Methodist Structure

The Cork South and Kerry Circuit is one of the ten circuits making up the Midlands and Southern District.  This district, in turn, is one of eight which makes up the Methodist Church in Ireland. The Church is governed by an annual delegate conference which meets in early June each year with equal numbers of clergy and lay delegates.  The conference was last held in Cork in 2007.  

"Methodists" was originally a nickname applied to a revival movement in 18th century Britain, based within the Church of England and led by, among others, the brothers John and Charles Wesley.  John went on to undertake numerous preaching tours of Britain and Ireland (it is estimated he travelled more than 250,000 miles on horseback!), Charles became a great hymn writer, writing some 6,000 hymns  over a 50 year period.

After the death of John Wesley, leadership of the church passed to the Methodist Conference and instead of one person exercising leadership for a length of time, the President of the Conference became, for the year of office, the representative of the Conference and leading minister of the church.

The Methodist Church has a Connexional structure rather than a congregational one.  This is where the whole church acts and decides together.  It is where the local church is never independent of the rest of the Connexion.  Everyone who becomes a member through confirmation is a member of the Methodist Church as a whole, not just of the local church.

The Methodist Church is part of the whole Church of Christ.  It claims no superiority or inferiority to any other part of the Church.  All who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and accept the obligations to serve Him in the life of the Church and the world are welcome as full members of the Methodist Church.