ABSTRACT
In the United States and England the rise of evangelical churches coincided with the growth and development of the factory system. In both countries evangelical sects, especially Methodism, became the common religion of working-class people. The church and its many activities provided one means through which laborers learned to adjust to, and cope with, the new economic order. But the appeal of Methodism in particular extended beyond factory operatives, artisans, and mechanics. It also received considerable support from local manufacturers for whom it was a means for the control and discipline of their laborers. The dictums and discipline advanced by the church became part of the moral foundation of a work ethic and as such served to train, discipline, and control workers. Methodism thus served simultaneously the needs and requirements of the factory master and those of his work force. 1
