Understanding the rise of Methodist leadership in America and how a unique form of church government took shape.
This historical study traces how Methodism in the United States moved from a Wesleyan, England‑centered system to an independent Episcopal structure. It explains how the church adopted an itinerant, general superintendency and how annual and General Conferences shaped its laws, elections, and administration. The book discusses key milestones, debates, and the constitutional checks that preserved the organization’s governance.
- Learn the origins of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the role of Wesley, Asbury, and Coke.
- See how the Christmas Conference of 1784 established a new church form and name.
- Explore how the General Conference and annual conferences interact to create, modify, or restrict church law.
- Understand how debates over itinerancy, episcopacy, and jurisdiction influenced long‑term church structure.
Ideal for readers of church history, organizational governance, and the evolution of religious institutions in early America.