The Methodists

A family of churches that grew from John Wesley's revival in the Church of England, joined by the Articles of Religion, bishops who appoint the pastors, and the call to holiness of heart, and now divided between the United Methodist Church, the Global Methodist Church and the historic Black Methodist churches.

United Methodist Church, Book of Discipline 2020/2024, ¶ 105, Our Theological Task (umc.org)

United Methodist Church, Doctrinal Standards in American Methodism (umc.org)

Methodist Articles of Religion (1784; text of the 1872 Methodist Episcopal Discipline), in Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, vol. 3 (CCEL)

Confession of Faith of the Evangelical United Brethren Church (1963), now a doctrinal standard of the United Methodist Church, reprinted by Dennis Bratcher, CRI/Voice

United Methodist Church, Glossary: Confession of Faith (umc.org)

United Methodist Church, By Water and the Spirit: A United Methodist Understanding of Baptism (umc.org)

United Methodist Church, Ask the UMC: What do I need to know about holy communion (umc.org)

United Methodist Church, Ask the UMC: How often do United Methodists take communion (umc.org)

United Methodist Church, An open table: How United Methodists understand communion (umc.org)

United Methodist Church, Book of Discipline ¶ 425 ff., Appointment-Making (umc.org)

United Methodist Church, Ask the UMC: Our pastor is being moved. How is this decision made? (umc.org)

United Methodist Church, Council of Bishops (umc.org)

United Methodist Council of Bishops, 2025 fall meeting summary

United Methodist Church, The Holy Spirit at work in your life (umc.org)

United Methodist Church, What did John Wesley mean by "moving on to perfection"? (umc.org)

United Methodist Church, Ask the UMC: What do we mean by resurrection? (umc.org)

United Methodist Church, Know Before You Go: 5 Tips for Your First Sunday (umc.org)

United Methodist Church, United Methodists At-A-Glance (umc.org)

UM News, Amid decline, US professions of faith rise

UM News, Tracking the official disaffiliation data

UM News, May 3 wrap-up: Historic conference comes to a close

Global Methodist Church, The Articles of Faith (¶ 106, Book of Doctrines and Discipline, adopted 5 September 2026)

Global Methodist Church, Book of Doctrines and Discipline (2024, final of 15 January 2025)

Global Methodist Church, Our Beliefs & Governance (globalmethodist.org)

Global Methodist Church, F.A.Q. (globalmethodist.org)

MinistryWatch, Global Methodist Church holds 2nd General Conference in South Africa (September 2026; secondary)

African Methodist Episcopal Church, Our History (ame-church.com)

United Methodist Church, Unsung Heroes of Methodism: Richard Allen (umc.org)

United Methodist Church, Unsung Heroes of Methodism: James Varick (umc.org)

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, About (amezion.org)

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, About Us (thecmechurch.org)

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, CME Church History (thecmechurch.org)

Free Methodist Church USA, History (fmcusa.org)

Free Methodist Church USA, Board of Bishops (fmcusa.org)

United Methodist Church, The Wesleys take the web: a mobile-friendly history of the UMC (umc.org)

Augustine Birrell, An Appreciation of John Wesley's Journal (CCEL, Journal of John Wesley)

John Wesley, an Anglican priest, led a revival in England in the 1730s and 1740s, with small groups, field preaching and lay preachers. The movement stayed inside the Church of England until after his death. After the American Revolution, the preachers at Baltimore in 1784 formed the Methodist Episcopal Church, with bishops, the Articles of Religion and a book of discipline. Black Methodists formed their own churches in 1816, 1822 and 1870. In 1844 and 1845 slavery split the church North and South, and in 1939 the branches reunited. The United Methodist Church formed in 1968. After 2019 about a quarter of its U.S. congregations left, amid the debate over LGBTQ inclusion, and in 2022 the Global Methodist Church began as a new body.

Aldersgate: Wesley's heart "strangely warmed"

John Wesley, born in 1703, was an Anglican priest who led the Holy Club at Oxford and went to Georgia as a missionary in 1735. In 1738 he had the experience at Aldersgate in London that he described as a heart "strangely warmed." In 1739, the Free Methodists record, the "method" began: class meetings, field preaching and lay preachers.

The Christmas Conference forms the Methodist Episcopal Church

In December 1784 the American preachers gathered at Baltimore adopted the Sunday Service and the Articles of Religion as part of forming the new church. They also accepted a hymnbook and a version of the General Rules. The General Conference of 1808 gave the church its first constitution, established the Articles as the explicit doctrinal standards, and by the first Restrictive Rule barred any change to them.

Richard Allen and the African Methodist Episcopal Church

Richard Allen and Absalom Jones had left St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia when white leaders imposed segregation, and in 1787 they helped found the Free African Society. In 1816 five Black Methodist congregations united to form the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first independent African American denomination in the United States, and Allen was elected its first bishop.

The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

In August 1796 several African members of the John Street Methodist Episcopal Church in New York asked Bishop Francis Asbury for leave to meet separately, because they could not use their gifts of worship and preaching there. In 1820 they decided to withdraw and published their own Book of Discipline, but they had no ordained elder. In July 1822 three elders who had withdrawn from the Methodist Episcopal Church ordained Abraham Thompson, James Varick and Leven Smith, and the conference elected Varick its first bishop.

