Britain: An official handbook > 1956

RELIGION, SCIENCE, AND THE ARTS
367
The Free Churches
The largest of the Free Churches, formerly more generally known as the Non¬
conformist Churches, is the Methodist Church, the product of a union of Methodist
Churches in 1932. It has three-quarters of a million adult full members. The
supreme authority in the Church is the annual Conference and the system of
government is in many ways presbyterian; the Leaders’ Meeting corresponding to
the Kirk Session, with Circuit Meetings and District Synods resembling Presbytery
and Synod. It is not, however, the form of government that distinguishes Methodism
from other Churches. Starting as a powerful evangelistic movement within the
Church of England in the eighteenth century under the leadership of the brothers
John and Charles Wesley, the Methodists had no idea of founding a Church until
forbidden to preach by ecclesiastical authority. One of the Church’s characteristics
is its strong emphasis on lay leadership. There are nearly 24,000 trained lay
preachers sharing the ministers’ work and preaching in thousands of local
churches.
The Congregational and Baptist Churches both regard the Church as a
covenanted fellowship of believers, ministers being called to special service and set
aside, trained and recognized by the Church. Local churches have formed county
and national unions, whose secretariat and assemblies, however, have no compulsive
authority over them, though much influence.
The Congregationalists in Britain, including Welsh Independents, number
379,000 and the Baptists 329,000 adult members. The importance they both attach
to the autonomy of the local church meeting has been an influential factor in the
development of British democratic methods. They both admit women to the
ministry. Baptists differ from Congregationalists in practising the baptism of
believers only; they do not baptize infants.
The Presbyterian (or Calvinistic Methodist) Church of Wales, which arose from
the revivalist movement led by Howell Harris in i735> embraces a large section of
the Welsh-speaking population: its members number some 154,000.
Next in size among Presbyterian Churches is the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
The Presbyterian Church of England is organized in 14 Presbyteries and its highest
court is the General Assembly. It admits women to the eldership.
The Society of Friends, or Quakers, founded in the middle of the seventeenth
century by George Fox, have no ordained ministry, and do not observe the Sacra¬
ments. They have borne a consistent witness to pacifism, and their influence,
especially in social reform and the relief of suffering, has been out of all proportion
to their number (21,000). There are about 300 Unitarian and Free Christian
Churches united by loyalty to the principle of freedom of thought in religion. Since
1904 they have admitted women to the ministry. The Salvation Army, founded in
1878 by William Booth, a Methodist, replaces ecclesiastical by military terminology.
William Booth’s mission to the poorest attracted first the scorn and then the respect
of a large public. The movement is now world-wide and its social work is well
supported. . . . ..
The Christian Scientists have over 340 branch churches and societies in Britain.
The Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church in the United Kingdom claims nearly four million
adherents including children. The head of the Church in England is the Cardinal
Archbishop of Westminster. There are 18 dioceses and nearly 2,000 parishes. The
Church attaches great importance to educating children in its own schools. Schools,
social work and many institutions are staffed by the great Roman Catholic Orders
for men and women.