United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church ( UMC ) (English United Methodist Church ( UMC ) ) is a Christian church in the Wesleyan tradition. She stands on the floor of the Reformation and its theology were Anglican, Lutheran, herrnhutische and moderate- Calvinist influences determining.

She is one of 74 members of the World Methodist Council, an association of independent churches in the Wesleyan tradition. Members of the United Methodist Church are just like members of other Methodist churches called Methodists.

  • 3.1 emergence
  • 3.2 Methodism in Central Europe
  • 6.1 Social commitment of the United Methodist Church
  • 6.2 Charitable Institutions in Germany
  • 6.3 Diaconal plants in Switzerland

Dissemination

The United Methodist Church is the largest membership of the Methodist -related churches. The most widespread it is in the U.S., where it forms the second largest Protestant church after the Southern Baptist Convention. The development of the membership is extremely diverse world.

Source of statistics: UMC: 2010 State of the Church: Membership

The United Methodist Church distinguishes between church members and church members. Church members are all those who were baptized in the church. Church members are baptized persons who have known the occasion of their baptism or a recording worship their faith in a prescribed liturgical form. Worldwide, there are in addition to the church members still about 2.5 million church members.

In Germany there are about 56,000 Methodists ( church members and church members), in Switzerland and in Austria about 14,000 nearly 1,300. Mainly represented by the Evangelical Methodist Church in Germany, especially in the Stuttgart area and in parts of Southwest Saxony ( Western, Central Ore Mountains and Saxon Vogtland ).

In Switzerland, the United Methodist Church is predominantly represented in the cantons with Reformed tradition, with emphasis in the area of ​​Basel, Aargau, Zurich, Bern, Bernese Oberland, Biel and Lausanne. In Switzerland, the share of UMC members of the total population in 1970 was 0.17%, 1980 0.09% 1990 0.15% and 0.12% in 2000.

Organization

The United Methodist Church is locally and globally strongly linked in a composite system ( Konnexionalismus, Eng. Connection), unlike other free churches that emphasize the line by elders ( Presbyterianism ) or the autonomy of the municipalities ( Congregationalism ).

The legislative branch of the international church practice the so-called conferences that decide on faith and administrative issues to the constitution of the church and church order of the universal Church. The word " conference" is ( meeting to discuss matters of, similar to a synod ) as well as in importance as a permanent institution and in a spatial meaning used both in its narrower sense.

  • The supreme body is the General Conference (GC ), which meets every four years. She is responsible for all very general ecclesiastical affairs.
  • The central conferences ( CC), usually include the territories of several annual conferences were introduced in the 20th century outside the United States. Central conferences have the right to amend the Church Constitution to a certain extent local circumstances. ( The Church Constitution applies everywhere in the same way.) The United States is divided into jurisdictions that are on the same plane as the central conferences. The geographical distribution of countries on central conferences has grown over time.
  • The Annual Conferences ( JK) include territorial belonging together districts, each with a larger number of districts. JK are the basic entities in the church. The districts are facing superintendents.
  • The lowest level consists of the district conferences (BK), include, depending on the size of the community one or more municipalities. You are responsible for all church work and all religious institutions in their district. The composition of the district conferences is regulated differently in the central conferences of Germany and Central and Southern Europe.

The annual conferences, central conferences, the General Conference are equal, ie equal numbers of lay delegates and full-time clergy, assembled with the lay delegates are elected from the next lower level. The bishops have in the conferences always just a simple vote, this conduct rather moderated and may also officially represented in its capacity as representatives of the Church only the democratically drawn up by the conferences of view.

The pastors / pastors ( in Switzerland pastors / pastors ) are not employed by the community, but from the parent conference. Please check with the Bishop / Bishop annual service assignment to a municipality, which they change accordingly in irregular intervals, usually intervals of several years. In the German speaking their training usually takes place at the Theological University of Reutlingen.

As a free church waived the United Methodist Church on the collection of church taxes; they financed solely by voluntary contributions of its members.

The central conferences and jurisdictions

The churches in the United States are organized in five jurisdictions: Northeastern, Southeastern, North Central, South Central and Western.

All churches outside the United States are organized into central conferences that are organizationally on the same plane as the jurisdictions.

