The Methodist Church in the Caribbean and Americas

Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas

The Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas (MCCA) is a diverse and regionally connected church serving communities across 27 countries and speaking multiple languages.

It comprises of eight districts. The MCCA is actively involved in education, healthcare, and ecumenical work, and the church runs numerous schools and clinics, and supports ministries in areas affected by natural disasters and economic hardship.

The MCCA is currently working under the theme “Loving, Serving, Transforming,” with a renewed focus on leadership, digital engagement, social impact and financial self-sustainability.

Key initiatives include expanding e-communication capacity through technology and training, strengthening youth and women’s ministries, and deepening collaboration. The church is also investing in leadership development and discipleship, especially in underserved communities.

It is generally accepted that Methodism arrived in the Caribbean through a planter from Antigua named Nathaniel Gilbert.

After a life-changing encounter with John Wesley’s writings, Gilbert returned from England—where he and three enslaved companions had embraced the Methodist faith—and began preaching to enslaved people on his estate.

When he died in 1774, three remarkable women, Sophia Campbell, Mary Alley and Bessie, kept the movement alive through prayer and class meetings.

In 1778, John Baxter, a shipwright and lay preacher, arrived in Antigua and revitalised the growing Methodist community. Within a year, membership soared to 2,000, and by 1783, the first chapel was built. A turning point came in 1786 when Rev. Dr. Thomas Coke landed in Antigua by chance, marking the official start of Methodist mission work in the region. After early attempts at autonomy, the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas (MCCA) was formally established in 1967.