Part of a series on United Methodism

John Wesley

Background Christianity · Protestantism Anglicanism · Methodism Evangelicalism · Pietism · Arminianism Reformed · Brethren · Mennonite The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination, and the second-largest Protestant one, in the United States. ... File links The following pages link to this file: Arminianism Methodism United Methodist Church George Whitefield John Wesley Francis Asbury Charles Wesley Pietism African Methodist Episcopal Church Thomas Coke (Methodist) Prevenient Grace Christian perfection Atonement (Governmental view) List of Methodist theologians Imparted righteousness World Methodist Council Template:Methodism Methodist Church... John Wesley (June 17, 1703 – March 2, 1791) was an 18th-century Anglican clergyman and Christian theologian who was an early leader in the Methodist movement. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The term Anglican (from Medieval Latin ecclesia anglicana, meaning the English Church) is used to describe the people, institutions and churches as well as the liturgical traditions and theological concepts developed by the state established Church of England, and developed in the Anglican Communion. ... For the Methodist school of ancient Greek medicine, see Methodism (history of medicine) Methodism or the Methodist movement is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to a broad collection of religious beliefs, practices, and traditions which are found among conservative Protestant Christians. ... Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late-17th century to the mid-18th century. ... For the Armenian nationality, see Armenia or the Armenian language. ... The Reformed churches are a group of Protestant denominations historically related by a similar Zwinglian or Calvinist system of doctrine but organizationally independent. ... The Brethren are any of several Christian denominations, most of which are Anabaptist-Pietist. ... The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after and influenced by the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons (1496-1561). ...

Doctrinal distinctives Articles of Religion Prevenient Grace Governmental Atonement Imparted righteousness Christian perfection The Articles of Religion are an official doctrinal statement of American Methodism. ... Prevenient grace is a Christian theological concept rooted in Augustinian theology[1] and embraced primarily by Arminian Christians who are influenced by the theology of John Wesley and who are part of the Methodist movement. ... The governmental view of the atonement (also known as the moral government theory) is a doctrine in Christian theology concerning the meaning and effect of the death of Jesus Christ and has been traditionally taught in Arminian circles that draw primarily from the works of Hugo Grotius, the governmental theory... Imputed righteousness, in Methodist theology, is that gracious gift of God given at the moment of the new birth which enables a Christian disciple to strive for holiness and sanctification. ... Christian Perfection is a Christian doctrine which maintains that after conversion but before death a Christians soul may be cleansed from the stain of original sin. ...

People Charles Wesley Francis Asbury Thomas Coke Jacob Albright Philip William Otterbein Martin Boehm Albert C. Outler Bishops · Theologians Charles Wesley (12 December 1707 - 29 March 1788) was a leader of the Methodist movement, the younger brother of John Wesley. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Right Reverend Thomas Coke, M.A., D.C.L. (9 September 1747-2 May 1814) is known as the Father of Methodist Missions. ... Jacob Albright (1759-1808) was an American Christian leader, founder of the Evangelical Association (later the Evangelical Church), born near Pottstown, PA. A German Lutheran in his heritage, he was converted in about 1790 to Methodism. ... Philip William Otterbein (1726 - 1813) was a German-American clergyman, who founded the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. ... Martin Boehm (November 30, 1725 – March 23, 1812) was an American clergyman and pastor. ... Albert Cook Outler (1908-1989) was a 20th century American Methodist theologian and philosopher. ...

Predecessor groups The Methodist Church Evangelical United Brethren Church Methodist Episcopal Church Methodist Episcopal Church, South Methodist Protestant Church Evangelical Association Church of the United Brethren in Christ The Methodist Church was the name adopted by the methodist denomination fformed by the reunion in 1939 of the northern and southern factions of the American Methodist Episcopal Church with the Methodist Protestant Church. ... The Evangelical United Brethren was an American Protestant church which was formed in 1946 by the merger of the Evangelical Association with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ (not to be confused with the current Church of the United Brethren in Christ, a denomination that split from the... The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784. ... The Methodist Episcopal Church, South was the so-called Southern Methodist Church resulting from the split in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference held in Louisville, Kentucky in 1845. ... The Methodist Protestant Church was officially formed in 1828 as a church that was Wesleyan in doctrine, but rejected the episcopacy. ... The Evangelical Church or Evangelical Association was founded by Jacob Albright, a German-speaking Christian influenced by John Wesley and the Methodist movement. ... The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is an evangelical Christian denomination based in Huntington, Indiana. ...

Related movements Holiness movement Salvation Army Personalism Pentecostalism The Holiness movement is composed of people who believe and propagate the belief that the carnal nature of man can be cleansed through faith and by the power of the Holy Spirit if one has had his sins forgiven through faith in Jesus. ... The Salvation Army is a Evangelist Christian denomination, a charity and a social services organization. ... Personalism is the school of thought that consists of three main principles: Only persons are real (in the ontological sense), Only persons have value, and Only persons have free will. ... The Pentecostal movement within Evangelical Christianity places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as shown in the Biblical account of the Day of Pentecost. ... This box: view • talk • edit

An Episcopal Area in the United Methodist Church is a basic unit of this denomination. It is a region presided over by a Resident Bishop similar to a diocese in other Christian denominations. Each Annual Conference in the U.M.C. is within a single Episcopal Area; some Episcopal Areas include more than one Annual Conference. Episcopal Areas are found in the U.S.A. as well as internationally. In some cases, such as the Western Jurisdiction of the U.S. as well as some places internationally, an Episcopal Area covers a very large territory (several U.S. States, or Countries, respectively). This article is about the current denomination africa. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... The United Methodist Annual Conference is the regional body that governs much of the life of the Connectional Church. ... The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist, the largest mainline, and, after the Southern Baptist Convention, the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... A territory (from the word terra, meaning land) is a defined area (including land and waters), usually considered to be a possession of an animal, person, organization, or institution. ... A U.S. state is any one of the 50 states which have membership of the federation known as the United States of America (USA or U.S.). The separate state governments and the U.S. federal government share sovereignty. ...

