Methodists

(noun)

A movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately 70 million adherents worldwide; the movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism.

Related Terms

Examples of Methodists in the following topics:

  • Frontier Revivals

    • Stone (1772–1844) and Alexander Campbell (1788–1866), the camp meeting revival became a major mode of church expansion for denominations such as the Methodists and Baptists.
    • Numerous Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist ministers participated in the services.

  • The Second Great Awakening

    • The movement began around 1790 and gained momentum by 1800; after 1820, membership rose rapidly among Baptist and Methodist congregations, whose preachers led the movement.
    • The numerical strength of the Baptists and Methodists rose relative to that of the denominations dominant in the colonial period, such as the Anglicans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Reformed.
    • The burst of religious enthusiasm that began in Kentucky and Tennessee in the 1790s and early 1800s among Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians owed much to the uniqueness of the early decades of the republic.
    • The Methodists had an efficient organization that depended on ministers known as "circuit riders," who sought out people in remote frontier locations.

  • The Anglican Class

    • The Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and other evangelicals directly challenged these lax moral standards and refused to tolerate them in their ranks.

  • Evolution of Protestantism

    • The Great Awakening saw the rise of several Protestant denominations, including Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists (who emphasized adult baptism of converted Christians rather than infant baptism).
    • They traveled to the new world in 1769 to start American Methodist societies; Pilmore in Philadelphia, and Boardman in New York.

  • Markets and Missionaries

    • Thomas Uzzel led the Methodist People's Tabernacle from 1885 to 1910.
    • Its members and leaders were of both races and chiefly affiliated with Congregationalist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches.

  • Progressivism and Religion

    • The promotion of "muscular Christianity" became popular among young men on campus and in urban YMCA's, as well as such denominational youth groups such as the Epworth League for Methodists and the Walther League for Lutherans.
    • At the same time, Methodist minister Timothy Merritt of Boston founded a journal called the Guide to Christian Perfection, later renamed The Guide to Holiness.

  • Free Blacks in the South

    • For instance, Wilberforce University, founded in Ohio in 1856 by Methodist and African Methodist Episcopal (AME) representatives for the education of African-American youth, initially received most of its funding from wealthy southern planters who wanted to pay for the education of their mixed-race children.

  • The Age of Reforms

    • The movement began around 1790, gained momentum by 1800, and, after 1820 membership rose rapidly among Baptist and Methodist congregations, whose preachers led the movement.

  • Religion in Early New England

    • Methodists primarily focused on bible study and living a life free of amusement and luxury.
    • Methodism spread to America in the late 1760s when preachers appointed by John Wesley traveled to the new world in 1769 to start American Methodist societies.

  • Domestic Discontent with the War

    • The largest Protestant denominations among these, including Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Disciples of Christ, Congregational, and some Lutheran groups, loudly denounced the war at first, arguing that it was God's punishment for sin.