The Wesleyan Methodist 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 ...

denomination in the United States organized on May 13, 1841. It was composed of ministers and laypeople who withdrew from 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 on a national basis. ...

because of disagreements regarding

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, church government, and interpretations of the doctrine of

entire sanctification Christian perfection is the name given to theological concepts within some sects of Christianity that purport to describe a process of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is union with God characterized by ...

, according to the Discipline of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection, although later editions of the Discipline cite only the first two reasons. The first secessions in 1841 took place in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

although the new church group was formalized in Utica,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

. In November 1842, Orange Scott,

La Roy Sunderland La Roy Sunderland (May 18, 1804 – May 15, 1885) was an American minister and abolitionist. He left the Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States ...

and J. Horton seceded from the Methodist Episcopal Church for reasons given in their publication of the '' True Wesleyan''. The first general conference was held in Utica, NY, in October 1844. The Wesleyan Methodist Church fell into the category of Holiness Methodist Pacifists, as it opposed war as documented in its

Book of Discipline A Book of Discipline (or in its shortened form Discipline) is a book detailing the beliefs, standards, doctrines, canon law, and polity of a particular Christian denomination. They are often re-written by the governing body of the church concern ...

s, which stated that the Gospel is in "every way opposed to the practice of War in all its forms; and those customs which tend to foster and perpetuate war spirit, reinconsistent with the benevolent designs of the Christian religion." They also cited tolerance of the Methodist Episcopal Church of "so horrible a crime" as slavery as a reason for their secession. The Wesleyan Methodist Church merged with the

Pilgrim Holiness Church Pilgrim Holiness Church (PHC) or International Apostolic Holiness Church (IAHC) is a Christian denomination associated with the holiness movement that split from the Methodist Episcopal Church through the efforts of Martin Wells Knapp in 1897. It ...

in 1968, and became known as The Wesleyan Church. Several conferences in both merging denominations refused to be a part of the merged church over differences about modesty and worldliness (some of the conferences did not permit their members to have television sets, and required the women to have uncut hair in keeping with their interpretation of ). One of the largest conferences which refused to join the merger was the Allegheny Conference with over 100 churches. It became the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection of Churches, and most of the churches are still known as Wesleyan Methodist, e.g. Salem Wesleyan Methodist Church. Other Wesleyan Methodists who dissented with the merger organized into the

Bible Methodist Connection of Churches The Bible Methodist Connection of Churches is a Methodist denomination within the conservative holiness movement. History The movement which would become Bible Methodist Connection of Churches began in the mid-18th century within the Church ...

and the Bible Methodist Connection of Tennessee.

References

{{Methodist Episcopal Church Methodist denominations Methodist denominations in North America Holiness denominations History of Methodism in the United States Former Methodist denominations Religious organizations established in 1841 1841 establishments in the United States Holiness pacifism

See also

References