Methodism

====Southern Africa====
{{Main|Methodist Church of Southern Africa}}
[[File:Methodist Mission Church, Leliefontein.jpg|thumb|right|A Methodist chapel in [[Leliefontein, Northern Cape]], South Africa]]

The [[Methodist Church of Southern Africa|Methodist Church]] operates across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, with a limited presence in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It is a member church of the [[World Methodist Council]].

Methodism in [[Southern Africa]] began as a result of lay Christian work by an Irish soldier of the English Regiment, John Irwin, who was stationed at the Cape and began to hold prayer meetings as early as 1795.<ref>Millard-Jackson, J. "Who called the tune? Methodist Missionary policy in South Africa during the 19th century" in Forster, D. and Bentley, W. ''Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission''. Kempton Park. AcadSA publishers (2008), p. 31.</ref> The first Methodist lay preacher at the Cape, George Middlemiss, was a soldier of the 72nd Regiment of the British Army stationed at the Cape in 1805.<ref>Forster, D. "God's mission in our context, healing and transforming responses" in Forster, D and Bentley, W. ''Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission''. Kempton Park. AcadSA publishers (2008), pp. 79–80.</ref> This foundation paved the way for missionary work by Methodist missionary societies from Great Britain, many of whom sent missionaries with the 1820 English settlers to the Western and Eastern Cape. Among the most notable of the early missionaries were Barnabas Shaw and William Shaw.<ref>Millard-Jackson, J. "Who called the tune? Methodist Missionary policy in South Africa during the 19th century" in Forster, D. and Bentley, W. ''Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission''. Kempton Park. AcadSA publishers (2008), pp. 34–37.</ref><ref>Forster, D. "God's mission in our context, healing and transforming responses" in Forster, D. and Bentley, W. ''Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission''. Kempton Park. AcadSA publishers (2008), p. 80.</ref><ref>Grassow, P. "William Shaw" in Forster, D. and Bentley, W. ''Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission''. Kempton Park. AcadSA publishers (2008), pp. 13–25.</ref> The largest group was the Wesleyan Methodist Church, but there were a number of others that joined to form the Methodist Church of South Africa, later known as the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.methodist.org.za |title=Official website of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa |publisher=Methodist.org.za |access-date=19 April 2013}}</ref>

The Methodist Church of Southern Africa is the largest [[mainline Protestant]] denomination in South Africa{{snd}}7.3% of the South African population recorded their religious affiliation as 'Methodist' in the last national census.<ref>For a discussion of Church membership statistics in South Africa see Forster, D. "God's mission in our context, healing and transforming responses" in Forster, D. and Bentley, W. ''Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission''. Kempton Park. AcadSA publishers (2008), pp. 97–98.</ref>