pride and selfsufficiency, which make for schism; with loyalty to the truth as we see it, and with respect for the convictions of those who differ from us; holding the belief that the beginnings of unity are to be found in the clear statement and full consideration of those things in which we differ, as well as of those things in which we are at one, we respectfully submit the following resolution:

WHEREAS, There is today among all Christian people a growing desire for the fulfillment of Our Lord's prayer that all His disciples may be one; that the world may believe that God has sent Him:

Resolved, The House of Bishops concurring, That a Joint Commission be appointed to bring about a Conference for the consideration of questions touching Faith and Order, and that all Christian Communions throughout the world which confess our Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior be asked to unite with us in arranging for and conducting such a Conference. The Commission shall consist of seven Bishops appointed by the Chairman of the House of Bishops, and seven Presbyters and seven Laymen, appointed by the President of the House of Deputies, and shall have power to add to its number and to fill any vacancies occurring before the next General Convention."

On October 19, 1910, the above resolution was adopted unanimously by both the House of Bishops and the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies."

Text-Minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, New Series. Vol. XI, No. 3, (1911), pp. 231-232.

XX. EPISCOPAL SUPERVISION IN THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Adopted May 20, 1912.

"WHEREAS, It is clear that the fixing of the official residences of the Bishops by the General Conference was intended to secure more direct spiritual and inspirational leadership in the Conferences adjacent to such residences; and,

WHEREAS, It is evident that this purpose fails to be realized under a system which takes from the resident Bishop all definite responsibility and right of leadership in such Conferences; and,

WHEREAS, It is evident from the large number of memorials received that there is dissatisfaction among our preachers and people under the present method, and a widespread demand for some modification; therefore,

Resolved, 1. That we recommend that in the intervals of the Annual Conference sessions each resident Bishop shall be held responsible for the administration of the spiritual and temporal interests of the Church in those Conferences adjacent to his residence, the decision as to which Conferences are adjacent to a particular residence being left to the Board of Bishops. To make this provision effective, we recommend that thirty days after the adjournment of an Annual Conference the presidency of the Conference shall pass to the Bishop resident in the group of which it forms a part, and shall remain so until thirty days before the next ensuing Annual Conference.

Resolved, 2. That in order to secure detailed and comprehensive knowledge of the activities, achievements, and needs of the entire Connection, each Bishop is hereby requested to make a quadrennially written report of his administration of the group over which he exercises residential supervision; such reports to be presented to the General Conference and printed in the General Conference Handbook and Journal.

Resolved, 3. That for the purpose of securing more economical and efficient presidential administration we earnestly recommend to the Board of Bishops to arrange our American Connection into at least four divisions; and we urgently request the Board of Bishops to assign the Annual Conferences within the division of which his residential Conferences form a part to each Bishop for presidential administration.

Resolved, 4. That the recommendations of the General Conference of 1908, printed as ¶ 47, § 3 of the Appendix to the Book of Discipline of 1908, be withdrawn. Adopted, May 20."

Text-Journal of the General Conference, 1912. pp. 529-530.

XXI. THE TRUCE OF GOD

To our Christian Brethren in every land,
GREETING:

"New York, N.Y., March 21, 1914

We, the Advisory Committee, representatives by appointment of many Churches in the United States, have become associated with the Commission of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the preparation of a World Conference on questions of Faith and Order as a first step towards unity. We believe in the one people of God throughout the world. We believe that now is a critically hopeful time for the world to become Christian. We believe that the present world problems of Christianity call for a World Conference of Christians.

This proposal has already received the approval and cooperation of a large number of Christian Churches; approaches are being made to others as rapidly as possible; so that we hope that ere long its world-wide representative character will be established beyond peradventure. In the work of preparation for its convening, we have no authority or desire to enter into a discussion of the important questions which the Conference itself will meet to consider. It is our immediate concern to take whatever measures may be advisable to secure the best possible presentation to the Conference of the matters to be considered. In so doing we cannot, however, remain indifferent to present conditions which may either promote or tend to thwart the purposes and hopes which the approaching World Conference should fulfill.

At the present moment some of these inportant issues have suddenly become matters of renewed controversy. From the mission field the long outstanding problem of Christian unity has been brought by the providence of God and set directly in the way before all Christian Communions. It cannot longer be passed by. The great interests which Christian people of every name have most at heart call for its solution. But solution cannot be secured by surrender. It must be preceded by conference. Before conference there must be truce. The love of Christ for the world constrains us to ask you to join with us and with His disciples of every name in proclaiming among the Churches throughout Christendom a Truce of God. Let the questions that have troubled us be fairly and clearly stated. Let scholars, Catholic and Protestant, give freely to the people whatever light from their historical studies they can throw over these subjects. More than that, it is of essential importance for us to seek to understand what in the religious experience of others, are the things of real value which they would not lose, and which should be conserved in the one household of faith. We pray also that each Christian Communion may avoid, so far as possible, any controversial declaration of its own position in relation to others, but rather that all things be said and done as if in preparation for the coming together of faithful disciples from every nation and tongue, to implore a fresh outpouring of God's Holy Spirit.

