Connectional

Connexionalism, or connectionalism, is the theological understanding and foundation of Methodist church governance ("ecclesiastical polity"), as practised in the Methodist Church of Great Britain, the Methodist Church in Ireland, the American United Methodist Church, African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and many of the countries where Methodism was established by missionaries sent out from these Churches. In the American church, where bishops provide church leadership, connexionalism is a variety of episcopal polity; however, in some countries the title of bishop may be used without any change in the Connexional polity. In world Methodism, a given Connexion is usually autonomous.

In the history of Christianity in England, a connexion was a circuit of prayer groups who would employ travelling ministers alongside the regular ministers attached to each congregation. This method of organising emerged in 18th-century English Nonconformist religious circles; this is why the otherwise old-fashioned spelling (connexion rather than connection) is retained. The Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, for instance, was founded by Selina, Countess of Huntingdon. Over time, as Methodism became a separate church, this structure of connexions came to form a new system of polity, separate from episcopal polity.

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