The UMC: Methodists + EUBs
By Richard H. Gentzler, Jr., DMin

What do an Anglican cleric, a Mennonite bishop, a German Reformed pastor, and a Lutheran layman all have in common? Each of these leaders challenged people to realize that salvation is the result of a change of heart, rather than mere adherence to a church’s traditions and rituals. They are also recognized as early leaders of The United Methodist Church. So, who are they?

John Wesley (1703-1791), a priest in the Church of England, is credited with starting the Methodist movement. His partners included his brother Charles and other members of the “Holy Club” at Oxford University. In response to Calvinism’s theology of predestination and limited atonement, Wesley taught that all people can be saved by grace through faith.

Martin Boehm (1725-1812) was a farmer in Pennsylvania and was “chosen by lot” to become a pastor in his Mennonite congregation. Later he became its bishop.

Philip William Otterbein (1726-1813), a German Reformed pastor, came to America from Germany to serve the German people of Pennsylvania and Maryland. Otterbein was present at the 1784 Christmas Conference (the formation of the Methodist Episcopal Church), and he was invited to participate in the ordination of Francis Asbury. Boehm and Otterbein met at a “revival-type” of gathering in Pennsylvania and developed a long and endearing friendship. Along with others who were Mennonite, German Reformed, Lutheran, and Amish, they formed the United Brethren in Christ. The early leaders of this movement were united more by pietistic religious zeal than by church membership.

A Lutheran layman, Jacob Albright (1759-1808) was a farmer who was converted by early Methodists. Preaching among the Germans in Pennsylvania, Albright eventually started the Evangelical Association. In 1946 the Evangelical Association and the Church of the United Brethren in Christ merged to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Their ministry, similar in theology and practice to the early Methodists, was primarily given to German speaking people particularly in the Mid-Atlantic states and throughout the Midwest.

The early leaders of the Evangelical Association and the Church of the United Brethren in Christ spoke German and ministered to the German people in America. The Methodists spoke English and ministered to the English-speaking people. From the beginning both the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church were similar in organization and mission. Begun by evangelical pietistic efforts, converts were encouraged to form classes or societies for strengthening their spiritual life. Their differences related to their view of authority and order. The EUB heritage distrusted autocratic uses of power and control, although clergy and lay persons alike were expected to be accountable. The early Methodists persistently established orderly rules and regarded their Discipline and Articles of Religion as having weighty authority.

On April 23, 1968, delegates from the former Methodist Church and Evangelical United Brethren Church met in Dallas, Texas and the United Methodist Church was born. It was a merger of two denominations. At long last, these two denominations, guided by the same theology but separated over the years by language and practice, united for the purpose of proclaiming the reign of God and for making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

• What is the heritage of your congregation? How do you celebrate and pass on this heritage?

• In what ways has your congregation changed over the years?

• Who were the early founders of your local church?

• How does your congregation nurture Christian faith and discipleship?

  Richard H. Gentzler, Jr. is the Director, Center on Aging & Older Adult Ministries, at the General Board of Discipleship in Nashville, TN.

Salvation is the result of a change of heart, rather than mere adherence to a church’s traditions and rituals.