This Week in Christian History: Oliver Cromwell, 'Oh Happy Day,' and The United Methodist Church

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, April 22, 2018

The United Methodist Church is Formed - April 23, 1968

This week marks the anniversary of the creation of The United Methodist Church, a mainline Protestant denomination formed by the merging of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church.

The "uniting conference" that took place between the two churches occurred at an auditorium in Dallas, Texas with theologian and Wesley scholar Albert C. Outler preaching the conference's sermon.

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"Here we are this morning, gathered together from all over the world and from all sorts and conditions of men, to celebrate a birthday. Our birthday," said Outler.

"The aura of every newborn thing is an aura of hope. And so, it is with us today, we stand here on a threshold, a new horizon looms ahead."

In the present day, the UMC has approximately 12.5 million members worldwide and is the third largest Christian denomination in the United States, behind the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention.