Rikssvenska metodistpredikanters betydelse för ... - Doria

The majority of Methodist Churches founded during 1881–1923 were based
in cities or larger towns. It is natural that the first congregations were founded
in the Swedish-speaking coastal towns, in that Methodism came to Finland via
Swedish preachers, but even several Finnish-speaking coastal towns embraced
Methodism. However, the Methodist Church did not meet with success in
rural Finland, and only a handful of churches were established in Finnishspeaking
areas in the interior of the country. In their official reports to the
Swedish Annual Conference the Swedish Methodist preachers maintained that
they, for strategic reasons, wished to work first in cities and larger towns and
then in rural areas. Few of the Swedish preachers attempted to seriously
establish the Methodist church in the countryside; when compared to the
establishment of Baptist churches in the countryside (especially in
Ostrobothnia), the difference is tangible. It can be assumed that some Swedish
preachers were not interested in going out into the countryside, having been
raised in cities and larger towns. Their urban upbringing also likely ensured
their lack of success with rural “country” Finns. The few Methodist Churches
established in rural areas are exceptions, and should be seen as such; in
Finland the Methodist Church is by and large an urban church.
Methodist preachers were conscientious in the establishment of Sunday
schools and saw to it that Sunday school activities functioned in the church.
In several cases, the Swedish preachers themselves actively taught. In the
Swedish-speaking Methodist church in Helsingfors (Helsinki) theology
students occasionally taught Sunday school. These theology students were
encouraged by their professors, who felt that the students would learn more
about Sunday school as a whole through teaching. Methodist-run Sunday
school was successful and it was via this activity that the Methodists in
Finland reached the greatest number of people. In addition to founding
congregations and starting Sunday schools, Methodist preachers established
Epworth League 940 . It was not entirely easy for preachers to start youth groups
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The Epworth League was founded in 1889 in Cleveland, Ohio, to “help develop
godliness and loyalty to God and Church among the young people” by the