Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Several agencies have come together to create the current General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church. This history will focus on the creation of the Division of National Missions.
The missionary work of the denomination began with the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Missionary Society was organized on April 5, 1819 in New York, and became an officially supported agency, through General Conference action, in 1820. The purpose of the organization was to enable the several Annual Conferences to spread the Gospel more effectively, and to aid them in their benevolent and charitable work in both domestic and foreign missions. The society administered its work through a Board of Managers and its Corresponding Secretaries, subject to the General Missionary Committee, which met annually to make appropriations and to establish policy. The board had its headquarters in New York City.
In 1872, the Board of Church Extension was created. It developed a more systematic method of assisting in the erection of new churches and church property. Funds were raised through the general church and apportioned to the most needy situations. In 1907, this agency along with the national mission work of the Missionary Society were combined into the Board of Home Missions and Church Extension. Its work involved the development of missionary and church extension operations in the United States, its territories, and insular possessions, except the Philippine Islands, and was subject to General Conference control. Its office was located in Philadelphia.
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South also created a missionary society shortly after its creation in 1846. In 1866 the missionary operation of the MECS were divided between a Domestic Board and a Foreign Board. The board had little authority to manage the work of home missions. In fact, after 1874, the work of missions within the U.S. was left to the annual conferences. A Board of Church Extension was created in 1882 with the purpose of providing funds and assistance in the building of new churches. In 1910, the benevolent work was reorganized into a Board of Missions with a Department of Home Work, which again, was primarily focused on financial assistance to the annual conferences or individual churches.
Until 1888, the annual conferences of the Methodist Protestant Church managed their home mission work on their won. In 1888 the Board of home Missions was created to carry out the work of domestic missions. The board had general supervision over and direction of all mission work in the United States and territories except those missions under the control of and sustained by the Annual Conferences. In 1928, its work was incorporated into the Board of Missions.
In 1939 the Methodist Church created the Board of Missions and Church Extension (renamed to Board of Missions in 1952). One of the Divisions was for Home Missions and Church Extension. This division of labor would continue on into The United Methodist Church. This division had general supervision and administration of the work of Home Missions and Church Extension in the United States of America and its territories, not including the Philippines Islands. It was concerned with the promotion of missions and the administration of all donation aid, loan funds, and endowments contributed and established for the work of Church Extension (with the exception of those administered by the Jurisdictional and Annual Conferences).
The Evangelical Association created a Board of Church Extension in 1901. The Board had as its object the assistance of needy congregations in the erection of houses of worship. The board continued essentially unchanged until merger in 1946.
The United Brethren in Christ Church created a Church Erection Society around 1877. It was created for the purpose of aiding feeble churches in the construction of houses of worship. It was legally an independent agency, though the personnel of its board was identical to that of the missionary board. In 1905, a Home Missionary Society was established. This agency was organized for the purpose aiding the annual conferences in extending their missionary operations in the needy portions of our own country. It had charge of the general evangelistic work of the Church. In 1925 the two agencies were combined into one Home Mission and Church Erection Society with a department for Home Missions and one for Church Erection.
The Evangelical United Brethren Church established a Board of Missions in 1946 with a Department of Home Missions and Church Extension. This department was responsible for recommending to the Executive Committee and the Board loans to be made from the Church Extension loan funds of the Board, grants to be made from the gift funds, and under such rules as the Board may provide, administer all the affairs of this Department.
The United Methodist Church created the Board of Missions, renamed the General Board of Global Ministries, with a National Division. This division coordinates activities and ministries in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and U.S. Trust Territories. The National Division directs the development of national mission strategies and program to include developing and strengthening congregations as centers of Christian mission, creating ministries of compassion with persons and groups who suffer in body and spirit, assigning personnel, responding to the efforts of people for self-determination, and changing social patterns which cause and continue suffering.