Methodism

====Hungary====
The first Methodist mission in Hungary was established in 1898 in [[Bácska]], in a then mostly German-speaking town of [[Verbász]] (since 1918 part of the Serbian province of [[Vojvodina]]).{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}} In 1905 a Methodist mission was established also in [[Budapest]]. In 1974, a group later known as the [[Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship]] seceded from the Hungarian Methodist Church over the question of interference by the communist state.

{{As of|2017}}, the United Methodist Church in Hungary, known locally as the Hungarian Methodist Church ({{lang-hu|[[:hu:Magyarországi Metodista Egyház|Magyarországi Metodista Egyház]]}}), had 453 professing members in 30 congregations.<ref>{{cite web|title=The EMF in Hungary|url=http://www.umc-europe.org/ungarn_d.php|publisher=United Methodist Church Europe UMC / Evangelisch-Methodistische Kirche Europa|access-date=20 January 2017|language=de}}</ref> It runs two student homes, two homes for the elderly, the Forray Methodist High School, the Wesley Scouts and the Methodist Library and Archives.<ref>{{Cite web |last=László |first=Khaled A. |date=2020-12-01 |title=Magyarországi Metodista Egyház |url=https://metodista.hu/ |access-date=2023-11-11 |language=hu}}</ref> The church has a special ministry among the [[Roma people|Roma]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Communications |first=United Methodist |title=UMTV: Ministry with the Roma |url=http://ee.umc.org/who-we-are/umtv-ministry-with-the-roma2 |access-date=2022-09-02 |website=The United Methodist Church |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Blagojevic |first=Gordana |title=G. Blagojevic, The Influence of Migrations on the Ethnic/National and Religious Identities: the Case of the United Methodist Church in Banat |url=https://www.academia.edu/11011913}}</ref>

The seceding Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship ({{lang|hu|Magyarországi Evangéliumi Testvérközösség}}) also remains Methodist in its organisation and theology. It has eight full congregations and several mission groups, and runs a range of charitable organisations: hostels and soup kitchens for the homeless, a non-denominational theological college,<ref>John Wesley Theological College site: [https://archive.today/20130217174123/http://www.wesley.hu/wesley/foiskola/english Retrieved 26 March 2012.]</ref> a dozen schools of various kinds, and four old people's homes.

Today there are a dozen Methodist/Wesleyan churches and mission organisations in Hungary, but all Methodist churches lost official church status under new legislation passed in 2011, when the number of officially recognized churches in the country fell to 14.<ref>Fellowship site: [http://www.metegyhaz.hu/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815122105/http://www.metegyhaz.hu/|date=15 August 2015}}. College site: {{cite web |title=Wesley Intézmények |url=http://www.wesley.hu/index/altalanos |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402144829/http://www.wesley.hu/index/altalanos |archive-date=2 April 2012 |access-date=2011-09-18}}. Both in Hungarian. Retrieved 18 September 2011. {{cite web |title=Főoldal – Híreink – MET |url=http://www.metegyhaz.hu/ |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815122105/http://www.metegyhaz.hu/ |archive-date=15 August 2015 |access-date=2012-02-19}}</ref> However, the list of recognized churches was lengthened to 32 at the end of February 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-09-07 |title=Neues Gesetz: Ungarns Kirche von Viktor Orbáns Gnaden abhängig – WELT |url=https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article13936759/Ungarns-Kirche-von-Viktor-Orbans-Gnaden-abhaengig.html |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=DIE WELT |language=de}}</ref> This gave recognition to the Hungarian Methodist Church and the [[Salvation Army]], which was banned in Hungary in 1949 but had returned in 1990, but not to the Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship. The legislation has been strongly criticised by the [[Venice Commission]] of the [[Council of Europe]] as discriminatory.<ref>Opinion on Act CCVI/2011: [http://www.venice.coe.int/docs/2012/CDL-AD(2012)004-e.pdf Retrieved 26 March 2012.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117013635/http://www.venice.coe.int/docs/2012/CDL-AD%282012%29004-e.pdf|date=17 January 2013}}.</ref>

The Hungarian Methodist Church, the Salvation Army and the Church of the Nazarene and other Wesleyan groups formed the Wesley Theological Alliance for theological and publishing purposes in 1998.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Üdvhadsereg Szabadegyház Magyarország |url=https://www.udvhadsereg.hu/ |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=www.udvhadsereg.hu |language=hu}}</ref> Today the Alliance has 10 Wesleyan member churches and organisations. The Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship does not belong to it and has its own publishing arm.<ref>Wesley Kiadó site (in Hungarian): [https://archive.today/20130217183709/http://www.wesley.hu/wesley/foiskola/szervezeti_egysegek/egyeb_szolgaltatasok/kiadvanyok_jegyzetek/ Retrieved 26 March 2012.]</ref>