Annual meeting of the Second Society

What we present here is the minutes from the annual meeting of the Congregational Second Society. As we have discussed previously on the Blog these congregations where quite democratic in nature. Given their democratic nature there was still an absolute acknowledgement of the need to have a Minister who was ordained to the Priesthood. Only such an ordained minster could administer the sacraments necessary for salvation. Having said this its interesting to note that congregations often dismissed ministers that they were not satisfied with. In these congregations the Deacons where recognized as first among equals. It was the Deacons who managed the overall affairs of the Society. A key duty was to hire and provide support to the minister. The ministers where left to concerned themselves with the saving of souls. Most of the Deacons, much like our current judges, assumed a lifetime role. In the minutes for the year 1802 Abraham Pierson, who was one of the Deacons, was chosen as moderator of the annual meeting. It is Abraham Pierson’s private journal that we have referenced numerous times on the Blog. The first order of business was to elect a standing committee for the coming year. The next order of business was to settle the salary for the minister, in this case, $400.00 dollars. In addition to his salary the congregation usually provided firewood and other items to support the minister. These tasks were organized by the standing committee throughout the year. The next item of business in this meeting was to appoint choristers for the coming year. This is a strong hint of the role of music in the Society. The last item of business was a committee to managing the seating arraignments in the Chapel. The family pew was a hallmark of early American churches. Remember at this point in time men and women were usually not seated together. Click on image to enlarge.