Chile

Iglesia Metodista de Chile (The Methodist Church in Chile)

The Methodist Church in Chile (IMECH) is a nationwide Christian community rooted in the Methodist tradition and committed to faith, service, and social justice.

With a presence across seven districts and over 50 institutions, IMECH plays a vital role in Chilean society—supporting education, healthcare, and outreach to vulnerable communities.

The church is actively responding to social challenges, including poverty, inequality, and migration, offering practical support and spiritual care.

IMECH is also focused on growth and renewal, aiming to strengthen leadership (ministers and lay leaders) and expand its evangelism.

Environmental stewardship and advocacy for human dignity are central to its mission. The church is currently guided by the theme ‘Committed to the hope of a new world’.

Methodism in Chile began in the late 19th century through the bold vision of William Taylor, a pioneering evangelist who believed in self-supporting missions.

He recruited missionaries to establish schools and churches, especially among English-speaking communities.

Despite setbacks from war and limited resources, the mission grew steadily thanks to dedicated leaders like Ira H. La Fetra, founder of Santiago College.

By the 1890s, Spanish-language congregations were forming, led by passionate Chilean and Spanish pastors such as Juan Canut de Bon and José Torregrosa. Their work helped spread Methodism across central and southern Chile.

While the Chilean Church followed the standards of its U.S. counterpart, differences in language, culture, and scale made full alignment difficult.

In response, Latin American churches formed a Central Conference in 1924, allowing for more local decision-making. Chile played a key role in this process, electing its own bishops and adapting church practices to its national context.

The desire for self-governance led the Chilean Annual Conference to draft its own constitution, approved in 1969. This marked the birth of the Methodist Church of Chile as a fully autonomous national church.