The first Methodist missionary society of the MEC, in the line that developed into the current Global Ministries, was founded in 1819. It was organized by a self-appointed group of preachers led by Nathan Bangs, a pastor of the New York Conference.
The Missionary Society was encouraged by the work of John Stewart among the Wyandotte people of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, started in 1816. Stewart, of mixed race, including African ancestry, listened for the voice of God and was compelled to preach among the Wyandotte. He was eventually licensed as a Methodist preacher and continued to live and work with the Wyandotte until his death in 1823.