The church divides over slavery

The General Conference of 1844 adopted a Plan of Separation after American Methodism was "badly divided into pro and anti-slavery factions," in part because a prominent bishop held slaves. In 1845 delegates from the southern states met at Louisville, Kentucky, to organize the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The two bodies went their separate ways until 1939.

B. T. Roberts and the Free Methodist Church

Benjamin Titus Roberts, a pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church, was stripped of his ordination credentials in 1858. In 1860 he met with 15 preachers and 45 lay persons at Pekin, New York, and was elected the first bishop of the Free Methodist Church. The Free Methodists say Roberts stood for freedom for all people from slavery, free seats in every house of worship, and the full service of women in the church.

The Colored Methodist Episcopal Church

On December 16, 1870, in Jackson, Tennessee, 41 former slave members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South organized the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. Isaac Lane, a founder of Lane College, wrote that "we preferred a separate organization of our own." The first bishops were William Henry Miles and Richard H. Vanderhorst. The church changed its name to Christian Methodist Episcopal in 1954.

The Uniting Conference

The Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South and the Methodist Protestant Church, which had organized in 1830 along congregational lines, came together at the Uniting Conference of 1939 as The Methodist Church.

The United Methodist Church

The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church united in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church. The Evangelical United Brethren brought their Confession of Faith, which became a second doctrinal standard beside the Articles of Religion, and both are protected by the Restrictive Rules.

Congregations leave the United Methodist Church

The UMC's finance agency counts 9,252 disaffiliations and other closures in the United States from 2019 through 2023, against 194 new church starts. It reported 22,096 U.S. churches at the end of 2023.

The Global Methodist Church begins

The Global Methodist Church launched on May 1, 2022, as a traditionalist body formed from the United Methodist Church. MinistryWatch describes it as "more theologically and socially conservative than the UMC," and its Discipline defines marriage as a covenant "between one man and one woman." Its General Conference in South Africa in September 2026 elected eight bishops to its Assembly of Bishops and adopted its own Articles of Faith.

The United Methodist General Conference at Charlotte

The 2024 General Conference at Charlotte, North Carolina, removed the ban on ordaining "self-avowed practicing homosexuals," a rule from 1984, ended the penalties for clergy who hold or decline to hold same-sex weddings, and in its Social Principles redefined marriage as between "two people of faith." It also approved worldwide regionalization, granted deacons authority to offer Holy Communion and conduct baptisms in their ministry setting, and approved a full communion relationship with the Episcopal Church. Most of the legislation took effect in the United States on January 1, 2025.

John Wesley

Wesley kept his published journal from October 1735 to October 1790. Augustine Birrell wrote that he "contested the three kingdoms in the cause of Christ during a campaign which lasted forty years."

Richard Allen

Born into slavery, Allen bought his freedom in 1780, attended the Christmas Conference of 1784 without a vote, left St. George's over segregation, and in 1816 became the first bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

James Varick

A New York shoemaker and preacher, Varick left John Street Church in 1796 with other Black members to form Mother Zion, and in 1822 was elected the first bishop of the AME Zion Church.

Benjamin Titus Roberts

A pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church, Roberts was ordained an elder in 1852, was stripped of his credentials in 1858, and in 1860 became the first bishop of the Free Methodist Church.

Who leads now. The United Methodist Council of Bishops elected Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. of the Horizon Texas Conference as its president, to begin when its 2026 spring meeting closed, with Bishop Mande Muyombo of North Katanga as president-designate (the church announced this in November 2025; we did not find a later report that the change took place). The Global Methodist Church elected eight bishops at its 2026 General Conference, to serve from 2026 to 2032. The Free Methodist Church USA is led by three bishops for 2023 to 2027: Keith Cowart, Kaye Kolde and Fraser Venter.

The family. The World Methodist Council, established in 1881, links Methodist and Wesleyan churches around the world.

Scripture comes first and holds all things necessary to salvation; the United Methodist Church also binds the Articles of Religion, the Confession of Faith and the Discipline, and reads Scripture with tradition, experience and reason, while the Global Methodist Church calls Scripture "the only infallible rule of faith and practice."

The Methodist family names Scripture first. The Articles of Religion of 1784 say the Holy Scriptures "contain all things necessary to salvation," and the Confession of Faith of the Evangelical United Brethren Church says the Bible "is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice." Both are doctrinal standards of the United Methodist Church. Its General Conference of 1808 made the Articles the church's explicit standards, and the first Restrictive Rule barred any change to them. The Confession is protected in the same way.

The United Methodist Church adds a method. Its Book of Discipline says that "while we acknowledge the primacy of Scripture in theological reflection, our attempts to grasp its meaning always involve tradition, experience, and reason." It names these four as the guidelines of its theological task. The Global Methodist Church, formed in 2022, says in its own Articles of Faith that Scripture is "the only infallible rule of faith and practice," true in all it affirms, and it takes the Articles of Faith as "normative doctrinal standards" for its churches.

The Holy Scriptures contain all things necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation.

While we acknowledge the primacy of Scripture in theological reflection, our attempts to grasp its meaning always involve tradition, experience, and reason.

Scripture is true in all it affirms, entirely trustworthy, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. It contains all things necessary to salvation.

The Confession of Faith. "We believe the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, reveals the Word of God so far as it is necessary for our salvation. It is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice. Whatever is not revealed in or established by the Holy Scriptures is not to be made an article of faith nor is it to be taught as essential to salvation." (Article 4)

How far the standards bind. The United Methodist Church says its Confession of Faith, like the Articles of Religion and the General Rules, "is protected by the Restrictive Rules of the Constitution," so that "these doctrinal standards may not be changed by the General Conference." The Global Methodist Church says its Articles of Faith "are constitutive standards" that serve "as a guard against false teaching."

A person is justified by faith and not by works; baptism is the sign and seal of the new birth and of entrance into the church, given to infants and to believers by sprinkling, pouring or immersion, with the United Methodist Church calling it "the means of entry into new life in Christ."

Methodists teach that a person is accounted righteous before God "only by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" and not by works. That is the United Methodist Confession of Faith, and the Global Methodist Articles of Faith say the same, "by grace alone through faith alone."

On baptism, the Articles of Religion call it "a sign of regeneration, or the new birth," and say "the baptism of young children is to be retained in the Church." The United Methodist statement By Water and the Spirit teaches that baptism "is the means of entry into new life in Christ," and that "in baptism God offers and we accept the forgiveness of our sin," but also that "new birth may not always coincide with the moment of the administration of water or the laying on of hands." It says that in United Methodist tradition the water "may be administered by sprinkling, pouring, or immersion." A baptized child is later confirmed, and the church says confirmation "is not an entrance into church membership, for this was accomplished through baptism." The Global Methodist Church teaches that baptism "marks entrance into the visible Church and the New Covenant in Christ," and that infants are "proper and acceptable subjects for Christian baptism, which should not be denied." It too allows "sprinkling, pouring, or immersion."

Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christians are distinguished from others that are not baptized; but it is also a sign of regeneration, or the new birth. The baptism of young children is to be retained in the Church.

Baptism is the means of entry into new life in Christ (John 3:5; Titus 3:5), but new birth may not always coincide with the moment of the administration of water or the laying on of hands.

Baptism signifies repentance, cleansing from sin, and new birth in the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe that the promises of the New Covenant include the children of believers, making infants proper and acceptable subjects for Christian baptism, which should not be denied.

Forgiveness. By Water and the Spirit says: "In baptism God offers and we accept the forgiveness of our sin (Acts 2:38)." It also says: "The power of the Spirit in baptism does not depend upon the mode by which water is administered, the age or psychological disposition of the baptized person, or the character of the minister."

Infants. The United Methodist statement says: "Infant baptism rests firmly on the understanding that God prepares the way of faith before we request or even know that we need help (prevenient grace)." The Global Methodist Book of Doctrines and Discipline appeals to the baptism of households (Acts 16; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:16) and to circumcision, and says: "Including infants in the initiation ritual has a precedent in the covenant membership rite in the Old Testament."

The Supper is a sacrament of redemption and a memorial; the United Methodist table is open to all who love Christ, repent and seek peace, and most of its churches keep it monthly, while the Global Methodist Church teaches that the Holy Spirit "mysteriously communicates the body and blood of Christ."

The Articles of Religion teach that the Supper "is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ's death," reject transubstantiation, and say the body of Christ is given and eaten "only after a heavenly and spiritual manner," received by faith. The United Methodist Confession of Faith calls the Supper "a representation of our redemption, a memorial of the sufferings and death of Christ." The Global Methodist Articles of Faith teach that "the Holy Spirit mysteriously communicates the body and blood of Christ through the Sacrament as a means of grace, though the substance of each element remains unchanged."

The United Methodist Church describes its table as open. It says "Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin, and seek to be at peace with one another," and that "all baptized Christians, of any age (including infants) and any Christian denomination are welcome to the Lord's table." It does not "practice 'wide open communion,'" and says those not baptized "are not barred from receiving" but "should be counseled and nurtured toward baptism." A clergyperson presides. On frequency it says: "Many churches celebrate communion once a month, often on the first Sunday." Some churches celebrate weekly, and the church's This Holy Mystery and Book of Worship "encourage weekly communion." The Global Methodist Church gives the table "to all who repent of sin and desire to draw near to God and lead a life of obedience to Christ."

The Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another, but rather is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ's death

Many churches celebrate communion once a month, often on the first Sunday.

While the elements themselves are not to be worshipped, the Holy Spirit mysteriously communicates the body and blood of Christ through the Sacrament as a means of grace, though the substance of each element remains unchanged.

Who presides. "In The United Methodist Church, a clergyperson presides at the Lord's table." The 2024 General Conference granted deacons authority to offer Holy Communion in their ministry setting. In the Global Methodist Church, elders "have full authority and responsibility to preside at celebrations of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion."

How often. The United Methodist Church says "the vast majority of United Methodist congregations in the United States (97% in the most recent study) now celebrate the Lord's Supper at least once per month," and that "there has gradually been a move toward more frequent celebration of the Lord's Supper, so some churches now celebrate every week."

The elements. The Global Methodist Church encourages "the use of non-alcoholic wine or juice for Holy Communion."

