METHODISM, a term denoting the religious organizations which trace their origin to the evangelistic teaching of John Wes ley. The name "Methodist" was given in derision to those Oxford students who in company with the Wesleys used to meet together for spiritual fellowship; and later on when John Wesley had organized his followers into "societies" the name was applied to them in the same spirit. It was however accepted by him, and in official documents he usually styles them "the people called Methodists." The fact that standards of Methodist doctrine are laid down as consisting of "Mr. Wesley's Notes on the New Testa ment and the 1st Series of his Sermons" (fifty-three in number), might seem to indicate a departure from existing systems, but it was not so. He fully accepted the recognized teaching of the Church of England, and publicly appealed to the Prayer Book and the Thirty-nine Articles in justification of the doctrines he preached. Methodism began in a revival of personal religion, and it professed to have but one aim, viz. "to spread Scriptural holi ness over the land." Its doctrines were in no sense new. It was the zeal with which they were taught, the clear distinction which they drew between the profession of godliness and the enjoyment of its power—added to the emphasis they laid upon the imme diate influence of the Holy Spirit on the consciousness of the Christian—which attracted attention, gave them distinction, and even aroused ridicule and opposition. Wesley and his helpers, finding the Anglican churches closed against them, took to preach ing in the open air ; and this method is still followed, more or less, in the aggressive evangelistic work of all the Methodist Churches. As followers rapidly increased they were compelled to hold their own Sunday services, and this naturally led them to appoint as preachers godly laymen possessing the gift of exhortation. These followed their ordinary avocations on week-days, but on Sundays preached to congregations in their own immediate neighbourhood, and hence were called local preachers as distinguished from travel ling preachers. Some 13,000 congregations, chiefly in the villages,
are dependent on local preachers. In the organization adopted to foster spiritual life the very characteristic "Class-meetings for Christian fellowship" take a prominent place. Membership in the church depends solely upon being enrolled in such a meeting for Christian fellowship, and accepting pastoral oversight.
The Wesleyan Methodists now represent the original body as founded by John Wesley in Great Britain and Ireland; but in America those who looked upon him as their founder adopted the episcopal mode of Church government after the War of Independ ence, and have since that time been known as Episcopal Metho dists (see below). It should be noted that the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists are only slightly connected with the original body. They were indirectly the outcome of the evangelistic efforts of Howell Harris and Rowlands. Their work received the sympathy of Wesley and liberal financial help from the Countess of Hunt ingdon. For a time Whitefield was leader, and we find a reference to the "Whitefieldian and Wesleyan Methodists" in the Supple-1 ment to the Gentleman's Magazine for p. 619. The theo logical views of these teachers proved quite incompatible with the Arminianism of Wesley, and a definite breach between them and him took place in 1770. Other divisions have been formed at vari ous times by secessions from the Wesleyan Methodists not on points of doctrine but on matters of church government. They are: Methodist New Connexion (founded 1797-1798); Bible Christians (1815) ; United Methodist Free Churches (about 1836) ; Primitive Methodists (founded 1807-181o) ; Independent Methodist Churches (about i8o6) ; Wesleyan Reform Union (185o, reorganized 1859). The first three of these were joined in 1907 under the name of the United Methodist Church. See WES LEYAN METHODISTS, CALVINISTIC METHODISTS, PRIMITIVE METH ODISTS, together with separate articles on the other bodies named above ; and on the American branches, see below.