2015 UM History Series #7: “The Early Methodist Societies”

            After his Aldersgate experience Wesley began to preach in a whole new way.  His teaching centered on salvation by faith, an assurance of salvation by spiritual experience within the heart, and sanctification, or holiness, by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Wesley believed that one could know that one is saved by having a spiritual experience and that one could lead a sinless life by the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is no surprise then, as we will see later in this series, that both the Charismatic/Pentecostal Movement and the Holiness Movement would come largely out of the Methodist Movement.

            Since Wesley did not have a church of his own, he began preaching these new beliefs as a guest preacher in various Church of England Churches.  As you can imagine, these new beliefs did not set well with proper Church of England folks.  Therefore, Wesley found himself excluded from pulpit after pulpit.

            A major shift in Wesley’s ministry came at the encouragement of a former companion at the Oxford Holy Club, the evangelist George Whitefield.  Whitefield encouraged Wesley to preach outdoors, in public, rather than in the church.  For the very proper, rule-following Wesley this was going to be a major change.  He wrote in his journal, “I should have thought the saving of souls almost a sin if it had not been done in a church.”

            On Monday, April 2^nd 1739 in Bristol, England, John Wesley wrote in his journal, “At four in the afternoon, I submitted to be more vile and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation, speaking from a little eminence in a ground adjoining to the city, to about three thousand people.” 

Over the next 50 years John Wesley would ride over 250,000 miles on horseback throughout the British Isles and preach over 40,000 sermons mostly in town squares, open fields, borrowed houses and halls, and later in Methodist meeting houses.

However, John’s message was still not always well received.  Many times Wesley, or his preachers, were pelted with stones and dirt and chased by angry mobs.

In addition to being a great preacher, Wesley was also a great organizer.  When people responded to his preaching, Wesley would organize them into societies and classes.  We will talk more about Methodist organization in England in our next article.  

              

Pastor Brian.