Methodist Church in Malaysia

Note about the membership:
97,197 confirmed; 58,315 preparatory

Methodist work began in Malaysia with the arrival of William F. Oldham in Singapore in 1855. The work of the mission grew in several directions. Singapore and Malaysia Methodists formed the Southeastern Asia Central Conference, along with the Methodists in Indonesia and Burma, in 1950. This general conference was an integral part of the General Conference of the Methodist Church (USA). In 1968, the general conference granted an enabling act for the annual conferences to constitute the affiliated autonomous Methodist Church in Malaysia and Singapore. In 1976 the Methodist Church in Malaysia and Singapore separated into two churches following national boundaries. Now each church has its own bishop. The MCM is no more a mission of the United Methodist Church in the USA. It is now a community of those who are committed to give according to their ability.

The general conference of the MCM is composed of six annual conferences formed on linguistic and cultural bases. In Peninsular Malaysia there are the Trinity Annual Conference (English-speaking), the Chinese Annual Conference (Chi-nese-speaking), and the Tamil Annual Conference (Tamil-speaking). In Sarawak, there are the Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference (Chinese-speaking), the Sarawak Iban Annual Conference (Iban-speaking) and the Sabah Provisional Annual Conference (Chinese-speaking). This is due to the church’s complex social composition and particular needs. The Trinity Annual Conference sponsors a Sengoi Methodist Mission Conference. This mission conference consists of indigenous people who are natives of Peninsular Malaysia.