  • Africa: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda
  • Central and Southern Europe: Albania, Algeria, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Tunisia
  • Congo: Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Zambia
  • Germany: Germany
  • Northern Europe and Eurasia: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus
  • Philippines: Philippines
  • West Africa: Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone

Annual conferences in German-speaking

  • Central Conference of Germany, acting Bishop Rosemarie Wenner is North German Annual Conference with the districts of Berlin, Essen and Hamburg in the German states of Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg- Vorpommern and partially Hesse, North Rhine -Westphalia, Saxony -Anhalt and Thuringia ( 101 municipalities)
  • East German Annual Conference with the districts of Dresden and Zwickau in the German states of Saxony and Saxony partially -Anhalt and Thuringia (133 municipalities)
  • South German Annual Conference with the districts of Nuremberg, Reutlingen, Stuttgart, Heidelberg in the states of Baden -Württemberg, Bavaria, Rhineland -Palatinate, Saarland and partially Hesse and North Rhine -Westphalia (281 municipalities)
  • Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe, acting Bishop Patrick Streiff is Annual Conference Hungary (45 municipalities)
  • Annual Meeting Austria (9 communities )
  • Annual Conference Czech Republic (27 municipalities) and Slovakia (15 municipalities)
  • Annual Conference Poland (37 municipalities)
  • Annual Conference Switzerland / France with France (20 municipalities), Switzerland (133 municipalities) and North Africa
  • Annual Conference Bulgaria (37 municipalities)
  • Annual Meeting of Serbia and Montenegro ( 18 municipalities ) and Macedonia ( 13 municipalities )
  • Croatia (2 communities )
  • Albania (1 community)

History

Formation

The United Methodist Church ( United Methodist Church English ) is originated in the United States of America, which was constituted in 1784 to the so-called Christmas Conference in Baltimore. She went from a revival movement produced by the Anglican clergyman John Wesley that came from England.

The present church was built in 1968 from the union of the Methodist Church (1939 arose from the union of the Methodist Episcopal Church with the Protestant Methodist Church and the Episcopal Methodist Church, South) with the Evangelical United Brethren Church (1945 arose from the Protestant community and the Church of the United brethren in Christ but in the German language continues to be represented under the name Evangelical community. )

Methodism in Central Europe

On the European continent, Methodism summed up in the second half of the 19th century foot. On the one hand this was done by returning emigrants who had found in America Methodism, especially of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and the Evangelical community to another and parallel to it. Due to the work of English Methodist missionaries of the British Methodist Church and various American Methodist churches Thus the continental Methodism of four Methodist branches, which united gradually developed. The last of these associations Methodist related churches was that of the Methodist Episcopal Church ( Methodist Church ) and the Evangelical community (actually Evangelical United Brethren Church ) and the United Methodist Church in 1968.

The German beginnings of Methodism lay in Württemberg and came through contacts with the English Methodist Church from about 1830. In 1859 the British Methodists also sent the first ordained pastor to Württemberg. Parallel to this was from 1849 in Bremen missionary work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which spread to Saxony. Also in Württemberg began in 1850, the work of the Protestant community. Opposition to Methodism were hardly on grounds of doctrine, but this democratic church community nationally and hierarchically organized churches in Germany was with roots abroad then an eyesore. From 1919, the Methodists were able to benefit from that in the Weimar Constitution guaranteed the first time in Germany freedom of religion.

The first Methodist church in Switzerland was founded in 1840 in Lausanne as a result of missionary work by the English Wesleyan Church. The Swiss branch of the Methodist Episcopal Church began to take effect in 1856. As a result, the first German sermon was held in Lausanne on 24 February 1856. In the same year, up to 400 people gathered in the hall of the guild zur Waag in Zurich. From 1860, the mission began in Basel. In 1956 began the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States her work in Zurich and in 1866 the Evangelical brothers founded their first church in Bern. So also today's United Methodist Church in Switzerland has analogous to the entire United Methodist Church has its roots in three Methodist movements.

In Austria, Methodism from 1870 arose mainly from missionaries from southern Germany. During the first 50 years of the Austrian Methodist preacher only from abroad had. The legal recognition of the Methodist Church took place in Austria in 1951 by supporting the Allies. Previously, in 1892 and 1920, the application for legal recognition was denied.

From 1912 there was a European jurisdiction the Methodist Church, presided as bishop of the German American John Louis Nuelsen. 1925, the three central conferences Northern Europe, Central Europe and Southern Europe were founded. Bishop Nuelsen led Central Europe, which included Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

1924 led the General Conference of the Methodist Church a global structural change. The led, now also for political reasons after the seizure of power by the Nazis in 1936 in Germany to the Central Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Germany under Bishop FH Otto Melle. The Methodist church also largely loyal to the state, which allowed more leeway than you're used. Now she gained recognition as a public corporation on imperial level.

