Introduction
The difference between Methodist and United Methodist are on the basis of beliefs and practices. Methodist Church was first organized in England in 1729. In 1820, the Methodist Church in America was established. The United Methodist Church was formed in 1968 when Methodists in the United States joined with Methodists in Canada.
Moreover, In the United States, the Methodist Church consists of about 15 million members. The United Methodist Church has about 16 million members in the United States.
However, The Methodist Church was originally a British Methodist Church that was founded in 1729 by John Wesley. In 1733, he started the movement known as the “Holy Club.”
Furthermore, He founded several organizations such as the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, the London Missionary Society, and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.
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Methodist and United Methodist are both denominations within the Protestant Christian faith. The primary difference between the two is that United Methodist is a specific branch or denomination within the larger Methodist tradition.
Moreover, The Methodist Church was founded in the 18th century by John Wesley in England. As the Methodist Church spread to different parts of the world, various sub-denominations formed, including the United Methodist Church in the United States.
Importantly, The United Methodist Church is a merger of two previous denominations, the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, which occurred in 1968.
In addition, The United Methodist Church is known for its emphasis on social justice and inclusivity, and has a hierarchical system of governance with bishops overseeing regional conferences.
However, while both Methodist and United Methodist share a common origin and theological beliefs, United Methodist is a specific denomination within the broader Methodist tradition that formed through a merger of two previous denominations in the United States.
Beliefs and Practices
We use the term beliefs and practices to refer to our religious beliefs and our religious activities. Our beliefs are what we believe to be true about God and our relationship with God. Our practices are what we do to show our love and commitment to God.
Further, The first major difference between the Methodist church and the United Methodist church is their beliefs and practices. The United Methodist church is not a Christian denomination.
However, The United Methodist church does not accept the authority of the Bible as being the Word of God. The Methodist church believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
In addition, The Methodist church teaches that Christ is the center of the universe and that God exists everywhere. The Methodists believe that we should follow Christ and live a good and decent life. They believe that people should follow Christ to the fullest extent possible.
Importantly, The Methodists are Christians who believe that they can achieve salvation through the grace of God. Salvation is a free gift from God to all people who repent and ask for it.
Moreover, Salvation is not earned by doing good deeds or living a good life. The Methodists do not believe that the Lord is going to save us if we don’t behave well. All people are saved. The Methodist church believes in freedom of thought. It is not against free thinking. The Methodist church is against the abuse of free thinking.
Organization and Structure
The United Methodist Church is a denomination that was founded in 1785. The main mission of the UMC is to promote unity and holiness among its members.
Importantly, There are several different structures of the UMC, but the most common one is called the United Methodist Conference. This is the governing body of the church. The UMC is made up of the Annual Conferences and the Area conferences.
Additionally, Each conference has a president and a moderator. A conference consists of districts that are divided into congregations. The congregations are usually grouped in a presbytery and a diocese. The United Methodist Church is organized according to the Book of Discipline.
Further, This document states the policies of the church. The Book of Discipline contains sections dealing with administration, government, polity, missions and ministry, discipline, finance, and organization and administration. .
Moreover, The Annual Conference is the governing body of the United Methodist Church. The church holds three meetings a year. They are the General Conference, the Mid-Year Convention, and the World Conference.
In addition, The United Methodist Church (UMC) has two main divisions: the General Conference (GC), which is composed of bishops who oversee the churches within their geographic jurisdiction, and the Council of Bishops (COB), which serves as a leadership team for the bishops.
However, The COB is made up of the bishops from different areas of the United States, who work together to direct the UMC.
Current Status and Growth
Today, the Methodist church is the third largest Protestant denomination in the world with about 13 million members (U.S. Census Bureau). The number of active members increased by 2.45 million since 1990.
Importantly, According to the 2001 Church Membership Survey (CMS) conducted by the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), the church’s membership is divided into the following three groups.
Active Members
This group consists of regular members who are actively involved in the work of the church. This group includes full members and deacons, who make up about 50% of the total membership. In addition, it includes Sunday School teachers and those who are on the local church staffs.
Affiliate Members
This group includes those who attend a Methodist worship service once a month and receive material benefits from the church. These include Sunday School teachers, Christian education teachers, and youth workers.
Other Members
This group includes members who are not active in church activities. This group includes retirees, widows, and people who are not affiliated with any church.
Furthermore, the Methodist Church has experienced a lot of growth in the last several decades. In the year 2006, the Methodist Church had over 3 million members. By the year 2015, the number of members had increased to 5 million. The majority of the growth in membership was due to a boom in the Hispanic population in the U.S.
Additionally, The number of Methodists in the U.S. has risen from around 13.0% to around 15.0% between 1990 and 2010. There are approximately 1.0 million Latino Methodists in the U.S. These numbers are rising. As compared to men, women are not that involved in the Methodists.
However, the number of women Methodists has grown at a rate of 1.0 percent per decade. Currently, there are around 7.0 million women Methodists in the U.S. In 2006, women accounted for 15.0 percent of the membership of the Methodist church.
Importantly, By the year 2016, women represented 17.0 percent of the Methodist church’s membership. By the year 2025, it is expected that women will account for 19.
Conclusion
The Methodist church is the second largest Protestant denomination in the world. The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination in the world. You should know the basic differences between the two denominations. These are very important to understand.
For example, the Methodist Church focuses on spiritual growth and growth of character. The United Methodist Church, however, emphasizes social justice and serving others. The Methodist Church believes that salvation comes through faith alone.
Moreover, The United Methodist Church also believes that salvation comes through faith plus good works. The Methodist Church teaches that a person needs to be baptized to be saved, while the United Methodist Church doesn’t believe that baptism is necessary for salvation.
