From the earliest days of settlement, Methodism has been a dominant force in Hoosier religion. Methodist circuit riders arrived in the west by 1784 and began establishing the circuits that would bring Methodism into the Indiana Territory. So effective was this circuit system that nationally, church membership increased 1,939% between 1800 and 1850! This feat made the Methodist Episcopal Church the largest denomination in the United States by 1840 with more than 1 million members, 40% more than the next largest denomination, the Baptists. (Sweet, Vol. 4: 45)

The followers of British reformer Charles Wesley were faithful and determined evangelists and the mission fields of Indiana were carefully tended from the earliest days of the territory. In 1801, preachers from Kentucky crossed the Ohio River to a settlement called Springville in Clark's Grant. Here they conducted a two-day meeting. (Rudolph: 15-16) From this meeting Methodist classes were formed in Charlestown and New Chappelle in present day Clark County. (Sweet: 4)

Class meetings were established in response to the grave lack of trained ministers in the West. The church had an established system for the formation and operating of a Methodist class. First, a respected Methodist was located in the area where a class meeting was needed. This man served as the class leader. Then, Methodist church members or truly interested and sincere Christians in the neighborhood were gathered together to form the class. The Western Christian Advocate article "How to have a Class Meeting" suggested twelve as the best number of members for a class. The class leader appointed a time and place for the weekly meeting and conducted the hour-long meeting. The leader was instructed to begin with a short hymn followed by a prayer of confession with the class members kneeling around him. The class members responded to each petition with "Lord have mercy." Then the leader was to conclude with petitions of thanksgiving and the members responded with "Glory and thanks to God." The rest of the meeting was to be spent with each individual giving a personal faith testimonial, discussing faith weaknesses or needs. The group responded with words of prayer and encouragement to each other. (Conner Prairie: 37)

The Methodist church also had a system of licensed elders, deacons, lay ministers and exhorters to assist in the local church work. The bishop headed the church body, which was divided into conferences, each led by a bishop. Each conference then was subdivided into districts. Within a district there could be several circuits. A presiding elder directed the work of the conference. Ordained deacons were the senior circuit riders who in turn trained the trial circuit riders. The ranks of the junior riders were filled from the local, licensed lay-preachers and exhorters. Flow Chart

The circuit was the next level of the Methodist evangelism system. A circuit was comprised of several class meetings within a specific boundary, all served by a single circuit rider. The ideal circuit allowed for the preacher to visit with each class meeting for several days within each month. He would conduct worship, perform weddings, baptisms and counsel class members and "hopeful" area residents at each stop. But, it was the preaching that was the mark of the Methodist circuit riders. Preaching, "regular, frequent and exciting," was the way Methodists brought converts into the fold. Circuit riders were always on the lookout for local boys who possessed the gift of charismatic communication skills combined with powerful faith because it was the local preachers who seemed best to reach the western settlers. (Rudolph: 16)

In 1806 the extreme southeastern edge of the Indiana Territory was included in the new Whitewater Circuit, that also included the southwestern edge of Ohio. A young rider named Joseph Oglesby founded the circuit. Oglesby wore his hair in an odd style known in the West as the Methodist preacher fashion. The hair was very closely cut to about halfway to the crown. Then the hair was allowed to grow to a length of 8 or 10 inches, giving the circuit rider a very unusual look. However strange his appearance, Oglesby did his work on the circuit so well that by 1807, the first entirely Indiana circuit was formed. It was called the Silver Creek Circuit and was located in Clark's Grant. Moses Ashworth served the 188 members within the circuit's boundaries. Almost simultaneously, a second circuit was formed, the Whitewater Circuit, which covered an area between present-day Richmond and Lawrenceburg along the extreme southeastern edge of the territory.

By 1809, the Vincennes circuit had been established in the west central portion of the territory. The first time the preacher for the circuit conducted worship in the fort at Vincennes Governor William Henry Harrison held a candle so the preacher could read from the Bible and line the hymns for the worshippers.

