Methodist Church: features, history, distribution

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Methodism is a branch of Christian doctrine that has Protestant roots. It originated in the 18th century from the Anglican Church. At that time it was official in England, but fell into disrepair. The official founders of the Methodist Church are John and Charles Wesley.

Methodism: the religion that got its name from the nickname

There are different opinions about this. Where did the Methodist Church get its name from? According to one version, at first the word "Methodist" was a nickname given to the supporters of this movement by its opponents. They believed that the first adherents of the religious movement paid too much attention to the careful performance of the liturgies, as well as to the timely attendance of all services. But the first adherents of this trend did not consider the nickname offensive. This is how the name "Methodism" appeared. This religion put the fulfillment of biblical covenants at the forefront. Therefore, its supporters, in particular, founder John Wesley, were even happy to receive such a name.

What were the prerequisites for the founding of the Methodist Church?

At first, the Methodist Church did not separate from the Anglican Church. Its founders were not at all eager to create a newsect. Wesley only wanted to encourage Christianity in England. Indeed, in the last two hundred years, the Christian-religious face of England has undergone significant changes. The Church has become the scene of an ongoing religious struggle. Her customs and manners were at a very low level. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke with extreme regret that the English established church was openly mocked by secular circles and the nobility. This indicated that Christianity was soon to disappear altogether from England. It was during this period that John Wesley appeared with his associates, who were ready to devote their lives to keeping the vows of the Almighty.

Official recognition

As a separate existing denomination, Methodism stood out in the 18th century. In 1795, the Methodist Church was formally adopted in England under the so-called plan of appeasement. The United States adopted this denomination even earlier - in 1784. Then in America, with the help of John Wesley, the Episcopal Methodist Church was established. Wesley was ordained a priest in 1738.

Features of worship

Methodist church services were very similar to those held by the Anglicans. However, there were some differences in the conduct of prayers, as well as the schedule of services. The Methodists developed their own hymnbooks. Of the sacraments, they left only baptism and the Lord's Supper. Both infants and adults can be baptized by the Methodists. The sacrament itself is carried out with the help of sprinkling, but it can beanother method has been chosen, more suitable for the new initiate. Methodists believe that Christ himself is present in the church during communion. However, they do not specify how this is expressed.

There are only two levels of priesthood in the Methodist Church. These are deacons and elders. Bishopric is not regarded as a third degree. Essentially, a bishop is a deacon who performs all sorts of administrative work in the church. Performers for this position are selected during the conference and appointed to it for life.

Methodists in America

In the United States, Methodism appeared as a separate religious community, which, however, did not recognize the supremacy of the Anglican Church. The Methodist Church in America was concentrated mainly in its northern territories, in the state of Virginia as well as North Carolina. By 1781, the number of Methodists had grown substantially. This was especially facilitated by the preaching work of Francis Asbury.

Methodist Church in Russia

For the first time, a centralized community of Methodists in Russia was registered in 1993, and in 1999 it received the status of an official organization. It included about a hundred communities throughout Russia. At that time, the number of pastors was about 70. Every year, the heads of the Methodist church gather for an annual conference. The Methodist Church in Moscow is represented by the following organizations:"Moscow-Kvanrim", "United Methodist Church in Eurasia", "Perovsky United Methodist Church" and others.