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History of Methodism Timeline

(1738–Present)

Methodism began as an eighteenth-century renewal movement within the Church of England and developed into a worldwide Christian tradition emphasizing personal faith, disciplined discipleship, evangelism, and social holiness. Less

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Origins and Revival

Birth of John Wesley

Jun 17, 1703

John Wesley, the principal founder of Methodism, was born at Epworth, Lincolnshire, England. His later preaching, organizing, and theological writings shaped the Methodist movement.

Birth of Charles Wesley

Dec 18, 1707

Charles Wesley was born at Epworth. He became Methodism's most influential hymn writer and a major preacher and theological voice alongside his brother John.

John Wesley enters Oxford

1720

Wesley entered Christ Church, Oxford, beginning the academic and clerical career that placed him at the center of the eighteenth-century Anglican revival.

The Holy Club is formed

1729

At Oxford, John and Charles Wesley joined a disciplined group devoted to prayer, Bible study, fasting, charitable work, and frequent Communion. Opponents mockingly called its members Methodists.

Wesley serves in Georgia

Oct 14, 1735 - Dec 22, 1737

John Wesley traveled to the Province of Georgia as an Anglican missionary. The difficult mission ended in frustration, but his encounters with Moravians deeply influenced his later spiritual development.

Wesley meets Peter Böhler

Feb 1738

John Wesley met the Moravian missionary Peter Böhler in London. Böhler's emphasis on justification by faith and assurance challenged Wesley's understanding of Christian salvation.

Charles Wesley's conversion experience

May 21, 1738

Charles Wesley underwent a decisive evangelical conversion experience shortly before John at Aldersgate. It strengthened the brothers' commitment to proclaiming salvation by faith.

John Wesley's Aldersgate experience

May 24, 1738

At a meeting in Aldersgate Street, London, Wesley experienced a profound assurance of faith while hearing Luther's preface to Romans. He later described this as his heart being strangely warmed.

George Whitefield joins the revival

1739

George Whitefield became a leading Methodist revival preacher and popularized large-scale open-air evangelism in Britain and North America, while eventually following a Calvinist theological direction.

Image source: George Whitefield

George Whitefield joins the revival

The Methodist revival begins

1739

John and Charles Wesley began sustained revival preaching in England, emphasizing repentance, personal faith, disciplined Christian living, and practical works of mercy.

Image source: Methodism

The Methodist revival begins

Wesley preaches at Kingswood

Apr 2, 1739

Wesley preached outdoors to coal miners at Kingswood near Bristol, reaching people excluded from many parish churches. Open-air preaching became a defining feature of the revival.

Image source: John Wesley

Wesley preaches at Kingswood

First Methodist society forms

Nov 1739

A society organized at Wesley's direction in London became an early model for Methodist small groups. Members met regularly for prayer, mutual accountability, instruction, and charitable action.

The Foundery becomes a Methodist center

1740 - 1778

The Foundery in London served as Wesley's principal base for preaching, administration, worship, and charitable work. It became an important early institutional center of British Methodism.

Methodist class meetings expand

1742

Wesley introduced organized class meetings in which members met in small groups to discuss spiritual life and support one another. The system became central to Methodist discipline.

First Methodist conference

Jun 25, 1744

John Wesley convened the first Methodist conference in London. The gathering helped establish common preaching practices, doctrine, discipline, and oversight for the growing movement.

Global Expansion

Methodism spreads to Ireland

1747

Methodist preaching and societies became established in Ireland through Wesleyan missions and local converts. Irish Methodism later developed distinctive institutions and denominations.

Methodist preaching reaches North America

1760

Immigrant Methodists and lay preachers carried Wesleyan teaching to the American colonies. Methodist societies grew rapidly, especially through itinerant preaching and revival meetings.

Barbara Heck urges Methodist organization

1766

Barbara Heck, an Irish Methodist immigrant, urged Philip Embury to resume preaching and helped organize the early New York Methodist community. She is remembered as a founding figure of North American Methodism.

Philip Embury begins preaching in New York

Oct 1766

Irish immigrant Philip Embury began Methodist preaching in New York City at the request of fellow immigrants. His work helped establish the first Methodist society in the American colonies.

John Street Church opens

1768

John Street Church opened in New York City as the first Methodist church building in North America. It provided a permanent base for the rapidly expanding movement.

Francis Asbury arrives in America

Oct 27, 1771

Francis Asbury arrived from England to serve the American Methodist societies. His itinerant leadership and organizational work made him the central architect of American Methodism.

