Evangelism in Early Methodism
The early Methodist movement was
birthed on the premise of a strong evangelism and missionary ideology. The
movement emerged through deliberate organization and an unfolding theology. The
movement spread through a combination of preaching and punctilious organization
of religious societies such as classes and bands.
The Methodist movement was greatly
impacted by the spiritual climate of England in the early eighteenth century.[1]It
was a climate of great revival. The American Great Awakening and the German
Pietism were the two main catalysts for the English revival. These revivals
always consisted of powerful preaching, conversions, and unusual spiritual
manifestations.[2]John
Wesley was the great mastermind of the early Methodist movement who carefully
maneuvered through treacherous political, theological and doctrinal landmines
to fulfill his mission. Wesley was very loyal to the Church of England so much
that he always avoided separation from the church at all costs. He always
insisted that the Methodist movement was not a church.
Charles Wesley also embraced John’s
evangelistic ideology even though he differed strongly from his brother John on
issues pertaining to ordination or separation from the Church of England. Charles
reports preaching at Eversham from one of George Whitefield’s pulpit, and it
was an open-air event. This highlights the fact that Charles was an itinerant
preacher with a commitment to spreading the gospel to the world.[3] Charles
was committed to the Church of England and he strongly opposed separation but
he identified with the Methodist movement through practices such as prison
visits and preaching. Both John and Charles looked at the world as their parish;
they refused to be confined by parish boundaries and normal parish protocol.[4]This
is the rational that defined Methodist itinerancy.[5]
Bristol was the womb from which
the Methodist Movement was birthed; this seemingly small and insignificant city
was the mother of what is now a global movement in March 1739.[6] When
John Wesley arrived in Bristol, George Whitefield was already holding large
open-air meetings that attracted huge crowds. John Wesley never thought highly
of open air preaching, he thought it was undignified, disorderly and uncouth as
the territory. When John Wesley discovered that Whitefield was preaching in the
open air he wrote that he could, “scarce reconcile (himself) at first to this
strange way of preaching in the fields.”[7]
Wesley always considered open air preaching as indecent.[8] Open
air preaching was not a crime in England, however it was unusual among
preachers of the Church of England.[9] However
on Sunday April 1, Wesley saw Whitefield preach from the sermon on the Mount,
and he witnessed an amazing event that afternoon. He sates that Whitefield was
preaching to a staggering thirty thousand people from a small mountain. This
was John Wesley’s turning point. Wesley’s transformation was so radical and
dramatic that the following day he submitted to this undignified and indecent
way of preaching. He asserts that “three to four thousand” people attended his
open air preaching at the glasshouse.[10] The
following week he continued preaching in open-air fields throughout Bristol.
The numbers he gathered ranged from one to seven thousand according to Wesley.[11]
John Wesley soon discovered that graveyards were good locations to preach from,
using tombs as platforms and the church as the wall and sounding board.[12]He
made use of market squares as they proved to be better amphitheaters. He took
advantage of the trees acoustically as they were shaped to amplify his voice.[13]
During his first month in Bristol, John estimated a total of forty five
thousand people.[14]The
following month his crowds even got bigger and he records preaching to about
ten thousand people per occasion at Rose Green. He even records preaching to
fifteen thousand people at Blackheath and Kennigton Common.[15]Charles
Wesley was very skeptical because he doubted the figures reported by Whitefield
and John. Charles himself became convinced at Moorfields on June 24 when he
preached to a crowd of ten thousand people.
John Wesley sought to shatter all
limitations and boundaries that were placed upon him by old tradition. He was
convinced that his calling involved ignoring parish boundaries and normal
protocol in quest to preach the gospel to the world. This was the basic premise
and thought process that became the springboard for Methodist itinerancy.[16]According
to Albert C. Outler in his book John
Wesley, he argues that Wesley saw the world as his parish.[17] He
states that, “Wesley deployed his ‘assitants’ as a sort of militia, moving them
frequently from one assignment to another but insisting on their common task:
evangelism and Christian nature.”[18] He
viewed Methodist preachers not as ringleaders of a sect or party but as evangelists.[19] Thomas
A. Langford in his book Practical
Divinity asserts that John Wesley from his early life in Epworth was a
devout and studious leader. The group he formed at Oxford had certain
distinctive qualities, which included prison visits and liturgical rigor among
others. The Wesleyan tradition was rooted in Christ like service. Evangelism
was at the core of the Wesleyan tradition. Langford argues that Methodist
revivalists such as Robert Strawbridge, Barbara Heck, Richard Boardmen, William
Otterbein, Martin Boehm and Jacob Albright were evangelistic in effort.[20]
According to Langford the American Methodist movement went into the colonies
through an evangelistic and mission imperative.[21]
The Methodist movement had tremendous
impact in Britain and the colonies of North America mainly due to itinerancy
and evangelism. But it is important to realize that the movement did not
flourish on the wings of evangelism alone but also on the coupling effects of
classes and bands.[22]Heitzenrater
says that in 1738 the societies in Bristol began to outgrow the home in which
they met.[23] The
bands began to multiply as the societies grew.[24]
These small groups allowed Christian growth and nurturing.
