Methodist church: features, history, distribution

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

Methodism: a religion that derives its name from a nickname

There are different opinions on this matter. Where did the name of the Methodist church come from? According to one version, at first the word "Methodist" was a nickname given to supporters of this movement by his opponents. They believed that the first adherents of the religious trend paid too much attention to the careful execution of the liturgies, as well as the timely attendance of all services. But the first adherents of this trend did not consider the nickname offensive. So the name "methodism" appeared. This religion placed emphasis on the fulfillment of biblical covenants. Therefore, its supporters, in particular, founder John Wesley, were even pleased to receive such a name.

What were the prerequisites for creating a Methodist church?

First, the Methodist church did not stand out from the Anglican church. Its founders were not at all eager to create a new sect. Wesley only wanted to inspire Christianity in England. After all, over the past two hundred years, the Christian-religious face of England has undergone significant changes. The church became the scene of an ongoing religious struggle. Her customs and morals were at a very low level. At the beginning of the XVIII century, the Archbishop of Canterbury with extreme regret said that secular circles and nobility were openly mocking the English official church. This testified that soon Christianity had to disappear from England at all. It was during this period that John Wesley and his companions appeared, who were ready to devote their lives to observing the vows of the Most High.

Official Recognition

As a separate existing confession, methodism emerged in the eighteenth century. In 1795 in England, in accordance with the so-called plan of appeasement, the Methodist Church was formally adopted. The US took this denomination even earlier - in 1784. Then in America, with the help of John Wesley, an episcopal Methodist church was established. In 1738, Wesley was ordained a priest.

Features of worship

The services of the Methodist Church were very similar to those of the Anglicans. However, there were some differences in the conduct of prayers, as well as the schedule of services. Methodists developed their collections of church hymns. Of the sacraments, they left only the baptism and the Lord's Supper. The methodologists can be baptized by both infants and adults. The sacrament itself is carried out with the help of sprinkling, however, another way, more suitable for the newly-initiated, can be chosen. Methodists are sure that during the communion in the church there is Christ himself. However, they do not specify exactly how this is expressed.

In the Methodist church there are only two levels of priesthood. They are deacons and elders. The bishopric is not considered as a third degree. In fact, the bishop is a deacon who performs all sorts of administrative work in the church. Executors for this position are selected during the conference and appointed to it for life.

Methodists in America

In the United States, methodism emerged as a separate religious community, which, however, did not recognize the primacy of the Anglican Church. The Methodist Church in America was concentrated mainly in its northern territories, in the state of Virginia, and also in North Carolina. By 1781, the number of Methodists had grown significantly. This was especially helped by the preaching work of Francis Esbury.

Methodist Church in Russia

For the first time, the centralized community of Methodists in Russia was registered in 1993, and in 1999 it received the status of an official organization. It consisted of 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.