Central Indiana Methodists were established into a circuit comprised of Marion, Hamilton, Madison Hendricks, Morgan, Johnson and Shelby counties in 1825. This circuit had eighteen sites in the seven counties of the circuit. In 1829, Indianapolis was removed from the circuit when Wesley Chapel was built in the city. At that time, all the Methodist congregations in the city went by the designation of "chapel." By the 1860s the city was home to Allen Chapel and Bethel Chapel, the city's two African Methodist Episcopal (AME) congregations as well as Ames Chapel, Asbury Chapel, Strange Chapel, Roberts Chapel and Wesley Chapel. By the late 1860 several congregations dropped the term chapel, including Wesley Chapel, which became Meridian Street Methodist Episcopal Church.

More circuits were added within the state until a statewide conference was established in 1832. The growth of the Methodist Episcopal church in a little more than a decade had been strong and steady. In 1821 the faith had 26 preachers, mostly circuit riders and a membership of nearly 8,00. By 1832, there were 60 preachers working in Indiana with a membership of 20,000 and the Indiana Conference was formed. Within another decade the growth of the faith warranted the establishment of two conferences in the Hoosier state because the membership had grown to 66,000 with 200 traveling and 488 local ministers serving their needs. (Wood: 20)

It was during this period of rapid growth in the state that a major schism appeared in the national church. In 1828, a group of Methodists devoted to the idea of a lay lead faith met in Baltimore to discuss their vision for the church. After 2 years of attempts to gain the favor of the national church, the group met again in Baltimore and formed the Methodist Protestant Church. One of the leaders of the movement was a Hoosier, John Burton. He had formed a class meeting in Monroe County in 1826 and the class followed him into the new Methodist Protestant faith in 1832. The church grew in mostly in rural areas of the state through intense evangelism and camp meetings. Always small, the denomination continued independently until the 1939 merger that created the United Methodist Church. (Heller: 187-191)

Camp meetings were instrumental in triggering the growth of the Methodist Church in Indiana. Camp meetings were an especially effective evangelistic tool perfected by the Methodists in America. Used to especial success in the western country, camp meetings came early to the Indiana Territory. Moses Ashworth completed his first year as circuit rider in the Salt River Circuit with a camp meeting outside of Charlestown. This was most probably the first such in the territory. (Sweet, Vol. 4: 445) Camp meetings, usually held in August or September, gathered together Christians of all denominations as well as unaffiliated "sight-seers" for several days of preaching, exhortations, prayer, bible study and socializing that hopefully ended with converts, baptisms and a love feast for the newest Methodists. Families came from miles around to camp in tents and wagons in a shady grove with a central area set-aside for the meetings. As many as two dozen ministers and circuit-riding preachers, with the help of deacons and exhorters, would lead the event. A typical day began at 5 AM with the blowing of a trumpet signaling the time to rise, pray in family groups and breakfast. By 8:30, the trumpet signaled participants to gather at the central area to begin prayer, exhortations and testimonials. All of this lasted until the main service and sermon of the day at about 11 o'clock. After dinner, the afternoon was filled with hymn singing, small sermons, testimonials, pastoral counseling and prayer. Supper was followed by gatherings around bonfires that lent an emotional and dramatic backdrop to spirited singing and testimonials. These were hoped to bring about awakening and conversions among the sinners present. The drama and emotional aspect of these gatherings could induce weeping, wailing and shouts of joy. By 10 o'clock, visitors were asked to leave and participants retired to their tents and wagons for individual and family prayers. Day's end was signaled by a trumpet blast. This schedule was repeated for a period of four or five days. At the end of the meeting, those who had come forward to join the church were gathered together for a special fellowship meal with the ministers, elders, exhorters and church members. This was called a Love Feast and also was also a special part of the local class meetings. At a camp meeting held in Indianapolis in August of 1837 participants gathered in a grove at the west edge of the city for a five-day camp meeting. The Indianapolis Democrat reported at the meeting's end that "over 5,000 attended Dr. Tevis' sermon on Sunday and 116 new members were added to the Methodist Episcopal Church." (Conner Prairie: 9-10)

