Evangelical Methodist Church
The Evangelical Methodist Church is a Christian denomination in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The denomination reported 399 churches in the United States, Mexico, Burma/Myanmar, Canada, Philippines and several European and African nations in 2018, and a total of 34,656 members worldwide.
Beliefs
In its Book of Discipline, the EMC describes itself as being "orthodox in belief, pre-millennial regarding the second coming, missionary in outlook, evangelistic in endeavor, cooperative in spirit, and Wesleyan in doctrine."Theologically, the EMC is Wesleyan-Arminian and teaches a Holiness message, emphasizing the inerrancy of the Bible and the power of the Holy Spirit to cleanse a Christian from sin and to keep him or her from falling back into a sinful lifestyle. The EMC believes in salvation through faith by grace. A further doctrine, "prevenient grace," holds that God allows every person to make a choice in response to the Gospel, and apart from that grace man cannot freely choose to follow Christ and be saved from God's future judgment. According to their teachings, the saved Christian will grow in Christ-likeness throughout life via progressive sanctification, but there is also the experience of entire sanctification—a "second, crisis experience" in which a believer's heart is cleansed of self-centered ambition and replaced by a perfect love for God and other people. A fully sanctified Christian is expected by the EMC to live a holy lifestyle that reflects the character of Christ to the world.
History
The Evangelical Methodist Church was established on May 9, 1946, as the result of a prayer meeting where clergy and laity of the Methodist Church gathered in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. J. H. Hamblen was elected chairman of the meeting and became the first General Superintendent of the new denomination.Reaction to liberalism
The formation of the EMC represented "a double protest against what were considered autocratic and undemocraticgovernment on the one hand and a tendency toward modernism on the other in the Methodist Church, from which the body withdrew."
The EMC has roots in the 18th century English Methodist movement pioneered by John Wesley. They also trace their lineage to the missions of Francis Asbury, Thomas Coke, and other circuit riders of the 19th century. The "old fashioned" Methodism that they preached grew rapidly as they enthusiastically preached a Bible-based message with an emphasis on free will through the act of prevenient grace and on individual personal responsibility before God. Through local congregations and missions, Methodism inspired an evangelistic push in North America among many denominations to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those they considered spiritually lost or "sin-sick."
However, some doctrinal differences began to emerge among Methodists in the late 1800s and early 1900s, particularly in the wake of disagreements concerning the teachings of the Holiness movement and the Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy. The EMC Book of Discipline recalled: "With a firm conviction that the gulf that separates conservative and liberal thought in the church is an ever-widening chasm which can never be healed, the Evangelical Methodist Church came into being to preserve the distinctive Biblical doctrines of primitive Methodism, founded upon the inspiration and authenticity of the Bible and upon the Articles of Religion as set forth by John Wesley. the only infallible proof of any genuine church of Christ is its ability to seek and save the lost, to disseminate the Christian spirit and life, to spread scriptural holiness as taught by the Lord Jesus Christ in the Word of God over all lands, and to transform all people through the Gospel of Christ."
Mergers
In its second decade, the EMC merged with two smaller denominations that shared its views on sanctification, grace, and evangelism.- On June 4, 1960, the Evangel Church, Inc., in session at its annual conference, voted to unite with the Evangelical Methodist Church and thus become a part of the California District. Formerly known as the Evangelistic Tabernacles and founded by Azusa Pacific College figureheads Dr. William Kirby and Dr. Cornelius P. Haggard, the denomination dates back to March 27, 1933. At the time of merger there were 8 churches and about 675 enrolled in Sunday school, with Rev. R. Lloyd Wilson serving as president of the organization. This merger was approved by the Western Annual Conference of the Evangelical Methodist Church on June 22, 1960.
- On July 3, 1962, the General Conference of the Evangelical Methodist Church voted to merge with the People's Methodist Church, formerly known as the People's Christian Movement, which came into being on January 1, 1938, with Rev. Jim H. Green of John Wesley College as the first General Superintendent. The merger was finalized by a vote of the People's Methodist Church at a subsequent conference in the summer of 1962. Rev. J. Neal Anderson, General Superintendent at the time of the merger, was elected Superintendent of the Virginia-North Carolina District.
