The Evangelical Methodist Church (EMK) in Switzerland has been part of the Swiss church landscape for around 150 years. Today, it comprises around 65 congregations with around 10,000 members and friends. Its beginnings can be traced back to the two Anglican pastors John and Charles Wesley, who lived in England in the 18th century. The term "Methodist" was originally a term of derision for the highly structured lifestyle of a group of students at Oxford University, to which the Wesley brothers also belonged at the time. The focus was on daily Bible reading, prayer, fasting and charity.

The message of the Bible forms the basis for the life and ministry of the UMC. The church cultivates a differentiated understanding of the Bible, which also incorporates tradition, reason in the sense of common sense and personal (everyday) experience. This is associated with a great deal of freedom for personal confession in everyday life through a faith that is active in love. The UMC expressly wants to enable and endure this diversity. Church founder John Wesley put it this way: "In all questions that do not go to the root of Christianity, we hold to the rule: think and let think."

Methodist preaching aims to bring about change in personal life and in society. From the very beginning, this opened the eyes of the poor, disenfranchised and neglected in society. For example, Methodists played an important role in the abolition of slavery in England around 200 years ago.

In 1908, the church adopted a declaration on social issues. "We affirm the natural world as God's handiwork and are dedicated to its preservation, improvement and faithful use by mankind," was formulated at the time. "We affirm that all persons are of equal worth in the eyes of God and we therefore work toward a community in which the worth of each person is recognized, maintained and enhanced," reads, among other things, the Social Principles adopted in 1946, which are still regularly updated today. These social obligations are not just empty words. Old people's homes, hospitals, a socio-therapeutic home, vacation camps and hotels are also an expression of the church's service to society. The individual congregations are also involved in their local communities, for example with visits to the elderly and lonely, lunch tables, children's and youth work, day-care centers and support for the marginalized.

The UMC has its own aid organization, which is financed by donations. Connexio, the network for mission and diaconia, is active in 19 countries on four continents under the motto "Doing good together": Albania, Argentina, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Cambodia, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, Serbia, Zimbabwe, Slovak Republic, Tunisia, Hungary. Projects of the partner churches are supported with advice and financial resources.