Tremont Evangelical Church History

The origin of the Evangelical Church of North America can be traced back to the Wesleyan movement in England under John Wesley (founder of the Methodist Church). It began in the 18th century when men like William Otterbein and Martin Boehm presented the Gospel, declaring that with repentance you could lead a life of dedication and holiness. Working among the Germans in America, their labors were blessed by God as many came to know the Lord and a number of churches were established. In 1789 the first Conference was held in York County, Pennsylvania.

Eleven years later at a conference in Frederick County, Maryland, (September 25, 1800) they became the United Brethren in Christ and elected William Otterbein and Martin Boehm as bishops.

At about this same time, another association of churches was taking shape under the leadership of Jacob Albright. Their first conference was held in 1807 at Kleinsfellersville, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. In 1816, at the first General Conference, the name The Evangelical Association was adopted. In this new church, conversion was the central theme. In 1822, after tremendous growth, the church took on a new name -- The Evangelical Church.

Negotiations to unite the two churches began in 1933 and consummated in 1946 at Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The Evangelical United Brethren Church was formed and maintained it�s focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the need for conversion and the importance of holy living and service.

On April 23, 1968, the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged to form the United Methodist Church making it the largest Protestant denomination in North America at the time. A number of churches in the United States decided not to go along with this merger and on June 4, 1968, the churches in the United States formed The Evangelical Church of North America. At the present time, there are 6 conferences in our denomination, with 137 congregations and 14,000 members, covering over 22 states. New congregations are being formed annually.