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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECOND PERIOD—1774-1800 Ch.4—Mr. Otterbein called to Baltimore Ch.5—The Otterbein Church in Baltimore Ch.6—The Movement Toward a Separate Church Organization Ch.7—The First and Second Conferences THIRD PERIOD—1800-1815 Ch.10—The Conferences of 1801-1814 Ch.12—The Departure of the Leaders FOURTH PERIOD—1815-1837 Ch.13—The First General Conference—1815 Ch.14—The General Conferences of 1817-1833 FIFTH PERIOD—1837-1885 Ch.15—The General Conferences of 1837 and 1841 Ch.16—The General Conferences of 1845 and 1849 Ch.17—The General Conferences of 1853-1861 Ch.18—The General Conferences of 1865-1881 SIXTH PERIOD—1885-1897 Ch.19—The Nineteenth General Conference—1885 Ch.21—The Twentieth General Conference—1889 Ch.23—The Twenty-First General Conference—1893
PART II DEPARTMENTS OF CHURCH WORK Ch.1—The United Brethren Publishing House Ch.2—The Home, Frontier, and Foreign Missionary Society and Its Work Ch.3—The Church-Erection Society Ch.4—The Woman's Missionary Association Ch.9—The Young People's Christian Union Ch.10—The Board of Trustees of the Church
PART III THE ANNUAL CONFERENCES Ch.1—A Group of Early Conferences Ch.2—Other Conferences Organized from 1835 to 1853 Ch.3—Conferences Organized Since 1853
PART IV HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL TABLES Appendices Index
NOTICE OF ATTRIBUTION Work originally published in 1897. Scanned, proofed and minor spelling corrections by the United Brethren Historical Center. Electronic edition ©2006 United Brethren Historical Center Suggested Citation:
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History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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PREFACE
During
a number of years past, there has been frequent expression of desire that a
new history of the United Brethren Church should be written. The earlier work
of Mr. Spayth traced the history with moderate fullness down to about the
year 1825, and more cursorily to 1841. The sketch prepared by Ex-Bishop Hanby,
intended as a kind of supplement to Mr. Spayth's writing, commencing at 1825,
gave a rapid view down to 1850. The fuller history of Mr. Lawrence covered
the ground again from the beginning, closing with the year 1861, the date of
the publication of the second volume. The lapse of more than a third of a
century, through a period which has witnessed great development in the
progressive life of the Church, has greatly emphasized the need of a new work
which should trace the history down to the present time.
The desire for a new history first found official expression in a resolution
adopted by the General Conference of 1889, authorizing the publisher and
trustees of the Publishing House to secure its preparation. No one being
found who was willing to take up what seemed a rather formidable
responsibility, the quadrennium passed without a beginning being made, and
the General Conference of 1893 renewed the action of 1889. Under this
authority, in May, 1894, the present writer was appointed to undertake the
work. The task was accepted with a full sense of the responsibility involved,
but with the hope that in due time it might be accomplished. He began early
to make preparation for the work, collecting materials through extensive
correspondence and from all other available sources. Other duties claiming a
portion of his time, such as the care of a large congregation for nearly a
year, and afterward of the Sunday-school literature of the Church, the
writing itself proceeded with deliberation, a fact which the author trusts
has resulted in advantage to the work.
In the preparation of the history the author has availed himself of all
accessible sources of information, making of some a quite free use. Some of
the books drawn upon
i
are Spayth's "History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ,"
Lawrence's "History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ," Drury's
"Life of Rev. Philip William Otterbein," Harbaugh's "Life of Rev. Michael
Schlatter," Harbaugh's "Fathers of the German Reformed Church," Bangs's and
Stevens's Histories of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Yeakel's "History of
the Evangelical Association," Punk's "Mennonite Church and Her Accusers,"
Henry Boehm's "Reminiscences," Newcomer's "Journal," Asbury's "Journal,"
Drury's "Life of Bishop J. J. Glossbrenner, D.D.," Davis's "Life of Bishop
David Edwards, D.D.," Thompson's " Our Bishops," some of the volumes of "The
American Church History Series," "Disciplines of the United Brethren in
Christ, 1814-1841," E. L. Shuey's "Handbook of the United Brethren in
Christ," Flickinger and McKee's History of Missions of the United Brethren
Church, "History of the Woman's Missionary Association of the United Brethren
in Christ," the "United Brethren Year-Book," the journal of the original
conference, the General Conference journal, old annual-conference journals,
and the files of some of the periodical publications.
In addition to these sources of information the author finds himself under
great indebtedness to ministers and others throughout the entire Church. From
every annual conference, from every institution of learning, and from the
officers of the missionary and other societies of the Church, materials have
been generously supplied, without which the history could not have appeared
in so complete a form. But most of all is the author indebted to Bishop J. W.
Hott, Prof. A. W. Drury, and W. A. Shuey, the committee appointed to examine
the manuscript before publication. In addition to this examination Professor
Drury also read the book again in proof, making various valuable suggestions.
In this work the largest obligation is due to Mr. Shuey for his critical
revision of the entire history, both in the manuscript and proof, and for his
careful preparation of a large portion of the valuable materials in Part IV.
and the pages following. The writer is also especially indebted to the
publisher for placing at his disposal every facility for the prosecution of
the work.
A constant aim of the author has been to secure as far as possible historical
accuracy, and no pains have been spared to reach this end. How difficult this
feature of the work is, few, perhaps, can comprehend, except those who have
undertaken to write history. It is probable that in the earlier portions of
the denominational history but few facts will in future be discovered that
will in any important degree modify the statements now made. In the later
portions a principal task is to select judiciously out of the abundance of
the materials. So rapid, too, are the
ii
changes which are constantly going forward, that much of what is fact to-day
will be modified to-morrow.
Among these are the changes in the boundary lines of conferences, and in the
ministers constituting the conferences. The great Reaper is constantly busy,
and transfers from one conference to another are so frequent that some names
correctly placed at the date when portions were written will already appear
out of their true relation. The author must here also express his regret that
many of the worthy dead, as also of the living, could not receive a fuller
mention, the reasonable limits of a single volume forbidding further
extension. The portions relating to the revision movement, and the long legal
conflicts which ensued, follow closely the official records, and may be
relied upon as strictly historical.
In the execution of this responsible task the author has found an unusual
pleasure in walking with the fathers of the Church over their old fields of
toil for the Master, and in gaining a larger acquaintance with the noble army
of their successors in the Lord's vineyard. Many of these fathers, through a
life spent from his childhood in the Church, he has met and known. Of the
twenty-six bishops whom the Church has had, he has personally known twenty,
nineteen of this number as guests either in his own or in his father's house.
Of the long list of others who have held positions in the general offices of
the Church, he has known every one. In the prosecution of his work,
therefore, he has been associated with those whom he has known and loved as
fathers and brethren, and for whom, living and dead, he cherishes the warmest
Christian regard.
The work as now completed is commended to the good will of the reader, in the
hope that it may promote better acquaintance with the past labors and
triumphs of the Church, and aid in quickening zeal for its future
enlargement, and so lead to the praise of Him whom we love and serve.
The Author. iii
Dayton, Ohio,
April 15, 1897.
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