John Wesley: Founder of Methodism and missionary to America

ICST 355-History and Survey of Missions February 7, 2012 John Marello

John Wesley Research Paper Outline The Times Introduction John Wesley overview Preparing the way Religious training Raised in a Christian home Well-regulated regimen

The Shaping of a Missionary- I am the potter and you are the clay Oxford High calling Life examination

The Work of a Missionary Working out his salvation Teaching the Indians Lessons learned from the Moravians Reaching the world

Methodism in America

The Times Introduction

During the late 1600s and 1700s people in Britain drank, gamble and fought duels. Moralists worried about the rise in sexual promiscuity, and a decline in family values. This was a time of progress, inventions and empire building. They preached on the need of women to resist men inflamed by libertine principles and pornographic literature and the need of women to remain virgins until marriage. Prostitution was rampant. A German visitor to London complained of passing a lewd female every ten yards on a December evening along Fleet Street, including girl prostitutes as young as twelve.1 The world was then given a gift June 17th, 1703 of a baby boy named JOHN WESLEY.

Preparing the way

Born and raised in a Christians parents Religious training began as early as possible. Even before they could kneel or speak, they were taught to be quiet at family prayers and to ask blessings by signs. As soon as they could speak they repeated the Lords Prayer morning and evening.2 From ten to fourteen I had little but bread to eat, and no great plenty of that. I believe this was so far from hurting me, that it laid the foundation of lasting health. Susanna and Samuel showed real concern for the spiritual well-being of their children. Samuel influenced his sons through his owns devotion to scholarship. Also, Samuel was a dedicated Anglican pastor who influenced his sons with a high view of the sacraments and the Eucharist. In addition, the Wesley household embraced a number of different styles of devotional literature (Schmidt 1966, 1:63)3. John Wesley will always be known as the founder of Methodism, but it was his mother Susanna Wesley that gave Methodism its methodical nature. She sought to bring every activity, word, and even thoughts and motives into a well-regulated regimen. She
2

Albion Ascendant: English History, 1660-1815, by Wilfred Prest, p. 183.

3

Didache: Faithful Teaching 9:1 (Summer 2009) ISSN: 15360156 (web version) http://didache.nts.edu

passed on to her children the discipline of time management and orderly conduct.4 In eighteenth-century England, many families sent their children to a private boarding school. The formation of Susanna and Samuel were limited to the first ten years of Johns life, for then he entered the Charterhouse Boarding School at ten years of age (Wesley 1872, 2:209). Wesleys experiences at the Charterhouse were not always pleasant and influenced his view of childhood education. 5

The Shaping of a Missionary I am the potter and you are the clay
After graduating from Charterhouse, Wesley attended Oxford and received his bachelors degree in 1724 at age of 21 after five years of competent study. 6 John began to apply himself to his studies. He demonstrated considerable proficiency in classical studies, but his greatest delight was logic and debate. 7 But John would often struggle Wesley was not an exceptionally good student during a bad period of Oxfords educational history, particularly early in his career.8 However, it was at Oxford where Wesleys formal education was most influential. It was a place where Wesley experimented with practical divinity and develops an appreciation for both the classics and a wide range of devotional literature. This took place primarily through group formation.9 John began to examine his life to determine whether he could attain to such a high calling. He loved to read books on living a Holy life and was influence of Thomas a Kempiss Imitation of Christ I met with a Kempiss Christian Patterns. The nature and extent of inward religion, the religion of the heart, nor appeared to me in a stronger light that ever it had done before. I saw that giving even all my life to God (supposing it is possible to do this, and go no farther) would profit me nothing, unless I gave my heart, yes all my heart to him.10 John gave leadership to a group of undergraduates who were meeting four nights weekly for study of the classics and reading the Greek New Testament. In addition to their classical studies they practice Bible reading, prayer, fasting, confession, and frequent partaking of the sacrament. In
4 5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JohnWhesley (Mathews 1949, 25) 6 (Henderson 1997, 40) 7 (Wesley 1872, 2:72-73 8 (Seaborn 1985, 45-51) 9 (Henderson 1997; Blevins 1999; Harper 1983) 10 (Wesley 1872, 2:366-67)

addition, the students served others by visiting the sick, elderly, and imprisoned, and provided clothing and financial aid where they could. It was through this formal educational experience that their disciplined manner was dubbed the names, The Holy Club, The Bible Moths, or The Methodists.11

