National Register Listing

Bethel Methodist Protestant Church

a.k.a. Bethel Church

Jct. of DE 61, DE 114, and DE 304, Andrewsville, DE

The Bethel Methodist Protestant Church is significant under criterion C, for its representation of the rural Methodist Church built and rebuilt in mid- to late-nineteenth-century Delaware. These small rural churches are readily identifiable by both exterior and interior features. The interior of this church also represents the type of modifications made to some churches during the prosperous period of the early twentieth century.
Henry Boehm, one of the early founders of the Methodist movement in America stated that: " The Peninsula that lies between the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays... was the garden of Methodism in America." Methodism in America began in Delaware with the preaching of George Whitefield on the Delmarva peninsula during the mid-eighteenth century. As an ordained Anglican clergyman, Whitefield had already gained a reputation as an evangelist in England and Wales, and aligned himself with a group of Oxford University religious reformers, headed by John and Charles Wesley, called Methodists. While he was in the Delaware region, Whitefield preached to large crowds, and made a profound impact on the religious organization of the area. His preaching lead to the development of small congregations who practiced some of the tenets of Methodism, and were the direct ancestors of the Methodist churches that grew out of Francis Asbury's later mission.

In 1771, John Wesley sent an official missionary to America, Francis Asbury. In 1784, Asbury, together with Thomas Coke, another of Wesley's ambassadors, established a Methodist church independent from the rules and strictures of the Anglican church in America at a meeting in Barratt's Chapel in Kent County, Delaware. This newly independent church urged changes in individual lives, including an active participation in the church and with God. This emphasis on direct participation lead to the development of camp meetings, an outdoor revival-type meeting that lasted for several days and involved thousands of people listening to God's word being spoken by an itinerant preacher. Methodism also raised questions concerning the nature of Delmarva's religious, social, political, and economic institutions, including the American Revolution and slavery. Throughout the history of Methodism, Peninsula Methodists worked hard at preserving the Wesleyan heritage that included a dedication to personal improvement, a strong work ethic, and a belief that one had to continually strive for spiritual perfection.

As Methodism evolved in the region, several different groups arose in response to questions of the organization and traditions of the church. Two such examples were the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Protestant Church The Methodist Episcopal Church developed as the direct descendant of the Anglican Church in America. The Methodist Protestant schism developed in 1828-30. It arose from a desire by the laity to be represented at the Annual Conference, which in the Methodist Episcopal Church was open only to itinerant preachers. Some members of the church were also concerned with the absolute power of the bishop to assign itinerants to circuits.

The Bethel Methodist Protestant Church in Mispillion Hundred was one of the very earliest Methodist Protestant Churches in America, having been organized prior to 1830. At that time the congregation had a church erected and were worshiping in it. The present church building was built in 1871, at a time when many rural churches throughout the state were being built and rebuilt Masten's Methodist Episcopal Church in Mispillion Hundred was built in 1873, Prospect Church in Mispillion Hundred was rebuilt in 1877: the Kenton M. E. Church in Kenton Hundred was rebuilt in 1877, and the Methodist Episcopal Church at Milford was also rebuilt in 1871. Other than these bare facts, there is little documentation on the development and growth of the church.

The Bethel Methodist Protestant Church is an excellent example of the small, frame country churches commonly built towards the end of the nineteenth century. Usually built of frame, rectangular in shape, one story high, with an open plan and small apse at one end, the churches were simple and functional, but recognized as distinctive elements on the rural landscape of Delaware. These churches were often the only public building in very small rural communities, and reflected not only the pride of the people in building and maintaining their own place of worship, but also their beliefs and sense of community. The Bethel Church retains much of its architectural integrity, with the only significant change being the addition of vinyl siding that reproduces the look of the original siding. Many other churches of the same period have been altered with the addition of Sunday School wings and bathrooms, but the Bethel Church retains its original form and plan.

The interior of the Bethel Church is an excellent example of early-twentieth-century church architecture. The angled pews, restrained Gothic moldings and surrounds, and the elaborate Gothic pressed-metal ceiling suggest the financial ability and desire of the local congregation to renovate their church building to reflect the strengths and traditions of the Methodist Church in Delaware. By choosing a Gothic style with which to decorate their church, the congregation elected to emphasize the strength of their faith, in much the same spirit as the Gothic cathedrals from which they drew their patterns. The interior renovation also served as a testimony to the congregation's willingness to maintain and improve their place of worship, just as they were directed by the teachings of the church to maintain and perfect their own characters and faith. Serving not only as a testimony to the strength of the church, but also as a tribute to the people who made the church possible, the Bethel Church building is a unique and artistic interpretation of the common rural church tradition.

Bethel Methodist Church is significant under criterion C for its architectural representation of the values associated with the Methodist Church in Delaware. Its significance is evidenced through its history as one of the first congregations who chose to separate themselves from the Methodist Episcopal Church in order to seek more freedom of choice at a time when the freedoms of men were still relatively new in America. More importantly, the church displays its significance through its architecture. Built as a symbol of faith and community at a small, rural crossroad in Kent County, the congregation embellished and improved their church with care. They chose to glorify their faith and belief in their church not on the outside, which would have differentiated the building to all who passed by, but on the inside, where only those who worshiped could appreciated its inner strength and beauty. The church preached self-improvement, not self-glorification. The congregation of the Bethel Church took this to heart, not only in terms of their individual actions, but in terms of their church, which was the outward representation of their faith.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1998.