What is the Methodist Church and what do Methodists believe?
” Answer: The United Methodist Church is the largest American mainline denomination, with nearly 12 million members in 42,000 congregations worldwide. It is a participating member of the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches and is one of the leading proponents of ecumenism today. The church was formed in 1968 with a merger of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church, but its roots go back to England in the 1730s. John and Charles Wesley were missionaries in the Church of England and had returned home after an unsuccessful mission in the colony of Georgia. They were disillusioned and discouraged with their own faith and began attending prayer meetings on Aldersgate Street in London, searching for answers. In 1738, they both had revival experiences, which John described as being strangely warmed in the heart. With this newfound excitement and energy in spiritual matters, they and their Aldersgate companions began to develop guidelines, or
