What does it mean to be a United Methodist Church?

Our roots go back to John Wesley and his philosophy of going to the people where they were and meeting their needs.

We come from a very long line of people, including the Jews, who worship the one true God. Jesus was a Jew; the disciples and many of the men and women in the early church were also Jews. As with Methodists, people began making fun of the followers of Jesus, calling them "Christians" (which meant owned by Christ).

The largest group of Christians called themselves Catholic (the word catholic means universal). But over time, the church became less effective. Some key people, like Martin Luther and John Calvin, began to protest some of the policies and called themselves "Protestants".

In England, the king decided he could create his own brand of Protestant Church, not because of his love for God, but because he wanted to do what he wanted to do. But eventually, the Church of England also needed to be "Reformed".

That's when John Wesley, a clergyman in the Church of England started speaking up. Others followed. In time, the "Methodist Episcopal Church" came to be.

For John Wesley, feeling sure of God's love and learning how to be a faithful disciple were a lifelong process. As a student at Oxford University in England, he developed habits of disciplined living that earned him and his friends the nickname Methodists. He became a pastor in the Church of England, then came to the new colony of Georgia in 1735 as a missionary to Native Americans. A year and a half later he sailed back to England, a discouraged young man who knew that he lacked a living faith.

In May 1738, at a prayer meeting on Aldersgate Street in London, Wesley experienced God's love in a new way. He said he felt his heart "strangely warmed." He discovered that faith is both a knowledge of God that we learn and a love of God that we feel. He started preaching about faith, and thousands responded to his message.

Much of early Methodist preaching was through music. Charles Wesley, John's brother, wrote thousands of hymns that used familiar tunes to express Methodist beliefs.

 

Methodism Moves to America...

In 1760, the first Methodist preachers came to the colonies: Robert Strawbridge to Maryland, Philip Embury to New York.

In 1771, young Francis Asbury came and became superintendent for America and later our first Bishop.

Methodism Becomes a Church...

In 1784, the Methodist Episcopal Church was founded by 60 Methodist preachers in Baltimore.

Called the Christmas Conference

Methodism Becomes an American Movement...

Circuit riders brought about rapid growth on the frontier because of their mobility, informality, and emphasis on personal religious experience.

German Methodism developed under the United Brethren Church and the Evangelical Church.

Methodism gradually became the largest Protestant movement in America and

Organized hundreds of colleges, hospitals, and other institutions

Sent thousands of missionaries around the world

Splintered into various new denominations over theological, racial, and government issues

Reunited into the United Methodist Church in 1968

 

Why did people respond to the Wesley's?

They had good news: God's love and forgiveness is available to everyone.

They took the message of God's love to the people. They proclaimed the good news in prisons, coal mines, farmer's fields, and city streets.

They didn't just preach, they brought hope for the body. They organized hospitals, orphanages, and schools. They fought against alcohol, the slave trade, and injustice in the factories.

 

Hit Counter