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The Methodist Church A Study of Denominations 1 Corinthians 14:33 (KJV 1900) - 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. The Methodist Church • Methodism began as a movement in eighteenth-century England, part of the larger Protestant evangelical revival that endeavored to bring spiritual renewal to the nation and the Church of England and to increase the effectiveness of the church's ministry. • The term "Methodist" was applied about 1729 to a small group of students at Oxford University who devoted themselves to a strict method of study and religious practice. The Methodist Church • While the members of this group referred to themselves as the Holy Club, other university students and leaders reproachfully labeled them Methodists. • The three principal figures in the origin and development of Methodism were members of the Holy Club: 1. John Wesley (1703–1791), an Anglican clergyman who became its leader 2. His younger brother Charles Wesley (1707–1788) 3. And George Whitefield (1714–1770). The Methodist Church • John Wesley was born in 1703 the fifteenth child of British clergyman Samuel Wesley. • He was educated in London at Oxford and ordained a deacon in the Church of England in 1725. • Wesley was ordained a priest in the Church of England in 1728. • As a tutor at Oxford in 1729, he joined his brother Charles and a group of earnest students who were dedicated to frequent attendance at Holy Communion, serious study of the Bible, and regular visitations to the filthy Oxford prisons. • The members of this group, which Wesley came to lead, were John Wesley known as Methodists because of their “methodical” devotion (1703 – 1791) to strict methods of study, diet, exercise, etc. The Methodist Church • In 1736 the Wesley's cam to North America to the colony of Georgia but was unsuccessful with work with native Indians and he returned to England in 1738. • In 1738 upon returning to London he attended a Moravian service in Aldersgate St., London. Here he heard Luther's preface to the book of Romans read. • Recounting the event he said he “felt” his “heart strangely warmed”; he continued, “I felt I did trust in Christ, 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 John Wesley death.” Charles Wesley had reported a similar experience a few (1703 – 1791) days previously. • With this experience, Wesley was ready to propagate the doctrine of "faith only." The Methodist Church • Some months later, George Whitefield, also an Anglican clergyman who had undergone a “conversion experience” invited his friend John Wesley to come to the city of Bristol to preach. • The starting date of the Methodist church is generally given as May 1, 1739 when Wesley and a group of his followers, meeting in a shop on West Street in London, formed the first Methodist society. • It is said that throughout his long career, Wesley had travelled over 250,000 miles and had preached 40,000 sermons across John Wesley the country (1703 – 1791) • Wesley had no intention of starting a new denomination, but they were protesting the formality, coldness, indifference and ungodliness in the Church of England. Methodism in the USA In 1784, Wesley appointed his aide, Thomas Coke, an Anglican clergyman, as superintendent of the Methodist organization in the United States empowering him to administer the sacraments. • The Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States had its beginning when the Christian Conference convened in Baltimore on December 24, 1784. • At this conference, the Book of discipline prepared by Wesley was adopted which cut the 39 Articles of the Episcopal Church down to 24 Articles then added one to cover the church rulers in the United States. • The Apostles' Creed, inherited by the Episcopal Church from the Catholic Church, was also brought into the Methodist form of worship. Methodist Doctrines In 1784, the Methodist Church adopted its discipline. • It was an abridgement of the Episcopalian Prayer Book. • In the 1908 edition, p. 3, this statement is made: "Dearly beloved brethren: it is our privilege and duty to recommend most earnestly this volume to you, which contains the doctrines and discipline of our Church, which we believe are agreeable to the Word of God, which is the only and the sufficient rule of faith and practice. Yet the Church, in the liberty given to it by the Lord, and taught by the experience of many years, and by the study of ancient and modern Churches, has from time to time modified its discipline in order to secure the end for which it was founded." • Then on page 4: "During the period in which this work has been extending, the Church has revised and enlarged its legislation to meet the demands created by its own success.” • Note: If the discipline and the New Testament taught the same, the discipline could not be modified (deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18-19; Gal. 1:8-9)! Methodist Doctrines In 1784, the Methodist Church adopted its discipline. • An illustration of the changes in the Methodist Discipline: 1. "Dearly beloved, forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin. (M.d., 1908, p. 349). 