Image source: Francis Asbury

Francis Asbury arrives in America

Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society forms

1813

The Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society was established in Britain to coordinate overseas evangelism, education, medical work, and church development across the growing British Empire.

Salvation Army is founded

1865

William and Catherine Booth founded the East London Christian Mission, which became the Salvation Army in 1878. Its Methodist-rooted revivalism combined evangelism with organized social service.

Image source: The Salvation Army

Salvation Army is founded

Denominations and Institutions

The Methodist Episcopal Church adopts its discipline

1784

American Methodists adopted a Discipline based largely on Wesley's doctrinal and organizational guidance. It established standards for ministry, membership, worship, and church governance.

Wesley's Declaration of Independence

1784

John Wesley issued a document authorizing Thomas Coke to ordain ministers and administer the sacraments in America. It marked his practical recognition of American Methodist independence.

Methodist Episcopal Church is organized

Dec 24, 1784

At the Christmas Conference in Baltimore, American Methodists organized the independent Methodist Episcopal Church. Thomas Coke ordained Francis Asbury as superintendent, creating a distinct American church.

Methodist Episcopal Church splits over slavery

1844

Disagreement over slavery and the episcopacy of James O. Andrew led the Methodist Episcopal Church to divide. Southern delegates formed the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1845.

Methodist Episcopal Church, South is founded

May 1, 1845

The organizing convention in Louisville established the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The separation institutionalized the American Methodist division over slavery and regional governance.

Free Methodist Church is founded

Aug 23, 1860

B. T. Roberts and other reformers founded the Free Methodist Church at Pekin, New York. The denomination emphasized holiness, opposition to pew rentals, and greater spiritual and social egalitarianism.

Image source: Free Methodist Church

Free Methodist Church is founded

Methodist Episcopal Church establishes deaconesses

1888

The Methodist Episcopal Church formally developed deaconess work, expanding women's recognized ministries in nursing, education, missions, and urban social service.

Methodist Church in Britain is formed

1932

The Wesleyan Methodist Church, the Primitive Methodist Church, and the United Methodist Church united to form the Methodist Church of Great Britain.

Methodist Episcopal Church reunifies

1939

The Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and Methodist Protestant Church reunited as The Methodist Church in the United States, ending a division rooted in the nineteenth century.

Image source: Free Methodist Church

Methodist Episcopal Church reunifies

Methodist Church and Evangelical United Brethren merge

1968

The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church united to create The United Methodist Church, one of the world's largest Wesleyan denominations.

The United Methodist Church is organized

Apr 23, 1968

The constituting General Conference in Dallas formally established The United Methodist Church. The new denomination combined Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren traditions.

Image source: United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church is organized

Modern Methodism

Holiness movement gains momentum

1867

The National Camp Meeting Association for the Promotion of Holiness helped spread Wesleyan teaching about entire sanctification. The movement influenced later Pentecostal and holiness denominations.

Image source: Holiness movement

Holiness movement gains momentum

World Methodist Council is established

1881

International Methodist leaders began the ecumenical body that became the World Methodist Council. It created a continuing forum for cooperation among Methodist and Wesleyan churches.

Methodist Federation for Social Service forms

1907

Methodist reformers organized to address labor, poverty, temperance, racial justice, and other social questions. Their work reflected the movement's growing engagement with the Social Gospel.

Methodist Church adopts the Social Principles

1956

American Methodists adopted a formal statement of social principles addressing Christian responsibility in public life, including economic justice, civil rights, peace, and human dignity.

Women gain full clergy rights in U.S. Methodism

1956

The Methodist Church granted women full clergy rights, allowing them to be ordained and appointed on equal terms with men. This decision advanced a long Methodist tradition of women's ministry.

World Methodist Conference addresses apartheid

1986

The World Methodist Council and member churches intensified opposition to apartheid and supported racial justice in Southern Africa, reflecting Methodist engagement with global human-rights issues.

Key Facts

  1. John Wesley and his brother Charles helped launch the Methodist movement in England during the eighteenth century.
  2. John Wesley’s 1738 experience at Aldersgate, where he felt his heart strangely warmed, became a defining moment in his spiritual life.
  3. Methodists emphasized conversion, Bible study, small-group accountability, practical piety, and holiness of heart and life.
  4. The movement expanded rapidly through open-air preaching and the work of lay preachers, including extensive ministry among working-class communities.
  5. Methodism spread internationally and supported major social reforms, including education, poverty relief, prison reform, and opposition to slavery.

Source

This History of Methodism timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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