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The Bible Christian Church was a
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
denomination founded by
William O’Bryan William O’Bryan (6 February 1778 – 8 January 1868) was a Methodist preacher and founder of the Bible Christian movement. Life O'Bryan was born William Bryant at Gunwen farm, Luxulyan, Cornwall and was converted to Wesleyan Methodism. In 1815 ...
, a Wesleyan
Methodist local preacher A Methodist local preacher, also known as a licensed preacher, is a layperson who has been accredited by the Methodist Church to lead worship and preach on a frequent basis. With separation from the Church of England by the end of the 18th century ...
, on 18 October 1815 in North
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
. The first society, consisting of just 22 members, met at Lake Farm in Shebbear,
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
. Members of the Church were sometimes known as Bryanites, after their founder.


Early history

Primarily concentrated in Cornwall and Devon, the church sent missionaries all over England. By 1820, missions had been established in the
Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...
and in
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. They were also strong in the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
amongst farm labourers, largely due to the inspirational teachings of Mary Toms of
Tintagel Tintagel () or Trevena ( kw, Tre war Venydh, meaning ''Village on a Mountain'') is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England. The village and nearby Tintagel Castle are associated with the legends surroundin ...
, Cornwall. The vicar of Brighstone,
Samuel Wilberforce Samuel Wilberforce, FRS (7 September 1805 – 19 July 1873) was an English bishop in the Church of England, and the third son of William Wilberforce. Known as "Soapy Sam", Wilberforce was one of the greatest public speakers of his day.Natural Hi ...
, urged that their influence be countered by having their adherents sacked from their jobs and turned out from their cottages, resulting in their sometimes meeting in a chalk pit. There are several chapels in rural areas of the Island which have the title "Bible Christian Chapel" over the doorway (e.g.
Apse Heath Apse Heath is a hamlet on the Isle of Wight, UK. Apse Heath is centered on the intersection of Newport Road and Alverstone Road. At the 2011 Census the Post Office said the population of the hamlet was included in the civil parish of Newchurch, ...
,
Arreton Arreton is a village and civil parish in the central eastern part of the Isle of Wight, England. It is about 3 miles south east of Newport. Name The settlement has had different names and different spellings over the years. For example, the vi ...
). By 1831, ministers were being sent to
Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
and
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, and a mission was established in Canada in 1845. Many of the emigrants from Devon and Cornwall to Canada and the United States in the 1830s were '
Bible Christians The Bible Christian Church was a Methodist denomination founded by William O’Bryan, a Wesleyan Methodist local preacher, on 18 October 1815 in North Cornwall. The first society, consisting of just 22 members, met at Lake Farm in Shebbear, ...
', further encouraging the spread of the church in those countries. Australia was a favourite destination for missionaries by 1850. Other missionaries worked in New Zealand by 1878, and in China by 1885. Members of the Bible Christian Church were sometimes known as Bryanites, after their founder. The church made extensive use of female
preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as a ...
s like
Ann Freeman Ann Freeman née Mason (24 June 1797 – 7 March 1826) was a British Bible Christian preacher. Life Freeman was born on 24 June 1797 in Northlew in Devon. Her parents, William and Grace Mason, were farmers and she was one of thirteen children bro ...
, Amy Culley, ‘Freeman, Ann (1797–1826)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Oct 200
accessed 4 Feb 2017
/ref> and O'Bryan's wife Catherine.


Later history

While being only a small denomination, the Bible Christians grew faster than the British population throughout their existence. The Bible Christians recognised the ministry of women, calling them "Female Special Agents". A number of women appear on the stations – the places ministers were appointed to by the Bible Christian Conference. There were fewer than five of these women ministers in 1907, when the separate existence of the Bible Christians came to an end. In 1907, the Bible Christian Church in England was amalgamated with the
United Methodist Free Churches United Methodist Free Churches, sometimes called Free Methodists, was an English nonconformist community in the last half of the 19th century. It was formed in 1857 by the amalgamation of the Wesleyan Association (which had in 1836 largely absorbed ...
and the
Methodist New Connexion The Methodist New Connexion, also known as Kilhamite Methodism, was a Protestant nonconformist church. It was formed in 1797 by secession from the Wesleyan Methodists, and merged in 1907 with the Bible Christian Church and the United Methodist F ...
, to form the
United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...
. In Canada, the Bible Christian Church had already been amalgamated, in 1884, into the
Methodist Church of Canada The Methodist Church was the major Methodist denomination in Canada from its founding in 1884 until it merged with two other denominations to form the United Church of Canada in 1925. The Methodist Church was itself formed from the merger of four ...
, which later became part of the
United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (french: link=no, Église unie du Canada) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholi ...
. In Australia, it merged into the
Methodist Church of Australasia The Methodist Church of Australasia was a Methodist denomination based in Australia. On 1 January 1902, five Methodist denominations in Australia – the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the Primitive Methodists, the Bible Christian Church, the Unite ...
on 1 January 1902.


See also

*
Sam Pollard Sam Pollard may refer to: * Sam Pollard (missionary) (1864-1915) British missionary to China * Sam Pollard (filmmaker) Samuel D. Pollard is an American film director, editor, producer, and screenwriter. His films have garnered numerous awards su ...
— Bible Christian missionary to China *
Paul Robins Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
— Bible Christian missionary to Canada * John Hicks Eynon — Bible Christian missionary to Canada *
Billy Bray William Trewartha Bray (1 June 1794 – 25 May 1868), known as Billy Bray, was an unconventional Cornish preacher. Biography Billy Bray was born in 1794 in the village of Twelveheads, Cornwall, England, UK. He was the eldest of three chil ...
*
James Way Rev. James Way (17 June 1804 – 14 August 1884) was a Bible Christian Church, Bible Christian minister in the early days of the colony of South Australia, and for whom Way College was named. He was the father of Sir Samuel Way. History Way was ...
– Bible Christian missionary to Australia *
Serena Lake Serena Lake (née Thorne) (28 October 1842 – 9 July 1902) was an English Australian suffragist, temperance activist, and evangelical preacher in South Australia. Early life Serena Thorne was born in England at Shebbear, Devon. She was ...
– Bible Christian missionary to Australia *
Bible Christian Mission Bible Christian Mission was a Protestant Christian missionary society that sent workers to countries such as China during the late Qing Dynasty. See also * Protestant missionary societies in China during the 19th century * Timeline of Chinese hi ...
*
Penrose Methodist Chapel Penrose Methodist Chapel is a redundant Methodist chapel approximately west of the hamlet of St Ervan in Cornwall, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under ...


References

See also Lloyd (2010) ''Women and the shaping of British Methodism''


Further reading

{{EB1911 poster, Bible Christians
Mary Toms

Bible Christian Magazine 1878
Former Methodist denominations Christianity in Cornwall Christianity in Devon Religious organizations established in 1815 Christian denominations established in the 19th century 1815 establishments in England