Africa Methodist Council

A Counter of John Wesley’s 1786 Fear and a Fulfilment of his 1739 “The World is My Parish” Statement

Abstract

John Wesley was the founder and anchor of the Methodist movement. As he grew older, he realised the implication his death would have on the movement. In 1786, he documented his envisioned fears, “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without power” (Wesley 1786,1). Contrary to his fears, his 1739 statement, “The World is My Parish” (Wesley 1739,42), was fulfilled as Methodism arrived in Africa four years after his death as a religion with the power to transform society. This paper presents the birth and developments of the Africa Methodist Council as a counter to Wesley’s 1786 fear and a confirmation of his 1739 statement “The World is my Parish.” The numerical and philanthropical growth of Methodism in Africa is evidence of its visibility and power to transform the African society, true to the 1739 conviction and contrary to the 1786 fear. This paper uses a qualitative research methodology to present the development of the AMC. Furthermore, the paper is informative and utilises Wesley’s fears and his vision of Methodism in the world to discuss the birth and development of the Africa Methodist Council. The paper concludes by buttressing the view that Methodism in Africa fulfils Wesley’s statement of the world as his parish. It also affirms the power of Methodism to transform society.