Evangelical Wesleyan Church

The Evangelical Wesleyan Church, formerly known as the Evangelical Wesleyan Church of North America, is a Methodist denomination in the conservative holiness movement.[1]

Evangelical Wesleyan Church
Summit EWC is a local church belonging to the Evangelical Wesleyan Church
ClassificationMethodism
OrientationHoliness movement
PolityConnexionalism
FounderJohn Wesley
Origin1963
Separated fromFree Methodist Church (1963)
Merger ofEvangelical Wesleyan Church of North America and the Midwest Holiness Association
SeparationsWesleyan Church (1968)
Congregations27
The tabernacle of Summit Campground, where the Evangelical Wesleyan Church holds its Eastern Annual Conference, as well as a camp meeting, each year.

The formation of the Evangelical Wesleyan Church is a part of the history of Methodism in the United States; its creation was the result of a schism with the Free Methodist Church in 1963.[2] In 1969, it merged with the Midwest Holiness Association, which had also left the Free Methodist Church.[2][3]

The Evangelical Wesleyan Church was founded with a commitment to uphold the doctrine and standards of traditional Methodism.[4][5] It has twenty-seven congregations.[3]

The Church publishes a periodical known as The Earnest Christian and its seminary is the Evangelical Wesleyan Bible Institute (EWBI) in Cooperstown, Pennsylvania.[3] The denomination additionally operated the John Fletcher Christian College, though this closed in 1995.[6] Much of the denomination's literature is printed by LWD Publishing.[4]

It holds a denomination-wide camp meeting at Summit Campground in Cooperstown, Pennsylvania and the Western Annual Conference meets at Camp Nysted in Nysted, Nebraska.[7][8] An annual camp meeting also occurs at Fox Hill Campground in Northville, Fulton County, New York.[9][10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Brock, Chris (5 December 2021). "In Star Lake, a radiant devotion to a cause as old church gets new life". Watertown Daily Times. Retrieved 7 December 2021. The Hunters conferenced, served and pastored many years with the Evangelical Wesleyan Church, a Methodist denomination in the conservative holiness movement.
  2. ^ a b Kostlevy, William (3 August 2009). Historical Dictionary of the Holiness Movement. Scarecrow Press. p. 31. ISBN 9780810863187.
  3. ^ a b c Melton, J. Gordon (2003). Encyclopedia of American Religions. Gale. p. 429. ISBN 9780787663841.
  4. ^ a b Evangelical Wesleyan Bible Institute Handbook. Cooperstown: LWD Publishing. 2018.
  5. ^ Lewis, James R. (2002). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions. Prometheus Books, Publishers. p. 356. ISBN 9781615927388.
  6. ^ Skala, Mary Jane (26 May 2018). "Though it's been closed for 56 years, Salem Church still has lasting heritage". Kearney Hub. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Brevities". Titusville Herald. 27 June 1981. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Only by gravel road can you reach Nysted's old Lutheran church". The Grand Island Independent. 20 March 2003. Retrieved 17 July 2018. Once a part of the Danish organization, the complex currently belongs to the Evangelical Wesleyan Methodist Camp organization, which conducts summer camps at the location.
  9. ^ Yaugher, T.J. (2024). Fox Hill Camp Meeting. The Earnest Christian. p. 8.
  10. ^ "Fox Hill Camp meeting to take place Aug. 10 through 19". The Daily Gazette. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2024.

Further reading

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  • A Catechism Prepared Especially for the Members of the Evangelical Wesleyan Church. Cooperstown: LWD Publishing. 2014.
  • Evangelical Wesleyan Bible Institute Handbook. Cooperstown: LWD Publishing. 2018.