Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe Volume 3 Issue 8 Article 4 12-1983 The Methodist Church in the German Democratic Republic Bill Yoder Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Eastern European Studies Commons Recommended Citation Yoder, Bill (1983) "The Methodist Church in the German Democratic Republic," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 3 : Iss. 8 , Article 4. Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol3/iss8/4 This Article, Exploration, or Report is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. THE METHODIST CHURCH IN THE GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC by Bill Yoder Bill Yoder (Mennonite) is a previous contribu tor to OPREE. As a resident of West Berlin, a long-time observer of the GDR , and a free lance journalist , Yoder provides· valuable insight into the life of the churches in the GDR and other Eastern European countries. This article was written without any official sanction of the Methodist Church in the GDR. The history of Methodism in Germany actually began in 1738 on the occasion of John Wesley's journey to Herrnhut to meet Count Zinzendorf, the founder of the Moravian Brethren. Three years previously , Wesley had been deeply impressed by the fearlessness and piety of fellow Moravian shipmates during a stormy crossing of the North Atlantic.