About Us - History
The History of the United Methodist Church:
John Wesley, born in 1703 in Epworth, England, was the founder and guiding force of Methodism.
In the 1740s, Methodism began as a renewal movement within the Church of England, not as a separate sect. John Wesley did not set out to form a new church. He always maintained that Methodists were part of the Anglican Church, and encouraged his followers to take part in Anglican services and sacraments whenever possible.
In the 1760s, Methodism began in America as a lay movement in New York, Maryland, Philadelphia, and Virginia.
On Christmas Eve of 1784, 60 American Methodist preachers met in Baltimore, Maryland to form the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Division in the Methodist Episcopal Church occurred in the 1800s: a number of churches withdrew from the main body of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Conflicts resulted from disagreements about such issues as Church authority and slavery, rather than differences about doctrine.
The 1900s saw many of these breaches healed, and in 1968 the Methodist Church joined with the Evangelical United Brethren to form the United Methodist Church.
The United Methodist Church continues in dialogue with other Protestant denominations about the possibility of future mergers.
A Methodist "society" was formed in Rutherfordton in 1796 following a visit by Bishop Francis Asbury. This group established what would become First United Methodist Church in 1825.
John Wesley, born in 1703 in Epworth, England, was the founder and guiding force of Methodism.
In the 1740s, Methodism began as a renewal movement within the Church of England, not as a separate sect. John Wesley did not set out to form a new church. He always maintained that Methodists were part of the Anglican Church, and encouraged his followers to take part in Anglican services and sacraments whenever possible.
In the 1760s, Methodism began in America as a lay movement in New York, Maryland, Philadelphia, and Virginia.
On Christmas Eve of 1784, 60 American Methodist preachers met in Baltimore, Maryland to form the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Division in the Methodist Episcopal Church occurred in the 1800s: a number of churches withdrew from the main body of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Conflicts resulted from disagreements about such issues as Church authority and slavery, rather than differences about doctrine.
The 1900s saw many of these breaches healed, and in 1968 the Methodist Church joined with the Evangelical United Brethren to form the United Methodist Church.
The United Methodist Church continues in dialogue with other Protestant denominations about the possibility of future mergers.
A Methodist "society" was formed in Rutherfordton in 1796 following a visit by Bishop Francis Asbury. This group established what would become First United Methodist Church in 1825.