Unsung Heroes of Methodism: Nicholas Snethen

We’ve all heard the names John and Charles Wesley, but there are a lot of other important names in the history of Methodism you may not know. The Unsung Heroes of Methodism series tells the stories of lesser-known figures whose lives and witness still impact The United Methodist Church today, even if their names aren’t familiar to us.

Nicholas Snethen was a gifted itinerant preacher, brilliant church reformer, former chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives and one of the founders of The Methodist Protestant Church (MPC). Both he and the denomination he helped launch are often overlooked today despite their significant contributions to Methodist history.

Born in 1769 in Fresh Pond on Long Island, Snethen was raised in a family deeply connected to colonial America. His father was a veteran of the French and Indian War and the family operated ferry services between New York and New Jersey. This business allowed Snethen to travel widely during his youth. While attending school in Belleville, New Jersey, he had a powerful religious experience that led him to join the emerging Methodist movement.[1]

Snethen began his ministry in 1794, when he was admitted as a preacher in The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). According to biographer Harlan Luther Feeman, Snethen was physically frail when he entered ministry, but the rigors of itinerant preaching helped him develop a more robust constitution. He spent four years preaching throughout New England before being transferred to South Carolina.[2]

At the 1800 General Conference in Baltimore, Snethen was ordained an elder. Around this time, preacher James O’Kelly and others were challenging the authority of Methodist bishops, advocating for more congregationalist governance. Snethen made his mark by co-authoring “A Reply to an Apology for Protesting Against the Methodist Episcopal Government”, a pamphlet defending episcopal authority and refuting O’Kelly’s arguments.[3]

Recognizing his talents, Bishop Francis Asbury invited Snethen to join him on preaching tours through the southeastern United States. The two became close and Asbury affectionately called him his “silver trumpet” in recognition of his eloquence and advocacy for Methodism. Gaining respect from both Methodists and non-Methodists alike, Snethen was appointed chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1811.[4]

Although Snethen had originally opposed reformers like O’Kelly, his views evolved over time. By the 1820s, he emerged as a leading voice in a new reform movement within The MEC. Snethen and his allies believed that the episcopacy wielded too much power, marginalizing both local clergy and lay members. The reformers called for three key changes to Methodist polity:

1. Democratic election of presiding elders (precursors to today’s district superintendents) by their peers rather than by bishops
2. Full status for local pastors as elders. At the time, The MEC distinguished between itinerant and local pastors. While itinerant pastors — who traveled among parishes — were granted full rights as elders, local pastors were excluded from voting and leadership roles in annual and general conferences. As more ministers became localized, they demanded full participation.
3. Lay representation at annual and general conferences. Only clergy were voting members of annual and general conference. Reformers argued that clergy-only governance was elitist and undemocratic, depriving laypeople of a voice in church decisions[5]

When these petitions were rejected at General Conference and reform-minded clergy faced suspension unless they recanted, Snethen and his supporters responded by organizing their own conference in Baltimore in 1828. There, they formed a new denomination: The Methodist Protestant Church. The MPC embraced lay representation, elected presiding elders and eliminated the office of bishop altogether. Pastoral appointments were made by the assembled annual conference.[6]

Snethen served as editor of the denomination’s first publication, The Methodist Protestant, and as the first president of Dearborn College. In 1829, Snethen moved to Indiana and resumed itinerant preaching until his death in 1845.[7] He was buried in Princeton, Indiana, where his gravesite is now a recognized United Methodist Historic Site.

Not all reformers left The MEC with Snethen and many of their ideas eventually gained traction. The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, granted lay representation at conferences in 1866. The MEC followed suit in 1868, although annual conferences retained discretion over local implementation until the 1939 merger.[8]

That merger united The MEC, The MEC South and The MPC into the new Methodist Church, and all became part of The UMC in 1968. Equal lay representation at all levels of church governance was a condition insisted upon by both Methodist Protestants and reformers within The MEC and MEC South. A small number of MPC congregations chose not to join the merger and still identify today as Methodist Protestant churches, primarily in Mississippi and Alabama.

Though Snethen left The MEC to form a separate denomination, his sermons and ideas continued to shape the larger Methodist tradition. Today, he remains a revered figure in both The UMC and The MPC. By refusing to be silenced, Snethen and his fellow reformers forced The MEC to reckon with its hierarchical structure and move toward a more inclusive and democratic church. Lay members to annual, jurisdictional and general conferences today owe a debt of gratitude to advocates like Nicholas Snethen.

This content was produced by UMC.org on May 7, 2025. Philip J. Brooks is a writer and content developer at United Methodist Communications. Contact him by email.