The church is a connection under bishops: in the United Methodist Church the bishop appoints each pastor, who is "sent, not called or hired"; the Global Methodist Church also has bishops and presiding elders, and the Black Methodist churches are episcopal too.

Methodist government is connectional. Congregations belong to an annual conference, and the conference is led by a bishop. In the United Methodist Church, "clergy shall be appointed by the bishop, who is empowered to make and fix all appointments in the episcopal area." The church explains: "United Methodist pastors are itinerant - sent, not called or hired." The bishop consults the district superintendent, the pastor and the committee on pastor-parish relations, but the church's law says the committee's role "is advisory." Appointments are usually for one year, and the bishop may move a pastor at any time. Its Council of Bishops says that "bishops are not 'ordained' as bishops, but are clergy elected and consecrated to the office of bishop."

The Global Methodist Church also has bishops, whom its Discipline says are "set apart for a ministry of visionary servant leadership, general oversight, and supervision." It teaches that "qualified men and women are ordained for ministry in the Church by bishops through the laying on of hands" and says laypersons are "equal partners with clergy." The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church says its bishops "are elected by the General Conference and consecrated in the historic manner of Episcopal Methodism," and the African Methodist Episcopal Church is led by twenty-one active bishops. The Free Methodist Church USA has three bishops, each overseeing about a third of the country.

Clergy shall be appointed by the bishop, who is empowered to make and fix all appointments in the episcopal area of which the annual conference is a part.

United Methodist pastors are itinerant - sent, not called or hired.

Bishops are elected from among those within the order of elders and set apart for a ministry of visionary servant leadership, general oversight, and supervision in support of the Church in its mission.

Consultation. "Consultation is not merely notification. Consultation is not committee selection or call of a pastor. The role of the committee on pastor-parish relations is advisory." (Book of Discipline, ¶ 426)

Global Methodist. Its Discipline says: "In keeping with the historic practice of the Christian church, elders are ordained to oversee the sacramental life of the church." Clergy are "appointed by the bishop over the annual conference wherein they serve," and its structure includes presiding elders who lead districts. The Global Methodist Church requires that "all annual conference and general church commissions and councils" be at least one-half lay members.

The order of worship is left to the church to shape; services are built around singing, Scripture, the sermon and the Supper, with music from organ and choir to praise bands, and a church year and set liturgies.

The United Methodist Confession of Faith teaches that "divine worship is essential to the life of the Church," and that "the order of public worship need not be the same in all places but may be modified by the church according to circumstances and the needs of men." The Global Methodist Articles of Faith say the same: the order "may be modified by the church according to the needs of the worshipping community," held "in a language and form understood by the gathered people, consistent with the Holy Scriptures." Both call the Lord's Day "divinely ordained" for worship.

The Articles of Religion add: "It is not necessary that rites and ceremonies should in all places be the same, or exactly alike." They reject prayer to saints and the worship of images and relics, and say the Supper was not "lifted up, or worshiped." A United Methodist Sunday is centered on music. The church says "organs and pews" and singing are part of it. The Global Methodist Church has set liturgies, and says its draft liturgies reflect "a commitment to recovering our Wesleyan heritage through the Book of Common Prayer."

We believe the order of public worship need not be the same in all places but may be modified by the church according to circumstances and the needs of men.

We believe the order of public worship may be modified by the church according to the needs of the worshipping community.

Praise and worship is centered on music, so of course there will be some singing.

The Articles on rites. "Every particular Church may ordain, change, or abolish rites and ceremonies, so that all things may be done to edification." (Article XXII)

The Lord's Day. The Confession says "the Lord's Day is divinely ordained for private and public worship, for rest from unnecessary work, and should be devoted to spiritual improvement, Christian fellowship and service. It is commemorative of our Lord's resurrection."

The Global Methodist Communion liturgy. The Discipline says the liturgy "should reflect" the taking of the bread and cup, "a time for repentance and confession of sins, including a pronouncement of pardon for sins," thanksgiving, the words of institution, "the prayer of invocation," the breaking of the bread, and distribution to those who "repent of sin and desire to draw near to God."

The Holy Spirit convicts, leads to faith, sanctifies and assures; the United Methodist Church allows that the Spirit may bear witness in tongues, though not as a required sign, and the Global Methodist Church says the Spirit "distributes gifts" to the church.

The United Methodist Confession of Faith says the Holy Spirit "convinces the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment," "leads men through faithful response to the gospel into the fellowship of the Church," and "comforts, sustains and empowers the faithful and guides them into all truth." The Global Methodist Articles of Faith add that "with the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit distributes gifts and empowers the Church with everything needed to fulfill God's mission in the world," and that he is "bearing witness with our spirits that we are children of God."

On miraculous gifts, the United Methodist Church asks what the evidence of the Spirit is. It notes that "many faith traditions emphasize demonstrative acts of the Spirit's presence: speaking in tongues, miraculous healings, and the ability to prophesy." Its answer: "United Methodists believe the Holy Spirit may bear witness through a demonstrative act like speaking in tongues, but might also be known in a myriad of other expressions, too." Neither body says the miraculous gifts ceased with the apostles. The United Methodist Church also says that its open table "carries notes of the Spirit's work."

In that tradition, United Methodists believe the Holy Spirit may bear witness through a demonstrative act like speaking in tongues, but might also be known in a myriad of other expressions, too.

