Origins
Their
first chapels came into being in the north-west of England and met
together for the first time in 1806 at Manchester. Annual Meetings and
exchange of preachers constituted the only tangible link between the
churches for many years. Of the early leading figures, the most
prominent was Peter Phillips of Warrington; he is generally regarded as
the denomination’s founding father. By trade he was a chairmaker, but
as an unpaid minister and preacher he travelled a wide area of the
country and was instrumental in the affiliation of many churches to the
Connexion during a period of over 50 years.
Though some of the
early congregations used the title Independent Methodists, there were
many other names: for example, Free Gospel Church, Christian Lay
Church, Christian Brethren, Gospel Pilgrims and Quaker Methodists. It
was not until 1898 that the Annual Meeting finally chose the name
Independent Methodist.
Denominational Distinctiveness
In
addition to their Wesleyan heritage, Quaker influence was prevalent
among some early Independent Methodist, many of whom adopted the Quaker
plainness of speech and dress. The absence of any distinction between
clergy and laity in the denomination owes much to the Quaker view of
church and ministry.
The ‘independent’ or ‘congregational’
concept of government, whereby the local church is autonomous of a
central body and responsible for its own affairs, also played a part in
the formation of the denomination. During the nineteenth century, the
denomination expanded, though mainly remaining in the North of England.
Its churches were often located in industrial areas amongst the poorest
of the population. They became very active in education, temperance
work and the relief of poverty.
Today, though the denomination
is smaller than it once was, many churches continue to have a vigorous
witness in the communities where they are found. Often they are
involved with other churches in local evangelistic work and some have
sent out missionaries to serve overseas.
What do we Believe?
The Independent Methodist Churches are Trinitarian, believing that God the Father is revealed through Jesus Christ his Son, who alone is Saviour of the world. The Holy Spirit makes God's saving work real in the lives of his people. On acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, a person is born again and becomes a child of God by adoption. The full doctrines of the denomination are defined in our statement of faith under ten headings:
The Trinity
We
believe in One Living and True God, Creator of all, eternal in three
persons as Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Him alone we worship and adore.
God the Father
We believe that God
the Father Almighty, in holy love, gave his Son for the salvation of
mankind.
God the Son
We believe
that the Lord Jesus Christ is God the Son. For our sake he became man,
was truly human and truly divine, and lived a sinless human
life. We believe that He reveals the Father, that He died to atone for
our sins, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven and was exalted. He is
our Advocate, Mediator and Lord. We believe that He will return
personally in power and glory.
God the Holy Spirit
We believe that God the Holy Spirit convinces of sin,
righteousness and judgement. He causes those who repent to be born anew
and dwells within them, witnessing to their salvation and
developing the fruit of a Godly life. He endows believers with gifts
for the up building of the Church. He glorifies Jesus.
Mankind
We believe that all people are sinful and are unable to deliver
themselves from the guilt, penalty and power of their sin.
Salvation
We believe that salvation from the guilt, penalty and power of
sin to eternal life is a free gift of God. Salvation is His purpose for
all mankind and is only possible through personal faith in the
atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that all must stand
before the final judgement of Christ and that those who have
refused His salvation will be separated eternally from God.
The
Bible
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and
New Testaments are the inspired Word of God and are the supreme
authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
The
Church
We believe that the Church is the whole
company of the redeemed in heaven and on earth and consists of all who
are united to God through faith in Christ. We believe that Jesus
Christ is the head of the Church, which is His body. The purpose of
the Church is to worship God, to promote the fellowship of his
people, to preach the Gospel and to make disciples of all nations.
The Sacraments
We believe that the
sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper are to be practised in
obedience to the command of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe
that in the observance of the Lord’s supper, Christ is certainly and
really present, though not bodily in the elements. When used by
believers with faith and prayer, the sacraments are, through the
operation of the Holy Spirit, outward and visible signs of inward and
spiritual grace.
The Christian Life
We believe in the priesthood of all believers, affirming that
each believer has direct access to God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The individual believer is required to render obedience to Christ
in every area of life, seeking always, under His direction, the
advancement of His Kingdom.
