First full General Conference of The United Methodist Church.
General Commission on the Status and Role of Women created.
End of Central Jurisdiction Conferences.
Wilbur Wong Yan Choy becomes the first Asian-American bishop.
United Methodist Women founded.

1972

Timeline of Women in Methodism

Learn about some amazing women who helped shape the history of the church.

c. 1770
Mary Evans Thorne is appointed class leader by Joseph Pilmore in Philadelphia; she is probably the first woman in America so appointed.

1768
Barbara Heck, known as the mother of American Methodism, urges Philip Embury to start preaching in New York and designs John Street Chapel in New York City.

1787
Despite objections of some male preachers, John Wesley authorizes Sarah Mallet to preach as long as "she proclaimed the doctrines and adhered to the disciplines that all Methodist preachers were expected to accept."

1827
Isabella Bomefree, a slave who later changes her name to Sojourner Truth, is emancipated when slavery is abolished in New York State. That same year, she co-founds Kingston Methodist Church. In 1843, she feels "called in the spirit" and begins to travel and preach. She becomes involved in the abolitionist movement, and her public speaking combines her religious faith with her experiences as a slave.

1849
Charity Opheral is granted a preacher's license by the United Brethren Church.

1857
The United Brethren General Conference passes a resolution that no woman should be allowed to preach.

1869
Margaret Newton Van Cott is the first woman in the Methodist Episcopal Church to receive a local preacher's license.

1873
Anna Howard Shaw acquires a local preacher's license in the Methodist Episcopal Church.

1880
Anna Howard Shaw and Anna Oliver are refused ordination rights by the Methodist Episcopal General Conference. Shaw joins the Methodist Protestant Church and is ordained in the New York Annual Conference.

1884
The Methodist Protestant Church rules Anna Howard Shaw's ordination out of order.

1920
The Methodist Episcopal Church grants women the right to be licensed as local preachers.

1922
Eighteen women are seated as the first female lay delegates to the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

1924
The Methodist Episcopal Church grants women limited clergy rights as local elders or deacons, without conference membership.

1930
The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South rejects full clergy rights for women.

1944, 1948, 1952
The Woman's Society of Christian Service of The Methodist Church petitions General Conference for full clergy rights for women, but is rejected each time.

1946
Women are denied ordination in the newly formed Evangelical United Brethren Church.

Formation of Methodist Societies in and around London. 

1739

UMC HISTORY

USA HISTORY

BEGINNINGS INFORMAL

THE AMERICAN COLONIES

John Wesley is born.

1703

Jonathan Edwards born.

Charles Wesley is born.

1707

England and Scotland unite to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

Martin Boehm is born..

1725

First recorded scalping of Indians by whites in North America by New Hampshire militamen.

Philip William Otterbein is born.

1726

Benjamin Colman preached an execution sermon to pirates in Boston.

John Wesley attends Oxford University.
Charles Wesley forms the "Holy Club" at Oxford.

1729

King George I crowned.

1732

Georgia Colony founded.
Ben Franklin starts a circulating library.

John Wesley serves as chaplain to Georgia Colony. 

1735

Paul Revere born

John Wesley learns Spanish in order to preach to the Native Americans in Georgia who were taught by Spanish Catholic missionaries.
John Wesley holds his first service in Savannah on March 7.
Charles Wesley leaves for England.

1736

Anna Lee born, founder of the Shakers.

 John and Charles Wesleys' conversion in London. 

1738

Ethan Allen born.
King George III born.

RENEWAL MOVEMENT WITHIN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND   

Formation of Methodist Societies in and around London. 

1739

Slave revolt in South Carolina.

John Wesley's first conference of preachers. 

1744

King George's War between the British and French in North America begins.

Francis Asbury is born.

1745

King George's War continues.

Thomas Coke is born.

1747

King George's War continues. The war ends in 1748.

Otterbein arrives in America. 

1752

Colonies adopt the Gregorian calendar.

Otterbein's conversion, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 

1754

French and Indian War.
Albany Plan.

John Wesley baptizes two African-American slaves which breaks the color barrier for Methodist societies.

1758

British captured Fort Duquesne in present-day Pittsburgh.

Jacob Albright is born. 

1759

British capture Quebec.

