Wesleyan Church of Tonga
| Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga Siasi Uesiliana Tau'ataina 'o Tonga |
|
|---|---|
| General | |
| Belief | Wesleyan |
| founding | |
| founder | Queen Salote Tupou III. |
| Establishment date | 1924 |
| Place of foundation | Nuku'alofa |
| numbers | |
| Members | 36,592 (2011) |
| Others | |
| Website | www.fwc.to |
The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga ( English Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga ; Tonga Siasi Uesiliana Tau'ataina 'o Tonga ) is the Methodist Church in the Pacific - Kingdom of Tonga .
It is headquartered in the Centenary Church in the capital, Nukuʻalofa, and is the largest denomination in the country with a religious share of 35.5% (as of 2011) .
The Church dates back to the activity of Methodist missionaries which began in 1822. By the middle of the 19th century the population was completely Christianized. In 1924 Queen Salote founded Tupou III. the current church through a merger of two groups that had separated in 1885. Until 1977 it was a conference within the Methodist Church of Australasia ; because she did not want to join the merger to form the Uniting Church in Australia , she was released into independence.
The Church is a member of the World Council of Methodist Churches and the World Council of Churches
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Web links
- Official website (English)
- Entry on the website of the WCC