The Pastor Who Traded His Pulpit
Dr. T.W. Butler, a prominent Seattle minister, prepares to abandon Methodism for a new life in the Congregational Church.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The fact that Rev. Dr. T. W. Butler, Ph.D., at present pastor of Grace M. E. church, intends shortly to withdraw not only from his present charge, but from the Methodist Episcopal church, is no doubt news to his own congregation. Dr. Butler does not deny that he intends to go into the Congregational church in course of time. That Dr. Butler is dissatisfied with the Methodist church and its rules has been no secret to his friends. It is now stated on good authority that Dr. Butler has been asked to take charge of the First Congregational church in Everett, and that he has accepted the call. Dr. Butler stated, 'I have nothing to say for publication as yet about the matter. It is true that the offer you speak of has been made me. I have said nothing about it to my congregation.' Dr. Butler is one of the brightest men in his denomination on the Coast and has had splendid success in every charge ever given him.
“Dr. Butler's whole manner during the interview was one of not very emphatic denial, and in fact he practically admitted the truth of the report.”
This reflects the volatile nature of church leadership and denominational loyalty in 1890s Seattle, where pastors were often the most influential civic figures in a rapidly growing, restless city. The professional migration of clergy between pulpits remains a constant, though today it is less a public scandal and more a matter of administrative restructuring.
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