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===Historical Background=== | ===Historical Background=== | ||
The first Methodist missionaries arrived in Tonga in 1822. After a difficult start the work progressed, and by the middle of the 19th century the whole population was Christianized. There was a split in the church in 1885 which was partially resolved in 1924. Tonga was a conference within the Methodist Church of Australasia until 1977 when the Uniting Church in Australia was formed, and the Free Wesleyan Church gained its autonomy. The word "Free" in the name of the church indicates that the Tonga Conference is completely independent, and the word "Wesleyan" expresses the gratitude of the Tongan people to the missionaries and ministers of the Wesleyan church who evangelized the island. The relation between the king and the Free Wesleyan Church has been strong since the foundation of modern Tonga under Taufa'ahau Tupou I in 1845.<br><ref>"Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga (Methodist Church in Tonga)", at World Council of Churches, https://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/free-wesleyan-church-of-tonga, accessed 10 April 2020.</ref> | |||
=='''Seventh-day Adventist Church Records'''== | =='''Seventh-day Adventist Church Records'''== | ||