Methodist Episcopal Church

Methodist Episcopal Church. A Form of Discipline for the Ministers, Preachers, and Members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America. Elizabeth-Town: Printed by Shephard Kollock, 1788. Divinity Library Rare Book Collection. 

A Form of Discipline for the Ministers, Preachers, and Members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America. first published in 1785 is the foundational text of American Methodism. It established the governing documents, doctrines, clerical duties, and ecclesiastical laws that shaped the church. Published yearly with additions, corrections and amendments from the conference these volumes are still being created by the church.

The original American Conference held during Christmas in 1784 established the Methodist Episcopal Church (MECS) as an independent body separate from the Church of England. John Wesley appointed Thomas Coke as the superintendent of the church, who then ordained Francis Asbury as the first bishop. The two men then compiled the initial book, which was published in 1785.

All editions of the Discipline from 1785 to 1801 bear on their title pages “Methodist Episcopal Church in America” as the proper title. Within the Discipline’s early iterations, one can see the social and moral stances of the early American church, notably the morality of slavery. It contains early rules that attempted to restrict or prohibit slaveholding among its members and preachers.

By the latter part of the 19th century, the format shifted from being a document of questions and answers toward more of a legal manual with directives and structures. In 1939, the MECS reunited with the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Protestant Church to form the Methodist Church. The publication continues today as The Book of Discipline.