Introduction to

Methodism
Session One - the Beginnings
 Topics
’ How, when and why did Methodism begin?
’ Who were its principal founders and what
were their motivations?
’ How did the Methodist church in America
begin?
’ What is the genealogy of the UMC and
other than the UMC, what are the Methodist
churches today?
 Methodism’s beginnings
’Reform movement within C of E
’Principal founders:
’ John Wesley
’ Charles Whitefield (whit-field)
’ Charles Wesley
’“Holy Club” formed by C. Wesley &
others at Oxford; they were mocked
as “Methodists.”
 The English Context
Early 1700s

’General:
’ Was more like medieval England than
modern England
’ More than 50% of land was farmed
’ Little industry above cottage type
 Population & Cities
’ Population of 5M when Wesley was born,
7M when he died.
’ London largest at 500K, Bristol second at
50K
’ Land of hamlets and villages
’ Average life expectancy 35
’ Infant mortality 20%
’ One-third mortality before age 5
’ More than half of population <21 years old
 Society
’ Heavily class-ridden society, strict social hierarchy
’ This order considered divinely ordained
’ Principal classes:
’ Royalty
’ Nobility
’ Gentry
’ The “Middling Sort”
’ The Poor
’ The Abject Poor
’ Wesleys were of the upper middling sort
 Place of Women
’Restricted roles:
’ wives
’ mothers
’ housekeepers
’ domestic servants
’Married women had four functions:
’ obey husband
’ produce heirs
’ run household
’ be “ladylike”
 Politics and government
’Limited monarchy
’House of Lords
’House of Commons
’Two main parties:
’ Whigs
’ Tories
’Wesley leaned Tory
 Church of England

’26 dioceses, each with a bishop

’2 archdioceses: Canterbury and York.
’Monarch - head of Church of England.
’Parliament’s authority
’Bishops from nobility
’Clergy: 10K parishes in England.
 The Laity
’Very low church attendance
’1750 Manchester, pop. 50K - one
parish church.
’Marlyebone, pop. 40K - one church
seating 200.
’Church of England weak among the
people.
’No governing convocation called of
C of E between1717-1800.
Opposing views of Church

’High Church
’Low Church
’Wesley adhered mostly to high church
view until 1730s
 Principal founders &
motivations
’John and Charles Wesley
’ Oxford Holy Club
’ Savannah sojourn
’ Moravian influence
’ Aldersgate Chapel, May 24, 1738
’ Methodist societies
’Charles Whitefield ( Whit-field)
’ Best preacher of 1700s
’ Reversed Anglican teaching of conversion
’ Influential in First Great Awakening
 Methodism in America

’A “movement” at first
’Robert Strawbridge, 1760
’ Jacob Toogood
’Philip Embury, Barbara Heck, 1766
’First Methodist Societies
 Francis Asbury

’“Father of American Methodism”

’Never returned to England
’Pragmatic
 Revolutionary War

’Wesley did not support the colonies

’War’s end severed Anglican connection
’Ordination decision, 1784
 1784

’In September, Wesley ordained:

’ Thomas Coke - superintendent
’ Richard Whatcoat - deacon
’ Thomas Vesey - elder
’ Understanding they would ordain others.
’They arrived in America in the fall
The Christmas Conference
Founding of the Methodist Church in USA

’Convened Dec. 24, 1784

’Officially chartered the Methodist
Episcopal Church
’Several key actions taken
 EUB background

’Philip William Otterbein, Martin Boehm

’ 1800 organized the Church of the United
Brethren in Christ
’Jacob Albright
’ The Evangelical Association, 1803
’Merged 1946 to form EUB
’EUB merged with The Methodist
Church 1968 to form The UMC
 Genealogy of the UMC
’ 1799 - Richard Allen & The AME Church
’ 1830 - The Methodist Protestant Church
’ 1844 - The MEC, South
’ 1870 - the Colored Methodist Episcopal
Church
’ 1939 - The Methodist Church formed by
merger of:
’ MEC
’ MEC, South
’ MPC
’ 1840 - Southern Methodist Church
Questions