history

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Early Free Methodism

The Free Methodist Church was birthed in 1860 when Benjamin Titus Roberts, a pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church, could no longer serve in harmony with their practices. B.T. Roberts observed that no church could support slaveholding, rent seats in the church, withhold women from full service in the church, and quench the movement of the Holy Spirit in public worship. Therefore he promoted freedom for all people from slavery, free seats in every house of worship, freedom for women to serve in all roles in the church including pastoral ministry, and freedom for the Holy Spirit to move in public worship.

Timeline:

• 1852 - B.T. Roberts ordained as Elder in the Methodist Episcopal Church.
• 1853 - Roberts attempted to reform the Methodist Episcopal Church.
• 1858 - Roberts formally stripped of ordination credentials.
• 1860 - Roberts meets with 15 preachers and 45 lay persons in Pekin, NY.
• 1860 - Roberts elected first Bishop of the Free Methodist Church.
• 1910 - The Methodist Church restores Roberts’ credentials.

The Story of B.T. Roberts

Benjamin Titus Roberts was born in New York State in 1823. B.T. came to Christ at the age of 21 and felt called into ministry. He became a pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church, rooted in the Wesleyan tradition. In the 1850s, B.T. became concerned about some of the church’s common practices. One of these practices that troubled B.T. Roberts was the renting out of pews. People with a lot of money were able to pay for pews closer to the altar, while others could only afford pews in the back of the church. B.T. didn’t like how this made it obvious that some people had more money than others. It also greatly disturbed him that the church was unwilling to take a stand against slavery, a major issue of the day.

B.T. spoke out against these things, among other things, such as his desire to see the church in a deeper walk with God and bring the gospel to the hurting world outside the church walls; he even wrote many articles about these many issues. B.T. believed that the church needed get back to its Methodist roots and the teachings of John Wesley. The church, however, was unwilling to change and church leaders became so upset with B.T. that they kicked him out. Soon after, B.T. and other friends who felt the same way he did, met together in a New York apple orchard and decided to begin a new denomination. They agreed with Methodism, the theology and tradition of the church they had been a part of, and knew they wanted to continue to focus on holy living and caring for the poor. However, their new identity would be rooted in their belief that all are “free” to be equal. Their new church would have free pews, fight for slavery to be abolished (to bring freedom to the slaves), and would encourage people to be free to worship as they were comfortable.

There, in an apple orchard in Pekin, New York in 1860, the Free Methodist church was born. The Free Methodist denomination would continue to expand across the U.S. and beyond as Free Methodist missionaries felt called to spread the good news of the gospel overseas. Still today, Free Methodist missionaries travel around the world to encourage thousands of Free Methodist pastors, leaders, and churches around the world! The Free Methodist church is also still very active in the fight against modern-day slavery, both in the U.S. and around the world, through the Set Free Movement and organizations like International Childcare Ministries and others.