By 1748 the Methodist movement has
established societies in more than 70 locations.[25]
John’s focus began to shift towards leadership and training of his preachers.[26]He
intended to educate preachers on issues of doctrine, discipline and unity.[27]
Some of his followers saw him as controlling and heavy handed. Preachers
confronted John at the 1753’s Annual Conference on issues of control.[28] Wesley
however continued to encourage the preachers to preach Christ in all his
offices.[29] Scott
J. Jones in his book United Methodist
Doctrine alleges that missions is one of the most important marks of United
Methodist’s ecclesiology.[30]It
is the mission of the Church to preach Christ in all his offices to the world.[31] The
mission to take Christ into all the world involves many different aspects such
as evangelism, worship, nurture, education an social justice. Related to the
missionary goals of the church is itinerancy, which involved the deploying of
gifted preachers into the mission field.[32]This
Wesleyan imperative of preaching Christ in all his offices was also highlighted
by Randy L.Maddox in his book Responsible
Grace were he states that Wesley admonished his preachers to preach Christ
in all his offices, that is Christ the king, Christ the priest and Christ the
prophet.[33]
From 1760 to 1768 the Methodist movement in America began to take shape.
Russel E. Richey, Kenneth E. Rowe and Jean Miller Schmidt in their book, The Methodist Experience in America Volume I,
argue that the Methodist movement came into America through many channels. One
of the channels was the First Great Awakening, which was a spiritual revival
that spanned for several decades; it involved revivalistic preaching,
evangelism and conversions.[34]The
major proponents of this movement were individuals such as Jonathan Edwards and
George Whitefield. These men were crowd pullers and charismatic orators. They
used to preach in open fields and gathered crowds in the thousands.[35]John
Wesley sent the first six pairs of preachers to the British colonies, which
included, Richard Boardmen, Joseph Pilmore, Francis Asbury, Richard Wright,
Thomas Rankins and George Shadford. Wesley’s itinerants came as Abrahams or
Pauls to establish order in the colonies. When Pilmore and company arrived in
the colonies they were surprised to meet Captain Webb “a real Methodist” and a
society of about one hundred members who desired close connection. The main
function of this team of itinerant preachers was to rebuild the Wesleyan
System. They came to identify and appoint suitable candidates for key
leadership roles and positions. Pilmore emphasized the Rules of the Society to
the large group of enthusiastic followers.[36]The
American Methodist movement rose on the wings of evangelism and itinerancy.
Russel E. Richey, Kenneth E. Rowe and Jean Miller Schmidt in their book, The Methodist Experience in America Volume II,
highlight that Thomas Taylor begged Wesley to send preachers to America.Tayor
states that, “Ever since I left London my load has been removed and I have
found a cheerfulness in being banished from all near and dear to me, and I made
a new covenant with my God, that I would go to the utmost parts of the earth
provided he would raise up a people with whom I might join in his praise.”[37] This
proves that the American Methodist revival swung on the hinges of evangelism
and itinerancy. Wilbur Fist Tillett asserts that the church is the greatest
agency in the world for evangelism. The mission of the church is to deploy its members
into the world to lead the lost to God.[38]
Contextually the United Methodist
Church is working towards its evangelistic and mission imperative but there a
lot of things that have changed. The context that Wesley taught this imperative
is different from the twenty first century America. Another thing that has
changed is the focus of the Wesleyan thought from a primarily Wesleyan
conservative thought to a more liberal Wesleyan thought. The way the early
Methodist accomplished this evangelistic task is quite different from today. I
have observed that in America there are already a lot of established
congregations with infrastructure so the urgency that John Wesley and the early
preachers had as a pioneers is different from what the current American
Methodist preachers have.
