United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
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United Methodist Church logo Cross and flame |
Classification | Protestant |
Orientation | Mainline & Evangelical[1][2][3] |
Polity | Episcopal (Connectionalism) |
Associations | Churches Uniting in Christ, Christian Churches Together, National Council of Churches, World Council of Churches, World Methodist Council |
Geographical area | Worldwide: divided into 122 Annual/Central Conferences,[4] and 69 Episcopal Areas[4] |
Origin | 1968 Dallas, Texas |
Merge of | The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church |
Congregations | 41,826[4] |
Members | worldwide: 12 million (8.0 million in the United States;[4] 3.5 million in Africa, Asia, and Europe)[4] |
Official Website | umc.org |
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which traces its roots back to the evangelical, holiness, revival movement of John and Charles Wesley[5] within the Anglican Church.[6][7] As such, the church’s theological orientation is decidedly Wesleyan.[8] It contains both liturgical and evangelical elements.[2][9] In the United States, it ranks as the largest mainline denomination, the second largest Protestant church after the Southern Baptist Convention, and the third largest Christian denomination in the world. As of 2007, worldwide membership was about 12 million: 8.0 million in the United States and Canada,[10] 3.5 million in Africa, Asia and Europe.[11] It is a member of the World Council of Churches, the World Methodist Council, and other religious associations.
From: Wikipedia