The United Methodist Church is a worldwide institution, which rose up from revival movement in 18th century within Anglican Church, already in those days touched by reformation. The Methodist movement as an evangelical, sacramental and social movement spread throughout the entire world for two centuries and little by little stimulated foundation of many churches. In the year 1939 were united the northern Methodist Episcopal Church with the southern Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Protestant Church in one Methodist Church. This Church then in the year 1968 was united with Evangelical United Brethren Church and so our United Methodist Church rose up in contemporary form.
The United Methodist Church has not its own confession. The fundamental rule of faith and life is Scripture, interpreted within tradition, reason and experience. The central principle of church organization are not administrative powers, but graded responsibility for common ministry and gospel testimony. The graded responsibility founded its form in so called conferences: Parish, Annual, Central (with elected bishops as chairmen) and General Conferences. At all types of conferences is kept strict the parity of laymen and clergy. The base body of the Church is the Annual Conference (ordained clergy and elected laymen from individual parishes). The principle of connectionalism is based on common tradition of faith (it includes i.a. Articles of Religion, Elements of Discipline and General Rules of John Wesley), it is declared in the Constitution by common mission and common basic ethic position (so called Social Standards and Social Confessions) . All these documents and standards are formulated in the Book of Discipline. The worship connectivity of the United Methodist Church is provided through the Book of Worship.