Methodist viewpoints concerning homosexuality are diverse because there is no one denomination which represents all Methodists.

The history of Methodism in the United States dates back to the mid-18th century with the ministries of early Methodist preachers such as Laurence Coughlan and Robert Strawbridge.

The ordination of women has been commonly practiced in Methodist denominations since the 20th century, and some denominations earlier allowed women to preach.

Primitive Methodism was a major movement in English and Welsh Methodism from about 1810 until the Methodist Union in 1932.W. E. Farndale, The Secret of Mow Cop, Epworth Press, London, 1950.