Methodism

Methodism. Originally a term of abuse applied to the so‐called ‘Holy Club’ in Oxford in the 1730s, Methodism came to be used as a generic term for the system of religious belief and practice promoted by John and Charles Wesley. It began as a religious movement within the established church and was usually characterized by evangelical Arminian theology, itinerant and lay preaching, a cell structure of societies and classes, a connexional form of church government, and a disciplined commitment to holy living and social duty. Methodist influence in Ireland pre‐dated Wesley's first visit in 1747, but its disciplined growth began in the 1750s. Although Methodism benefited from generational pulses of religious revivalism in 1784–6, 1799–1802, and 1819–21, growth was generally steady and unspectacular until it reached a peak of 44,314 members in 1844. Even allowing for the fact that Methodist membership is conventionally multiplied by three for a more realistic estimate of adherents, Methodism in Ireland never achieved success comparable with its growth in England, Wales, and the United States. Denuded by annual emigration, and largely confined to old Anglican settlements in south and west Ulster, Methodism never made much impression on the Presbyterian heartlands of Antrim and Down or, despite the extensive employment of Irish‐speaking evangelists, on the Roman Catholic population of the south and west. It nevertheless acted as a catalyst for a much wider evangelical movement in 18th‐ and 19th‐century Ireland and introduced into Irish society a new form of voluntaristic, associational, and non‐credal religion. Irish Methodist migrants and missionaries also helped carry Methodism to the American colonies and many other parts of the world during its first century of international expansion.

Within Ireland, Methodism suffered a serious division in 1816 over the issue of separation from the Church of Ireland. Primitive Methodists (not to be confused with English Primitive Methodism) chose to remain within the established church, but the two branches of Methodism were reunited in 1878. Since then Methodism has remained an influential (especially in the spheres of education and social action), but relatively minor, Protestant denomination with a membership concentrated in the north of the country. In the 20th century Methodism's distinctive emphasis on itinerant preaching and class meetings has been diluted, as has its conversionist zeal. Such developments have helped promote greater ecumenical co‐operation with other churches without adding much to its popular appeal.

Bibliography

Hempton, D. , The Religion of the People: Methodism and Popular Religion c.1750–1900 (1996)
Jeffery, F. , Irish Methodism: An Historical Account of its Traditions, Theology and Influence (1964)

David Hempton