The Bethel Methodist Church is a

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...

Holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

denomination. It consists of five congregations in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

History

The Bethel Methodist Church separated from the

Evangelical Methodist Church The Evangelical Methodist Church (EMC) is a Christian denomination in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The denomination reported 399 churches in the United States, Mexico, Burma/Myanmar, Canada, Philippines ...

after a church trial called into question the theological stances of a handful of ministers. The small denomination's ''Book of Discipline'' traces this theological dispute to the mid-1970s when "a widening tolerance of many different beliefs regarding the nature of God, man, angels, sin, salvation, sanctification and heaven" began to emerge. After Rev. Arthur Slye Jr. was elected Mid-States District Superintendent in the 1980s, he "chose to preach some of his deepest-held truths to the District Conference at Irving." This raised many objections, which resulted in a "heresy trial" followed by repeated "attempts to clarify" by Slye and his supporters. On August 16, 1988, five

ministers met in

Hico, Texas ''For other instances of Hico, see: Hico (disambiguation)'' Hico (, ) is a small city located in Hamilton County in central Texas, United States. Named for its founder's hometown of Hico in southwestern Kentucky, Hico's original location was o ...

to determine a course of action. Their three churches in Irving,

Port Neches, Texas Port Neches is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,692 at the 2020 census, up from 13,040 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area. History The area known as Port Neche ...

, and

Robinson, Texas Robinson is a city in McLennan County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,443 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Robinson is located at (31.470518, –97.119361). Demographics As of t ...

would pull away from their parent denomination and form an Interchurch Council. Articles of Incorporation for the Bethel Methodist Church were filed with the State of Texas on February 27, 1989. Slye, pastor of the Irving church, was elected the new denomination's first General Superintendent. The first services were held on Easter Sunday, March 24, 1989. The denomination maintains congregations in Port Neches and Robinson, as well as

Colleyville, Texas Colleyville is a city in northeastern Tarrant County, Texas, United States, centrally located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. A wealthy suburb of the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Colleyville was originally a small farm town in the 19th century. Th ...

New Braunfels, Texas New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas known for its German Texan heritage. It is the seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a population of 90,403 as of the 2020 Census. A suburb just nor ...

, and

Aubrey, Texas Aubrey is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,006 at the 2020 census. History Aubrey, the town, was officially founded 1867, when Civil War veteran Lemuel Noah Edwards (1838–1910) built the second frame house th ...

Beliefs

Bethel Methodist Church is for the most part

in doctrine—lamenting a

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

trend in American Methodism. Emphases include the possibility of a Christian "backsliding" as well as man's free will to choose or reject God. The Bethel Methodists take these Arminian positions an uncommon step further by teaching God's free will. From its online catechism: The denomination prefers

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

by sprinkling and pouring, rather than allowing for immersion as did the parent body. It does not practice

infant baptism Infant baptism is the practice of baptising infants or young children. Infant baptism is also called christening by some faith traditions. Most Christians belong to denominations that practice infant baptism. Branches of Christianity that ...

Polity

Church government is largely

congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

, though bound by a denominational constitution and bylaws.

External links

(official web site)

References

{{reflist Christian organizations established in 1989 Methodist denominations in North America Methodist denominations established in the 20th century Holiness denominations

History

Beliefs

Polity

See also

External links

References