8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

1/15

The Rise of Methodism: From Creation of a Movement to an Explosion of Growth in America

By

Albert C. Whittenberg HIS 452

University of Illinois at Springfield July 21,2004

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

2/15

2Rise ofMethodism

AbstractAfter the American Revolution, no other denomination was growing at the rate of

the Methodists. By 1850, over thirty-four percent of total church membership in Americacame from the Methodists. How did this happen? It was really multiple factors whichwill be explored in this paper. Methodism had a strong leader in John Wesley, who wasalso a master organizer. He appointed men of strong faith and work ethic who werewilling to live a life of constant travel and poverty to spread the Methodist message.Methodism was quick to grab onto new concepts such as camp meetings, field preachingand the use of circuit riders. It welcomed women and African-Americans into leadershippositions. Combine all of these factors with a very emotional and personal doctrinehelped Methodism to change the religious landscape of the newly independent America.

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

3/15

3Rise of Methodism

IntroductionTable of Contents

4 John Wesley 4 America 7 Camp Meetings 8 Changing Classes 8 Women 9 Afri can -Ameri cans 10 Conclusions 11

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

4/15

4Rise of Methodism

A farmer in 1788 told his wife that "I will stop you from going to hear theseMethodists; they are turning the world upside down and setting people crazy."] Whowere the Methodists and what impact did they have on America? Was it somethingcompletely new from what people had been hearing before? Who started it? Where didit come from ? Many people might have been asking themselves these questions alongwith stating that people are being driven crazy. Methodists only consisted about 2percent of total church membership in America in 1775. In 1850, that portion had grownto 34 percent? The Methodist movement appealed to the new country of America: itsskilled artisans, women and African-Americans. It was a change from what people hadbeen hearing before. It would spread and break off into several smaller movements thatcontinue to change America' s religious landscape.John Wesley

Where did Methodism come from? The answer starts with one man, JohnWesley. Who was John Wesley? He labeled himself as a "brand plucked from theburning,,3 and described the "world as his parish".4 He traveled throughout the world,spoke five languages, wrote almost every day of his life, worked until the day before hisdeath, and gave most of his earned income away to anyone in need. He is considered thefather of the Methodist church and certainly many other denominations that have theirbackground in holiness. His movement broke free from the chains of the Church ofEngland although he refused to leave the church throughout his l ifetime. He was amaster organizer, speaker and politician. He was an amateur scientist and doctor. 5

Wesley was the fifteenth of nineteen children born to an Anglican Churchminister and his wife in Epworth , England. From an early age, his parents leaned

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

5/15

5Rise of Methodism

towards him also becoming a minister. Along with his brother Charles, he attendedbu";Oxford and met another soon to be famous minister, les Whitefield. The three menbegan to vigorously search and study the scriptures. John organized his entire day aroundstudy and prayer (keeping a very strict schedule that he followed during his entire timethere). His other classmates began to call him and his group "Methodists" since therewas a method to everything they did. 6 He would graduate, get offered a church inAmerica, go there and fall in love, alienate the entire population because of his str ictness,lose his love to another, and return home destroyed.

Wesley would return to England determined that his failures were due (at leastpartly) to his lack of salvation. He would pour himself into this weakness until May 24,1738 when he had his "Aldersgate experience":

"In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate-Street,where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans.About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change whichGod works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangelywarmed. I felt I did trust in Christ , Christ alone for salvation: And anassurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, andsaved me from the law of sin and death .,,7

-1-0Wesley would break free from his traditional methods tied with the Church ofEngland. His work Savannah, Georgi --had taught him what it was like to

-Lr::",work with people. He lffl1rd take his message to the masses. John Wesley waskicked out of nearly every established church he visited in England, but he never stoppedmoving. He would begin to preach in the streets and the fields (unheard of for an Oxfordeducated minister of the times). His organizational work in Georgia would also servehim as he organized religious groups throughout England (and also America but throughcorrespondence).

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

6/15

Rise ofMethodism

Wesley's success can alst ie back to i" num ber 0 f unusual methods. George1- -Whitefield had returned from America and told Wesley about "field preaching,,8 where

he would preach to working class folks in open fields (since the local church wouldrefuse him to preach there). In April of 1739, Wesley was able to witness his friend inaction. A day later, Wesley would preach his first "field" sermon. Another method he

------ --- "then devised was to break the area into circuits. He would travel four to five thousandmiles a year on horseback and touch nearly "every part of England, Wales, Scotland, andIreland".9 From these humble beginnings, the circuit rider was born. As Methodism

spread to America, the use of circuit riders would help the movement to grow in varioussmall communities that popped up as the population continued to move westward .

A final point to consider is Wesley 's beliefs. Before Georgia , he was a very strictAnglican. He believed firmly in the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England "as acongregation of faithful men in which the pure word of God is preached and thesacraments be duly administered according to Christ's ordinance. " lo However, he alsobeen shaped by his exposure to the German Moravians on his first trip to America . Theypreached "salvation by faith " and the doctrine of"holiness".J I Wesley researched theworks of "Jeremy Taylor, Thomas a Kempis and William Law" and felt a "calling toChristian holiness". 12 Wesley began to preach Christian Perfection. Men did havecontrol over their own souls and could also live without sin. Man had a part in theirrelationship with God unlike the teachings of the Calvinists. This would cause a breakbetween him and Whitefield, but his movement would certainly gain in strength.

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

7/15

7Rise of Methodism

AmericaDuring his lifetime, Wesley would never leave the Church of England. He would

realize that his following had grown so much that additional ministers and leaders had tobe selected. He called these ordained men "lay preachers". 13 He would appoint ThomasCoke over the movement in America in 1784. He would join Francis Asbury and helpcreate the "Methodist Episcopal Church".14 Both of these men knew that the growth ofthe movement depended upon the people moving west.

Like Wesley, these men were masters at organization and a number of circuitriders (lay preachers) were ordained to carryon the fight. Mark A. Noll writes that"Asbury traveled nearly 3000,000 miles, mostly on horseback" during his lifetime "intoall the thirteen colonies that became the original United States and then into the newstates of Tennessee and Kentucky".15 His hard work paid off. When Asbury came toAmerica, "there were four Methodist ministers looking after about 300 laypeople. By thetime of his death in 1816, there were 2,000 ministers and over 200 ,000 members ofMethodist congregations. ".16

Why did Methodism flourish in America? This can be traced back to a number offactors. As previously mentioned, the people involved in the early Methodist churchwere extremely dedicated. They were willing to live a life of poverty and constant travelto get their message across. Without this, the movement and the church would neverhave gotten of f the ground. The reason why it continued to grow may link to its appeal toa number of groups within society. The early churches in America had a tendency to befocused on the upper classes, predominantly men and certainly "white". Methodism, inits own way, focused on everybody else.

http:///reader/full/Kentucky%22.15http:///reader/full/Kentucky%22.15

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

8/15

Rise of Methodism 8

Camp MeetingsOne of the first main reasons for growth of Methodism (and several other

denominations) was the Camp Meeting Movement. Dr. Marlin R. Botle describes thebeginning of this phenomenon:

"The first camp meeting broke out in Logan County, Kentucky, near theTennessee line, in 1799, under Presbyterian auspices. James M c G r e a ."Presbyterian minister, had migrated to Logan County, Kentucky, ind:"976, afterbeing run out ofNorth Carolina because of his hell-fire preaching. In 1799, he seta weekend meeting and called two brothers. John McGee, a Methodist, andWilliam McGee, Presbyterian, to preach. At the preaching of both McGees, deepemotion touched the preachers and powerful conviction seized the congregation.Spontaneously, the first camp meeting had arrived unannounced as the crowdsmoved in to see the strange sight.,,17In 1800, McGready organized another camp meeting near Red River. Ten to

twenty thousand would come to a meeting the following year at Cane Ridge, Kentucky.Is it any wonder that Asbury started calling summertime "Methodist's harvest time" andheld over 600 meetings by 1810.18 Of the Cane Ridge meeting, Dr. Mark A. Noll writesthat the "results were electrifying, with many participants falling down as if struck dead,while others laughed out loud, barked like dogs, or experienced the jerks. After theexcitement wore off, longer-term results were seen in the creation of many new churches,especially Methodist and Baptist churches.,,19

Camp meetings were exciting. They were entertaining. In_the frontier, it wasperhaps the onl/ entertainment. The preaching was very emot: :al and created manyfollowers . It was the start of a new "Great Awakening" and Methodism jumped onboard.Changing Classes

Another important reason was the focus on different classes of people than thechurches that came before. Methodism grew after the American Revolution. The

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

9/15

Rise of Methodism 9

Revolutionary War was a divide between two eras of "an earlier world ordered throughdeference, hierarchy, and patronage and a later period in which ordinary people grewincreasingly unwilling to consider themselves inherently inferior to anyone else. ,,20 TheMethodist churches had no special pews for certain wealthy families . The positions ofthe church were based on work and faith instead of family name and position in society.Many leaders were uneducated as well. .. they showed a yearning to serve.

