The Doctrines and Discipline of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church Revised Edition 1918

CHAPTER XLIII.

Chapter 52767 wordsPublic domain

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

In order to perfect Bible knowledge for the moral and religious training of the children of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America; the General Conference of the C. M. E. Church directs that there shall be a Sunday School Department which shall be under the general supervision of a General Sunday School Board, to be authorized by the General Conference, whose chief officer shall be that of Editor, and said department shall be located in the Publishing House, wherever settled, etc.

1. The Sunday School Department shall include all of the Sunday-schools in the C. M. E. Church, and shall be subject to such rules and regulations as The General Sunday School Board and the General Conference may from time to time direct.

2. The purpose of said Department shall be to educate our young people in all of the phases of Sunday School training and service, to give course and impetus to a systematic study of the Holy Bible, and to supply the Sunday Schools with the proper literature including Catechisms and tracts, and to assist needy Sunday Schools whenever practical.

3. The General Conference shall elect an Editor for the Sunday School Department, whose term of office shall be four years, and until his successor is elected. The Editor shall be the executive officer of the Sunday School Department, and shall edit all Sunday School literature comprising Lessons, Leaves, Books, Tracts, Magazines, Lithographs and etc. It shall be the duty of the Editor to approve or disapprove of whatever Sunday School helps that may be suggested by the General Sunday School Board for use in our Sunday Schools.

4. His salary shall be fixed by the General Sunday School Board per annum plus his necessary traveling expenses. The General Sunday School Board shall fix a salary or wage for a stenographer, or other necessary help of the Department.

5. The Editor shall render an annual report to the General Sunday School Board, and an annual report to each Annual Conference in the connection as to the amount of literature used, and number of Sunday Schools using the Sunday School supplies of our own Church, within its bounds, and a quadrennial report to the General Conference.

6. The Editor of the Sunday School Department shall be amenable for his official conduct to the General Sunday School Board and to the General Conference who shall have right and power for cause sufficient to them to remove him from office; the General Board having the right to suspend and to fill the vacancy until the ensuing General Conference.

7. All of the Sunday Schools of the C. M. E. Church shall be under the management of the Sunday School Department, the regulations of which shall be as follows: There shall be a Sunday School Board in every Annual Conference and District Conference, and District Sunday School Convention, and Quarterly Conference. It shall be the duty of the Annual Conference Sunday School Board to inquire into the reports read by the pastors, as to the kind and amount of literature each Sunday School uses, and to make full reports to the Annual Conference in session on our Sunday School work, with the recommendations. This report must be printed annually in the Minutes.

As in the order above, the District Conference and District Sunday School Convention shall confine their reports and recommendations to the Sunday School work of the District. The Quarterly Conference Sunday School Board shall be composed of the pastor and superintendents, officers and teachers of a station, circuit or mission; whose duty shall be to extend the circulation and influence of our Sunday School literature into every possible local precinct, and to make report with recommendation of the progress of Sunday School work, to the quarterly conference and church conference and to the district conference and Sunday School Convention. A Sunday School Board, like a committee, may consist of from three to forty-nine.

8. An Annual Conference Sunday School Board shall be appointed by the Presiding Bishop and shall continue their work for four years. All of the district and quarterly conference Boards shall be affected and reorganized by the appointments of a Presiding Elder and pastor.

9. It shall also be the duty of the Sunday School Editor to assist the Book Agent by supplying our Sunday Schools (including needy schools) with our own literature. Suggested order of business for a local Sunday School Board.