The Fundamental Methodist Conference, is a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

denomination of Christianity. It organized in 1942. In 2001 there were 814 members in 13 congregations. Its headquarters near

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

. The conference is a member of the

American Council of Christian Churches The American Council of Christian Churches (ACCC) is a fundamentalist organization set up in opposition to the Federal Council of Churches (now National Council of Churches). The council's motto is Jude 3, "Earnestly contending for the Faith". Hi ...

. It holds its annual conference at the Fundamental Methodist Conference Grounds near Ash Grove in Lawrence County,

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, where it hosts an active youth camp ministry. This body is a member of the

. The denomination publishes ''The Evangelical Methodist'' in conjunction with the likeminded

Evangelical Methodist Church of America The Evangelical Methodist Church of America (or Evangelical Methodist Conference) Christian denomination based in the United States. Ardently Fundamental, the denomination has its roots in a movement of churches that broke away from Mainline M ...

.''The Evangelical Methodist'', Vol. 92, No. 4, May/June 2014 (retrieved 8 Sept. 2016)

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Background

The Fundamental Methodist Conference was instituted at Ash Grove, Missouri, in 1942 under the name Independent Fundamental Methodist Church. The title was changed to Fundamental Methodist Church, Inc., when the first annual conference was held in 1944. The Fundamental Methodist Conference traces its origins through the

Methodist Protestant Church The Methodist Protestant Church (MPC) is a Methodist denomination of Christianity that is based in the United States. It was formed in 1828 by former members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, being Wesleyan in doctrine and worship, but adopt ...

to the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

reformation and evangelical awakening of the Wesley brothers, John and Charles. The three major Methodist conferences in the United States – the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

Methodist Episcopal Church, South The Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MEC, S; also Methodist Episcopal Church South) was the American Methodist denomination resulting from the 19th-century split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Disagreement ...

, and the Methodist Protestant churches – united under the name The Methodist Church in 1939. The union was attended with dissatisfaction among certain people in all three groups. The John's Chapel Church (formerly part of the Methodist Protestant Church) of

Lawrence County, Missouri Lawrence County is located in the southwest portion of the U.S. state of Missouri, in the area of the Ozarks. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,001. Its county seat is Mount Vernon. The county was organized in 1845 and named for ...

, withdrew from The Methodist Church on August 27, 1942, and elected a committee to draw up a constitution and by-laws for fundamental Methodists. On August 23, 1944, the first annual conference was held in Greene County, Missouri, with three churches representing. The denomination was chartered on February 27, 1948. Unlike most other Methodists, the churches of the Fundamental Methodist Conference do not baptize infants, though the dedication of children is retained. They only observe the mode of

immersion Immersion may refer to: The arts * "Immersion", a 2012 story by Aliette de Bodard * ''Immersion'', a French comic book series by Léo Quievreux * ''Immersion'' (album), the third album by Australian group Pendulum * ''Immersion'' (film), a 2021 ...

for baptism. Since they do not regard baptism as initiation to the universal church, they will receive members from other churches who have been baptized by sprinkling or pouring. Government is more congregational and less connectional than generally practiced by other Methodists (though some other Methodist denominations, such as the Congregational Methodist Church, have a congregational polity). Each congregation owns its property and calls its pastors. The church has no bishops; the Annual Conference elects a District Superintendent and a Secretary-Treasurer.

References

Bibliography

*''Handbook of Denominations'' (6th ed.), by Frank S. Mead *''History and Discipline of the Faith and Practice of the Fundamental Methodist Church'' (1980) *''Minutes of the Fundamental Methodist Conference, Inc.'', 2001 *''Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States, 2000'', Glenmary Research Center

External links

Fundamental Methodist Conference

{{American Council of Christian Churches History of Methodism in the United States Christian organizations established in 1942 Methodist denominations established in the 20th century Methodist denominations in North America Fundamentalist denominations 1942 establishments in Missouri Christian denominations founded in the United States