The now so-called Geneva Sprengel, which included along with Switzerland and Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Belgium, Poland and Czechoslovakia remained under the leadership of Bishop Nuelsen. This parish was in 1940 the status of a Central Conference, their communities, however, due to the Second World War between the countries had no connection. After World War II contacts with Belgium and the new to Geneva Sprengel jointed French Methodists were possible. Only the compounds with the Methodists in the countries of the Eastern bloc were still very difficult. 1954, the Swiss Ferdinand Sigg was elected bishop of the diocese of Geneva, the first bishop, to this Central Conference elected themselves.

Particularly strong division between East and West Germany was to be felt. The only intact joint structure in the Methodist Church in Germany remained until 1968, the Bishops, with headquarters in Frankfurt. In 1970, there were two German Methodist bishops, Armin Härtel was elected bishop of the Methodist Church in the GDR. It is trying to get the contacts on the official and at the community level was. Again in 1992 a joint German Central Conference was convened.

Bishops

Special of the United Methodist Church

Diakonia and Social

Diakonia belongs to the essence and manifestation of life of the United Methodist Church. She is involved in various traditional Diakonia works. Thus the Church has adopted a social creed in which they committed themselves to community involvement and which is part of their teaching basics today.

Social commitment of the United Methodist Church

Charitable Institutions in Germany

Under the umbrella of the United Methodist Church in Germany there are a number of charitable institutions which are organized in the Association of the United Methodist Diakonia works (EMD ).

These Diakonia works include:

In addition, there are other priorities, such as addiction help and the work of several social works. Different facilities are as much at home in this way in the United Methodist Church in Germany: retirement homes and senior centers, facilities for rehabilitation and addiction help, health spas, recreational and leisure facilities.

Diaconal plants in Switzerland

The in Switzerland resulting from the work of the United Methodist Church Diakonia works are today independent legal entity, usually, but financially and generously supported by the communities. Among them are two hospitals, eight nursing homes, two residential communities, a day-care center, three hotels, a backpacker's hotel as well as the youth group of the Evangelical Methodist Church.

Ecumenism

The United Methodist Church is both globally and locally heavily involved in the ecumenical movement. In contrast to almost all other churches commitment applies to all churches of the ecumenical movement as well as the ecumenical movement among the Free Churches and the Evangelical Alliance.

The United Methodist Church is a member of the World Methodist Council and participates in all its ecumenical dialogues. She is also a member of the World Council of Churches. Furthermore, the Methodist World Council in 2006 signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification of the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation. The UMC is assigned to the mainline Churches.

At European level, the UMC has co-signed the European Charter Oecumenica and as a Protestant church member of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (formerly Leuenberger Agreement ) with their member churches practicing pulpit and altar fellowship.

The German Methodist Church is a member of the Council of Christian Churches in Germany and the Association of Evangelical Free Churches, and some clergy and laity of the United Methodist Church in Germany to work at the local level with the Evangelical Alliance together. The Central Conference of Germany is connected by incoming doctrinal discussions with the Evangelical Church in Germany ( EKD ) since 1987 in a pulpit and altar fellowship.

In Switzerland, the United Methodist Church with the Reformed Churches in the Swiss Protestant Church Federation and also the Association of Evangelical Free Churches and communities in Switzerland. In addition, the local communities are usually also a member of the local Evangelical Alliance.

2005, there were in the United States between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ( ELCA ) and the United Methodist Church to an agreement on mutual communion, then still without interchangeability of clergy, which was seen as a step to a full communion go. Currently, the two churches are working on a document " Confessing our Faith Together" ( our faith confess together ). Since 2009 there is a pulpit and altar fellowship between the ELCA and the United Methodist Church. With the American Episcopal Church is an interim table fellowship.

At European level, the UMC in the European Methodist Council ( European Methodist Council) and the Methodist Council for working with children and adolescents ( EMYC, European Methodist Youth & Children's Council).

Western Ore Mountains Biel/Bienne Methodist Church of Great Britain Ordination Evangelische Allianz Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches Digital Object Identifier Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) Association of Vineyard Churches Evangelical-Reformed Church of the Canton Basel-Stadt
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