Compare
Anglican CommunionandMethodism
At a glance
- Common groundIn full: Common ground
- Common inheritanceBoth stand in the Protestant tradition, which grew from the 16th-century Reformation of the Western church, either directly or through later revival and free-church movements.
Source
- Christianity: The First Three Thousand YearsIdentified, not independently read
Provisional: broadly supported, but awaiting fuller checking.
- GodOne God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- Scripture and authorityScripture as the supreme authority for faith and life
- Sacraments and ordinancesTwo sacraments ordained by Christ: Baptism and the Lord's Supper; Infants are baptised
- AgreementBoth are parties to Joint Declaration on Justification (1999) (31 October 1999)
- Common inheritanceBoth stand in the Protestant tradition, which grew from the 16th-century Reformation of the Western church, either directly or through later revival and free-church movements.
- What distinguishes themIn full: What distinguishes them
- GovernmentMethodism grew out of a revival within the Church of England (1730s–1795).Read the account
No difference of doctrine is recorded between them; 5 topics are not yet comparable.
- How their histories connectIn full: How their histories connect
- Revival · 1730s–1795 · A gradual processMethodism and the Church of EnglandRead the account in Methodism
- Connected today?In full: their relationship today
Varies by church or regionas of 2024
Separate churches; in Great Britain they are bound by the 2003 covenant, and elsewhere relations differ.
Composed from each tradition’s sourced records. Where a topic is not yet recorded for one side, the Atlas says so rather than guess.
Structured comparison. Composed from each tradition’s sourced position records. No research has yet been written for this particular pair, so the Atlas shows only what those records establish.
Where they differ
Where teaching varies within a tradition (1)
Sacraments and ordinances
Christ's presence in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper
- Anglican Communion
- Article XXVIII speaks of receiving Christ 'after an heavenly and spiritual manner'; Anglo-Catholic and evangelical Anglicans interpret Christ's presence very differently.
- Methodism
- Christ received after a heavenly and spiritual manner, by faithUnited Methodist Articles of Religion.
Not yet comparable (5)
No sourced position is recorded for one side, so the Atlas does not say whether they agree:
- Creeds and councils (the nicene creed): not recorded for Methodism
- Creeds and councils (councils received): not recorded for Methodism
- Church and ministry (church government): not recorded for Methodism
- Church and ministry (ministry): not recorded for Methodism
- Mary and the saints (asking the saints to pray): not recorded for Methodism
How their histories relate
Revival · 1730s–1795A gradual process
Methodism and the Church of England
A renewal movement inside an existing church that later became, or gave rise to, a separate body.
Methodism began as a revival within the Church of England led by John and Charles Wesley. It became a separate church in America in 1784 (the Christmas Conference) and, in effect, in Britain after Wesley's death, when the Plan of Pacification (1795) let Methodist preachers give the sacraments.Read in Methodism history4 sources
- The Methodist Church in America Asserts its Independence: The Christmas Conference of 1784Source verified
- Preparatory Paper: The Separation from the Church of EnglandSource verified
- Circular from Joseph Bradford and Thomas Coke 'To the Members of the Methodist Society' (Plan of Pacification)Source verified
- Wesley and the People Called MethodistsIdentified, not independently read
Their relationship today
Varies by church or regionas of 2024
Based on Methodism and the Church of England
Developments towards reconciliation
31 October 1999Several communions
Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
Lutheran World Federation and Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, signed at Augsburg; later joined by the World Methodist Council (2006), the Anglican Consultative Council (2016) and the World Communion of Reformed Churches (2017)
The signatories state 'a consensus in basic truths of the doctrine of justification'; the remaining differences of language, theological elaboration and emphasis are said to be acceptable.Source
- Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, §40Source verified
Still open: The declaration lists open questions, including the relationship between the Word of God and church doctrine, ecclesiology, authority, church unity, ministry, the sacraments and social ethics.
Signed in 1999 and confirmed by an Official Common Statement; the Methodist, Anglican and Reformed world communions later associated themselves with it. The Atlas has not checked reception by each member church.3 sources
- Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ)Source verified
- Letter of Cardinal Kasper and Dr Noko on the fifth anniversary of the Joint DeclarationSource verified
- Official Common Statement and Annex to the Joint DeclarationIdentified, not independently read
1 November 2003
Leaders of the Church of England and the Methodist Church in Great Britain
The covenant recognises the two churches' common ground and commits them to 'removing further obstacles towards unity'.A national covenant in Great Britain; both churches recommitted to it in 2024.Source
- Church of England and Methodist Church recommit to working together as Covenant turns 21Source verified
Provisional: broadly supported, but awaiting fuller checking.
Explore further
Anglican Communion
All citations link to the Atlas’s single source register.