9157. Ans. 19. To preach upon the claims of the ministry; to seek out young men who feel called to the ministry, and assign them such work as will develop their ability and test their fitness for this service; and to report the names and addresses of all such candidates for the ministry to the Quarterly Conference, and to the Annual Conference Board of Education.

$158. Ans. 20. To make a written report at each Annual Conference of the condition of all the claimants on the Conference collection within his pastoral charge, to be submitted to the Conference Board of Finance. (4738.)

¶159. Ans. 21. To furnish every one removing from his charge with a certificate in the following form (¶¶714, 758):

The bearer hereof,

has been an acceptable member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, C. Station (Circuit or Mission),

in

ence.

Confer

(When this certificate is presented to another Church and accepted, notice, according to the attached form, shall be sent to the undersigned. The person to whom this certificate is issued shall remain a member of this Church until such notice is received or until otherwise dismissed.)

Void after one year from this date.

The return notice to be attached to a certificate shall be in the following form:

The certificate of membership of Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in

from the

is here

by acknowledged. He (or she) has been duly received as a member of this Church, and hereby ceases to be a member of the Church issuing said certificate. Date

Pastor. Church.

Notice of the removal of a member shall be sent to the pastor of the charge, or to the Presiding Elder of the District, into which the member shall remove. The notice shall be in the following form, and shall be printed with the blank certificate and detachable from it:

bearing his (or her) certificate of membership, is moving from this charge to

A complete record of each transfer shall be kept on the stub in a blank certificate book in the following form:

(Stub) Name

Date issued

Date of

acknowledgment of certificate and actual transfer of membership, Name of pastor issuing certificate,

Name of pastor acknowledging certificate,

¶160. Ans. 22. The ministers of our Church shall be prohibited from solemnizing the rites of matrimony between divorced persons, except in case of innocent parties who have been divorced. for the one scriptural cause.

[For additional duties of a preacher in charge

see ¶¶104-106, 389-394, 481, 483, 512, 579,

583, 584, 642, 716.]

SECTION V

OF ADMITTING PREACHERS ON TRIAL

Question. How is a preacher to be admitted on trial into the traveling connection?

¶161. Ans. 1. By the Annual Conference. In the interval of Conferences he may be received (¶676) and employed in the work by a Bishop, or by the Presiding Elder of the District, until the next session of the Conference.

$162. Ans. 2. No one shall be admitted on trial unless he first procure a recommendation from the District Conference of his circuit, station, or mission, or from the Licensing Committee of the District Conference; nor shall a vote be taken upon the admission of any candidate who has not passed an approved examination upon the Course of Study prescribed by the Bishops, before a committee appointed by the Conference for that purpose. (See ¶68.) (¶¶675, 678, 679, 699, 717.)

$163. Ans. 3. The Annual Conference may then admit him as a probationer, by a vote of the majority. Observe!-This relation of being on trial embraces the requisites of a competent pastorate, and must apply as well to proper administrative qualifications as to acceptable

preaching ability. One on trial may be discontinued (¶697) for want of efficiency in either of these respects, without doing him any wrong; otherwise, it would be no trial at all.

9164. Ans. 4. The Committee on Admissions shall require all applicants for admission on trial to agree to abstain from the use of tobacco. (¶¶68, 93.)

SECTION VI

OF ADMITTING PREACHERS INTO FULL CONNECTION

Question 1. Who shall be admitted into the Conference in full connection?

¶165. Ans. 1. No one except a preacher who has been employed at least two years in the regular itinerant work (which is to commence from his admission on trial by the Annual Conference), and who has passed the examinations on our prescribed Course of Study, and who is approved by the Annual Conference. (¶¶118, 678–680, 720, 721.)

¶166. Ans. 2. Before any preacher is admitted into full connection, he shall pass an approved examination upon the Course of Study prescribed by the Bishops for candidates for the ministry; and in no case shall a vote be taken to admit any one until he is recommended by the Examining Committee. (See 968.) (¶¶678680, 720, 721, 743.)

¶167. Ans. 3. A missionary employed on a foreign mission may be admitted into full connection, if recommended by the superintendent of the mission where he labors, without being present at the Annual Conference for examination. (¶¶678-680, 720-722, 743.)

Ques. 2. What method do we use in admitting a preacher into full connection at the Conference?

¶168. Ans. After solemn fasting and prayer, every person proposed shall then be asked, before the Conference (722), the following questions (with any others that may be thought necessary), namely: Have you faith in Christ? Are you going on to perfection? Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life? Are you groaning after it? Are you resolved to devote yourself wholly to God and his work? Are you willing to conform to the Discipline of the Church? Will you diligently instruct the children in every place? Will you visit from house to house? Will you recommend fasting and abstinence, both by precept and example? Are you in debt so as to embarrass you?

Will you especially observe the following directions?

1. Be diligent. Never be unemployed. Never be triflingly employed. Never trifle away time; neither spend any more time at any place than is strictly necessary.