EPISCOPAL DECISION5
Since on the first Thursday of May, 1853, a question was submitted to the High Council, held in Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: whether Prayer meetings may be held, etc., which under certain reasonable conditions was approved. Because that resolution, through wrong explanations and interpretations, has caused much unrest and had wrong effects, especially in many congregations of our conference therefore the High Council, held on May 1, 1856, ordered that all bishops shall meet the following day in order to re-create unity and peace; accordingly we, Moses Gottschall, Henry G. Johnson, J.H. Oberholtzer, Christian Klemmer and William N. Shelly, met in the house of William Gottschall, deacon, and decided unanimously that the resolution shall be considered null and void, but, if servants and members want to meet at proper occasions and want to edify themselves then and there through doctrine and prayer, it cannot and shall not be forbidden but shall not be considered mandatory from the Gospel to make public meetings just for prayer, but that one shall always “worship God in spirit and in truth,” which we seriously recommend to all our members.
Signed with their own hand on the second day of May, 1856.
Moses Gottschall
Henry G. Johnson
John H. Oberholtzer
Christian Klemmer
William N. Shelly
Bishops from the Pennsylvania District of the Mennonite Conference
Notation: If all beloved co-servants and members of our conference will gladly submit to this Episcopal Order, as is hoped, then love and peace will soon prevail again.
Preacher William N. Shelly, however, after thorough consideration has removed his name, through public protest, from the above Episcopal Decision.6
5 The following decision is a printed report affixed to the back page of the minute book.
6 This sentence is a hand-written addendum on the page to which the above Episcopal Decision is affixed.