American Methodism developed denominational identity during and immediately following the Revolutionary War. In some respects, that war hastened the formulation of a distinct denomination. John Wesley wrote an open letter to American colonists appealing to them to abandon their rebelliousness and the American Methodists felt constrained to distance themselves from their founder so they would not be considered Tories. They separated themselves from the British Methodists and, in 1784 with John Wesley's approval, formally organized The Methodist Episcopal Church. Denominational identity may have been inevitable in the North American setting anyway, quite apart from Wesley's political views. There was no one established church for the thirteen American colonies. Religious pluralism was inevitable in view of the different spiritual roots of the many streams of people settling the new nation. The only question was how the different denominations would be organized.
In the case of Methodism, Wesley's conference system continued, though with adaptations to the much larger and more sparsely populated territory of North America. A General Conference became the governing body for the whole church, with regional conferences meeting annually (called annual conferences). Beginning in 1784, American Methodism adopted the office of bishop, though Wesley seems to have been disgusted by their use of the term "bishop." Bishops were empowered to appoint clergy to their charges, to preside over the annual conferences, and to provide general oversight. In time, presiding elders, or district superintendents were added to serve as administrators of districts under the supervision of the bishops. Initially the conferences were comprised entirely of clergy; in time, as the church became more democratic, lay people were also admitted to membership. Major struggles marked the denomination's history. Despite the struggles of an eventful history, and notwithstanding refinements and reforms along the way, the basic structure has remained essentially intact.
It is worth noting from a purely administrative standpoint even the merger of the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren churches in 1968 was not a particularly abrupt event for either denomination. By historical accident, the structures of the two denominations were very similar. It seems that Philip William Otterbein, principal founder of the United Brethren in Christ, and Francis Asbury, one of the first two Methodist bishops, were friends and consulted with each other on matters of church organization. At the very beginning, these two denominational streams developed very similar forms of church discipline.
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