Firstly American Methodism today
is in a global, postmodern, multicultural and multiracial context. In order to
evangelize in this community they seem to have adjusted their definition of
evangelism in light of diversity and pluralism. Whilst John Wesley and the
early evangelists preached repentance through conversion it seems the current
preachers are more concerned with inclusivity and anti alienation. Methodism no
longer has a narrow definition of evangelism as proselytization, advocating
instead the broader idea of witnessing through an individual’s commitment to
Jesus Christ. The emphasis now is witnessing as Disciples of Christ through
dialogue. The emphasis is on mutual learning which bears the earmarks of
pluralism, inclusivism and ecumenicity. Methodism is now faced with the reality
of diverse faiths such as Islam, Buddhism and traditional religions of the
world. According to Diana L. Eck in her book Encountering God asserts that truth is not to be exclusive or
inclusive possession of one’s tradition or community.[39] There
is no shadow of doubt that there is no longer one Western table were the West
invites others to eat of their doctrines, dogmas and philosophies but rather
there are now many other tables: the table of the repressed traditions,
feminist theologies, liberation theologies and the theologies of Asia, Africa,
South America and the Middle East that need to be heard. They need to be heard
not as the marginalized but rather as the equal other. It is true what apostle
Paul said in Galatians 3:28,”There is Neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither
slave nor free, there is neither male no female: for ye are all one in Christ
Jesus.”
In terms of itinerancy I have
observed that preachers are no longer moving establishing churches at the same
rate as the early Methodist preachers but rather they are moving from one
established church to another. The itinerancy also is no longer linked to
revival like in the past. The itinerancy is mainly to build and develop and
existing churches. Yes churches are still being planted but not at the same
rate as the days of revivals.
The American theology is more
liberal in the 21st century than it was the days of John and Charles
Wesley. The slant towards a more liberal theology means that the focus is no
longer on the authority of scripture but rather on personal experience. This
also tends to shape the focus in terms of evangelism. Instead of focusing on
high Christology the focus is on the humanity of Jesus hence topics like
atonement and conversion are no longer as central as those of love and grace. Evangelism
therefore has taken a whole lot different dimension than that of John Wesley. Bashing
people telling them that they are going to hell is no longer as fruitful as
before. Evangelism now is more about the love of God and the grace of God.
In conclusion the Wesleyan movement
arose on the wings of evangelism and itinerancy. It did not depend on those two
alone but also depended on John Wesley’s masterful creation of bands and
classes. The movement has taken a different dimension in light of our current
pluralistic context, particularly in light of globalization and America’s
porous borders. Evangelism is no longer about conversion of people from one
faith to another, rather it is about witnessing to our neighbors about Christ
through our lives and not proselytization.
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D.(2003).Encountering God:A spiritual
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S.(2002). United Methodist Doctrine:The
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9. Wesley,J., &, A. (1964). John Wesley (p.21).New York, New York:Oxford University Press.
[1] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[2] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[3] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[4] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[5] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[6] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[7] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed., p.109).Nashville,
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[8] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[9] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[10] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[11] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[12] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[13] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
p.109).Nashville, Tennessee:Abingdon Press.
[14] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
p.110).Nashville, Tennessee:Abingdon Press.
[15] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
p.110).Nashville, Tennessee:Abingdon Press.
[16] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
p.112).Nashville, Tennessee:Abingdon Press.
[17] Wesley,J., &, A. (1964). John Wesley (p.21).New York, New York:Oxford University Press.
[20] Langford, T.(1998).Practical
Divinity (Rev.ed.,Vol.1,p.71) Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press.
[21] Langford, T.(1998).Practical
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[22] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[23] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[24] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
p.114).Nashville, Tennessee:Abingdon Press.
[25] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
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[26] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
p.197).Nashville, Tennessee:Abingdon Press.
[27] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
p.209).Nashville, Tennessee:Abingdon Press.
[28] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
p.209).Nashville, Tennessee:Abingdon Press.
[29] Heitzenrater,R.(2003).Wesley and the people called Methodists (2nd ed.,
p.209).Nashville, Tennessee:Abingdon Press.
[30] Jones, S.(2002). United
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[31] Jones, S.(2002). United
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[32] Jones, S.(2002). United
Methodist Doctrine:The extreme center(p.253).Nashville,Tennessee:Abingdon
Press.
[33] Maddox,R.(1994).Responsible
Grace:John Wesley’s practical theology(p.113).Nashville, Tenn:Kingswood
Books.
[34] Richey, R.,&Rowe, K.(2000).The Methodist Experience in America(Vol 1,p.4). Nashville,Tennessee:Abingdon
Press.
[35] Richey, R.,&Rowe, K.(2000).The Methodist Experience in America(Vol 1,p.3).
Nashville,Tennessee:Abingdon Press.
[36] Richey, R.,&Rowe, K.(2000).The Methodist Experience in America(Vol 1,p.4). Nashville,Tennessee:Abingdon
Press.
[37] Richey, R.,&Rowe, K.(2000).The Methodist Experience in America(Vol 2,p.49).
Nashville,Tennessee:Abingdon Press.
[38] Langford, T.(1998).Practical
Divinity (Rev.ed.,Vol.2,p.153) Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press.
[39] Eck, D.(2003).Encountering
God:A spiritual journey from Bozeman to Banaras(p.168). Boston
Massachusetts:Beacon Press.
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