Asbury << AZ buh ree >>, Francis (1745-1816), was the most important Methodist leader in America during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Asbury was born in England, but he lived in America from 1771 until his death. When Asbury arrived in America, there were only a few hundred Methodists in scattered, disorganized groups. Under his leadership, the Methodists increased in number until they ranked second only to the Baptists as the largest Protestant denomination in America.
Asbury was born on Aug. 20, 1745, near Birmingham, England, and became a Methodist while a teenager. He was a traveling preacher from 1767 to 1771, when he volunteered to go to America as a missionary. The other Methodist missionaries returned to England after the colonists rebelled against Britain. However, Asbury stayed in America.
In 1784, Asbury became a superintendent, or bishop, of the newly founded Methodist Episcopal Church. He gained this position by order of the Methodist leader John Wesley and by a vote of the Methodist preachers in America. The church lacked enough formally educated ministers to serve the growing American population, and so Asbury expanded the Methodist technique of enlisting laymen to lead local congregations. From these laymen, he recruited many young preachers to travel on horseback among frontier congregations, overseeing local meetings and conducting public worship. These preachers were called circuit riders. They were supervised by more experienced preachers called presiding elders. Asbury supervised the system.
Asbury traveled almost constantly, riding from 4,000 to 6,000 miles (6,400 to 9,700 kilometers) a year on horseback. He planned a large number of religious gatherings, especially camp meetings where thousands of people gathered outdoors to sing hymns and hear sermons. He died on March 31, 1816.
