In the 18th century, the Methodist Movement reinvigorated the Church. John and his brother Charles, leaders of the Movement, were ordained clergy in the Church of England.

Britain The Methodist Church today numbers over 300,000 members. Following divisions in the 19th century, the main branches re-united in 1932. The church is organised into 'circuits', themselves grouped into 33 Districts. The annual Conference is the governing body of the Church. See photos left of Conference 2001.

Worldwide There are now Methodist churches in nearly every country in the world, and it is calculated that the whole Methodist family numbers some 70 million people. Over the last 40 years major areas of growth have been in Latin America (783%), Asia (690%) and Africa (450%)

The World Methodist Council, with its headquarters at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, USA, provides an umbrella organisation for all Methodist churches across the world. The World Methodist Conference meets every five years: in July 2001 it met in Brighton and will meet next in 2006, possibly in Korea.