Wesleyan Reform Union
The Wesleyan Reform Union is an independent Methodist Connexion founded in 1859 and based in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1859 by some members of the Wesleyan Reform movement. The leaders of the Wesleyan Reformers had been expelled from the Wesleyan Methodist Church at its Manchester Conference in 1849. The expelled ministers and first leaders of the Wesleyan Reformers were James Everett, William Griffith and Samuel Dunn. In 1857, the major part of the Wesleyan Reformers joined other Methodist groups to form the United Methodist Free Churches but others joined together to establish the Wesleyan  Reform Union two years later. Statement of Faith. The Wesleyan Reform Union Statement of Faith was accepted at a conference in 1970, and later modified by conference of 2008: Structure. The head of the Wesleyan Reform Union is the Union President, who presides over the General Committee. The General Committee consists of up to 20 elected members plus representatives from various Union committees. There is also a President Designate. People are elected to each of these positions annually by delegates to a Conference. The General Secretary takes care of business matters. At the local level, churches follow one of two  schemes. A church may elect a President and a Vice President, or it may elect a Leadership Group. These positions are generally voted on annually. In the case of a Leadership Group, a Minister may also be elected. The Union maintains a list of approved ministers although churches are at liberty to appoint others not on the list. Some churches have had women pastors for a number of years and in 2016 the Union ordained and received a female minister onto its approved list for the first time. The position of Trustees may be implemented as well. Wesleyan Reform Union  churches are self-governing, this being the principal point of difference with the Methodist Church. Local leadership has final authority in local matters. Many churches are organized into Circuits which have four Quarterly Meetings each year. The WRU's headquarters are in Jump, Barnsley, and it has around 100 congregations across Yorkshire, the Midlands, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Cornwall, and Scotland.