Resources

Structure

Twenty-five Articles of Religion, adapted by John Wesley in 1784 from the Church of England's Thirty-Nine Articles, trimmed of articles Wesley found inapplicable to the American context. A twenty-fifth article was added addressing the duty of Christians toward civil government.

Purpose

Prepared for the newly organized Methodist Episcopal Church in America following the Revolutionary War, the Articles provided doctrinal standards for a church now independent of the Church of England, grounding the Methodist revival in recognizable historic orthodoxy.

Usage

Adopted at the Christmas Conference (1784) as the doctrinal standard for American Methodism, they remain a foundational doctrinal reference in the United Methodist Church, Free Methodist Church, and related Wesleyan bodies worldwide.

Influence

Helped establish Methodism as a doctrinally grounded movement — not merely an experiential revival — and shaped the Wesleyan tradition's distinctive engagement with Scripture, prevenient grace, free will, and entire sanctification across dozens of global denominations.