The World Methodist Council (WMC) is a consultative body that represents churches within Methodism and facilitates cooperation among its member denominations. It comprises 81 denominations in 138 countries which together represent the majority of Methodists worldwide, along with united churches that include Methodist traditions. Altogether, its members make up the ninth-largest Christian communion.
History The World Methodist Council was founded at a conference in London, England, at Wesley Chapel, in 1881. Jennifer Woodruff Tait, Christopher J. Anderson, Historical Dictionary of Methodism, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2024, p. 405 Four hundred delegates from 30 Methodist organizations around the world attended. Subsequently, world conferences were held every ten years. In 1956, the Council established its permanent headquarters in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, in the United States. In 2021, the Council sold its headquarters, which included a museum, and moved to Waynesville, North Carolina.
The WMC has stated, since 2018, that its member churches represent approximately 80 million people. In 2020, World Christian Database, the online version of the World Christian Encyclopedia, published by Edinburgh University Press, reported that the World Methodist Council had 70,226,000 members. However, according to statistics released by the WMC itself in 2014, the sum of the statistics of the member denominations themselves, as well as several independent sources, the number of Methodists worldwide is close to 40 - 51 million people.
In 2024, the Thailand Union Methodist Church was received as the 81st member denomination.
Affiliated organizations Affiliated organizations are the World Fellowship of Methodist and Uniting Churches, the Oxford-Institute of Methodist Theological Studies, the World Methodist Historical Society, World Council of Confederation of Methodist Youth, the World Council of Methodist Men, World Methodist Council of Teens, the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women.
Members
In 2016, the World Methodist Council was made up of 80 member denominations:
Country denominational subfamily Denomination Number of members Year International Methodist United Methodist Church Central African Conference Central and Southern European Central Conference Congo Central Conference German Central Conference Northern Europe Central Conference Philippines Central Conference West Africa Central Conference US Conferences Liberia Conference 9,984,925 2024 International Methodist Church of the Nazarene 2,764,205 2025 International Methodist African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church 1,432,795 2014 International Methodist Wesleyan Church 140,954 2017 International Methodist Free Methodist Church 1,547,820 2018 International Methodist African Methodist Episcopal Church 2,500,000 2014 South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Namibia Methodist Methodist Church of Southern Africa 2,600,000 2014 Argentina Methodist Evangelical Methodist Church in Argentina 5,599 2017 Australia Methodist Chinese Methodist Church in Australia 3,588 2014 Australia Methodist Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia 2,452 2014 Australia United Churches (Presbyterians, Methodists and Congregationalists) Uniting Church in Australia 243,000 2018 Bahamas Methodist Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church 1,900 2014 Bangladesh Methodist Bangladesh Methodist Church 18,201 2014 Belgium United Churches (Continental Reformed and Methodist) United Protestant Church in Belgium 3,401 2014 Benin Methodist Protestant Methodist Church in Benin 90,000 2014 Bolivia Methodist Evangelical Methodist Church in Bolivia 9,053 2014 Brazil Methodist Methodist Church in Brazil 262,449 2022 Canada United Churches (Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Methodists) United Church of Canada 325,315 2023 Caribbean Methodist Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas 62,120 2014 Chile Methodist Methodist Church in Chile 9,882 2014 China (People's Republic of China) United Churches (Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists and Methodists) Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China 36,000 2016 China (People's Republic of China) Methodist Methodist Church, Hong Kong 12,000 2014 Colombia Methodist Colombian Methodist Church 1,000 2014 South Korea Methodist Korean Methodist Church 1,106,385 2023 Costa Rica Methodist Evangelical Methodist Church in Costa Rica 16,000 2014Côte d'IvoireMethodistUnited Methodist Church of Ivory Coast1,018,4022026 Cuba Methodist Methodist Church in Cuba 33,000 2014 Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo) Methodist Free Methodist Church of the Democratic Republic of the Congo 151,695 2014 Dominican Republic Methodist Evangelical Church of the Dominican Republic 10,000 2014 Ecuador United Churches (Presbyterians and Methodists) United Evangelical Church of Ecuador 1,500 2014 Spain United Churches (Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Waldensians, Methodists and Lutherans) Spanish Evangelical Church 3,000 2014 Fiji Methodist Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma 212,860 2014 Gambia Methodist Gambia Methodist Church 2,000 2014 Ghana Methodist Methodist Church Ghana 634,689 2014 India Methodist Methodist Church in India 648,000 2014 India United Churches (Presbyterians, Anglicans, Methodists and Disciples of Christ) Church of North India 2,300,000 2025 India United Churches (Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Continental Reformed, Anglicans and Methodists) Church of South India 5,000,000 2020 Indonesia Methodist Methodist Church in Indonesia 119,000 2014 Ireland Methodist Methodist Church in Ireland 15,000 2014 Italy Methodist Methodist Evangelical Church in Italy 4,000 2014 Kenya Methodist Methodist Church in Kenya 450,000 2014 Malaysia Methodist Methodist Church in Malaysia 97,197 2014 Mexico Methodist Methodist Church of Mexico 40,000 2014 