Most of the early preachers also came from the artisan and other skilled trades.Here are some examples:

- Before turning to preaching, Francis Asbury, Jacob Gruber, and NoahLevings were blacksmiths; Benjamin Abbott was apprenticed to a hatter and thenfarmed for a time; Henry Boehm was apprenticed in a grist mill, as was NicholasSnethen; John Campbell Deem was a tanner, as were his father and the Methodistpreacher who led him to conversion; James P . Horton, Alfred Brunson, and EnochMudge were shoemakers ; Samuel Parker, know as the ' Star of the West' was acabinetmaker.>.21With so many of its first preachers coming from the artisan classes, it is not

surprising that Methodism was so appealing to this class of people.Women

Methodism offered women more freedom than other churches of their day (orsociety in general) to have leadership roles . Women "participated in the movement'searly development as class leaders , unofficial counselors to young circuit riders , networkbuilders, extra-legal activists, and financial patrons. ,,22 Lyerly writes that "women whohosted regular services were honored with having their name represent a local society,and they also assured their connection to a world beyond the home .,,23 It was notcommon but there were also a number of Methodist women ministers. They were mainly

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

10/15

Rise of Methodism 10

in places where, for some reason, a male minister could not be found. However, it was astrong step in a society where women were often treated as second hand citizens.

Methodism also allowed and to a degree promoted women to speak their mindeven if it defied or challenged ministers . Historian Lynn Lyerly commented:

That some women would find license in Methodism to challengepreachers is not unexpected. Women frequently defied men outside the Methodistfold and violated southern norms of femininity in the service of their faith. Theroots ofwomen's self-assertion and autonomy can be traced back to Wesleyandoctrines and practices that expanded convert's sense of agency. For whitesouthern women, as for blacks, conversion wrought a significant change inperceptions of the self and agency. Methodist wo en's voices, values, andconcerns were not subsumed by those of patriarchs. 24 .Women have always played a significant role in the Christian church as a whole

dating back to the times of the Bible. Methodism was quick to realize this and givewomen stronger roles.Afri can-Ameri cans

An important factor to Methodism's growth is its welcoming of all people with noconsideration for race. Cynthia Lynn Lyerly commented on this important difference inMethodism:

. .---; ' In Maryland and New York, the first Methodist societies had blackembers - both slave and free. Robert Strawbridge's efforts (a Methodistpreacher) in Maryland became the center of attraction to large numbers of people,both white and black. Mary Switzer and Jacob Toogood were amongStrawbridge's black converts . In New York, Betty, the servant or slave ofBarbara Heck, and Peter Williams, the slave of a tobacconist, were two of thefounding members . Black New York Methodists contributed money to help buildthe first church. A sister society formed from this group on Long Island around1768, and after six months, its members numbered twenty-four (half white andhalf black). Methodism was born in America as a biracial lay movement."'25It is also important to note that many Methodist ministers were against slavery.

African Americans saw Methodist ministers losing churches and homes to fire and mobs .

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

11/15

Rise of Methodism 11

They saw them being criticized in the press. John Wesley also preached against thehorrors slavery. It is not surprising that Methodism was appealing to African Americans.

John H. Wigger writes that another "reason that African Americans responded soreadily to Methodism was that the Methodists proclaimed a Christianity that was fresh,capable of being readily understood and immediately experienced. ,,26 This was notcomplicated theology but simple "grace by faith". Wigger also comments that theMethodist "message was framed in terms that made sense to the multitude of both whitesand African Americans. Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist EpiscopalChurch, believed that Methodists were 'the first people that brought glad tidings to thecolored people ' in a way that they could understand. 'All other denominations preachedso high-flown that we were not able to comprehend their doctrine.' ,,2 7

The Methodist church (like many other denominations) would eventually splitover the issue of slavery. The southern branch of the church would part for a time tillafter the Civil War. It would also cause a number of other smaller groups to break of fand form their own denominations (Wesleyan Methodist and Free Methodist). After theCivil War, there would be even more splits as the United Methodist Church graduallydropped its emphasis on holiness (sanctification). This would lead to a number ofholiness denominations forming.Conclusions

