| Methodist Church in Malaysia | |
| Classification | Protestant |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Methodist |
| Polity | Connexional |
| Leader | Rev. Dr. Hwa Yung |
| Associations | World Methodist Council, Christian Federation of Malaysia, Council of Churches of Malaysia, Christian Conference of Asia, World Council of Churches |
| Geographical areas | Malaysia |
| Origin | 1976 |
| Branched from | United Methodist Church |
| Congregations | 573 |
| Members | 97,197 [1] |
| Ministers | 387 |
| Primary schools | 42 |
| Secondary schools | 32 |
| Tertiary institutions | 1 |
| Official website | www.methodistchurch.org.my |
The Methodist Church in Malaysia is a body within the Methodist tradition in Malaysia. With approximately 180,000 members in more than 560 congregations, it is the largest Protestant denomination in the country.[2] The current bishop of the Methodist Church in Malaysia is the Rev Dr Hwa Yung.
The other body of Methodists in Malaysia was started by the Free Methodist Church of the United States[3] in 2002.[4]
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The church shares part of its heritage with the Methodist Church in Singapore as both the territories shared a similar political history.
The history of the Methodist Church in Malaysia began 120 years ago following a decision taken at the South India Conference held in Hyderabad in 1884, when William Oldham was appointed as a missionary to Singapore in 1885.
The Tamil work started with the coming of a Ceylon Tamil, Mr Underwood. In 1894 the Tamil work was started in Penang by the Pyketts, and in Kuala Lumpur by the Kensetts and was continued by Rev. S Abraham from Ceylon in 1899.
Methodism came to Sarawak in the year 1900 when a group of immigrants came from Foochow in mainland China. Missionaries came in 1903 in the persons of J.M Hoover and G.V Summers. Methodism grew rapidly in the town of Sibu and a solid foundation was laid.
The work among the indigenous people, the Ibans, began in 1937 with pioneers like Lucius D. Mamora and Paul H. Schmuker who took the Gospel to the longhouses. The work amongst the Sengoi community in Pahang was started in 1930 with the help of missionaries from Sumatra, Indonesia.
The Methodist Church in Singapore and Malaysia became a self governing body in 1968. After the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, the Methodist Church in Malaysia became autonomous in 1976.
The composition of the Methodist church in Malaysia reflects the racial composition of Malaysia. There are 381 churches and 596 preaching points with 417 pastors. The total membership of the Methodist church is 182,965, consisting of 97,509 confirmed members, 59,763 preparatory members and 25,693 baptized, above 16 but not confirmed. There are more than 72,000 weekly worshippers in all the churches.[2]
There are six conferences under General Conference of The Methodist Church in Malaysia. The annual conferences were traditionally organised along linguistic and ethnic lines but the present day constituent congregations of the various annual conferences tend to be multi-lingual and multi-ethnic [5] :
Education has been a vital aspect of the work of the Methodist Church in Malaysia from the very beginning. Today, a total of 83 schools and colleges throughout Malaysia are affiliated with the Church. Management and development of these institutions are coordinated by the Methodist Council of Education [6].
These include 2 institutions of higher learning, the Methodist Pilley Institute in Sibu, Sarawak and the Methodist College Kuala Lumpur in Kuala Lumpur, 6 private schools, and the rest being government aided schools [7].
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