As Hoosier Methodism grew throughout the 1830s, it became clear to the church hierarchy that an institution of higher education would strengthen the faith within the state. Methodists in the state felt that the Presbyterians controlled Indiana institutions of higher education. They also saw the Presbyterians as arrogant, assuming themselves "to be the only competent educators of people." (Sweet: 63) Many Methodist families in the state wished for a Methodist school to educate their sons, although many were against any institution that might function as a theological seminary. Sentiments in Indiana were strong against a college-trained ministry, as many people believed preachers were not trained but "called." In 1835 the conference convened the yearly meeting with the formation of a literacy institution on the agenda. Six cities and towns presented bids to have the school. As the debate wore on, the issue of a healthful location was set forth. Rockville and Indianapolis admitted to the presence of seasonal fevers but Dr. Cowgill, representing the town of Greencastle, stated that "People never die in Greencastle, although for convenience they have a cemetery there." (Sweet: 63) After only two ballots Greencastle was selected as the site for the new college and Indiana Asbury University opened in June 1837 with the admission of 5 students to the preparatory department. By 1840 the first class graduated from the college named for Bishop Francis Asbury, the founder of Methodism in America. Women were first admitted to the school in 1867. It was not until 1884 that the school was renamed to honor benefactor, Washington Charles De Pauw. (Sweet: 63-67) Methodists in the state also felt that institutions of higher learning for their daughters were also necessary. Through the mid 19th century a variety of female seminaries and academies were opened by the denomination. These included Indiana Asbury Female College, Indianapolis Female College, Bloomington Female College and Academy, and the De Pauw College for young Ladies located in New Albany. (Heller: 318)

The issue of slavery was a difficult one for the Methodists in America. Methodist founder John Wesley had a great distaste for the institution and preached its evils during his ministry. The church's General Rule on Slavery (1789) forbade the buying and selling of slaves, although not slave holding. Many southern Methodists moved north to distance themselves from the institution, but just as many felt that although distasteful, the question of slavery was a political and economic problem, not a religious or moral one. The question of slavery tore deeply at Hoosier Methodists also. In the 1840s Methodists ardently opposed to slavery pulled away from the church because it would not take a stand against slavery. They called themselves Wesleyans, harkening back to John Wesley's abhorrence of the institution. The Wesleyans thrived in east central Indiana, with the center of activity in the Newport (Fountain City) area. The group had both white and black members who worked together with the Anti-slavery Friends, providing safe haven for runaway slaves who passed through the area. After the Civil War the group worked tirelessly for prohibition and in 1892, a Wesleyan minister was a candidate for governor on the Prohibition ticket. By the late 19th century the Wesleyans had joined in the Holiness movement and their service were filled with great emotional outpouring of music, dancing, and spiritual zeal. (Rudolph: 377)

Another schism appeared in the 1850's, this one lead by Benjamin T. Roberts. Roberts was a pastor in Buffalo, New York who was inspired by evangelist-physician, Dr. John Wesley Redfield to explore the growing Holiness movement. Redfield, a Methodist evangelist ultimately joined with Roberts in founding the Free Methodists in 1860 after their theological ideas were spurned by the Methodist Episcopal Conference. The faith arrived in Indiana by way of Pastor Thomas LeDue, whose circuit included Elkhart and Mishawka. Especially strong in the northern half of the state, the Free Methodist's moved their publishing house to Winona Lake in 1939 and the denomination headquarters in Indianapolis. (Heller:187-193)

In 1856, the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States met in Indianapolis. Some Methodists, although unhappy with slavery, had stayed in the church but continued to vocalize their anger and frustration. They made sure the topic of slavery permeated the meeting. The published Minutes of the meeting recorded the debate for 222 pages. The debate was so heated and divisive that delegate Henry Clay Dean felt compelled to write an open letter to the state's governor apologizing. He and others pointed out that the church sent missionaries to foreign countries that had the institution of slavery and they were directed by the church to do nothing to interfere with the practice. Thus, most Methodists felt that the church in this country had no right to interfere with the practice of slavery in the US. In the end, the conference condemned radical Methodists for participating in abolitionist activities and the church's official policy continued to be non-interference as long as members adhered to the General Rule on Slavery. (Dean: 1-3)

Between 1830 and 1880 the largest immigrant population in the state was German and many were Methodist. The Indiana Conference worked closely with the German Methodists of the state to provide them with German language publications and providing them with German-speaking clergy. The conference even started publishing a German language Sunday School paper, "The Sonntagschule Glocke" (The Sunday School Bell), in 1856. The Conference was able to keep their German membership within the Conference by creating 2 German Districts in the state provided congregations with a loose organization of churches with like needs. By 1933, when the German Methodists of the state held a reunion, the congregations differed from the rest of the conference congregations in ethnic background only. (Heller: 193-205)

Three African American Methodist denominations were founded in the US as a response to racism. The first, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, was founded in the East in 1816. In 1836, Augustus Turner formed the first AME congregation in Indianapolis. By the mid- 1840s there were about 30 AME congregations statewide on four different circuits. At the same time the Bishop of the church called upon congregations to begin opening schools and literary institutions for the education of black children. Blacks in Indiana responded with full commitment and were instrumental in the purchase of Wilburforce University in Ohio. In Indianapolis, Bethel AME led the Hoosier congregations in involvement in the local education movement. By 1867, the congregation had founded a day school as well as a thriving Sabbath School program. (Rudolph: 361, 562-565; Encyclopedia: 318-319) The second African American Methodist denomination was established in New York as the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. The emphasis in the denomination's early years was abolition of slavery, and Frederick Douglas served as an AME Zion minister. The first AME Zion church was not founded in Indianapolis until 1872. (Encyclopedia: 998) The Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (now the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church) formed its first congregation in Indianapolis in 1906, more than 40 years after the denomination was founded.

Acton Campground was established in 1859 when the Southeast Indiana Conference of the Methodist Church purchased land northwest of the town of Acton in Marion County. The campground operated each summer and fall and attracted thousands who came to participate in daily prayer and Bible study as well as lectures and sermons and inspirational programs. The conservative-evangelical-populist William Jennings Bryan was a popular speaker there. Late in the century, the campground became affiliated with Methodists involved in the holiness movement and continued to thrive until a fire destroyed the camp buildings in 1905. (Encyclopedia: 230-231)

From the 1880s to the present, the Methodist Church has worked tirelessly to better the lives of Hoosiers statewide. The church and its members have been deeply involved in reform movements such as temperance and prohibition, as well as developing public education opportunities. At the turn of the 20th century, the church founded Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. In 1928, Indianapolis Methodists brought Goodwill Industries to the area. And throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the church established community centers throughout the state to offer social services to neighborhoods in need. The Methodist tradition of offering a helping hand to those in need continues throughout the state today.

Conner Prairie Research. Camp Meeting Training Packet. 1995.

Dean, Henry Clay. Letter to Governor Wright of Indiana upon the connexion of the Methodist Episcopal Church with the subject of slavery. Privately printed, n.d.

Dunn, Jacob Piatt. Unpublished manuscript. Indianapolis: Indiana Division, Manuscript Section, Indiana State Library, n.d.

Heller, Herbert. Indiana Conference of the Methodist Church 1832-1956. n.p., n.d.

Nottingham, Elizabeth K. Methodism on the Frontier, Indiana Proving Ground. New York: Columbia University Press, 1941.

Rudolph, L. C. Hoosier Faiths. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995.

Sweet, William Warren. Circuit-Rider Days in Indiana. Indianapolis: W. K. Stewart Co., 1916.

__________________. Religion on the American Frontier: Volume 4, The Methodists. New York: Cooper Square Publishers, Inc., 1964.

Wood, Rev. Aaron. The Past and Present. LaPorte, 1866.