Free
Methodists consider the story of the church in the book of Acts and
the other New Testament writings as their primary heritage. Generation
after generation derives from this record their main source of direction
and renewal. Followers of God have wrestled with issues both old and
new throughout the centuries just as they do now. The entire history
of the church is instructive for us.
Free Methodists claim a line of evangelical descent spelled out in large
terms as follows: They trace their spiritual heritage through men and
women of deep personal piety in all ages who have shown that it is possible
to maintain the glow of spiritual fervor in the midst of paganism, apostasy,
and the ofttime corruption of the established church.
The lineage of the Free Methodist Church begins with the people of God
in the Old and New Testaments, and includes influences and contributions
from the multitude of renewal movements in western Christianity: Wycliffe
and the German Moravians (from whom Wesley learned the concept of "the
witness of the Spirit"); the sixteenth century Reformation with
its many counterbalancing renewal movements, not the least of which
were the Arminian correctives (which taught that Christ's salvation
was for all mankind without limit, but that it must be freely chosen);
the Catholic-Anglican tradition; the English Puritan influence; the
Methodist tradition; and the ensuing vigorous nineteenth century holiness
movement. God has used these and others across the ages to make the
unchanging Christian gospel known more clearly. In sum, Free Methodists
identify with the flow of history of the Christian church while maintaining
distinctive evangelical and spiritual emphases.
The contributions from church history may be detailed as follows:
- The
Reformation heritage is reflected in their commitment to the Bible
as the supreme rule of faith and life, and to salvation by grace through
faith.
- The
Catholic-Anglican heritage appears in their concern for church order
and appreciation for liturgical form.
- Their
emphasis on the essentials of the faith allows for their openess towards
differing views on such subjects as modes of baptism and the millennium.
- The
Methodist heritage is shown in theological, eccelesiastical and social
concerns articulated by the Revered John Wesley and his associates
in the eighteenth century and reaffirmed through the holiness movement
of the nineteenth.
- Theologically,
they are committed to the Wesleyan-Arminian affirmation of the saving
love of God in Christ. Through prevenient grace He seeks to bring
every individual to himself but grants to each the responsibility
of accepting or rejecting that salvation.
Salvation
is a living relationship with God in Jesus Christ, giving the believer
a legal position of righteousness, and therefore affirming the security
of all who continue in fellowship with Him. Along with the Arminian
emphasis on the universal offer of salvation, John Wesley rediscovered
the principle of assurance through the witness of the Holy Spirit. He
declared a scriptural confidence in a God who is able to cleanse the
hearts of believers from sin here and now by faith, fill them with the
Holy Spirit, and empower them for carrying out His mission in the world.
John Wesley wrote of himself and his brother Charles, "In 1729
two young men in England, reading the Bible, saw they could not be saved
without holiness, followed after it, and incited others so to do. In
1737 they saw, likewise, that men are justified before they are sanctified;
but still holiness was their object. God then thrust them out to raise
up a holy people."
Ecclesiastically, the Methodist heritage is continued in Free Methodist
organiztion. There are lines of responsibility connecting local, district,
conference, and denominational ministries. Small groups of believers
are accountable to one another for growth in Christian life and service.
Free Methodists are concerned for the whole church, not just the local
congregation. They value the leadership of bishops, superintendents,
pastors, and lay leaders who provide counsel and direction to the church.
Born at a time when representative government was being developed by
free societies, the Free Methodist founders reaffirmed the biblical
principle of lay ministry. Free Methodists recognize and license unordained
persons for particular ministries. They mandate lay representation in
numbers equal to clergy in the councils of the church.
Socially, from their early days, Free Methodists displayed an awakened
conscience characteristic of the early Wesleyan movement. Their outspoken
action against the institution of slavery and the class distinction
inherent in the rental of pews to the wealthy demonstrated the spirit
of true Methodism. Although issues change, the sensitive social conscience
remains, evidenced by continuing active participation in the social
concerns of the day.
During the nineteenth century, the holiness movement, arising in American
Methodism but spreading through other nations and denominations, called
Christians to deeper levels of relationship with God and greater concern
for the needs of hurting humanity. Within this context, the Reverend
Benjamin T. Roberts and other ministers and laypersons in the Genesee
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in western New York, raised
a protest against theological liberalism, unhealthy compromise on pressing
social issues, and loss of spiritual fervor.
Between
1858 and 1860, a number of these leaders were excluded from the Methodist
Episcopal Church on various charges and allegations. In reality, the
primary issue was their proclamation of the basic principles of Methodism,
especially the doctrine and experience of entire sanctification. Appeals
made to the General Conference of May 1860 were denied. Those excluded
could not join any other Methodist body, for there was none that agreed
with them on the issues on which they were thrust out. Therefore, the
Free Methodist Church was organized by a convention of lay members and
ministers which met at Pekin, Niagara County, New York, on August 23,
1860. The first General Conference met on the second Wednesday of October,
1862, at Saint Charles, Illinois.
The Free Methodist Church, since its inception, continues to expand
around the world through missionary outreach, the development of additional
general conferences, and a coordinating world organization.
