The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga was founded in 1885 and is today is the largest Methodist denomination in Tonga.

Education and evangelism are strong features of the work of the church. While the government is responsible for most primary education, the church has six primary schools and at the secondary level caters to the needs of 60 percent of the students in three middle schools, five senior secondary and three district schools. In addition the church has three agricultural schools and a theological college. For the last decade of the 20th century the church has been involved in an all-out drive to reach young people. The department of Christian education and evangelism works closely with the women’s department in implementing the themes of the church. From the beginning, the Wesleyan Church of Tonga has been involved in carrying the gospel beyond Tonga. At present, missionaries are working in Northern Australia, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Hawaii and the west coast of the USA. The Tongan Church Mission Board oversees numerous Tongan congregations in other countries, notably Australia, New Zealand and the United States.