Protestant Methodists facts for kids

The Protestant Methodists were a small group of Methodist Christians. They were mainly based in the city of Leeds, England. This group formed because they disagreed with some decisions made by the main Methodist Church at the time.

What Were the Protestant Methodists?

The Protestant Methodists were a Christian church group. They believed in the teachings of Methodism, which was started by John Wesley. However, they had different ideas about how the church should be run.

Why Did They Form? The Organ Dispute

The Protestant Methodists broke away from the main Methodist Church in 1827. This happened because of a disagreement about a new organ. The main church decided to put an organ in Brunswick Chapel in Leeds.

Many people in the Methodist Church did not like organs in their chapels. They felt it was too fancy and not in line with their simple worship style. This disagreement became known as the Leeds Organ Dispute.

A Bigger Argument About Church Rules

The argument about the organ grew into a bigger problem. It was really about how the Methodist conference (the main governing body) made decisions. Some people felt the conference was not listening to its members.

Because of these disagreements, the Protestant Methodists decided to form their own separate church group in 1828.

This diagram shows how different Methodist groups in Britain connected over time.

Joining Other Methodist Groups

The Protestant Methodists did not stay a separate group forever. In 1836, they joined another Methodist group called the Wesleyan Association. By this time, they had several thousand members, mostly still in Leeds.

Over many years, different Methodist groups in Britain came back together. The Wesleyan Association, which included the former Protestant Methodists, became part of the United Methodist Church in 1907.

Finally, in 1932, the United Methodist Church joined with other large Methodist groups. They all became part of the Methodist Church of Great Britain. This meant the Protestant Methodists, through these mergers, were eventually part of the larger Methodist family again.