The Episcopate in Methodism: A Sri Lankan Journey

 

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The Episcopate in Methodism: 
A Sri Lankan Journey

Introduction

“Methodists don’t have Bishops; they have only Presidents, Chairmen, and Superintendents.” This has long been the general understanding among Christians in Sri Lanka—until quite recently. But is it true? The answer is partly yes and partly no. According to statistics from the World Methodist Council, of the 73 Methodist Churches worldwide, fewer than half a dozen still follow the British model, where the head of the Church is titled “President.” Even the British Methodist Conference—the Mother Church of Methodism—has agreed with the Anglican Church that, in the near future, the head of the Methodist Church will be titled “President-Bishop,” exercising an episcopal ministry.¹

Early Encounters with the Title “Bishop”

My second appointment as a probationary minister (the equivalent of a Deacon in Anglicanism) was in the Kandy Circuit of the Methodist Church, under the superintendence of Rev. Dr. Kingsley Muttiah, who later became the President (Bishop) of our Church. In 1984, after completing his doctoral studies in the UK, he returned to Sri Lanka and was appointed Superintendent Minister of the Kandy Circuit. At one interdenominational meeting in Kandy, he arrived wearing a purple clerical shirt with a chain and cross around his neck. I spontaneously addressed him as “Bishop Muttiah.” He explained that every Superintendent Minister of the Methodist Church is, in essence, a Bishop (Episcopos), because of the role of exercising oversight within the circuit he presides over.²

Thomas Coke: The First Methodist Bishop

The bicentenary volume Methodism in Sri Lanka: Visions and Realities 1814–2014 begins with a photograph of Rev. Dr. Thomas Coke, known as the Father of Methodist Missions. The editor, Professor G.P.V. Somaratne, introduces him as *“the first Methodist Bishop and the Father of Methodist Missions.”*³

Coke, originally an Anglican curate, became a trusted companion of John Wesley. After the American Revolution, Wesley requested the Bishop of London to ordain Methodist lay preachers for service in America. When this was refused, Wesley ordained Coke as Superintendent (episkopos) of the Methodist Conference in America. Though Coke was already an Anglican presbyter, Wesley’s action “set him apart for a higher functional office.” Some interpret this as equivalent to episcopal consecration. In 1787, despite Wesley’s disapproval, the American Methodist Conference replaced the title “Superintendent” with “Bishop,” thereby establishing Coke as the first Methodist Bishop.⁴

Was John Wesley a Bishop?

Wesley once wrote that he was “a scriptural episkopos as much as many men in England.” Though he believed in apostolic succession, he also called uninterrupted succession a “fable.” His understanding of episcopacy evolved over decades, influenced by Anglican authors Lord Peter King and Edward Stillingfleet.⁵

Frank Baker summarizes Wesley’s role: *“By his extraordinary call to found and rule the Methodist societies it had been demonstrated that in function he was the equivalent of a scriptural bishop… Both in ordine and gradus, he was a scriptural episcopos.”*⁶

Episcope and Episcopos in Methodism

In Methodism, episcope (oversight) begins with the Conference. During Wesley’s time, however, oversight was personal—he set the agenda, summarized discussions, and announced policies. After his death, Wesley’s Deed of Declaration transferred this authority to the Conference, which continues to exercise oversight today.

Methodism recognizes two forms of episcope:

• Corporate episcope: Oversight of people, discipline, doctrine, and property, exercised collectively by Conferences, Synods, and Circuits.
• Personal episcope: Oversight exercised by individuals such as Presidents, District Chairmen, Superintendents, and even Class Leaders.

This dual structure—corporate and personal oversight—is a distinctive feature of Methodism and must be preserved when using the title “Bishop.”⁷

The Historic Episcopate

By the end of the second century, episcopal ministry was nearly universal in the Church, seen as deriving from Christ’s commission to the apostles. Episcopacy safeguarded unity and doctrine against false teachings.

Two categories of episcopacy can be identified:

• Historic episcopate: Found in Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and some Lutheran Churches, where bishops stand in apostolic succession.
• Functional episcopacy: Found in the United Methodist Church, Reformed Churches in Hungary, and Lutheran Churches in Germany, where bishops exercise episcopal functions without historic succession.

Unity amidst diversity remains possible. Just as denominations have united despite differing views on sacraments, so too can they unite despite differing understandings of episcopacy.⁸

The Sri Lankan Journey

Wesley’s administrative terms—Circuit, Superintendent, Society, Conference, President—were inherited by Sri Lankan Methodism. In the 1950s, discussions for a United Church of Ceylon envisioned an episcopal system, but legal challenges halted progress.

During the civil war, practical necessity forced Sri Lankan Methodists to adopt the title “Bishop” in the North and East, where “President” was not recognized by authorities. This dual usage sparked debate. In 2006, the Annual Conference decided that while retaining the title “President,” he could also be referred to as “Bishop.”

When I assumed office in 2015, I adopted the title “President/Bishop.” Over time, the Methodist people of Sri Lanka came to appreciate its significance. Though some feared I would adopt the trappings of Anglican or Roman Catholic bishops, I remained faithful to the authority of the President. My prayer is that the Church will not be hindered by narrow-mindedness but will embrace its wider calling.

The recognition of the title President/Bishop has brought benefits both nationally and ecumenically.⁹

Conclusion

The New Testament understanding of episkopos reminds us:

1. A bishop or elder holds a noble role in the life and ministry of Christ’s Church.
2. It requires high personal character and spiritual maturity.
3. A bishop must be able to teach sound doctrine effectively.

*Almighty God, who by thy Son Jesus Christ didst give to thy holy Apostles many excellent gifts, and didst charge them to feed thy flock: Give grace, we beseech thee, to all Bishops, the Pastors of thy Church, that they may diligently preach thy Word, and duly administer the godly discipline thereof; and grant to the people, that they may obediently follow the same; that all may receive the crown of everlasting glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.*¹⁰

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References

1. World Methodist Council, Statistics of Member Churches, accessed 2024.
2. Personal recollection of Rev. Dr. Kingsley Muttiah, Kandy Circuit, 1984.
3. G.P.V. Somaratne, Methodism in Sri Lanka: Visions and Realities 1814–2014 (Colombo: Wesley Press, 2014), introductory section.
4. John Wesley, Certificate of Ordination of Thomas Coke, 1784.
5. John Wesley, Letter to James Clark, July 3, 1756.
6. Frank Baker, John Wesley and the Church of England (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1970), 215.
7. John Wesley, Deed of Declaration, 1784.
8. Geoffrey Wainwright, Methodists in Dialogue on Episcopacy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995).
9. Methodist Church Sri Lanka, Conference Proceedings, August 2006 and August 2015.
10. Book of Common Prayer, Church of England, “Ordaining and Consecrating Bishops.”

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Rev. Asiri P. Perera
Retired President Bishop
Methodist Church Sri Lanka