For the first time, Karl Heinz Voigt presents an overview of the four most common uses of the term "Methodist" in Germany: "Catholic Methodists" (17th century), "Pietist Methodists" (18th century), "Methodists of Wesleyan tradition" (19th century) and "Methodists within the
Landeskirche". Additionally, he demonstrates that the term "Methodist" was interpreted in a wrong or misleading manner at universities, in literature and school books during the 19th century. When Methodists began their mission in Germany around 1850 two church cultures collided: one that was state-oriented and one which had developed in freedom of religion. Eventually, he concludes that, starting with John Wesley, since the founding of the church in 1784 there has been an ongoing and unplanned ecclesiological change of paradigm. Instead of local "Ministering churches" the Methodists organised a worldwide "Missionary Church".
