In 1852 a Book of Discipline was issued for the Congregational Methodist Church. This was revised the following year and several times thereafter to add services and rules of order as needed. In 1919, the Tenth Edition was adopted and no significant changes were made for more than thirty years.Then the Eleventh Edition was issued in 1957, the Twelfth in 1972, and the Thirteenth in 1978.To many Congregational Methodists, each of these revisions weakened the government of the church or changed the doctrine and/or the structure of the church. When the Fourteenth was proposed with a Presidential ruling in the General Conference that no ratification by District Conference was needed, many felt the Congregational Form of Government was destroyed especially since one level of legislative authority – The District Conference – was eliminated.Attempts by some to remain “as is” until next General Conference and not adhere to the elimination of District Conference resulted in another presidential ruling that those churches and/or conferences had “disassociated themselves from the Congregational Methodist Church.”
On January 12, 1985, an organizational meeting was held and The ‘Southern Congregational Methodist Church’ was formed.                                                                                               

The Southern Congregational Methodist Church was organized because the people wanted to:

Continue their heritage of proclaiming the fundamental Bible Doctrines set forth by John Wesley and preached and taught in the Methodist tradition for more than two centuries.                                                                                                                             

Keep the original legislative form of government developed by the founding fathers of the Congregational Methodist Church, with Church, District,Annual, and General Conferences.                                                                                                                                

Preserve the Congregational form of government subject to the local congregation. 

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