The Methodist Church of Australasia was a
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
denomination based in Australia. On 1 January 1902, five Methodist denominations in Australia – the
Wesleyan Methodist Church, the
Primitive Methodist
The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teaching ...
s, the
Bible Christian Church, the
United Methodist Free and the
Methodist New Connexion Churches came together to found a new church. In polity it largely followed the Wesleyan Methodist Church. This Church established a General Conference, meeting triennially, for Australasia (which then included New Zealand) in 1875, with Annual Conferences in the States.
The church ceased to exist in 1977 when most of its congregations joined with the many congregations of the
Congregational Union of Australia and the
Presbyterian Church of Australia
The Presbyterian Church of Australia (PCA) is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. (The larger Uniting Church in Australia incorporated about two-thirds of the PCA in 1977.)
History
Beginnings
When captain James Cook landed ...
to form the
Uniting Church in Australia.
There are still independent Methodist congregations in Australia, including congregations formed or impacted by
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
n immigrants. The
Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia is derived from the
Wesleyan Methodist Church of America and did not join the Uniting Church in Australia.
Presidents-General
The triennial conference was led by the President-General. There were a total of 25 Presidents General over the life of the Methodist Church of Australasia, from its formation in 1902 until the Uniting Church in 1977.
See also
*
Rupert Grove
Rupert Howard Grove (27 March 1906 – 8 August 1982) was an Australian solicitor and a prominent Methodist and Uniting Church layman. The Australian Dictionary of Biography states that, "in the progression towards the union of the Congregationa ...
*
Freer Helen Latham
Freer Helen Latham (1907-1987) was an Australian schoolteacher and leader in the global Methodist women's movement. She served as vice-president for the Australasian Federation of Methodist Women and also as world president of the World Federa ...
*
Coralie Ling
Coralie Ling (born 1939) is an Australian retired Christian minister. She was the second woman ordained in the Methodist Church of Australasia and the first Methodist woman ordained in the state of Victoria. In 1977, she became a minister in ...
*
Laura Francis (missionary)
Laura Francis (1865 – 1 December 1946) was an Australian Christian missionary and itinerant evangelist, best known for her work with the Sisters of the People, serving the city poor in the slums of Sydney.
Early life
Laura Francis was born i ...
References
Methodism in Australia
Uniting Church in Australia
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
Religious organizations disestablished in 1977
1902 establishments in Australia
1977 disestablishments in Australia
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