With the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit distributes gifts and empowers the Church with everything needed to fulfill God's mission in the world.

He leads men through faithful response to the gospel into the fellowship of the Church. He comforts, sustains and empowers the faithful and guides them into all truth.

The Spirit's work. The Global Methodist Articles of Faith say the Spirit "testifies to Jesus Christ, leads us to faith in him, incorporates us into the Church, and sanctifies us through his indwelling presence."

Christ will return to judge all people at the last day; the dead will be raised, the righteous to eternal life and the wicked to endless condemnation, and the Articles reject purgatory.

The Articles of Religion teach that Christ "took again his body" and "sitteth until he return to judge all men at the last day." The United Methodist Confession of Faith teaches that "all men stand under the righteous judgment of Jesus Christ, both now and in the last day," and that there will be "the resurrection of the dead; the righteous to life eternal and the wicked to endless condemnation." The Global Methodist Articles of Faith teach that "Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead," with "the resurrection of the body, the wicked to eternal condemnation and the righteous to eternal life in God's new creation."

The Articles of Religion reject "the Romish doctrine concerning purgatory." The United Methodist Church teaches that the resurrection body is not "the mere reviving of the physical body that was buried, but rather a spiritual body," and that Christians will be raised "at the last day."

We believe all men stand under the righteous judgment of Jesus Christ, both now and in the last day. We believe in the resurrection of the dead; the righteous to life eternal and the wicked to endless condemnation.

We believe that Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the wicked to eternal condemnation and the righteous to eternal life in God's new creation.

Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took again his body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature, wherewith he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth until he return to judge all men at the last day.

Purgatory. "The Romish doctrine concerning purgatory, pardon, worshiping, and adoration, as well of images as of relics, and also invocation of saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no warrant of Scripture, but repugnant to the Word of God." (Article XIV)

The United Methodist explainer. "Our hope is in the One who raised Jesus from the dead, and whose resurrection body is the first example of what ours will be, when we, too, are raised at the last day."

Entire sanctification (Christian perfection)

Wesley taught that a believer could be made perfect in love in this life; the United Methodist Confession teaches that entire sanctification may be received "both gradually and instantaneously," and the Global Methodist Articles teach a cleansing after the new birth.

Entire sanctification is the Methodist teaching most tied to Wesley. The United Methodist Church says "Wesley believed we could become perfect in love in this life," and calls the lifelong work "sanctification." Its Confession of Faith teaches that entire sanctification is "a state of perfect love, righteousness and true holiness which every regenerate believer may obtain" and that "this gracious gift may be received in this life both gradually and instantaneously, and should be sought earnestly by every child of God." The Global Methodist Articles of Faith teach that the born-again are "subsequently cleansed from original sin and washed from its pollution in thought, word, and deed," and that "regeneration is our initial sanctification." Both say this does not end infirmity, ignorance or mistakes, and does not remove "the possibility of further sin."

Entire sanctification is a state of perfect love, righteousness and true holiness which every regenerate believer may obtain by being delivered from the power of sin, by loving God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength, and by loving one's neighbor as one's self. Through faith in Jesus Christ this gracious gift may be received in this life both gradually and instantaneously, and should be sought earnestly by every child of God.

Wesley believed we could become perfect in love in this life.

Those who have been born of God are already set free from the power and dominion of sin. They are subsequently cleansed from original sin and washed from its pollution in thought, word, and deed.

Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord:

but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus.

Methodists are right that holiness is commanded. "Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14), and Christ's call is "Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). But the United Methodist Confession and the Global Methodist Articles both bind a second work: a state received "instantaneously," or a cleansing that comes "subsequently" to the new birth. The New Testament names no such work. John writes to those who walk in the light that the blood "cleanseth us from all sin," and in the next breath: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves" (1 John 1:7-8). Paul, late in his ministry, wrote: "Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect" (Philippians 3:12). The "perfect" of Matthew 5:48 is a goal pressed toward for life, not a state entered at a moment, and a doctrine the apostles never taught should not be bound on a church.

Where they are close. The Methodists do not claim sinlessness. The Global Methodist Articles say perfect love "does not deliver us from the infirmities, ignorance, or mistakes common to all, nor from the possibility of further sin." That is nearer the text than a teaching that the believer ceases to sin, and it keeps the call to "follow after" holiness.

Prevenient grace and the freedom of the will

God's grace goes before every person and makes faith possible; the Global Methodist Articles say that without prevenient grace we cannot turn to God, and the United Methodist Confession says the person is "responsible in freedom to exercise his will for good."

Methodists are Arminian in doctrine: grace is offered to all and a person can receive or refuse it. The Global Methodist Articles of Faith teach that "apart from prevenient grace, we cannot turn to God and are unable to do works pleasing to God." The United Methodist Confession of Faith teaches that, "influenced and empowered by the Holy Spirit," a person "is responsible in freedom to exercise his will for good." The United Methodist statement on baptism says that infant baptism "rests firmly on the understanding that God prepares the way of faith before we request or even know that we need help (prevenient grace)."

Apart from prevenient grace, we cannot turn to God and are unable to do works pleasing to God.

We believe, however, man influenced and empowered by the Holy Spirit is responsible in freedom to exercise his will for good.

