A tradition founded by John Wesley emphasizing grace, free will, and the pursuit of holiness — with a strong legacy of social justice through the AME Church.
Methodism was founded in 18th-century England by John Wesley, an Anglican priest who began organizing small groups — "methods" of disciplined Christian living — within the Church of England. Wesley's theology emphasized that God's grace is available to all people (not just the predestined elect), that individuals can freely respond to that grace, and that genuine faith produces a transformed life. After Wesley's death, Methodism formally separated from Anglicanism and spread rapidly through America, becoming one of the largest Protestant traditions in the country by the 19th century.
The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church was founded in 1816 by Richard Allen in Philadelphia, after Black worshippers were pulled from their knees during prayer at a white Methodist church. The AME Church became one of the most important institutions in Black American life — a center of education, community organizing, and resistance to slavery and segregation. In Fayetteville, the AME tradition has deep historical roots, and several of the city's oldest Black congregations are AME churches.
Today's Methodist and AME congregations share Wesleyan theology but differ in governance, culture, and history. United Methodist churches are governed by a connectional system of bishops and annual conferences. AME churches maintain their own episcopal structure with a strong emphasis on the church's role in social justice and community uplift.
Methodism is distinguished by its Arminian theology (free will, universal grace) in contrast to the Calvinist/Reformed tradition's emphasis on predestination. The AME Church adds a distinctive identity as a historically Black denomination with a centuries-long legacy of social justice and community leadership.
United Methodist worship tends to be ordered and liturgical, drawing on historic hymns. AME worship is often more expressive and participatory, with strong choral traditions and a call-and-response preaching style.
England, 1730s–1740s (Wesley's movement); AME Church founded Philadelphia, 1816.
The AME Church's role in the Underground Railroad, the civil rights movement, and historically Black colleges and universities.