Christian missions in the Telugu country - Uecf.net

CHURCH ORGANISATION 175
possible a united policy and a fairly uniform organisa-
tion. Before it came into existence each district
was a separate entity, and each missionary developed
his work on his own lines. This state of things might
give full play to individuality, but it involved loss of
the help which mutual experience was able to provide
for the missionaries. Under the present scheme,
without loss of the best kind of freedom, all the districts
abide by certain rules mutually agreed upon. This
applies particularly to the system under which the agents,
trained in the central institution at Nandyal, are selected
to work in the several districts. No district takes an
unfair advantage of another in securing men for itself,
and the same policy applies to questions of discipline and
to the whole method of procedure in the receiving of
converts and the building up of the Church. The result
is absence of friction, mutual support, and increased
strength.
It may interest our readers to give some account of Settlethe
means provided in the S.P.G. Mission for the settle-
^^'i* °*
ment of disputes between Christians and the trial of
charges brought by one Christian against another
which, it need hardly be said, are as far as possible kept
out of the ordinary courts. The Mission provides two
kinds of tribunals.
The lower court is called a panchayat, a word which
means, properly (as before explained), a body of five.
In our Mission the panchayat is not a permanent body,
but is appointed for each case. The president of the
court is the pastor or catechist. Of the remaining four
members, one is appointed by the missionary, one by