By Rev. Dr. L. Darwin Breecham

Philadelphia Southern Methodist Church meets in a beautiful 100+ year-old church building at 1665 Philadelphia Street in lower Darlington County. The question often comes up: who are these "Southern" Methodists and how are they different from United Methodists?

To answer that question, one must go back to a time before the United States of America was established—back to 1739 when John Wesley established his Methodist Societies, first in Europe, then in the American colonies. From these societies the Methodist Church was born.

Historical Background

But in the mid 1800's, as a result of political & social differences, the church divided into the Methodist Episcopal Church, North and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. In 1938, encouraged by the Bishops, it was decided that the Methodist Church, North and South would join together to form a unified church called the United Methodist Church.

However, there were a significant number of churches in the old Methodist Episcopal Church, South that refused to enter into the united church fearing that the new unified church would result in modernistic tendencies and theological liberalism! As a result, an organization for the preservation of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was formed. Since the courts granted the unified church the rights to the name Methodist Episcopal Church, South, the old Methodist Episcopal Church, South, came to be known as The Southern Methodist Church.

Beliefs and Practices

The present-day Southern Methodist Church is in fact the faithful remnant of the Old Methodist Episcopal Church, South and still holds to the same doctrinal and theological beliefs that were maintained by the Methodist Church prior to unification. So, if your parents or grandparents worshiped in a Methodist Church prior to 1938, their religious beliefs were undoubtedly the same as those held today by the Southern Methodist Church.

The Southern Methodist Church today continues to hold to the fact that the Holy Bible is entirely the Divinely inspired Word of God. As a result, the Southern Methodist Church:

• Rejects many politically correct issues of the day
• Holds fast to its belief that marriage is a holy bond between a man and a woman
• Rejects abortion as a method of birth control
• Accepts the Biblical account of creation
• Believes in the virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ along with His death, burial, and resurrection
• Believes that He will return in God's own time to redeem those who have remained true to His Name

Pastors in the Southern Methodist Church are men who have been called by God, examined, and ordained to carry out the ministry of the Gospel.

Worship and Traditions

• Continue to hold services in the Wesleyan tradition
• Are encouraged, though not required, to use the King James Version of the Holy Bible in public readings
• Sing the old standard hymns of the faith that many people have grown to know and love, with a few newer hymns

Church Structure

• Our denomination elects a president every four years who administers church policy from our headquarters in Orangeburg, South Carolina
• We also elect vice presidents every four years to serve in a particular conference area
• Southern Methodist Churches own their own property and call their own pastors