Why did Methodism grow so quickly? There were and are several reasons. It hada solid founder in John Wesley who worked diligently until the day he died. He was amasterful organizer and not afraid to take his message to the streets and fields. Heappointed men in America that shared his ideals and his work ethic. The circuit riders

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

12/15

Rise of Methodism 12

was a successful experiment that helped spread Methodism to small communitiesthroughout England and America. Methodism was a personal faith that appealed to thenewly independent Americans, who were tired of the Calvinistic salvation where theyhad no part in their salvation. It appealed and attracted women followers . It allowedthem to take positions of importance. It appealed to the African-Americans, free andslave. At first, it was strongly opposed to slavery while other churches did not want totouch the issue. Methodism made strong use of the camp meeting enthusiasm.

The people of the Methodist movement and eventually the Methodist church werenot afraid to appeal to emotion, promote a simple message that all could Wlderstand, andwilling to welcome all no matter sex or race. The message was both entertaining to themasses and considered extremely sincere. By 1830, Methodism in America stood at overa half a million members.28With that type of numbers, it would be hard to argue that theMethodist movement was anything but a success.

J//l/

f I - < . ~ ~ ; v w f ~ Yr

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

13/15

Rise of Methodism 13

EndnoteslCynthis Lynn Lyerly, Methodism and the Southern Mind, 1770-1810, (Oxford

University Press, 1998), 3.2John H. Wigger, Taking Heaven by Storm: Methodism and the Rise ofPopularChristianity in America, (University of Illinois Press, 1998),3.3Lee Haines & Paul Thomas, An Outline History of the Wesleyan Church,

(Indianapolis: Wesley Press, 1990), 3. 4Ibid. , 11.5U. Lee, The Lord 's Horseman, (Abingdon Press, 1928), 160.6Roland H . Bainton, The Church ofOur Fathers, (Salem , Ohio: Schmul

Publishing Company, 1987), 19l. 7John Wesley, The Complete Works ofJohn Wesley (14 Volumes) , (Albany:

SAGE Digital Library , 1995), 124. fl ,

9Ibid., 13 .IOFrederick A. Norwood, The Story ofAmerican Methodism: A History of the

United Methodists and Their Relations, (Abingdon Press, 1974),52.lIIbid., 30.12Lee Haines & Paul Thomas, An Ou tm Hi for.y oflhe We s..leyan Chur.s;j;z ,

(IndiaAapaH' I..e.sle.y-.R ;g.ss, 1 9 9 ~ 17. 13Marlin R. Hotle, In Search ofSanctification, (Schmul Publishing Company,1991), 123.

e Haines aul Thomas, n fJttrhT

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

14/15

Rise of Methodism 14

..... an.ctifi lio.n,..(S&bmu blishing Company,' o t l e , In.&ar..ck.g}41-142.18Ibid ., 142.

19 :ark A. Noll , The Olt! Re7igion m a ew WOTld, (Wm. B. E dmansPubl i: . I ,200 63.20 H. W i g g e r , P a k i n g - H e t l b'f:3WrTl'r. Methoaism anCl-;he RiseChristianity in America, (University of Illinois Press, 199 ), 7.21 Ibid., 49.22Ibid ., 167.

UniveSouthern Mine!, 1770-1810, (Oxford

24 Ib id., 102. 25Ibid., 13-14. 26.} hn . Wigger, Taking Heaven by Storm: Methodism and the Rise ofPQPular

Christianity in America, (University of Illinois Press, 1998), 128.27Ibid ., 129.28Ibid.,3.

http:///reader/full/In.&ar..ckhttp:///reader/full/In.&ar..ckhttp:///reader/full/In.&ar..ck

8/7/2019 HIS452552Summer2004

15/15

-------

1 ' ) ' j1 .

Lee, U. The Lord's Horseman. Abingdon Press, 1928. Lyerly, Cynthia Lynn. Methodism and the Southern Mind, 1770-1810. Oxford University

Press, 1998.Noll, Mark A. The Old Religion in a New World. Wm . B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2002.Norwood, Frederick A. The Story ofAmerican Methodism: A History of the United

Methodists and Their Relations. Abingdon Press, 1974.Wigger, John H. Taking Heaven by Strom: Methodism and the Rise ofPopular

Christianity in America. University of Illinois Press, 1998.Wesley, John. The Complete Works ofJohn Wesley (14 Volumes). Albany: SAGE DigitalLibrary, 1995.