| Travelling preachers. | Members. | |
| 1830 | 83 | 5,000 |
| 1842 | — | 53,875 |
| 1850 | 740 | 64,219 |
| 1854 | — | 70,018 |
| 1858 | 2,000 | 90,000 |
In 1866, a convention was held in Cincinnati to unite the Methodist Protestants, the Wesleyan Connection, the Free Methodists, the Primitive Methodists, and some independent Methodist congregations, under the name of the "Methodist Church." The union was joined by few save the Northern conferences of the Methodist Protestant body, who now compose the Methodist Church; the Southern conferences retain the original name of Methodist Protestant. Their numbers in 1867 were estimated at 50,000; in 1869, they were estimated at 72,000.
There has been no actual increase in those now indicated by this name in twenty-five years preceding 1868.
35. The "Methodist Church" is composed of the Northern conferences of the Methodist Protestant Church which, in attempting to form a union with others in 1866, caused a split among themselves. Their report, made in 1867, states as follows:
| Ministers. | Members. | |
| 1867 | 625 | 50,000 |
| 1869 | 624 | 49,030 |
This is strictly an increase of the Methodist Protestants, but appears under a new name. It is an average annual increase of 2,000.
36. Out of the original separation of the Methodist Protestants from the Methodist Episcopal another denomination sprang up, under the name of the "True Wesleyan Methodists."
The denomination has increased very slowly since its organization, as appears by the following statements:
| Ministers. | Members. | |
| 1843 | 300 | 20,000 |
| 1850 | 500 | 20,000 |
| 1860 | 565 | 21,000 |
| 1867 | — | 25,000 |
| 1869 | 220 | 20,000 |
Average annual increase in twenty-five years, 200.