United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant[9] denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelicalism. The present denomination was founded in 1968 in Dallas, Texas, by union of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. The UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley in England, as well as the Great Awakening in the United States.[6][10] As such, the church's theological orientation is decidedly Wesleyan.[11] It embraces liturgical worship, holiness, and evangelical elements.[12][13][14][15]
This article is about the current Christian denomination based in the United States. For other uses, see United Methodist Church (disambiguation).United Methodist Church
UMC
Thomas James Bickerton III[2]
Tracy Malone[3]
L. J. Holston[4]
132
66
John Wesley[5][6] (spiritually)
1968
New Methodist Conference (2005)
Ang Iglesia Metodista sa Pilipinas (2011)
Global Methodist Church (2022)
39,460 (29,746 in the US)[7]
83,800
10
109
The United Methodist Church has a connectional polity, a typical feature of a number of Methodist denominations. It is organized into conferences. The highest level is called the General Conference and is the only organization which may speak officially for the UMC. The church is a member of the World Council of Churches, the World Methodist Council, and other religious associations.
As of 2022, the UMC had 5,424,175 members[8] and 29,746 churches in the United States.[7] As of 2022, it had 9,984,925 members and 39,460 churches worldwide.[7] In 2015, the Pew Research Center estimated that 3.6 percent of the US population, or nine million adult adherents, identified with the United Methodist Church, revealing a much larger number of adherents than registered members.[16]
On January 3, 2020, a group of Methodist leaders proposed a plan to split the United Methodist Church over issues of sexual orientation (particularly same-sex marriage) and create a new traditionalist Methodist denomination.[17][18][19] The Global Methodist Church was formed in 2022.[20] Prior to the establishment of the Global Methodist Church, some Methodist congregations had already left the UMC to join the Free Methodist Church, a traditionalist Methodist denomination aligned with the Wesleyan-holiness movement.[21][22] As of December 30, 2023, the number of UMC churches in the United States that were approved for disaffiliation stood at 7,660. This figure represented approximately one-quarter of the UMC churches in the United States.[23][24]
Ecumenical relations[edit]
Methodism is one tradition within the Christian Church.[249] The United Methodist Church is active in ecumenical relations with other Christian groups and denominations. It is a member of the National Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches, Churches Uniting in Christ, and Christian Churches Together. In addition, it voted to seek observer status in the National Association of Evangelicals and in the World Evangelical Fellowship.[250] However, there are some in the United Methodist Church who feel that false ecumenism might result in the "blurring of theological and confessional differences in the interests of unity."[251]
In April 2005, the United Methodist Council of Bishops approved "A Proposal for Interim Eucharistic Sharing." This document was the first step toward full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The ELCA approved this same document in August 2005.[252] At the 2008 General Conference, the United Methodist Church approved full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.[253] The ELCA approved this document on August 20, 2009, at its annual churchwide assembly.[254][255][256]
The United Methodist Church has since 1985 been exploring a possible merger with three historically African-American Methodist denominations: the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.[257] A Commission on Pan Methodist Cooperation and Union formed in 2000 to carry out work on such a merger.[258] In May 2012, The United Methodist Church entered into full communion with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, African Union Methodist Protestant Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, and Union American Methodist Episcopal Church, in which these Churches agreed to "recognize each other's churches, share sacraments, and affirm their clergy and ministries."[259]
There are also a number of churches such as the Evangelical Methodist Church in Argentina, Evangelical Church of Uruguay, and Methodist Church in India (MCI), that are "autonomous affiliated" churches in relation to the United Methodist Church.[260][261][262]
The UMC is a member of the Wesleyan Holiness Consortium, which seeks to reconceive and promote Biblical holiness in today's Church, and many United Methodist congregations are members of the Christian Holiness Partnership, with ten percent of local church membership in the Christian Holiness Partnership being from the United Methodist connexion.[263][264] It is also active in the World Methodist Council, an interdenominational group composed of various churches in the tradition of John Wesley to promote the Gospel throughout the world. On July 18, 2006, delegates to the World Methodist Council voted unanimously to adopt the "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification", which was approved in 1999 by the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation.[265][266]
Churchwide giving[edit]
Contributions to the local church not only benefit the local congregation, but also have regional, national, and international impact through the United Methodist Church's connectional giving system. The power of this collective giving enables the church to educate clergy, encourage cooperation with other faith communions, fund General Conference, nurture historically black colleges and Africa University, and support bishops.[273]
Individuals may also choose to give to the church by naming the Permanent Fund for the United Methodist Church as beneficiary in their estate plans. The Permanent Fund provides a permanent source of funding for the ministries of the United Methodist Church.[273]