Methodism is a protestant movement founded by an Anglican priest, John Wesley (1703–1791), who stressed the individual believer's personal relationship with God. With his brother Charles, Wesley led a devout and scholarly group in Oxford whose prayer and bible meetings counterbalanced the worldliness of student life at Oxford.

Wesley went to the American colony of Georgia to act as a priest to the settlers. There he would sign hymns and hold fellowship meetings. He organized his followers into “societies” with emotional class meetings. If followers failed to attend meetings, they couldn't remain members.

He preached far and wide, from settlements to the frontiers. During his fifty-year ministry, he is said to have traveled 250,000 miles, mostly on horseback, and delivered 50,000 sermons. The religious revival which he spirited — known as the Great Awakening — created Methodism and caused the Anglican Church to reassess its own evangelism.

Wesley had wanted his followers to remain within the Anglican Church, but after his death, Methodism rejected the authority of the church. The church grew very rapidly, but schisms developed, and eventually the issue of slavery split the Methodist Church into two. In 1845, the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South were organized. The church in the South lost its black members during the Civil War. After the Civil War, both churches grew rapidly.

In 1939, the Methodist Church was formed and the Methodist Protestant Church joined in the same union. At that time, the Central Jurisdiction was formed for black members and existed alongside other jurisdictions. In 1968, the Central Jurisdiction was abolished and black Methodists were integrated into the church.

The United Methodist Church was created on April 23, 1968, when Bishop Reuben H. Muller of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and Bishop Lloyd C. Wicke of the Methodist Church merged at the General Conference in Dallas, Texas, to form the United Methodist Church. The combined church then had 11 million members, which made it one of the largest Protestant churches in the world.

As with many Protestant denominations, the Methodist Church recognizes and practices two sacraments: baptism and the Supper of the Lord. The UMC looks upon humans as sinful creatures estranged from God who have wounded themselves and others. As humans have wreaked havoc throughout the natural order, they stand in need of redemption.

The Methodist Church has an extensive, worldwide missionary organization. Missionaries are trained to carry their religion and philosophy throughout the world using a global communications network. They also explore and sustain ecumenical cooperation with other missionaries.

The equality of the sexes within the church is established. The church affirms the right of women to equal treatment in employment, responsibility, promotion, and compensation. An official statement reads: “We affirm the importance of women in decision-making positions at all levels of Church life.”