At the first EMC conference in 1948, delegates wholeheartedly approved a plan presented by circuit-riding preacher Dr. Ezequiel B. Vargas, superintendent of the Mexican Evangelistic Mission, that his missions group become a part of the Evangelical Methodist Church. Dr. Vargas and Dr. Hamblen maintained a strong friendship and working relationship. A Bible institute in Torreón, Mexico, Instituto Bíblico Vida y Verdad, is the result of this work.
On October 5, 1950, in Shelbyville, Indiana, the Evangelical Zion Methodist Church, founded by Rev. M. D. Opara, of Nigeria, was received into the General Conference along with about 10,000 members. This body later aligned with W.W. Breckbill's Evangelical Methodist Conference which established its own organizational identity after 1952. Another Nigerian body, the Bible Methodist Church in Nigeria, consisting of around 20 congregations and a school, joined the EMC in 1974 as the Nigerian Annual Conference. This brief relationship was terminated in 1976 when missionaries determined the group had support from many denominations and groups offering financial assistance.
A mention was made at the 2006 General Conference of talks with the Evangelical Church regarding a possible merger. The denominations share a common ministry training school.
The Churches of Christ in Christian Union is referred to as a "sister denomination" to the EMC and sends an observer to its general conferences. That denomination is itself a Wesleyan protest and has merged with several smaller denominations including the Holiness Churches of Christ, the Reformed Methodist Church's Northeast District, and at times strongly considered union with the EMC. The CCCU renamed its youth ministry "Evangelical Christian Youth" in expectation of a merger.
Divisions
In 1953, a schism occurred after W.W. Breckbill organized the Evangelical Methodist Church of America, which is theologically Fundamental and Methodist.The Bethel Methodist Church, sprung from a theological disagreement within the EMC Mid-States District. A trial was conducted on March 24, 1989, and the Mid-States district superintendent was defrocked. Three churches left the EMC with him, all in Texas.
Another offshoot, the National Association of Wesleyan Evangelicals, is composed of five former Southern District EMC churches. It was formed in the wake of the consolidation of EMC districts in 2010 and legally binding arbitration regarding their desire to leave the denomination. These churches were considered disaffiliated by the General Council following the settlement of the local churches' remaining financial obligations to the conference.
Structure
The EMC is headquartered in the Hamblen-Bruner Headquarters Building in Indianapolis. It maintains a congregational-connectional form of church polity, which has been significantly amended in recent years to reflect greater connectionalism.Image:Emyouthlogo.jpg|130px|left|thumb|The Evangelical Methodist Youth logo.
Local churches in the U.S. are gathered into regions within the North America Conference. Districts include the U.S., Canada, and the Mexican Evangelistic Mission.
Conference-licensed orders of ministry include: Local Preachers, Elders, Deacons and Deaconesses. Historically, the EMC has recognized Song Evangelists and Lay Exhorters as orders appointed by the local church.
Departments include: Prayer, Stewardship, Pensions, Publications and Multicultural Ministries. Auxiliaries of the denomination include Men, Women and Youth organizations.
Local church administrative structures vary, but the Book of Discipline calls for a board of Stewards and a board of Trustees to work in conjunction with the senior pastor. The senior pastor is responsible for oversight of the local church's ministries and other ministers.
General Superintendents
| Elected | Myanmar Gen. Superintendent |
| 2000 | Dar Ro Thanga |
| 2010 | Lal Sawi Vela |
| Elected | U.S. Gen. Superintendent |
| 1946 | J.H. Hamblen |
| 1962 | Ralph Vanderwood |
| 1974 | Lloyd Garrett |
| 1976 | John Kunkle |
| 1986 | Clyde Zehr |
| 1994 | Jack Wease |
| 1998 | Edward Williamson |
| Elected | Int'l Gen. Superintendent |
| 2010 | Edward Williamson |
| 2018 | Max Edwards |
General Superintendents are elected by a quadrennial international general conference. The terms General Superintendent and Bishop have come to be considered synonymous—multicultural churches and mission conferences are advised to use either title that aligns with their traditions. The title of bishop was introduced by General Superintendent Ed Williamson who addressed himself as bishop.
There are superintendents for each of the missions conferences and world areas, as well as an international general superintendent.
At the 2010 General Conference, the title of U.S. General Superintendent was changed to International General Superintendent.