2. "Dearly beloved, forasmuch as all men are heirs of life eternal. " (M.d., 1948, p. 349). 3. Note: Up until 1910, babies were born in sin and would go to hell if they died that way. Since 1910, they are boor in Christ and will go to heaven. Babies began to be born differently in 1910, according to the Methodists discipline Methodist Doctrines In 1784, the Methodist Church adopted its discipline - Baptism 1. Three "modes," "Let every adult person, and the parents of every child to be baptized, have the choice of either sprinkling, pouring, or immersion" (M.D., 1908, p. 349). (Read Col. 2:12; Rom. 6:4; see the meaning of the word "baptism" in the Greek.) 2. Infant baptism. "It (the Methodist Church) baptizes them (babies) in anticipation of their joining the church" (The Beliefs of a Methodist Christian, by Clinton M. Cherry, p. 67). a. Not a single person was ever baptized in the New Testament who did not first believe, repent, and confess faith in Christ. (See every example of conversion in the book of Acts.) b. Actually, Methodists do not know why they baptize babies since they discarded Calvin's doctrine of inherited total depravity in 1910! c. Baptism is non-essential in Methodist doctrine. "No baptism is valid, regardless of its mode or the ritualistic words used, unless there is repentance, forgiveness, and a new life in God for the believer" (Ibid., p. 68). (See Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Gal. 3:27; 1 Pet. 3:21.) Methodist Doctrines In 1784, the Methodist Church adopted its discipline – Faith Only & Inst. Music • Salvation by faith only. 1. Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort" (M.d., 1908, Art. IX). 2. James says (2:24) that justification is "not by faith only.” • Instrumental music. 1. At the dedication of an organ in worship, the minister is to say, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we dedicate this organ to the praise of Almighty God" (M.d., 1948, p. 550). 2. "In the name of" means "by the authority of." Where in the Word of God does the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit authorize the organ (or any kind of musical instrument) in the worship of the New Testament church? 3. The New Testament teaching concerning "music" is in the following verses: Matt. 26:30; Mk. 14:26; Acts 16:25; Rom. 15:9; 1 Cor. 14:15; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; Heb. 2:12; Jas. 5:13. The United Methodist Church • On April 23, 1968, The United Methodist Church was created when Bishop Reuben H. Mueller, representing The Evangelical United Brethren Church, and Bishop Lloyd C. Wicke of The Methodist Church joined hands at the constituting General Conference in dallas, Texas. • When The United Methodist Church was created in 1968, it had approximately 11 million members, making it one of the largest Protestant churches in the world. • While worldwide membership in The United Methodist Church has grown since 1968, membership in Europe and the United States has declined, offset by significant growth in Africa and Asia. • Changes in worship style, the rise of the charismatic movement, the growth of non- denominationalism, and the emergence of megachurches have all challenged the church as it entered its third century. • Most trying, The United Methodist Church has had to negotiate cultural shifts with regard to gender and sexuality, especially in the United States and Europe. Conflicts over homosexuality, marriage, and abortion have continued uninterrupted nearly since the formation of the denomination. These debates have opened up large domestic, international, and ecumenical rifts over the church’s doctrine and discipline. The United Methodist Church • The United Methodist Church does not have a central headquarters or a single executive leader. • Duties are divided among bodies that include the General Conference, the Council of Bishops and the Judicial Council. • Each of these entities is required by our Constitution, a foundational document, to be part of our structure, and plays a significant role in the life of the church. Structure of Methodist Church (UMC) General Conference • The General Conference, the primary legislative body of The United Methodist Church, is the only body that speaks officially for the church. • Meeting once every four years to determine legislation affecting connectional matters, it is composed of no fewer than 600 and no more than 1,000 delegates.
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