<Tr> <Th> Official website </Th> <Td> umc.org </Td> </Tr> <P> The United Methodist Church is a mainline Protestant denomination and a major part of Methodism . In the 19th century, its main predecessor--the Methodist Episcopal Church--was a leader in Evangelicalism . The present denomination was founded in 1968 in Dallas, Texas by union of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church . The UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley in England as well as the Great Awakening in the United States . As such, the church's theological orientation is decidedly Wesleyan . It embraces both liturgical and evangelical elements . It has a connectional polity, a typical feature of a number of Methodist denominations . </P> <P> The United Methodist Church, with at least 12 million members as of 2014, is the largest denomination within the wider Methodist movement of approximately 80 million people across the world . In the United States, the UMC ranks as the largest mainline Protestant denomination, the largest Protestant church after the Southern Baptist Convention, and the third largest Christian denomination . In 2014, its worldwide membership was distributed as follows: 7 million in the United States, and 4.4 million in Africa, Asia and Europe . In 2015, Pew Research estimated that 3.6% of the US population, or 9 million adult adherents, self - identify with the United Methodist Church revealing a much larger number of adherents than registered membership . The church is a member of the World Council of Churches, the World Methodist Council, and other religious associations . </P> <P> The movement which would become The United Methodist Church began in the mid-18th century within the Church of England . A small group of students, including John Wesley, Charles Wesley and George Whitefield, met on the Oxford University campus . They focused on Bible study, methodical study of scripture and living a holy life . Other students mocked them, saying they were the "Holy Club" and "the Methodists", being methodical and exceptionally detailed in their Bible study, opinions and disciplined lifestyle . Eventually, the so - called Methodists started individual societies or classes for members of the Church of England who wanted to live a more religious life . </P>

How many methodists are there in the united states
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