ABSTRACT
The Methodist Churches which united in 1932 each had overseas work, all of which then became the responsibility of the new Methodist Missionary Society. The Methodist New Connexion (MNC) was formed in 1797, after Alexander Kilham had been expelled by the Conference for his advocacy of lay representation in Methodist affairs at every level. In 1859 the MNC was caught up in the missionary fervour of the time and took the decision to start work in China. In 1869 William Hodge, another member of the missionary team, travelled by boat from Tianjin to Shandong in the company of James Williamson of the London Missionary Society (LMS). One of the most momentous Conferences in Bible Christian history was held in 1884, when Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM), was invited to speak. A rapidly-organized mission in West Africa began at the same time as the long-contemplated South African venture.
