The Shepherd the Sheep Wouldn't Follow
A congregation in Kettle Falls stages a revolt against a minister imposed upon them by the Presbyterian missionary board, leading to a schism in the small town's religious life.
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.
A warm church warfare has been waged in Kettle Falls for the last two months. One side of the quarrel consists of the minister, J. J. McMillan, backed by the presbytery, and the other side consists of the inhabitants of Kettle Falls, almost to a man. Mr. McMillan was sent by the missionary board who pay part of his salary. After some time the members of the church decided he was not the man for the place. McMillan refused to resign and informed his flock that the presbytery would support him whether the people want him or not. He assumed the role of a dictator, and it is reported he boasted he would break up the local academy. The outcome of the whole matter will probably be the withdrawal of the entire church from the Presbyterian Society.
“The presbytery do not accept his resignation and will support him here, whether the people want him or not.”
This story highlights the historic friction between centralized religious hierarchies and the desire for local, community-based self-governance—a dynamic that still defines many institutional conflicts in regional Washington.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.