GENERAL CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
L. A. HOOPES
The following are the proceedings of the General Conference in session at South Lancaster, Mass., Feb. 16 to March 7, 1899:—GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.3
FOREIGN MISSION WORK
LAHe
1. That our churches be invited to devote the services of the second Sabbath in each month to the study of foreign mission fields and their needs, matter for study to be furnished by the Foreign Mission Board and the Medical Missionary Board; and that each third second Sabbath, or one Sabbath in a quarter, shall be devoted to the subject of foreign medical missionary work.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.4
2. That each conference be invited to select a suitable person to act as corresponding secretary of the State tract society, who shall be known as Mission Secretary, whose duty shall be to labor especially in the interests of home and foreign missionary work.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.5
3. That the elders of churches and the librarians of local societies be encouraged to give more time to developing the missionary spirit in our churches.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.6
4. That the Foreign Mission Board, through the State corresponding secretaries and local librarians, supply all our people—churches, companies, and isolated members—with special envelopes in which to place a weekly offering for foreign mission work; that these envelopes be distributed and collected at the regular Sabbath meeting; and that these offerings be forwarded monthly through the State tract society officers to the Foreign Mission Board.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.7
EDUCATIONAL WORK
5. That it is the sense of this Conference that the managing boards of the various schools shall operate these schools with the income, from whatever source,-shall meet the expenses year by year.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.8
6. That members of boards of management of our schools should be men who are in hearty sympathy with what the Testimonies say should be done in our schools, and who are determined to make the schools what they ought to be.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.9
7. That only such teachers and employees should be engaged by these boards as are known to be men and women of Christian experience, in full harmony with the third angel’s message, and in favor of putting into operation the principles of education set forth in the Testimonies.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.10
8. That church schools be placed under the control of the conference committees in whose territories they are established, in consultation and cooperation with the heads of the leading schools of the districts in which the church schools are to be located; and that such church schools be started only as fast as thoroughly competent teachers can be secured, and as reasonable financial support can be assured.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.11
9. That a special effort should be made to put before the young men in the church the importance of the gospel ministry and evangelistic work; and that such persons as have an evident call to this line of work shall be in every way encouraged and helped.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.12
10. That the teachers and managers of our schools be exhorted to keep in mind the main reasons for which these schools were founded; namely, the salvation of souls and the training of ministers and other laborers for the Lord’s work; and that they be requested to use all diligence in promoting the missionary spirit, and in keeping the great object of education before the students.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.13
11. That it is the sense of this body that there be established in the South a training-school for medical missionaries especially for the work in that field.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.14
12. That it is the desire of this Conference that in all our educational institutions there be a special course for the study of home and foreign mission fields and home and foreign missionary operations; and of furnishing to the Foreign Mission Board and the Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association, a list of the names of students in this course, with the field for which they have a special burden.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.15
CIRCULATION OF LITERATURE
13. That it is not, in our opinion, detrimental to the interests of the canvassing work that ministers should sell our denominational books, and take subscriptions for our denominational papers, and that they should be allowed the usual agent’s commission on the same.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.16
14. We recommend, That an earnest effort be made by all our conferences to give our pioneer missionary paper, the Signs of the Times, a wide circulation.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.17
(a) By taking clubs, and mailing the paper to interested readers.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.18
(b) By selling it on the streets of our cities, in business houses, and from house to house, working up regular routes, and delivering it in person.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.19
(c) By a regular canvass for both long- and short-term subscriptions.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.20
(d) By its use by our Bible workers in prosecuting their work.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.21
15. That a fund be opened for the improvement and wider circulation of the paper Present Truth.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.22
16. That the work of reducing the expense of illustrations in our periodicals by using duplicates of the same in various periodicals occupying different fields, be referred to the Pacific Press Publishing Company.GCB January 1, 1899, page 2.23
AMENDMENTS
17. That the General Conference Constitution and By-laws be amended to read as follows:-GCB January 1, 1899, page 3.1
(a) Constitution, Article IV.-Officers.GCB January 1, 1899, page 3.2
Section 1.—The officers of this Conference shall be a President, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and such other assistant secretaries as may be necessary to carry on the work of the General Conference, and an Executive Committee composed of the President of the General Conference, the Presidents of the Union Conferences, the President of the Mission Board, and such other persons as may be elected to make the whole number thirteen. By-laws, Article I.-Secretary.GCB January 1, 1899, page 3.3
Section 2.—The duty of the Secretary shall be to keep a record of the proceedings of all sessions of the Conference, and of the statistics of the denomination, and shall have in charge the general correspondence of the Conference, and shall also be the Secretary of the Executive Committee.GCB January 1, 1899, page 3.4
(b) That the By-laws of the General Conference Constitution, Article I, Section 5, be so amended as to read:—“At each regular session of the Conference the presiding officer shall appoint, unless otherwise voted, a standing committee of eight delegates, who shall, with the chairman of the Executive Committee, and the superintendents of the six districts in America, constitute a committee for auditing and settling all accounts against the Conference.GCB January 1, 1899, page 3.5
MISCELLANEOUS
LAHe
18. That the British, the German, and the Montana Conferences be admitted into the General Conference.GCB January 1, 1899, page 3.6
19. In view of the action taken last spring by the General Conference with reference to that part of the Province of Ontario belonging to the Quebec Conference, it is the sense of this body that the proposition of the Quebec Conference to release to the General Conference the territory in question, when satisfactory arrangements can be agreed upon between the parties concerned, be accepted.GCB January 1, 1899, page 3.7
20. That each of our conferences be asked to furnish and support from the tithes one or more laborers in foreign lands, if it appears to have laborers whom God has fitted and burdened for foreign work; or, if it has not such laborers, to support some other laborer whom the Foreign Mission Board may suggest.GCB January 1, 1899, page 3.8
21. That General Conference District No. 2 be instructed to encourage a limited number of persons who seem adapted to the work, to take up work with the Signs of the Times.GCB January 1, 1899, page 3.9
22. That the editors of our general denominational periodicals in North America be appointed by the General Conference Committee, in conjunction with the publishers; and that in the Union Conferences the same plan be pursued.GCB January 1, 1899, page 3.10
23. That Elders S.H. Lane, C. Santee, and R.S. Donnell be a committee to investigate the propriety of State Conferences raising an insurance fund for church property.GCB January 1, 1899, page 3.11
24. That the Union College Board be increased to nine members.GCB January 1, 1899, page 3.12
25. That the Southern Industrial School Board be increased to five members.GCB January 1, 1899, page 3.13