06/17/2026
There are many notable persons in Methodism history with some names more common than others. It's possible you haven't heard of Jabez Bunting, but he was a lifelong Methodist and dominant leader of Wesleyan Methodism in Great Britain during much of the early 19th century. On this date (June 16) in 1858, Jabez Bunting, who was called the "Pope of Methodism," died.
He was born in Manchester, to Methodist parents, on May 13, 1779. As a child he heard John Wesley preach on a number of occasions, and throughout his childhood there was little doubt that he would become a Methodist preacher. He preached his first sermon in a cottage near Manchester in August of 1798. In 1799 Bunting entered the Wesleyan Methodist Ministry. During his four years of probation he preached 1328 times, averaging more than six times a week. He soon established a reputation as a considerable orator and drew large crowds.
From 1805 onwards, Bunting held a series of increasingly influential appointments within the Wesleyan Connexion, including Secretary to the Secretary (as successor to Dr. Thomas Coke), and President of the Conference in 1820, 1828, 1836, and 1844. During this time, Bunting was instrumental in the formation of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society in 1818 and the Theological Institution (of which he was appointed president) in 1835. This was the period when his influence within Methodism was at its greatest, and he was labelled by some “the Pope of Methodism.”
Bunting saw his role as the guardian of John Wesley’s system. He sought to maintain the absolute authority of the Conference within the Connexion and of the pastoral authority of the Itinerants amoung the Societies. Methodism in Britain during this period was marked by a series of splits, for which Bunting is often held responsible. However, at the end of his period of influence, membership of the Wesleyan Methodist Connexion stood at a level which has never been surpassed. The great achievement of Wesleyan Methodism in this period was to establish itself as a national denomination. Bunting’s energy, ambition, and genius as an administrator must receive much of the credit for this.
