Free Methodist Church of North America

The Free Methodist denomination was founded in 1860. Congregations that were expelled from the Methodist Episcopal Church in western New York state and Illinois comprised its first adherents. Early leaders include B.T. Roberts, Loren Stiles, Walter Sellew, John Wesley Redfield and Wilson T. Hogue. Theologically, the denomination is part of the Wesleyan tradition and was an early player in the Holiness Movement that swept through the United States in the later part of the 19th century.

Institutions of higher learning affiliated with the Free Methodist Church include: Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, CA), Central Christian College (McPherson, KS), Greenville College (Greenville, IL), Roberts Wesleyan College (Rochester, NY), Seattle Pacific University (Seattle, WA) and Spring Arbor University (Spring Arbor, MI).

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