Evangelical Wesleyan Church
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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 | |
| Classification | Methodism |
| Orientation | Holiness movement |
| Polity | Connexionalism |
| Founder | John Wesley |
| Origin | 1963 |
| Separated from | Free Methodist Church (1963) |
| Merger of | Evangelical Wesleyan Church of North America and the Midwest Holiness Association |
| Separations | Wesleyan Church (1968) |
| Congregations | 27 |
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]