¶ 228. In cases of alleged maladministration: § 1. A Minister or Preacher shall be answerable to his Conference on the charge of corrupt, neg. ligen, or partisan administration, but not for errors in judgment.

§ 2. Errors or defects in Judicial Proceedings shall be duly considered when presented on Appeal. But errors of Law made by a Presiding Elder, in cases of Appeal to a Quarterly Conference, are to be corrected on Appeal to the President of the next Annual Conference.

§ 3. Errors of Administration not connected with Judicial Proceedings may be presented to the Annual Conference, which may order just and suitable remedies when the rights of Members of the Church have been affected.

¶ 229. Should the Conference having jurisdiction in any of the foregoing cases judge it expedient to try the accused by a Select Number, it may appoint not less than nine nor more than fif、 teen of its Members for that purpose, the accused having the right to challenge for cause; which Select Number, in the presence of a Bishop, or of a Chairman whom the President of the Conference shall have appointed, and one or more of the Secretaries of the Conference, shall have full power to consider and determine the case according to the Rules which govern Annual Conferences in such proceedings; and they shall make a faithful report of all their doings to the Secretary of the Confer◄

ence in writing, and deliver up to him the bill of charges, the evidence taken, and the decision rendered, with all other documents brought into the trial. Or the Annual Conference may, when a case cannot be tried during the session for want of testimony, refer it to one of the Presiding Elders, who shall proceed as directed in ¶ 222, § 1.

¶ 230. In no case, of either an investigation or the trial of a Preacher, shall any person act as Counsel who is not a Member of an Annual Conference.

¶ 231. When a Traveling Preacher is accused of immorality and desires to withdraw from the Church, the Annual Conference may permit him to withdraw, in which case the record shall be, "withdrawn under complaints." If formal charges have been presented he may be permitted to withdraw; in which case the record shall be, "withdrawn under charges;" and if withdrawn under "complaints," or under charges of immorality," the relation to the Church of the Preacher thus withdrawn shall be the same as if expelled.

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Proceedings against Preachers on Trial.

¶ 232. A Preacher on Trial who may be accused of crime shall be accountable to the Quarterly Conference of the Circuit on which he travels, or to the District Conference within

whose bounds his Charge is embraced. The Presiding Eder shall call a Committee of three Local Preachers, which may suspend him; and the Quarterly or the District Conference may expel him; nevertheless, he shall have a right to an Appeal to the next Annual Conference.

The Trial of Local Preachers.

¶ 233. When a Local Elder, Deacon, or Preacher is reported to be guilty of some crime expressly forbidden in the word of God, suffi cient to exclude a person from the kingdom of grace and glory, the Preacher in Charge shall call a Committee, consisting of three or more Local Preachers, before which it shall be the duty of the accused to appear, and by which he shall be acquitted, or, if found guilty, suspended until the next District or Quarterly Conference. And the Preacher in Charge shall cause exact minutes of the charges, testimony, and examination, together with the decision of the Committee, to be laid before the District or Quarterly Conference, where it shall be the duty of the accused to appear. If the accused refuse or neglect to appear before said Committee he may be tried in his absence.

¶ 234, The President of the Conference shall, at the commencement of the trial, appoint a Secretary, who shall take down regular minutes of

the evidence of the trial; which minutes, when read and approved, shall be signed by the President, and also by the Members of the Conference who are present, or a majority of them.

¶ 235. In case of improper tempers, words, or actions, the Local Preacher so offending shall be admonished by the Preacher in Charge. Should a second transgression take place, one, two, or three Members of the Church are to be taken as witnesses. If he be not then cured he shall be tried at the next District or Quarterly Conference, and, if found guilty and impenitent, he shall be expelled from the Church.

¶ 236. When a Local Elder, Deacon, or Preacher disseminates, publicly or privately, doctrines which are contrary to our Articles of Religion or established Standards of Doctrine, let the same process be observed as is directed in T 224.

¶ 237. When a Local Elder, Deacon, or Preacher fails in business, or contracts debts which he is not able to pay, let the Preacher in Charge appoint three judicious Members of the Church to inspect the accounts, contracts, and circumstances of the supposed delinquent; and if, in their opinion, he has behaved dishonestly, or contracted debts without the probability of paying, let the case be disposed of according to ¶ 233.

¶ 238. When, in the judgment of the Presiding Elder, a fair and impartial trial cannot be had

in the Quarterly Conference where the accused holds his Membership, the Presiding Elder may refer the case to some other Quarterly Conference within the bounds of his District for trial.

Trial of an Accused Member.

I. FOR IMMORAL CONDUCT.

¶ 239. An accused Member shall be brought to trial before a Committee of not less than five, who shall not be Members of the Quarterly Conference, and, if the Preacher judge it necessary, he may select the Committee from any part of the District, in the presence of the Preacher in Charge, who shall preside in the trial, and cause exact minutes of the evidence and proceedings in the case to be taken. In the selection of the Committee the parties may challenge for cause.

¶ 240. If the accused person be found guilty by the decision of a majority of the Committee, and the crime be such as is expressly forbidden by the word of God, sufficient to exclude a person from the kingdom of grace and glory, let the Preacher in Charge expel him.

¶ 241. If the accused person, after sufficient notice given him, shall refuse or neglect to appear before the Committee, he may be tried in his absence, and if found guilty he shall be expelled.