Infant baptism rests firmly on the understanding that God prepares the way of faith before we request or even know that we need help (prevenient grace).

For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world;

No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day.

It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me.

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself.

So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Methodists are right against the teaching that God chose some for salvation and passed over the rest, because "the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men" (Titus 2:11), and the Global Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church both hold that a person must answer. But "prevenient grace," as both bodies teach it, is a grace given to every person before any response, and before the gospel is heard, without which no one could turn to God. Scripture ties the drawing to the word. "No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him" (John 6:44), and the Lord says how he draws: "Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me" (John 6:45). Even Christ's promise to "draw all men" is made of himself "lifted up" (John 12:32), that is, preached. Paul says it again: "belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). The doctrine names a secret preparing of the heart that the text does not name, and the United Methodist Church uses it to baptize infants who have heard nothing.

The word and the heart. In Acts the grace came with the word and its reception: "They then that received his word were baptized" (Acts 2:41). Lydia's heart the Lord opened as she "heard us," to "give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul" (Acts 16:14).

The General Rules and the class meeting

Wesley's societies met in classes of about twelve under a leader who asked each week how their souls prospered; the General Rules of doing no harm, doing good and attending upon the ordinances of God are still part of the constitution of the United Methodist and Global Methodist churches.

The Methodist "method" was a discipline of watching over one another. The General Rules, which the Global Methodist Book of Doctrines and Discipline reprints, describe each society as "a company of men having the form and seeking the power of godliness." Each society was divided into classes of about twelve, and the class leader was to see each member once a week "to inquire how their souls prosper." Members were to show their desire of salvation by doing no harm, by doing good, and by attending upon the ordinances of God. The United Methodist Church calls them "the three General Rules" and protects them, with the Articles and the Confession, by the Restrictive Rules. The Global Methodist Church says the Rules "remain a part of the Constitution," asks every candidate for elder, "Will you keep the General Rules of our Church?", and charges its presiding elders to "encourage covenant groups, class meetings, and band meetings."

There are about twelve persons in a class, one of whom is styled the leader.

To do no harm, do good, and attend to the ordinances of God.

The Rules thus remain a part of the Constitution and are protected by the Restrictive Rules.

and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh.

Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit to them: for they watch in behalf of your souls, as they that shall give account; that they may do this with joy, and not with grief: for this were unprofitable for you.

If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, do ye subject yourselves to ordinances, Handle not, nor taste, nor touch (all which things are to perish with the using), after the precepts and doctrines of men?

Here the Methodists stand plainly near the New Testament in what they ask of a Christian. The apostles told the churches to "consider one another to provoke unto love and good works" (Hebrews 10:24) and to "Bear ye one another’s burdens" (Galatians 6:2), and a weekly asking after each soul is that duty taken seriously. But the class leader and the presiding elder are offices the apostles did not make. Watching "in behalf of your souls" is the work of the elders of the congregation (Hebrews 13:17), not of a leader set over a class and answering to a minister sent by the conference. And rules that a constitution protects from change have been bound beside Scripture. Where they forbid what Scripture does not, as the Rules forbid drinking "spirituous liquors" except in "extreme necessity," they become ordinances "after the precepts and doctrines of men" (Colossians 2:22). Drunkenness the Bible forbids, but Paul told Timothy to "use a little wine" (1 Timothy 5:23).

Holiness and the Rules. Much in the Rules is plain Scripture: they forbid "the taking of the name of God in vain," and the American rule against slaveholding was right, though the Global Methodist Discipline records that it "was eventually ignored" where slavery was legal. The fault is not in calling Christians to do no harm and to do good, which the apostles did, but in binding one society's rule as the church's constitution.

Women in ministry

The United Methodist Church appoints clergy without regard to gender, and the Global Methodist Church teaches that "qualified men and women are ordained" and that women are "entitled to serve at all levels."

The United Methodist Church makes appointments "without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, color, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or age." The Global Methodist Church teaches in Article VII that "qualified men and women are ordained for ministry in the Church by bishops through the laying on of hands," and its FAQ says women "are entitled to serve at all levels of the Global Methodist Church." The Free Methodist Church says its founder B. T. Roberts stood against practices that "withhold women from full service in the church."

Qualified men and women are ordained for ministry in the Church by bishops through the laying on of hands.

Yes! Women, like men, are called to serve in the Global Methodist Church and are entitled to serve at all levels of the Global Methodist Church.

Open itineracy means appointments are made without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, color, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or age, except for the provisions of mandatory retirement.

But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness.

The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church that is at Cenchreae:

and he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more accurately.

Women served in the church of the New Testament, and Methodists rightly honor it. Phoebe was "a servant of the church that is at Cenchreae" (Romans 16:1), Paul asked help for women who "labored with me in the gospel" (Philippians 4:3), and Priscilla and Aquila "expounded unto him the way of God more accurately" (Acts 18:26), a private teaching of one man. But the office of overseer is another matter. Paul writes, "I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man" (1 Timothy 2:12), and the bishop, whom Titus 1:5-7 also calls the elder, must be "the husband of one wife" (1 Timothy 3:2). A church that ordains women as pastors and bishops, and appoints them to oversee congregations of men and women, goes beyond what the apostles taught. The Global Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church stand together on this, and both stand away from the text.

