The Methodist Church began as a reformation of the Church of England. The Methodist movement started with a collection of men, including John Wesley and his younger brother Charles, as an act of reform within the Church of England in the 18th century. The group met weekly and methodically set about living a holy life. They preferred to receive Communion every week, abstain from most forms of amusement and luxury and commonly visit the sick and the poor. The fellowship was stigmatized as "Methodist" by their fellow classmates because of the way they used "rule" and "method" to determine their religious convictions.
John, who was the leader of the club, took the attempted mockery and turned it into a title of honor. Initially, the Methodists simply sought reform within the Church of England. As Methodist congregations multiplied, and elements of a distinct theology were adopted, the rift between John Wesley and the Church of England steadily expanded. In , Wesley responded to the lack of priests in the colonies due to the American Revolutionary War by anointing preachers with authority to administer the sacraments.
This was a significant reason for Methodism 's eventual split from the Church of England after Wesley's death. This separation created a distinct group of church denominations. With regard to the occurrence of Methodism within Christianity, John Wesley once noted that "what God had achieved in the development of Methodism was no mere human endeavor but the work of God.
As such it would be preserved by God so long as history remained. Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London. Some of the most well-known hymn writers in Christianity were Methodists.
Most notable was Charles Wesley wrote penned over 6, hymns in his lifetime. Many of his hymns are translated into other languages and form the foundation for Methodist hymnals.
Wesley's hymns are famous for interpretations of Scripture. As a result of his renowned hymnody, the Gospel Music Association acknowledged his musical contributions to the realm of gospel music in by including his name in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. With nearly 12 million members in 42, congregations worldwide, the United Methodist Church is the largest American mainline Methodist Church. Photo from Central United Methodist Church. When Wesley passed away in , the movement he helped start had grown to 72, members in the British Isles and 60, in America.
Methodism continued to grow as today, across the multiple Methodist denominations, there are nearly 40 million members worldwide. Photo credit: Sparrowstock. Numerous times, Wesley engaged in heated theological disputes with another renowned preacher named George Whitefield. In these, we may think and let think; we may 'agree to disagree. There are Methodist Churches in nearly every country in the world and global membership numbers some 70 million people.
The Methodist Church is traditionally known as non-conformist because it does not conform to the rules and authority of the established Church of England. Methodism has its roots in eighteenth century Anglicanism. Its founder was a Church of England minister, John Wesley , who sought to challenge the religious assumptions of the day. During a period of time in Oxford, he and others met regularly for Bible study and prayer , to receive communion and do acts of charity.
They became known as 'The Holy Club' or 'Methodists' because of the methodical way in which they carried out their Christian faith. John Wesley later used the term Methodist himself to mean the methodical pursuit of biblical holiness.
In John Wesley had a profound spiritual experience. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins. Robert Colls, Professor of English History at the University of Leicester explores Methodism's belief in personal salvation: an instant change in human behaviour through intense faith. In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions.
In Bristol in he began preaching to crowds of working class men and women in the outdoors. This 'field preaching' became a key feature of the Revival, when thousands came to hear Wesley preach up and down the country.
He formed local societies of those converted and encouraged them to meet in smaller groups on a weekly basis. He insisted, though, that they attend their local parish church as well as the Methodist meetings. Every year, by horse or carriage, Wesley travelled the country visiting the societies and preaching. Preaching radical ideas took great courage in those days. Wesley and his followers were denounced in print and from pulpits, his meetings were disrupted and he was even physically attacked and threatened with death.
John Wesley always declared that his movement should remain within the Anglican Church but the Church of England was keen to distance itself from him and his followers.
He declared "I live and die a member of the Church of England". However, in he set up a structure, the Yearly Conference of the People called Methodists, to ensure the continuation of the Methodist movement after his death. In the end, the strength and impact of Methodism made a separate Methodist Church inevitable. In , four years after Wesley's death, Methodists in Britain became legally able to conduct marriages and perform the sacraments.
The new church wasn't without its internal schisms. In the Methodist lay-preacher, Hugh Bourne, was expelled from the movement. He and his followers became known as Primitive Methodists. They differed from Wesleyan Methodists in several regards, including the encouragement of woman evangelists. Both Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist communities grew rapidly during the 19th century.
It was from among the Primitives that many Trade Union leaders emerged towards the end of the century. Another major Methodist branch was the United Methodist Church, which itself was formed from earlier mergers of smaller Methodist groupings. The Methodist Church in Britain is divided into circuits, made up of local churches in a defined area.
A Superintendent Minister the senior minister appointed to provide pastoral leadership to a circuit. A number of circuits make up a district. There are 33 districts in Britain. Each District has a Chair in some regards like a Bishop in the Anglican Church whose job is to lead the ministers and lay people in the work of preaching and worship, evangelism, pastoral care, teaching and administration.
Each district has a District Synod which decides policy for that district, within the parameters laid down by the annual Conference see below. Individuals can relate to the Methodist Church in many ways, as they explore the Christian faith and their responses to it.
The most intensive form of commitment is membership of the Methodist Church. This involves a period of training and affirmation by the local church council that the individual sincerely accepts the basis of membership of the Methodist Church.
A service of confirmation and reception into membership is held. If the individual isn't baptised, the service includes baptism.
Each local church has a Church Council, which together with the minister is responsible for coordinating and leading the work or ministry of the church. However, the Methodist church describes itself as having a connexional structure. This means the whole denomination acts and makes decisions together. A local church is never independent of the rest of 'The Methodist Connexion'.
The Conference is presided over by the President of Conference, a Methodist Minister, supported by a Vice President who can be a lay person or deacon. Both of these appointments are made annually. The worldwide umbrella organisation for all Methodist Churches is the World Methodist Council, set up in The World Methodist Conference meets every five years in different locations around the world. Methodists stand within the Protestant tradition of the worldwide Christian Church.
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