In 1784, the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in America.  It had been in existence one hundred and seventy-seven years. The Baptist Church for one hundred and forty-five years and Presbyterian Church seventy-nine years.

At a conference held in the city of Baltimore in 1786, Bishop Asbury sent James Haw and Benjamin Ogden to the Kentucky Circuit. They reached the territory of Kentucky in the latter part of the summer of 1786.  In 1787, the work in the west divided into two circuits, one of which was known as Kentucky and the other called the Cumberland.  In that year James Haw was returned to the Kentucky Circuit and Thomas Williamson and Wilson Lee were appointed his colleagues.  A report of the conference of 1787 showed a membership on ninety in Kentucky.  In 1788, the conference was again held at Baltimore.  Thomas Williamson, Peter Massie and Benjamin Snelling were sent to the Lexington Circuit, with Francis Poythress as the Presiding Elder.  At that time there were no stationed Methodist preachers in the western county.  The Lexington Circuit embraced the section of the country afterwards known as the counties of Fayette, Jessamine, Woodford, Franklin, Scott and Harrison.  In 1790, the first conference held in Kentucky was at Masterson Station, five miles from Lexington.  There were only six members of the conference present.  Henry Burchett was sent to the Lexington Circuit, where he remained until 1793, when John Ball and Gabriel Woodside were sent for two years.  In 1796, Aquilla Sugg was in charge, but in the latter part of the year his health failed, so Thomas Scott was sent to take his place.  The circuit at the time included Lexington, Versailles, Frankfort and sixteen other stations.  Organizations or societies had been previously formed at each of these points and the Reverend Scott reported the most of them were in healthy condition.  Thomas Scott afterwards left the ministry and practiced law and held political positions for the rest of his life.

John Buxton was sent to the Lexington Circuit in 1798.  In 1800, James Haw, one of the first Methodist preachers in the western country had some trouble with Bishop Asbury and withdrew from the Methodist Church.  He later became a preacher in the Presbyterian Church.

Methodist Preachers sent to Frankfort, while in the Lexington Circuit 1800-1820