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Skyline’s Methodist Heritage

Methodism began in the eighteenth century as a revival movement of Christians who swept across England with a message of God’s love in action. They preached the Good News wherever they could gather a crowd and walked the talk of their faith. Their leaders, John and Charles Wesley, were Anglican clergymen who proclaimed "the world is our parish" and breathed new life into the Church of England.

Charles Wesley gifted the world with poetry and song. Christians throughout the world still sing the songs of faith he penned, including Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing. His works remain the most thorough explanation of what Methodists traditionally celebrate about God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

John Wesley (1703-1791) sent missionary pastors to America, where the movement spread quickly through revival camp meetings and "house" churches (called "societies" or "Class Meetings"). These groups of Christians were led not by priests, or even trained preachers, but by dedicated lay leaders. Methodist preachers traveled among groups of house churches, called circuits, visiting each community several times a year to perform baptisms and celebrate communion.

Since forming in America in 1784, the Methodist Church has endured divisions (over clergy/lay leadership and slavery) and celebrated reunions and mergers (to heal old divisions in 1939 and to join German speaking Methodists in 1968). Today, the denomination includes over eight million members worldwide.

Methodists expect each member to express his or her dedication to Christ in loving service to others. We organize our communities to nurture and send disciples of Christ. We celebrate God’s power in our worship and we encourage all members to grow in faith, especially in small groups and classes, the modern day "house church."

We recognize all Christian baptisms, practicing infant and adult baptism. We guide children to confirm the faith promise their parents make for them as infants. We ask anyone wishing to join us to confess Jesus Christ as Savior and promise to serve Christ as Lord. We invite all people who love Christ, who "earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another" to our monthly celebrations of Communion.

We believe all Christians are ministers of Christ’s Gospel of Peace. Our Bishops appoint ordained pastors to serve congregations. Ordained and lay Methodist representatives elect these Bishops to preside over geographic areas, called Conferences. Bishops are assisted by District Superintendents, chosen from among Conference pastors to serve for six-year terms. Our Bishops appoint (or re-appoint) pastors to serve churches annually, through a process of prayerful discernment with the church leaders, pastors, and District Superintendents.

Skyline Church belongs to the Wilmington District (New Castle and Cecil Counties) of the Peninsula-Delaware Conference (Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore). The Reverend Peter Weaver serves as our Bishop. The Reverend John Mitchell serves as the Superintendent of the Wilmington District.

Skyline Church holds biannual Church Conferences to commission new leaders and to approve our budget. We send lay representatives along with our pastors to the Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference to decide on conference policies. Every four years, lay and clergy delegates from all Methodist Conferences meet at a General Conference to decide on policy affecting Methodists world-wide. This policy is published every four years in The United Methodist Book of Discipline.

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Last modified: 02/11/08