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History of the United Methodist Church The practices and policies of today’s United Methodist Church trace their origins to England in 1739 and John Wesley’s beliefs that God’s grace is available “free in all, and free to all” through Jesus Christ. In England, Wesley took his message of God’s grace to a company of miners, preaching his first sermon in a field. Considered controversial because Wesley’s message was preached outdoors and away from the sanctuaries of the Anglican Church, these open-air services nevertheless drew hundreds of people looking for hope, forgiveness and purpose in their lives, prompting Wesley to preach in any surrounding where a group of listeners could be assembled. Wesley’s following became the first widely successful evangelical movement in the United Kingdom before spreading to other parts of the English-speaking world and beyond. Wesley assembled small groups for accountability and religious instruction – a practice that continues in the Wesley Covenant Groups of University Park United Methodist Church. Methodists under Wesley's direction became leaders in many social justice issues of the day including prison reform and abolition movements. Wesley’s theological hallmark was his promotion of "Christian perfection," or holiness of heart and life. Wesley insisted that in this life, a Christian could reach a state where the love of God, or perfect love, reigned supreme in one's heart. His evangelical theology, especially his understanding of Christian perfection, was firmly grounded in his sacramental theology. He continually insisted on the general use of the means of grace (prayer, Scripture meditation, and Holy Communion, etc.) as the means by which God transformed the believer. After the American Revolution, Wesley appointed Dr. Thomas Coke as head of Methodism in America. From the time of the Revolution until the beginning of the Civil War, the Methodist movement was the most rapidly growing movement of its kind. In the early 20th century, American Methodism continued its rise. Later, in 1968, American Methodists and the Evangelical United Brethren combined into what has become the second largest Protestant denomination in America – The United Methodist Church. |
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