Our History

The history of the United Methodist Church

Methodism, like all Christian denominations, traces its roots back to the early Christian church and to the teachings of Christ, Paul, Augustine, Francis, and others.

In the 1700's Christianity experienced a vital and dynamic movement that swept across England. This awakening was largely the result of the labors of a few men, especially John Wesley, Charles Wesley, and George Whitefield. It was this eighteenth century English revival under the work of John Wesley that eventually gave birth to the Methodist movement.

But Wesley was not always a man who enjoyed a personal, saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In Spite of the fact that he was already an ordained minister and had also served as a missionary to America, it was not until May 24 of 1738 that he "felt his heart strangely warmed" by the assurance of personal salvation. He then discovered that sanctification and a life of holiness was also received by faith. Rejecting the Calvinism of his day, John Wesley emphasized four great truths found in the Bible:

Salvation was provided for all people

Salivation was provided from all sin

Salivation was certified by the personal witness of the Holy Spirit

Salvation was received by faith

The result of the Wesley's ceaseless labors was a God-sent renewal movement that swept across the British Isles, then leaped the Atlantic Ocean and made its impact upon the American Colonies. The early American Methodists (as Wesley's followers were to be called) were largely faithful to Wesley's emphasis in doctrine and Christian Conduct.

In America, itinerant preachers spread the good news and Wesley's teachings to the settlers. After the Revolution a separate church was found, the Methodist Episcopal Church. Other Methodist denominations also formed. In 1968 the Evangelical United Brethren and The Methodist Church joined to form The United Methodist Church. The United Methodist Church is the second largest Protestant denomination.

History of the Cross and Flame