Imagine you are living in the United States in 1899. William McKinley is in the White House. It’s a time of rapid expansion in population, geography, industry, and diversity, which present opportunities but aggravate tensions. Spurred by mechanization, the mass production of goods continues to change the lives of American workers—not always for the better. In cities around the nation, violence erupts in conflicts between police and federal troops and workers striking for improved conditions. Increasing numbers of immigrants arrive seeking refuge and opportunity.

This issue guide is focused on a decision taking place in the spring of 1908. The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church is convening its 25th session in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 6. Modeled after the United States Congress, the General Conference is responsible for ecclesiastical policymaking. Its decisions become part of the official church doctrines and discipline for the denomination’s thousands of connected congregations.