What the verses do not forbid. They do not forbid women to pray, sing, serve, give or teach other women and children. The line Paul draws is at teaching with authority over a man in the assembly and at the office of elder or overseer.

The plumb line is the New Testament: what the apostles commanded, and what the churches practiced with their approval. Each position above is set against it, and the wall below shows how far each one stands from it. Choose a course to read the Scripture and the reason. The Methodist family is not of one mind, so each verdict names the body that holds the teaching, and says where one stands nearer the text than another.

Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.

Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not to go beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other.

Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.

But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men. Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.

The Articles stand nearer the New Testament than Rome: Scripture contains "all things necessary to salvation," and nothing outside it may be required "as an article of faith." The Global Methodist Church goes further and calls it "the only infallible rule of faith and practice." That is close to Paul's rule, "not to go beyond the things which are written" (1 Corinthians 4:6). But the United Methodist Church sets tradition, experience and reason beside Scripture in its Discipline, and both bodies bind the Articles, a Confession or Articles of Faith, and a book of discipline that can be changed only by a conference. A rule that names Scripture first and then binds other standards beside it has not stopped where the apostles stopped. A body that binds a standard beside the Book stands well off the line, so this course sits there.

The United Methodist Church's own history shows the weakness. Its Restrictive Rules protect the Articles from change, yet the church has divided and lost a quarter of its U.S. churches over what Scripture teaches on marriage, because a bound standard cannot make members submit to the text. The Bereans were praised for "examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11): the test was the text, not a conference or a council. Christ said to the Pharisees: "Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men" (Mark 7:8). That applies to any rule held beside the Book.

for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory.

And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name.

Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.

The Methodists teach what Paul wrote: "by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves" (Ephesians 2:8). The United Methodist statement stands nearer the New Testament than many Protestants in calling baptism "the means of entry into new life in Christ" and citing Acts 2:38 for forgiveness, and both the United Methodist and Global Methodist churches allow immersion, the apostles' burial: "We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death" (Romans 6:4). But the Bible joins repentance, faith and baptism in one who can believe: "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you … unto the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38). Both bodies baptize infants, who cannot repent or believe, and allow sprinkling and pouring, which are not a burial. And the United Methodist statement says the new birth "may not always coincide" with the water, which parts what Paul joins.

Both bodies cite the households of Acts. But the text says the jailer "rejoiced greatly, with all his house, having believed in God" (Acts 16:34) and that "Crispus … believed in the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized" (Acts 18:8): each person believed. The comparison to circumcision breaks at Colossians 2:12, where baptism is the burial "wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God." Mark 16:16 puts belief first: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." A church that has gone to Scripture's own words about faith and water should baptize penitent believers by immersion, and any Methodist who was baptized as an infant can obey Acts 2:38 in the same way as any other penitent.

And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight.

For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me. In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till he come.

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.

But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth and drinketh judgment unto himself, if he discern not the body.

The Methodists keep the Supper as a remembrance and proclamation of Christ's death, give the cup to all, and reject transubstantiation. The United Methodist This Holy Mystery and Book of Worship "encourage weekly communion," and that is a step toward the text. But the church's own answer is that "many churches celebrate communion once a month, often on the first Sunday." The apostles met "upon the first day of the week" for the purpose "to break bread" (Acts 20:7), and "they continued stedfastly … in the breaking of bread" (Acts 2:42). Every first day has a first day's Supper; a monthly Supper leaves three or four Lord's Days in each month without it. The pattern of the first day is binding, and a church that encourages it but does not keep it has set it aside. The course sits near the line because the Supper itself is kept rightly in the main.

The United Methodist invitation welcomes the unbaptized, though it asks them to be "counseled and nurtured toward baptism." Paul says "let a man prove himself" (1 Corinthians 11:28), and in Acts the Supper was kept by those who had received the word and been baptized (Acts 2:41-42). The Global Methodist statement that the Spirit "mysteriously communicates the body and blood of Christ" goes beyond Paul's words, "This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:24).

And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed.

For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that were wanting, and appoint elders in every city, as I gave thee charge; if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children that believe, who are not accused of riot or unruly. For the bishop must be blameless, as God’s steward; not self-willed, not soon angry, no brawler, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre;

Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood.

The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock.

The Methodists rightly keep the word "bishop," which is in the New Testament, and they give laypeople a share in conferences. But the New Testament bishop is the elder of a local church: Paul "called to him the elders of the church" at Ephesus and told them the Holy Spirit "hath made you bishops" (Acts 20:17, 28), and Titus was to "appoint elders in every city" (Titus 1:5). The Methodist bishop is a different office, over many congregations and over their pastors, with power to "make and fix all appointments," and the pastor is "sent, not called or hired" by the congregation. Peter, an apostle, called himself a "fellow-elder" and forbade "lording it over the charge allotted to you" (1 Peter 5:1-3). The apostles left a plurality of elders in each church, with no hierarchy above the congregation, and a conference that appoints and holds the property reverses it. The Black Methodist churches, the Global Methodist Church and the Free Methodist Church keep the same shape.

