Methodist Church of New Zealand

History

The Methodist movement was started by John Wesley, an 18th-century Church of England minister. Methodist missionaries were among the earliest Europeans to come to New Zealand. Missionaries Samuel Leigh and William White established the first Wesleyan mission, Wesleydale at Kaeo on the Whangaroa Harbour, on 6 June 1823. Leigh worked alongside Anglican missionary Samuel Marsden.

The Methodist missions in New Zealand and Australia became administratively independent from Britain in 1874. The Annual Conference has always been the governing body of the Methodist Church of New Zealand. The New Zealand Church was originally a part of the Methodist Church of Australasia, with the New Zealand annual conference reporting to a triennial Australasian conference. In 1910 the Methodist Church of New Zealand completely separated from Australia.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the Methodist Church, with its emphasis on personal salvation and social responsibility, played an important part in the temperance movement. Methodist youth were encouraged to join the Band of Hope. Methodist minister Leonard Isitt became a full-time temperance campaigner and was elected as a member of parliament. Writer and social reformer Percy Paris became president of the Conference in 1938.

Since the early 1900s the proportion of New Zealanders who are Methodist has declined from 10% to a reported 2.6% in the 2013 census. At the 1983 conference the church made a conscious decision to work towards inclusion of all ethnicities and cultures. The denomination is supportive of women ministers and clergy in same-sex relationships. In 1999 the conference decided to allow ministers to bless same-sex relationships. In 2013, when same-sex marriage was legalised in New Zealand congregations that opted to do so were able to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

The World Methodist Council website reports 9,473 Methodist Church members who worship as part of a Methodist Church parish; additionally, a "significant number" of Methodist members worship in churches co-operating with Anglicans and Presbyterians. This membership figure is undated.

Ecumenical relations

The Methodist Church of New Zealand is a member of the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia.

References

References

1. "Member Churches". [[World Methodist Council]].
2. (21 December 2016). "Wesleyan mission established". Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
3. "New Zealand Methodist Conference". Methodist Church of New Zealand Te Hāhi Weteriana O Aotearoa.
4. (5 May 2011). "Methodist Church".
5. Clements, Kevin P.. "Percy Reginald Paris".
6. (15 April 2014). "2013 Census QuickStats about culture and identity". [[Statistics New Zealand]].
7. (January 1948). "Methodist Church of New Zealand — World Council of Churches".
8. "Civil Union Zealand Methodist Same-sex marriage".
9. (6 January 2020). "New Zealand Church unaffected by US methodist schism over gay marriage". [[RNZ]].
10. "Gay Marriage Coming to the Bay".
11. (June 2018). "New Zealand, Methodist Church". [[World Methodist Council]].
12. [http://www.oikoumene.org/gr/member-churches/regions/asia/aotearoa-new-zealand/methodist-church-of-new-zealand.html Methodist Church of New Zealand] {{webarchive. link. (5 April 2012 , World Council of Churches.)
13. (7 March 2016). "New Zealand churches open new unity dialogue". www.anglicannews.org.