Methodism Today
Today, the Methodist Church is one of the largest Christian Churches serving Great Britain, with nearly 265,000 members and regular contact with over 800,000 people. It has about 5,800 churches in Great Britain and also maintains links with other Methodist Churches, totalling a worldwide membership of 70 million. Its activities, both alone and with ecumenical and secular partners, are based on four aims known as Our Calling:
To increase awareness of God’s presence and to Celebrate God's love
To help people to grow and learn as Christians through mutual support and care.
To be a good neighbour to people in need and to challenge injustice.
To make more followers of Jesus Christ.
Methodist faith and worship
Methodists have always believed that no one is beyond the reach of God’s love. Salvation is there for everyone who turns to God, and not just for a chosen few. It is a strong feature of Methodism that lay people (those who aren’t ordained) should play a major part in the running of the Church. Methodists believe in what John Wesley called ‘social holiness’. The longing for holiness is not about wanting to be ‘holier than thou’. It is about wanting the love of God to permeate all of our lives, and for that love to be shown through our lives to other people. Methodism has always placed great emphasis on social concern. Following John Wesley's fierce opposition to slavery, Methodists have devoted much energy to the elimination of social evils.
A recent survey of Methodist congregations revealed that; (from those who responded)three out of four individuals held some sort of church role. Worship each week is not always led by an ordained minister, but often by a local preacher - a lay person who has been trained and authorised to lead worship. At all levels of the Methodist Church, lay people are involved in decision making, and the vice-president of the Conference is always a lay person.
John Wesley - History
The Methodist movement traces its origin to the evangelical awakening in 18th century Great Britain. Methodism followed from the work of John Wesley, who was an Anglican clergyman.
 | John Wesley (1703–1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical) Arminian Methodist movement. |
The Methodist revival originated in Epworth, North Lincolnshire, England. It began with a group of men, including John Wesley and his younger brother Charles, (sons of an Anglican parson) as a movement within the Church of England in the 18th century. The movement focused on Bible study and a methodical approach to scriptures and Christian living. The term "Methodism" was initially a pejorative term given to a small society of students at Oxford University, the "Holy Club", who met together between 1729 and 1735 for the purpose of mutual improvement. They were accustomed to receiving communion every week, fasting regularly, and abstaining from most forms of amusement and luxury. They also frequently visited the sick and the poor, as well as prisoners.
The early Methodists acted against perceived apathy in the Church of England, became open-air preachers and established Methodist societies wherever they went. These societies were made up of individual classes - intimate groups where individuals were encouraged to confess their sins to one another and to build each other up. They also took part in love feasts which allowed for the sharing of testimony, a key feature of early Methodists.
Methodist preachers were notorious for their enthusiastic sermons and often accused of fanaticism. In those days, many members of the established (Anglican) church feared that new doctrines promulgated by the Methodists, such as the necessity of a New Birth for salvation, of Justification by Faith, and of the constant and sustained action of the Holy Spirit upon the believer's soul, would produce ill effects upon weak minds. Theophilus Evans, an early critic of the movement, even wrote that it was "the natural tendency of their behaviour, in voice and Gesture and horrid Expressions, to make People mad." In one of his prints, William Hogarth likewise attacked Methodists as "enthusiasts" full of "Credulity, Superstition and Fanaticism." But the Methodists resisted the many attacks against their movement.
John Wesley came under the influence of the Moravians and Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius, while Whitefield adopted Calvinistic views. Consequently, their followers separated, those of Whitefield becoming Calvinistic Methodists. Wesleyan Methodists have followed Arminian
| 'I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, in 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 death.' |  John Wesley writes about his 'Aldersgate' experience on May 24 1738 |
Although "Methodism" in Great Britain today is commonly taken as "Wesleyan Methodism", there were various Methodist denominations, until the final Deed of Union which, on 20th September 1932, brought together the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the Primitive Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church, to form the denomination formally known today as the Methodist Church of Great Britain. Wesley sought to keep Methodism as a revival movement within the Church of England, and a significant number of Anglican clergy were known as Methodists. However the movement developed as a separate denomination after John Wesley's death.
| And can it be - Words By Charles Wesley - A firm favourite with Methodist congregations 'My chains fell off, my heart was free. I rose went forth and follwed thee' |
Methodism in both forms was a very successful evangelical movement in the United Kingdom. Wesley was a brilliant organiser and formed societies throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. He divided his religious societies further into classes and bands for intensive accountability and religious instruction. His great contribution was to appoint itinerate (unordained) preachers who travelled widely to evangelise and care for societies. Through vigorous missionary activity Methodism spread throughout the British Empire, the United States, and beyond to Asia (Singapore, South Korea and many others. .
Methodists, under Wesley's direction, became leaders in many social justice issues of the day including prison reform and abolitionism movements.
John Wesley - 'Thoughts against Slavery' 1774
Wesley's contribution as a theologian was to propose a system of opposing theological stances. His greatest theological achievement was his promotion of what he termed "Christian Perfection," or holiness of heart and life. Wesley insisted that in this life, the Christian could come to 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, Holy Communion, etc.) as the means by which God transformed the believer.
Throughout his life, Wesley remained within the Church of England. His maverick use of church policy put him at odds with many within the Church of England, though toward the end of his life he was widely respected. He was banned from preaching in Anglican churches but remained an Anglican all his life and insisted that his movement was well within the bounds of the Anglican Church. During his lifetime Methodism was a 'movement', not a separate church. In his lifetime he is said to have preached over 40,000 sermons.
| John Wesley preaching on his father’s tomb Epworth churchyard Image: via Wesley Online Center |  |
Despite an increasing level of income, he always lived on £28 a year, and gave the rest away. It is estimated that during his life he gave away £30,000. He travelled about 5,000 miles a year, mostly on horseback. He preached in streets and fields to anyone who would listen, but mostly to ordinary, humble working people, avoiding the rich. He believed that God loves every man, woman and child, and wants them to be good.
One of our Church members has in his possession a genuine letter from John to one of his ancestors who lived locally. The letter has been exhibited at national exhibitions in London.
In the 1960s, the Methodist Church of Great Britain made ecumenical overtures to the Church of England, aimed at church unity. Formally, these failed when they were rejected by the Church of England's General Synod in 1972. However, conversations and co-operation continued, leading on 1 November 2003 to the signing of a covenant between the two churches in the presence of HM the Queen. The Covenant puts the two Churches on a path of ever deepening relationships and mutual trust and co-operation on the road to a richer unity involving all who call themselves Christ's disciples.
What methodism Isn't
Against gambling Methodist people in their quest for Social Justice have in the past campaigned that people should not spend money gambling ~ this is because families often have to go without when a member of the household is addicted to gambling. In recent years the rules on gambling have been reviewed. The church encourages people to find other leisure pursuits.
Against Raffles Like alcohol, the Methodist Church has long been branded anti-raffles. This was closely linked to the teaching on gambling. Sadly some people saw this as an excuse not to support good causes. In the review of gambling individual churches can choose to raise money by raffles at the discretion of the Church council. Those who feel they cannot buy a raffle ticket on conscious grounds are encouraged to make a donation instead! HMC took the decision to allow raffles on its premises as part of a larger event.