This thesis is a study of pacifism in the Methodist Church during the 1930's and World War 11. It concentrates particularly on the nature of Methodist Pacifism at this time. This was based on Christian pacifism, the social gospel and secular pacifism. The pacifist philosophy of some Methodists caused them to act in particular ways and elicited a particular response from their Church. These actions and this response developed as a result of the experience of the thirties and intensified at the outbreak of World War 11 in September 1939. The first two chapters seek to establish the nature of Methodist pacifism and place it within the context of New Zealand and overseas experiences. The chapter on the Bible Class Movement examines its importance in the development of Methodist pacifism and chapter four demonstrates how pacifists in the Church used it as an organization to further achieve their aims. This chapter also touches on the Church's reaction to this pacifist pressure. The Church's lack of response prompted Methodist pacifists to establish a new peace group specifically for the growing body of Christian pacifists from the mainstream denominations. This group, the Christian Pacifist Society, is the subject of chapters five and six. With the outbreak of war, the Church attempted to reassert control over its pacifists by using the 1940 Manifesto on Peace and War to obtain their promise of silence. Chapter seven traces the Church’s attempts to control its pacifists ad the pacifist response to them. The final chapter quickly outlines the ostensible outcome of the surge ·of pacifist thought in th Methodist Church: the Methodist Conscientious Objector. The experience of Methodist objectors with their Church and in detention camps concludes this study. The number and fervour of Methodist pacifists in World War 11 can almost be seen as an aberration both within the Methodist Church and society. They were the outcome of the particular circumstances of the 1920’s and 1930’s and they had a strong effect on the Church during World War II. However, they had little effect on society and even the Church soon assimilated their ‘absolute’ pacifist views into a vague anti-nuclear pacifism.