Francis Asbury

Francis Asbury (1745-1816) was the first bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church consecrated in the United States. He was forever on the go, touring the colonies and the Mississippi territory and developed the system of circuit riding for the frontier ministry. The pioneering bishop traveled an average of 5,000 miles (8,000 km) a year on horseback and established Methodism as one of the leading American denominations.
Asbury delegated authority to other Methodist lay preachers but had high standards. They had to be willing to get up at 4.00 in the morning for one hours Bible Study and to be outside by 5.00 to meet people going to work. He saw the new denomination grow from under 500 members to over 200,000 by the time of his death.