87 CHURCH CONFERENCE: Who has the right to moderate, C. H. Cayce Is it lawful for any member of the Old Baptist Church to moderate a conference where they have no preacher
. . . . I have never seen any act except preachers and deacons [doing so].
The church has the right to select whom she pleases to serve as moderator during the sitting of the church in conference, just so they select an Old Baptist who is in order. The church has the right to select any of her own members to serve that she sees proper to select to serve as moderator during conference meeting. We never have heard this called in question. Suppose the church had no minister or deacon— would that deprive her of the right to hold conference? Most certainly not. If the deacon is staying at home to keep from serving the church in any capacity the church may see fit to ask of him, to the best of his ability, he is doing very wrong, in our humble judgment, and is laying himself liable to the censure of the church. But that does not deprive the church of her right to choose another brother and to go ahead with her conference. This is our humble opinion, and we do not believe any brother will dispute it. The Primitive Baptist, May 1, 1924.