Before all indifference, doubt and misgivings, we would hold up the belief that the Lord's prayer for the oneness of His disciples was intended to be fulfilled; and that it ought not to be impossible in the comprehension of the Church, as it is practicable

in the State, for men of various temperaments and divergent convictions to dwell together on agreed principles of unity. We would, therefore, urge all who hold positions of leadership or authority in the Church to labor without ceasing to work out in this generation, by mutual recognitions and possible readjustments, a practical basis of unity in liberty, in order, in truth, in power and in peace, To this end we ask your prayers.

By order of the Advisory Committee of the Commissions on the World Conference on Faith and Order.

WILLIAM T. MANNING, Chairman,
ROBERT H. GARDINER, Secretary."

Text-Minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, New Series, Vol. XIV (1914), pp. 37-38.

XXII. CONSTITUTION OF THE NORTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

DECLARATION

The Northern Baptist Convention, Incorporated June 1910, held its first assembly in Chicago in May of the same year. The constitution as under embodies amendments to 1917.

The Northern Baptist Convention declares its belief in the independence of the local church, and in the purely advisory nature of all denominational organizations composed of representatives of churches. It believes also that, in view of the growth of the Baptist denomination and its extension throughout our country, there is need for an organization to serve the common interests of the entire denomination as State and district organizations serve their respective constituencies.

BY LAWS
ARTICLE I
Membership

SECTION I. The Convention shall be composed of accredited delegates appointed as follows:

(a) Any Baptist church in the United States may appoint one delegate, and one additional delegate for every one hundred members.

(b) Any Baptist State Convention may appoint ten delegates, and one additional delegate for every ten District Associations included in it, above the first ten.

SEC. 2. Accredited officers and members of Boards of Managers of cooperating organizations shall be delegates ex officio.

The accredited officers and members of the Boards of Managers of the Woman's Missionary Societies auxiliary to or cooperating with the American Baptist Home Mission Society or the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society shall be delegates ex officio.

Officers and members of committees of the Convention during their terms of service shall be delegates ex officio.

ARTICLE II
Officers

ARTICLE III
Meetings

ARTICLE IV
Committees

SECTION 1. (a) There shall be an Executive Committee elected by ballot, and composed of the officers and former presidents of the Convention, and thirty others, of whom at least fifteen shall be laymen. Of the thirty first elected, ten shall serve for three years, ten for two years, and ten for one year; and thereafter there shall be elected annually ten to serve for three years. Vacancies caused by the death, resignation, or refusal to act of any of the thirty may be filled by the remaining members of the Committee.

(b) No one, other than an officer or a former President of the Convention, shall be eligible to membership in the Executive Committee after service thereon for six consecutive years, until the expiration of one year after the termination of such service.

(d) No appeals for money shall be made and no collections shall be taken at the meetings of the Convention which have not been approved by the Executive Committee.

SEC. 2. (a) There shall be a Finance Committee of nine, a majority of whom shall be laymen.

(b) It shall be the duty of this Committee to prepare and present to the Convention at each annual meeting a budget based on the budgets submitted by the Executive Committee and by the cooperating organizations.

(c) In case of an emergency arising between the annual meetings of the Convention, the committee, by the majority vote of all its members, may approve the incurring of indebtedness by a cooperating organization. Should such approval be given, the committee shall report its action with the reasons therefor to the Convention at its next annual meeting.

SEC. 3. (a) There shall be an Apportionment Committee appointed at each annual meeting. It shall be composed of a representative from each of the following bodies: The Executive Committee of the Convention, the Board of Education, each of the cooperating organizations, a city church, a rural church, and a State Apportionment Committee, together with a District Secretary of a cooperating organization and an executive officer of a State Convention.

(b) It shall be the duty of this committee:

1. To divide among the States represented in the Convention the respective amounts to be raised as specified in the budget approved by the Convention, and to communicate to the Apportionment Committee of each State the amount apportioned to it;

2. To appoint an Apportionment Committee for any State where no such committee is appointed;

3. To employ such agents and methods and to take such other action to carry the apportionment into effect as to it may seem wise;

4. To divide ratably among the beneficiaries of the budget the expenses incurred in the performance of the duties of the committee.