Within the Methodist family there is a difference. The Global Methodist Church requires that commissions and councils be at least half lay, and says laypersons are "equal partners with clergy," and the United Methodist Church requires the committee on pastor-parish relations to be consulted. These are courtesies in a system where the bishop decides. The New Testament pattern is not a better-run hierarchy but none: "The kings of the Gentiles have lordship over them … But ye shall not be so" (Luke 22:25-26).

speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God.

What is it then, brethren? When ye come together, each one hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a revelation, hath a tongue, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.

The Methodists worship in the language of the people: the Articles forbid prayer "in a tongue not understood by the people," and the United Methodist Confession asks for worship "in a language and form understood by the people." They reject prayer to saints and the worship of images and of the bread. The Methodist hymn tradition is a gift to the church. But the New Testament names the song of the voice and the heart, "speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart" (Ephesians 5:19), and the churches the apostles planted sang without instruments. The United Methodist Sunday adds "organs" and music-led "praise and worship," and the Global Methodist Articles leave the order to "the needs of the worshipping community." The instrument is an addition the apostles did not make, and the course sits near the line only because the song itself remains.

The Articles of Religion say rites "may be changed according to the diversity of countries, times, and men's manners, so that nothing be ordained against God's Word." That is a limit worth keeping, but it asks only that rites not contradict Scripture, where the apostles' churches did what they were taught: "Let all things be done unto edifying" (1 Corinthians 14:26).

Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.

Now when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,

Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, by signs and wonders and mighty works.

how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard; God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will.

The Methodists are right that the Spirit convicts the world, leads to faith, comforts and guides, and that he "beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God" (Romans 8:16). The United Methodist Church is also right not to make tongues a required sign. But the Spirit's gifts of tongues and prophecy were given through the apostles' hands (Acts 8:14-18) as the confirmation of the word, "God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders" (Hebrews 2:4), and Paul says that "tongues, they shall cease" (1 Corinthians 13:8). Neither body teaches that these gifts ceased. The United Methodist Church says the Spirit "may bear witness through a demonstrative act like speaking in tongues," and the Global Methodist Church says the Spirit "distributes gifts" and does not say which have ceased. That leaves the question open where the text has answered it, and it is why this course stands in the middle.

The New Testament does not say the Spirit left. He dwells in every believer (Romans 8:9) and leads through the word. What the passages show is that the miraculous gifts came by the apostles' hands, and that is why the church of the second generation had them only through those who had received them. The Methodist emphasis on the witness of the Spirit, and on holiness as the Spirit's fruit, is a true part of the New Testament.

Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.

For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life.

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

The Methodist standards teach what the text teaches. Christ will return "to judge all men at the last day"; the dead will be raised; "the righteous to life eternal and the wicked to endless condemnation," as Jesus said: "these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:46). The Articles reject purgatory, which Scripture does not teach. The United Methodist Church is right that the raised body is "a spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15:44). The course stands very near the line. It is not at the line because the United Methodist Church's public teaching on the resurrection speaks mostly of comfort and hope, and says little of the judgment of the wicked that its own Confession states and that Jesus put beside the resurrection of life (John 5:29).

The Global Methodist Church states both outcomes more plainly: "the wicked to eternal condemnation and the righteous to eternal life in God's new creation." The apostle gives the same assurance and the same warning: "we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Much that the Methodists confess, Scripture also teaches, and it should be said plainly. They confess one God in three persons, and Christ truly God and truly man, crucified, risen and coming again to judge the living and the dead. They teach that a person is accounted righteous by faith and not by works, that grace is offered to all, and that a Christian is called to holiness. They reject transubstantiation, purgatory, prayer to saints and the sacrifice of the mass, and they keep the cup for all. The Black Methodist founders refused partiality at the Lord's table, and the Global Methodist Church left the United Methodist Church rather than give up what it holds the Bible teaches on marriage. Charles Wesley wrote more than 6,000 hymns, and Methodists sing them still.

Measured by the New Testament alone, the Methodist family stands in the middle: nearer the pattern than Rome on grace, faith, the Supper and the language of worship, but short of it in baptism, in government and in what it binds beside Scripture. The United Methodist and Global Methodist churches baptize infants and allow sprinkling and pouring, where the apostles baptized believers by immersion for the remission of sins. Most United Methodist churches keep the Supper monthly, where the apostles broke bread on the first day. Every body here sets bishops over pastors and a conference over congregations, where the apostles left elders in every church. They add the organ and the band to the song of the voice, and bind Articles, Rules and a Discipline beside the Bible. Both the United Methodist and Global Methodist churches ordain women as elders and bishops, and neither teaches that the miraculous gifts ceased.

On marriage they now part. In 2024 the United Methodist Church redefined marriage as between "two people of faith." The Global Methodist Church holds to marriage "between one man and one woman," as Jesus taught: "he who made them from the beginning made them male and female" (Matthew 19:4). The United Methodist Church's bound standards did not keep it to the text; only Paul's rule can: "not to go beyond the things which are written" (1 Corinthians 4:6).

None of this is contempt. Methodists kept grace and holiness before the church, and Allen, Jones and Varick refused the balcony. The answer is to bring their faith to Scripture alone and do what the converts in Acts did: believe, repent, confess Jesus as Lord, and be buried with him in baptism for the remission of sins. Then worship as the New Testament churches did, under their own elders, at the Lord's table on the first day of every week.

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