Free Methodist Church
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The Free Methodist Church is a denomination of Methodism, which is a branch of Protestantism. It was founded in 1860 in New York's Burned-over district by a group, led by B. T. Roberts, who was defrocked in the Methodist Episcopal Church for criticisms of the spiritual laxness of the church hierarchy. The Free Methodists are so named because they believed it was improper to charge for better seats in pews closer to the pulpit. They also opposed slavery and supported freedom for all slaves in the United States, while many Methodists in the South at that time did not actively oppose slavery. Beyond that, they advocated "freedom" from secret societies such as the Free Masons which had allegedly undermined parts of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
At first the church consisted of many former Methodist Episcopal people who had been actively involved in the Underground Railroad just prior to the American Civil War, which had sought to aid escaped slaves gain safety and freedom in Canada. Some of the stations are still centers of Free Methodist activity today, such as North Chili, New York, site of present-day Roberts Wesleyan College, a Free Methodist school named after the founder. From there fugitive slaves were taken to Lake Ontario and boated across to Canada. Another Underground Railroad site was Pekin, New York, near the Niagara River, where slaves also crossed. This tiny town was the site of a Holiness camp meeting, as well, and the site of the organizational conference of the church in 1860. The denomination also has numerous churches in the Midwest, some of the oldest ones also being in communities that were abolitionist centers and Underground Railroad stops along the southern shore of Lake Michigan.
Today, the Free Methodist Church is considered to be a part of Evangelical Protestant Christianity, and its theology is similar to that of the Wesleyan Church, the Church of the Nazarene and other Holiness churches. Members have traditionally abstained from alcohol and tobacco. The denomination is more conservative and smaller than the United Methodist Church. Many young church planters are also starting emerging church ministries. One such recent church plant was launched in Carbondale, Illinois in 2002. New Prairie Community of Faith was launched by Free Methodist elder and pastor Bill Huffhine with the vision of creating a relaxed, coffee-house environment with experiential worship and conversational messages through which those of the younger generation could pursue Christ-centered spirituality without the encumberance of traditional religious trappings.
Light and Life is the official magazine of the Free Methodist Church in the United States. It has about 77,000 members in the United States and an average attendance of 105,000 at its Sunday services. Worldwide its membership is well over 700,000 with large segments of membership in the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, and Brazil.
The denomination currently maintains the following educational institutions: Roberts Wesleyan College, Spring Arbor University, Greenville College, Central Christian College, and Seattle Pacific University in the United States. In addition, it is one of several denominations supporting Azusa Pacific University. Osaka Christian College is located and run by the Japanese church, and Hope Africa University is a recently founded school in Bujumbura, Burundi.
The Free Methodist Church's highest governing body is the World Conference which is composed of representatives, both lay and clergy, from all countries with a Free Methodist presence. The church currently has ministry in 72 countries around the world. These are:
| AFRICA | ASIA | EUROPE | LATIN AMERICA | NORTH AMERICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botswana | Australia | Belgium | Antigua | Canada[1] |
| Burundi | Cambodia | France | Argentina | United States |
| Cameroon | Hong Kong | Greece | Bahamas | |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | India | Hungary | Bolivia | |
| Egypt | Japan | Italy | Brazil | |
| Ethiopia | Malaysia | Portugal | Chile | |
| Gabon | Myanmar | Romania | Colombia | |
| Ghana | Nepal | Slovakia | Costa Rica | |
| Kenya | Philippines | Spain | Dominican Republic | |
| Liberia | South Korea | Ukriane | Ecuador | |
| Malawi | Sri Lanka | United Kingdom | El Salvador | |
| Middle East | Taiwan | French Guiana | ||
| Mozambique | Thailand | Haiti | ||
| Nigeria | Mexico | |||
| Rwanda | Nicaragua | |||
| South Africa | Panama | |||
| Tanzania | Paraguay | |||
| Togo | Peru | |||
| Uganda | Puerto Rico | |||
| Zambia | Uruguay | |||
| Zimbabwe | Venezuela |