Myanmar Methodist Methodist Church, Lower Myanmar 2,300 2014 Myanmar Methodist Methodist Church, Upper Myanmar 27,543 2014 Nepal Methodist Nepal Methodist Church 264 2014 Nigeria Methodist Methodist Church of Nigeria 2,000,000 2014 New Zealand Methodist Methodist Church of New Zealand 14,736 2014 New Zealand Methodist New Zealand Wesleyan Methodist Church 794 2014 Pakistan United Churches (Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans and Anglicans) Church of Pakistan 1,900,000 2020 Panama Methodist Evangelical Methodist Church of Panama 1,300 2014 Paraguay Methodist Methodist Evangelical Community of Paraguay 1,025 2014 Peru Methodist Methodist Church of Peru 32,000 2014 Philippines Methodist Evangelical Methodist Church in the Philippine Islands 27,793 2020 Philippines United Churches (Presbyterians, Baptists, Disciples of Christ and Methodists) United Church of Christ in the Philippines 470,792 2020 Portugal Methodist Portuguese Evangelical Methodist Church 1,200 2014 Puerto Rico Methodist Puerto Rico Methodist Church 12,000 2014 Rwanda Methodist Rwanda Free Methodist Church 108,559 2014 Samoa Methodist Samoa Methodist Church 35,983 2014 Sierra Leone Methodist Sierra Leone Methodist Church 50,000 2014 Sierra Leone Methodist West African Methodist Church in Sierra Leone 4,000 2014 Singapore Methodist Methodist Church in Singapore 38,000 2014 Sri Lanka Methodist Methodist Church in Sri Lanka 25,000 2014 Sweden United Churches (Baptists, PT and Methodist) Uniting Church in Sweden 58,569 2021 Taiwan (Republic of China) Methodist Methodist Church in the Republic of China 4,500 2014 Tanzania Methodist Tanzania Methodist Church 3,681 2014 Thailand Methodist Thailand Union Methodist Church 3,000 2024 Togo Methodist Togo Methodist Church 75,000 2014 Tonga Methodist Free Wesleyan Church 38,692 2014 United Kingdom Methodist Methodist Church in Great Britain 136,891 2022 United States of America Methodist Christian Methodist Episcopal Church 858,670 2014 Zambia United Churches (Presbyterians and Methodists) United Church of Zambia 4,000,000 2024 Zimbabwe Methodist Zimbabwe Methodist Church 111,723 2014 Zimbabwe Methodist African Methodist Church of Zimbabwe 12,000 2014 Global Sub-total Methodists 27,256,094 2014-2025 Global Sub-total United Churches 14,341,577 2014-2025 Global Total World Methodist Council 43,975,402 2014-2025
Member Profile
The WMC is made up of around 81 member denominations.
In 2014 it was estimated that together, the member denominations had about 39,745,196 members and 51,286,152 adherents.
According to the most up-to-date statistics available, among member denominations, the United Methodist Church represents 18.75% of individual members, other Methodist churches are 45.91% and united churches represent 35.34% of individual members.
However, some of the largest WMC member denominations face a rapid decline in membership between 2000 and 2024.
In 2018, the WMC disclosed that its 80 member denominations represented an estimated 80 million people These numbers would supposedly include around 60 million members and 20 million adherents.
However, the 2018 figures contradict all independent statistics based on national censuses, as well as the combined statistics released by member Methodist and United churches themselves. According to several independent sources, Methodist churches have about 40 million members worldwide.
A 2011 report by the Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life estimated that members of Methodist churches (excluding United churches) represent 3.5% of the world's approximately 801 million Protestants, or about 27,234. 000 people.
According to Christianity Global: A Guide to the World's Largest Religion from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, in 2020, there were 31,683,000 Methodists in the world (not including United Churches), corresponding to 0.4% of the global population and 14,706,000 members of the Holiness Movement (0.2% of the world population), with a total of 46,389,000 members of the Methodism and Holiness Movement, or 0.6% of the global population .
The WMC does not represent all Methodists in the world and the organization's member united and uniting churches total only 14.3 million members, according to their own denominational statistics.
Therefore, WMC statistics from 2014 are considered more reliable compared to independent sources.
Beliefs Marriage
Among the 81 member denominations, 7 permit or support same-sex marriage or blessings for same-sex unions. These are: United Methodist Church, Methodist Church of Great Britain, Spanish Evangelical Church, United Church of Canada, Uniting Church in Australia, Uniting Church in Sweden, and United Protestant Church in Belgium.
World Methodist Conference The highest organ of the World Methodist Council is the World Methodist Conference, which meets every five years. The 22nd Conference was held in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2024. The theme was 'On the Move' and focussed on migration.
The 21st Conference was held in 2016 in Houston, Texas in the United States. The theme was "ONE". Organized around four sub themes – One God, One Faith, One People, One Mission.
The 2011 conference, gathered under the theme "Jesus Christ - for the Healing of the Nations", was held in August 2011 in Durban, South Africa. On 24 July 2006, Sunday Mbang stepped down as chairperson of the council and John Barrett took over his position as well as elected president for the council.
In 2006, it formally approved the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.
World Methodist Council officers Current officers are: General secretary: The Rev Reynaldo Ferreira Leão Neto President: Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett Vice-President: Joshua Rathnam Treasurer: Myron Howie Youth and young adult coordinator: Stefanie Gabuyo The World Methodist Council has offices in Methodist Central Hall Westminster, London.
Activities
Continuous activities The World Methodist Council has eight standing committees: