A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

202 HISTORY OF THE MENNON1TE BRETHREN CHURCH California. The other California churches may join either the Southern or the Central district. The Central District Conference — Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota. South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Oregon. The Northern District Conference — Canada and Rosehill, North Dakota. Manitoba and Rosehill. North Dakota, may join either the Northern or the Central district. (b) That the district conferences are to deal with home missions and other local matters, and the General M.B. Conference with (foreign missions, publication, education, and) all endeavors of the General Conference. •" The brethren did not anticipate at the time that during the next few years there would be a major shift of the Mennonite Brethren population from the Midwest to the Pacific Coast and a realignment of churches in the North. In 1913 the congregations on the West Coast organized as the Pacific District Conference, and Manitoba, which had earlier joined the Central District, asked for admission into the Northern District Conference the same year." After several years of experimentation and adjustment, the four district conferences were organized as follows: The Southern District was composed of the churches in Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Texas. The Central District included churches in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Michigan, and Montana. The Pacific District was composed of the congregations in California, Oregon, and Washington. The Northern District (later named the Canadian Conference) included all churches in Canada. Since there were three district conferences in the United States, and only one in Canada, it was natural that representation on General Conference boards was often on a three to one ratio. This ratio was maintained (more the result of tradition than deliberate policy, to be sure) even after the Northern District membership equalled that of the other three districts combined. 30 Conference Activities The period from 1909 to 1924 is marked by a continued expansion of activities on the part of the General Conference as well as that of the several district conferences. The General Conference, meeting every three years, experienced an increase in representation from the churches. Whereas at the 1909 convention thirty-seven churches had been represented by 115 delegates, there were 162 delegates present in 1912, representing forty-five churches. Since the conference now convened only once in three years, more responsibility had to be delegated to boards and committees. Administrative details no longer came up for discussion on the conference floor, but were decided at board level. The relationship between the General Conference and the district confer- ences appears to have been cordial and without any serious friction. This period is also marked by the emergence of a new leadership. The "old stalwarts," who had served the conference fa