Methodist colonists arrive in America.
Richard Allen is born. 

1760

Francis Asbury arrives in America.

1771

ORGANIZATION OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

THE NEW NATION

Initial call to the Christmas Conference originates at Barratt's Chapel.
Christmas Conference. Ordination of preachers.
Richard Allen and Absalom Jones are the first African Americans licensed to preach.

1784

Plan to divide Western territories for new states.
New York City temporary national capital of United States.

Formation of black congregations.
Cokesbury College opens in Abingdon, Maryland.
Wesley writes to Asbury deploring the genocide of Native Americans.

1787

Constitutional Convention.

Charles Wesley dies.

1788

Constitution adopted.

OTTERBEIN AND BOEHM FOUND THE CHURCH OF THE UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST (a.k.a UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH)

EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION FOUNDED

Methodist Episcopal Church General Conference issues a pastoral letter on abolishing slavery and allows  bishops to ordain African-Americans as deacons.

1800

National capital moved to Washington, D.C.

AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH ORGANIZED

Francis Asbury dies.

First General Conference adopts the name Evangelical Association.

1806

1816

AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH ORGANIZED

William Capers founds Asbury Mission to the Lower Creek Tribes.

1821

METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH ORGANIZED

1830

1840

COLORED METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH ORGANIZED

METHODIOST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH, ORGANIZED

Indian Mission Conference organized by the newly formed MECS.

1845

COLORED METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH ORGANIZED (Name changed to CHRISTIAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH in 1952)

Mission House for for Chinese opens in San Francisco.

1870

15th Amendment - Right to Vote.

The UNITED EVANGELICAL CHURCH officially breaks away from the Evangelical Association.

1894

Pullman Company strike.

EVANGELICAL CHURCH FORMED

Methodist Episcopal Church, South, gives women full laity rights.
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, begins mission work in Europe.
The Woman's Missionary Society of the Evangelical Church organized.
The WFMS of the Methodist Protestant Church begins mission work in India.

1922

****************************************

The Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Methodist Protestant Church issue a joint hymnal.
Mary McLeod Bethune named director of the Negro Division of the National Youth Administration.  She also becomes the first president of the National Council of Negro Women.

1935

Works Progress Administration (WPA) formed.
Social Security Act passed.

METHODIST CHURCH ORGANIZED

WORLD WAR II

Formation of the Methodist Church, union of the Methodist Episcopal Churches, North and South, and the Methodist Protestant Church.
Georgia Harkness begins teaching at Garrett Biblical Institute.
Helen Kim becomes president of Ewha University in Korea.
Woman's Society of Christian Service and the Wesleyan Service Guild of the Methodist Church organized.

1939

Hitler signs an order authorizing involuntary euthanasia.

***********************************

EVANGELICAL UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH ORGANIZED

COLD WAR

Merger of the Evangelical Church and the Church of the United Brethren in Christ to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Women are denied ordination in the new church.
Women's Society of World Service organized in the new Evangelical United Brethren Church.

1946

THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ORGANIZED

Union of Methodist Church and Evangelical United Brethren Church.  General Commission on Archives and History, General Commission on Religion and Race and General Council on Ministries created.
Black Methodists for Church Renewal formed.

1968

Democratic Convention riots in Chicago.

A number of gay ministers publically declare their sexuality prior to General Conference.
General Conference held in Portland, Oregon.
Ordination of gay clergy inflame General Conference delegates causing deep divisions.
General Conference empowers Council of Bishops to call a special General Conference to study and present findings on the homosexuality ordination issue.  
The Council of Bishops sets up the Commission on a Way Forward to prepare for special conferene.
The Western Jurisdiction later elects Reverend Karen Oliveto, pastor of San Francisco's Glide Memorial UMC and an openly married gay women on the 17th ballot.
Immediately the South Central Jurisdiction files a declaratory petition to the Judicial Council to invalidate Oliveto's election.
 

2016

Judicial Council rules against Oliveto and upholds Book of Discipline ban on openly gay ministers from serving in the denomination.  The decision fails to bring together both sides of the issue. Oliveto, however, remains in good standing until an administrative or judicial process is complete.
Council of Bishops call for special General Conference to meet in 2019.

2017

Inauguration of Donald Trump.