| The Wesleyan Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Holiness Methodist |
| Polity | Connexionalism |
| Associations | Christian Holiness Partnership, National Association of Evangelicals, Wesleyan Holiness Connection, World Methodist Council |
| Region | Worldwide |
| Headquarters | Fishers, Indiana, U.S. |
| Founder | John Wesley (spiritually) |
| Origin | 1843 Utica, New York, U.S. |
| Merger of | Wesleyan Methodist Church and Pilgrim Holiness Church (1968) Standard Church of America (2003) |
| Separations | Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (1968)[1] Bible Methodist Connection of Churches (1968)[2] Bible Methodist Connection of Tennessee (1968)[2] Pilgrim Holiness Church of New York (1963)[3] Pilgrim Holiness Church of the Midwest (1967)[4] |
| Official website | www |
The Wesleyan Church, also known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church and Wesleyan Holiness Church depending on the region, is a United States-based Christian denomination with congregations across North America, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Indonesia, and Australia. The church is aligned with the Holiness movement and has roots in the teachings of John Wesley. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian doctrine and is a member of the World Methodist Council.
In 2017, there were 140,954 members in 1,607 congregations in North America, and an average worship attendance of 239,842.[5]
In 2020, the number of congregations in the United States was 1,463.[6]
Wesleyan Life is the official publication. Global Partners is the official non-profit missions organization. The Wesleyan Church world headquarters are in Fishers, Indiana, United States.
- ^ Kurian, George Thomas; Lamport, Mark A. (10 November 2016). Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 45. ISBN 9781442244320.
The merger between the Wesleyan methodist Church and the Pilgrim Holiness Church passed unanimously. The newly formed denomination took the name 'The Wesleyan Church.' The Allegheny Conference refused to join the merged group.
- ^ a b Lewis, James R. (2002). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions. Prometheus Books, Publishers. p. 356. ISBN 9781615927388.
The Bible Methodist Connection of Tennessee, the Bible Holiness Church, and the Bible Methodist Connection of Churches were formed as a result of the opposition to the merger of the Wesleyan Methodist Church and the Pilgrim Holiness Church into the Wesleyan Church (1968).
- ^ Melton, J. Gordon (7 December 2018). Religious Bodies in the U.S.: A Dictionary. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-52353-4.
- ^ Piepkorn, Arthur Carl (1979). Profiles in belief: the religious bodies of the United States,Canada and Brasil. Harper & Row. p. 59. ISBN 9780060665814.
- ^ Vernon, Janelle (May 7, 2018). "General Board celebrates 50 years of The Wesleyan Church". The Wesleyan Church. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
- ^ https://www.usreligioncensus.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/2020_US_Religion_Census.pdf