We’ve all heard the names John and Charles Wesley, but there are a lot of other important names in the history of Methodism you may not know. The Unsung Heroes of Methodism series tells the stories of lesser-known figures whose lives and witness still impact The United Methodist Church today, even if their names aren’t familiar to us.
In these articles, we meet some of these notable Methodists.
John Fletcher
The Rev. John Fletcher was one of John Wesley's most trusted colleagues and the man he hoped would one day take over leadership of the Methodists from him.
Barbara Heck
Barbara Heck helped bring Methodism to America and Canada. Her incredible story as the "Mother of American Methodism" began with a card game.
Thomas Webb
Captain Thomas Webb was a 18th Century British army officer and traveling preacher whose tireless ministry helped Methodism take root in America.
Sarah Crosby
Sarah Crosby was the first Methodist woman to be approved as to preach publicly over 150 years before the Methodists began ordaining women as full elders. She was a trailblazer and an inspiration.
Mary Bosanquet
Mary Bosanquet was a preacher, a writer, and humanitarian who devoted her whole life to sharing the Gospel and serving the poor and inspired generations of clergywomen.
Freeborn Garrettson
He was a Methodist pastor, an American patriot, a strict pacifist, a committed abolitionist and one of the most passionate preachers of his generation. Freeborn Garrettson has been called “Methodism’s Paul Revere”.
Philip William Otterbein
Philip William Otterbein was a gifted German preacher, friend to many early Methodist leaders like Bishop Francis Asbury and co-founder of The United Brethren Church.
Martin Boehm
Martin Boehm was a Menonite preacher in Pennsylvania, co-founder of The United Brethren of Christ and one of the founding fathers of United Methodism.
Jacob Albright
Jacob Albright was a tenacious preacher to German-Americans in the 19th Century and the founder of the Evangelical Association (a predecessor denomination to The United Methodist Church).
Richard Allen
Bishop Richard Allen was a gifted preacher, fearless abolitionist, educational reformer, and co-founder of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the oldest independent African American denomination in history.
