Bible Christian Church

Bible Christian Church
Arreton Methodist Church on the Isle of Wight (originally a Bible Christian church)
Classification	Methodist
Scripture	Bible
Founder	William O'Bryan
Origin	October 18, 1815 (1815-10-18) Shebbear, Devon
Merged into	United Methodist Free Churches and Methodist New Connexion to form United Methodist Church in England Methodist Church in Canada Methodist Church in Australia
Defunct	1907

The Bible Christian Church was a Methodist denomination founded by William O'Bryan, (born Bryant) a Wesleyan Methodist local preacher, on 18 October 1815 in North Cornwall. The first society, consisting of just 22 members, met at Lake Farm in Shebbear, Devon. Members of the Church were sometimes known as Bryanites, after their founder.

Although founded by O'Bryan, the family Thorne came to dominate the movement as the same autocratic behaviour by Bryant that led to his separation from the Weslyan Methodists also led to him losing the leadership of the Bible Christians to James Thorne. William Bryant was its first superintendent until 1828 when, following internal strife, he was replaced by William Mason, with James Thorne as Secretary. The name was changed to the popular Bible Christians. O'Bryan left in 1832 for America where he continued to preach but no further church was founded.