[edit] Beginnings

In the early histories of the denominations which formed the U.M.C., Bishops were elected at-large, not having specific "residential responsibilites," but expected to exercise episcopal supervision throughout the denomination (including internationally), traveling throughout the connection. Beginning with the General Conference of 1872, the Methodist Episcopal Church designated certain cities as proper locations for Episcopal Residences. The objective was to secure for each part of the Church more certain and constant episcopal supervision. Each Bishop was therefore assigned to one of these Residences by his colleagues. The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist, the largest mainline, and, after the Southern Baptist Convention, the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States. ... Bloc voting (or block voting) refers to a class of voting systems which can be used to elect several representatives from a single multimember constituency. ... The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784. ... A city is an urban area, differentiated from a town, village, or hamlet by size, population density, importance, or legal status. ...

The Methodist Episcopal Church, South began to observe a similar practice to that of the M.E. The Methodist Protestant Church (M.P.) had no Bishops until the eve of the 1939 reunion with the M.E. and M.E., S. Churches, when M.P. delegates elected two Bishops to serve in the new Methodist Church. The Evangelical Church and the Church of the United Brethren in Christ placed their Bishops over larger, multiple-State regions, primarily because of the lesser density of their respective congregations. The Methodist Episcopal Church, South was the so-called Southern Methodist Church resulting from the split in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference held in Louisville, Kentucky in 1845. ... The Methodist Protestant Church was officially formed in 1828 as a church that was Wesleyan in doctrine, but rejected the episcopacy. ... The Evangelical Church or Evangelical Association was founded by Jacob Albright, a German-speaking Christian influenced by John Wesley and the Methodist movement. ... The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is an evangelical Christian denomination based in Huntington, Indiana. ...

[edit] 1939 Methodist Reunion

With the merger of three Methodist denominations in 1939 to form The Methodist Church, Jurisdictions were established, in which Bishops were elected by Jurisdictional Conferences and assigned to Episcopal Areas within each Jurisdiction (to itinerate within thereafter). Methodist Bishops continued to serve as Episcopal Leaders of the entire denomination, but with specific residential and presidential duties to the Annual Conferences within their Areas. The Methodist Church was the name adopted by the methodist denomination fformed by the reunion in 1939 of the northern and southern factions of the American Methodist Episcopal Church with the Methodist Protestant Church. ...

The Jurisdictional system was a compromise with southern Methodists who did not want "Yankee Bishops" in charge of their conferences^{[citation needed]}. Another compromise in 1939 was the Central Jurisdiction, which provided for African-American Bishops to preside over African-American Annual Conferences scattered throughout the U.S. These conferences were not necessarily geographcally contiguous (as are the other five Jurisdictions). Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ...

[edit] 1968 Methodist-E.U.B. Merger

The Central Jurisdiction began to be dismantled in the 1960s, integrating African-American Bishops into the five geographical jurisdictions. By the 1968 merger of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, all Bishops were assigned to these Jurisdictions, and within them, each to one Episcopal Area. Integration may be any of the following: Usually integration is the construction of an object, a theory, etc. ... The Evangelical United Brethren was an American Protestant church which was formed in 1946 by the merger of the Evangelical Association with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ (not to be confused with the current Church of the United Brethren in Christ, a denomination that split from the...

[edit] Central Conferences

The other slight exception is the Central Conference system outside the U.S.A. These Conferences also elect their own Bishops, often limiting them to terms (though most also provide for subsequent lifetime election, as in the U.S.). Nevertheless, these Central Conference Bishops are also assigned to Episcopal Areas within each Central Conference. The Bishops therein elected also become members of The Council of Bishops of the U.M.C. Lifetime can refer to: Life expectancy, the length of time a person is alive One of the American media ventures owned by Lifetime Entertainment Services Lifetime (TV network), a cable television network Lifetime Movie Network, a cable movie network Lifetime (band), an American melodic hardcore punk band from New Jersey...

[edit] See also

• Conferences of the United Methodist Church
• Diocese

The following is a list of the Conferences of the United Methodist Church. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ...

[edit] Sources

• Cyclopaedia of Methodism, Matthew Simpson, D.D., LL.D., Ed., (Revised Edition.) Philadelphia, Louis H. Everts, 1880.[1]
• Books of Discipline (various years) of the Methodist Episcopal, Methodist, Evangelical United Brethren and United Methodist Churches.
• Norwood, Frederick A., The Story of American Methodism, Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1974.
• Norwood, Frederick A., Sourcebook of American Methodism, Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1982.