DUTIES OF THE CIRCUIT AND STATION STEWARDS.

See the Constitution, Article xi.

1. It shall be the duty of the stewards of a circuit or station, to receive and take an exact account of the ordinary church and class collections, and all appropriations made for the support of the preachers in the station or circuit; to pay to the preachers quarterly, or oftener if necessary, their allowance, out of the funds received; to meet all contingent expenses; and to make an accurate return to the society, or quarterly conference, of their receipts and disbursements during each quarter, and a fair exhibit of the temporal condition of the station or circuit.

2. To make the necessary provision and preparation for the Lord's supper and love feast; to receive the collections made on those occasions, and all other moneys contributed for the relief of the poor. And to distribute those funds as occasion may require; in stations, as the leaders' meeting may direct; and in circuits, according to their best judgment, having special regard to those poor members who are the most necessitous and deserving. The stewards shall make a quarterly return to the society, or quarterly conference, of their poor collections and distributions, and the state of those funds.

3. To use all proper means, when necessary, to induce the members, and those who sit regularly under our ministry, to be liberal in their contributions

The stewards shall keep a separate book for the purpose of entering the weekly, monthly, or quarterly donations made by those who are not members of the church..

4. To see that a conference collection be taken up, some time in the last quarter, previously to the sitting of the annual conference, both in the classes and in the congregations. The whole collection, when made, shall be forwarded by the stewards to the conference steward.

Each annual conference shall defray the expenses of its own representatives to the general conference.

5. The stewards of each circuit and station shall furnish each itinerant minister and preacher in their circuit or station, previously to his going up to conference, with a certificate, showing the amount of money or other articles he has received, as quarterage, &c. during the year.

GENERAL DUTIES OF TRUSTEES.

1. Trustees shall be elected by the male members of the church or society over the age of twenty-one years; and it shall be the duty of the trustees to hold the property of individual churches in trust for the use and benefit of the members thereof; and to fill up all vacancies occasioned in their board by death, resignation, or ceasing to be a member of the Methodist Protestant Church, or otherwise, during their period of service.

We recommend, that in all deeds, the trustees elected to serve for any definite term of years, be authorized to remain in office until other trustees shall have been elected, except in cases of resignation, &c.

2. To hold periodical meetings, and keep a fair and regular record of all the transactions of their board, in a book provided for the purpose, which shall at all times be open for the inspection of the members of the church.

3. To take care of the church property, fur-niture, and premises, burial ground, &c.

4. The trustees shall have power, when authorized by two-thirds of the male members, over the age of twenty-one years, assembled at a regular meeting for the purpose, to pur chase, build, repair, lease, sell, rent, mortgage, or otherwise procure or dispose of property, and on no other condition or conditions whatever.

HOME MISSIONS.

Each annual conference shall have authority to employ and appoint ministers and preachers. to serve as home missionaries, and to designate their fields of labour. It shall be the duty of each missionary to travel and preach the gospel in those parts or places his conference may prescribe, raise societies, and administer discipline; and when three or more societies, containing in the aggregate not less than thirty members, shall be formed, they shall have pow er to elect not more than three stewards, who, together with the official members on said

mission, shall have authority to hold a quar. terly conference, in each quarter, and shall have the same power as in circuits. And said mission shall elect a delegate to the annual conference, and be entitled to a seat in said conference, provided the missionary is entitled to a seat.

The home missionaries shall make collections for their own support, in societies and neighbourhoods where they may respectively labour, and be entitled to a proportionate part of the funds of the annual conference raised for missionary purposes, to make up their deficiencies.

The annual conference shall, when that body deem it requisite, appoint a conference missionary, to travel with the president, and be under his direction, and to labour at such times and places as he may believe will best promote the prosperity of the work.

FOREIGN MISSIONS.

The general conference shall elect, at each of its regular sessions, a committee of five ministers and seven laymen, having the qualifications of eligibility to a seat in the general conference, and residing sufficiently near each other to admit of convenient periodical meetings, who shall be constituted a Board of Foreign Missions, to serve until the assembling of the succeeding regular general conference. All vacancies occurring in the board by death, resignation, ceasing to be a minister or member

of the Methodist Protestant Church, or removing to too great a distance to admit of conve nient attendance on the periodical meetings of the board, shall be filled up within three months after said vacancy or vacancies shall have occurred, by a majority of the remaining members, subject, however, to the approval or rejection of the annual conference, within whose bounds the board of missions may be located.

The board shall be located in Baltimore, and shall elect, within thirty days after the rise of the general conference, from its own body, a president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and corresponding secretary, and every year thereafter, during the recess of the general conference.

The board shall frame such rules and regu lations for the government of its own proceed ings, and the management of foreign missions, as shall appear to them necessary, and take charge of any missionaries appointed by the general conference.

It shall have authority to employ such ministers and preachers to serve as foreign missionaries, as a majority of the board may deem qualified and necessary; to renew or change said appointments periodically; and to devise ways and means for raising funds to meet the expenditures.

The board of foreign missions shall also have authority to employ an agent or agents, who shall be ministers of the Methodist Protestant