I'm a Christian - Chapter 5

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Chapter 5 Methodist History

Methodism began in a quiet way with a group of young students in Oxford, among them William Morgan, John and Charles Wesley. As a group they would study the bible diligently and formed a group that held each other accountable. Their fellow students called them “the Methodical People” and the name stuck. They would become the first Methodist. At that time, none of the group wanted to start a new denomination, rather, that they like Martin Luther to the Roman Catholic Church would re-ignite the Episcopal Church in evangelism to the poor and the people of the streets. So often we understand that John Wesley led these early students. But in truth it was William Morgan. He would die, most likely from pneumonia at an early age and at that moment John stepped into to fill his role as leader of this early group. John traveled to Georgia in 1736 on mission to the American Indians there and failed. On his return he met a group of Armenians and was impressed by their faith in the midst of a storm at sea. He returned to England and there at Aldersgate on May 24^th, 1738 he writes in his journal, "In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans.  About a quarter before nine, while the leader was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” And so it began that a movement to reclaim Grace and Passion and Evangelistic fire starts with a strange warming of the heart. Organized Methodism in England has been credited with saving England from a revolution and is held as partially responsible for the eradication of slavery.

In America, the Methodist movement was spreading throughout the colonies and beyond. Something important happened that changed everything. While England was in the midst of a great revival, America was in the midst of the revolutionary war. And after it ended, successfully for America I might add things English were viewed with distaste and distrust. And so the power of the Episcopal Church ebbed. But the Methodist movement continued to grow and thrive. Early leaders of the movement in America were Robert Strawbridge, Philip Embury, Richard Boardman, Joseph Pilmore and then Francis Asbury, the latter sent by John Wesley in 1771. Our first Annual Conference was held in 1773 in Philadelphia and the folks agreed to bring the sacraments to the people. Then in 1784, what became known as the Christmas Conference took place in Baltimore. Just prior to this John Wesley had sent over Thomas Coke to assist Asbury in the movement. But at this conference Coke and Asbury (from which came the name Cokesbury) declared themselves Bishops and the movement became “The Methodist Episcopal Church in America.” As a denomination we were born. Meanwhile, the Church of the United Brethren in Christ was formed by Philip Otterbein with German speaking people who were nurtured under the Methodist teaching. About the same time, Jacob Albright founded the Evangelical Association.

As the country grew, so too did the early Methodist church. Early preachers were called “Circuit Riders” because they would meet once a quarter, get a new coat, a new horse, share stories and discuss their faith, and then set out to serve the roughly 120 churches on the Circuit. Over the decades the church has split, united, spun off a number of new denominations and continues to this day to be a vital part of the American religious experience. Listed below are some of the important dates and information about the church as we know it from our history.

·         1784 – Becomes Methodist Episcopal Church of America

·         1800 – Church of the United Brethren in Christ is formed

·         1803 – Evangelical Association is formed

·         1816 – African Methodist Episcopal Church is formed

·         1821 – African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is formed

·         1830 – Methodist church splits and forms Methodist Protestant Church

·         1845 – Methodist church splits again and forms Methodist Episcopal Church South over issue of Slavery

·         1939 – Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Protestant Church and Methodist Episcopal Church South united to form Methodist Church       

·         1946 – Evangelical Church and United Brethren Church unite and form Evangelical United Brethren Church

·         1968 – Methodist Church and Evangelical United Brethren Church unite to become United Methodist Church

Some of the significant events in the life of our church:

·         African Americans were ordained in the church in 1784

·         Churches were centered around Sunday Schools that taught between Pastoral visits which were about every three months. At that time baptisms, communion and often marriages were done by the Circuit Rider.

·         Methodist Protestant Church gave laity equal representation at Conference – 1830

·         United Brethren ordained woman 1889

The Virginia United Methodist Conference

The Virginia Conference, one of the oldest conferences of the United Methodist church, traces its beginnings back to 1772, when 800 preachers met in Leesburg, Virginia at the site of the “Old Stone Church”, built in 1766.  There are records of an early Methodist Class in Hanover, Virginia as early as 1748.  Appointments to the Virginia Circuit are listed in the conference records of 1773, where Virginia is recorded as having 100 members.  In 1775, Francis Asbury received appointment to the Virginia Circuit and would spend the next 10 years growing the membership.  By 1780, established churches of the Church of England were either no longer operating in Virginia, or in financial trouble.  Methodism would take advantage of this both in membership and use of the facilities left behind.    The first recognized official Virginia conference was organized in May of 1785, under the direction of conference president, Francis Asbury.  The first official conference would take place at Mason’s Chapel in Brunswick County where it would be recorded there were 14 circuits in southern Virginia and North Carolina.

Significant events in the history of the conference are:

• First conference on Virginia soil – Leesburg Conference 1772
• Fluvanna Conference – 28 April 1779 to discuss dissenting view on sacraments
• Conference officially organized, Francis Asbury Bishop, May 1785
• William Watters, resident of Norfolk, appointed as preacher, first American born Methodist Minister
• The first division of American Methodism occurred in 1792 when James O’ Kelley would split the church over political and appointment issues.  The new church, Christian Church would eventually combine with the New England Congregational Church to form the Church of Christ in 1950.
• The first General conference of the Virginia Episcopal Church, South took place on May 1, 1846
• Just recently the Conference reduced from 18 districts to 16 under the leadership of Bishop Charlene Kammerer.

Questions:

1.    How does the history of our church help you understand the differences, similarities in denominations throughout the world?

2.    Was John Wesley right in his ordination of the early Preachers he sent to America?

3.    How do you feel church splits remind us of current events in society and the world?

4.    What do you feel is the future of the United Methodist church?