Separation from the Church of England
Although Wesley declared, "I live and die a member of the Church of England", the strength and impact of the movement made a separate Methodist body virtually inevitable.
In 1784 Wesley gave legal status to his Conference, which moved towards the legal separation of Methodism from the Anglican Church.
He also ordained ministers for America, where there was a drastic shortage of clergy to administer the sacraments following the War of Independance. The Bishop of London had refused to ordain ministers for this purpose, and Wesley felt he was forced to act.
Disputes about the status of the travelling preachers and the administration of the sacraments were resolved by the Plan of Pacification (1795) which was a decisive break with the Church of England.