South African Wesleyan Ministers

The Wesleyan Church in South Africa

developed as part of the Southern Africa Region of the Wesleyan Church which comprised the Wesleyan mission work in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and Mozambique. In 1998, Mozambique was separated from the Region to become an separate national church conference.

The Wesleyan Church of Southern Africa was started as mission fields of the Pilgrim Holiness Church (PNC) (1900), the Reformed Baptist Church (RBC) (1901) and the Africa Evangelistic Mission (AEM) (1902). The PHC initially put their effort into white ministry and later into black ministry in South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia. The RBC put their efforts into black ministry in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The AEM conducted their ministry in the Johannesburg gold mines, and from there reached into north-eastern South Africa and across into Mozambique. The Southern African field included a large number of missionaries over the years.

For many years the Church was designated and known as ‘The Wesleyan Methodist Church of South Africa’, (Wesleyan Methodist Church (Private) Act, 1927). It became known and designated as ‘The Methodist Church of South Africa’ in 1932 (The Methodist Church of South Africa (Private) Act, 1932).

For some time the work was divided into a white mission and a black mission. As the South African policy of apartheid was abandoned, the two fields were merged. The Trans Natal District is the remains of the old PHC white work and the other 14 districts are the remains of the merged black districts. The first African Regional Superintendent was Rev. Samson Sigwane (now deceased), followed by Rev. Robert Nhlengethwa and Rev. Doctor Galela.

Wesleyan Minister Obituaries

from Rootsweb transcribed by Darryl Allwright

• Thomas Albert Chalker (1851-1899)
• Timothy Cresswell (1829-1889)
• Henry Hare Dugmore
• John Thomas Daniell
• Edwin Gedye
• William Clifford Holden
• Robert Walton Lewis (1859-1893)
• George Noble
• John Enoch Parsonson (1849-1900)
• Richard Ridgill
• Samuel Evans Rowe
• William Sargeant
• PURDON SMAILES (1809-1892)
• George A Theobold
• James Thompson M.A.
• William Tyson
• Rev. John Wilson

Links and Resources

• History of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of South Africa J Whiteside
• http://www.methodist.org.za/publications/laws/chapter2
• http://www.gpafrica.org/countries/south-africa.html