Answering the call to missions

On Tuesday, October 14, 1735, Wesley, then in the thirty-third year of his age, took boat for Gravesend, in order to embark for Georgia, under the sanction of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts in company with his brother Charles, Mr. Benjamin Ingham, of Queens College, Oxford, and Mr. Charles Delamotte, son of a merchant in London. He says the end they had in view was not to avoid want (God having given them plenty of temporal blessings), nor to gain riches or honor, but singly this: to save their own souls, to live wholly to the glory of God. 12 It is strange, but significant of the state of Wesleys mind at this time, that he does not here given prominence does not even mention the purpose of being useful to the colonials in the new settlement of Georgia, or to the Indians beyond it. Dr. Burton was one, were desirous of securing the services of John and Charles Wesley, and some of their companions, to minister to the colonist, and to act as missionaries to the Indians. The subject was now named to Wesley, and he was strongly urged to comply with the request. At first, he says, he peremptorily refused; nut many providential incidents followed, which at length Mr. Spangenberg, a Moravian minister from Savannah, ask Wesley a few questions. His first question, Does the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God? Wesley was so surprise by the question that he didnt what to answer. The German observing this asked, Do you know Jesus Christ? He paused, and said, I know the savior He is the Savior of the World. True, was the reply, But do you know He has saved you? Wesley answered, I hope He has died to save me. Spangenberg only added, Do you know yourself? Wesley replied, I do. But I fear they were vain words, was his comment. Wesleys heart calved to this faithful friend. He made many inquires about the Moravian Church at Hernhuth, and spend much time in the company of the German settlers.13 Johns experience with Moravians and his missionary work were formative in his own salvation. He states in his
11 12

(Tyerman 1872, 69-70) (Telford 1960, 79-93)

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journal, it is now two years and almost four months since I left my native country in order to teach the Georgian Indians the nature of Christianity. But what have I learned myself in the meantime? Why (what I the least of all suspected), that I, who went to America to convert others, was never myself converted to god.14 Wesley now was desired with all his heart to find that faith which would deliver him from fear and doubt, and bring the assurance of the acceptance to God. Wesleys interaction with the Moravians was very influential in his own spiritual journey. Wesley describes his May 24, 1738, experience in his journal: about a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change, which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation, and an assurance was given me, that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.15 When he returned from Georgia with new doctrines, Anglican bishops began to exclude Wesley from local pulpits. With the encouragement of George Whitefield (1714-70), a fellow member of the Oxford Holy Club, Wesley began to preach throughout England, often in open fields. This practice, so common to the Americans religious experience, was seen as subversive by the Anglican establishment. The Church of England worked on a parish system in which ministers were assigned certain geographical areas. Thus itinerant preachers encroached on another ministers territory. On the other hand, field preaching was essential for Wesley and his followers to reach the people. Wesley took his message of scriptural holiness to the people, and he and George Whitefield sparked a revival of religion in Great Britain. Wesleys purpose was to cause his listeners to feel the same conversion he had experience. Wesley felt it was important for Christians to experience salvation; he called this experimental or heart religion. Methodisms growth in the American colonies caused even greater tension between Wesley and the Church of England when Wesley sought the ordination of some of his followers whom he wished to send to the colonies. Though he opposed the American Revolution, Wesley could not help to notice the freedom the American Methodists gained when the Church of England was disestablished in the United States of America. Wesley remarked to his followers: As our American brethren are now totally disentangled both from the State and from the English hierarchy, we dare not entangle
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(Wesley 1872, 12:33) (Wesley 1872, 1:103)

them again either with the one or the other. They are now at full liberty simply to follow the Scriptures and the Primitive Church. Thus the American Revolution wove together the contributions of Columbus, Franklin, and Wesley to create the full opportunity to do as Wesley suggested. John Wesley remembered.

Methodism in America
An indication of his organizational genius, we know exactly how many followers Wesley had when he died: 294 preachers, 71,668 British members, 19 missionaries (5 in mission stations), and 43,265 American members with 198 preachers. Today Methodists number about 30 million worldwide.

1 2 3 4

Albion Ascendant: English History, 1660-1815, by Wilfred Prest, p. 183.

Didache: Faithful Teaching 9:1 (Summer 2009) ISSN: 15360156 (web version) http://didache.nts.edu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JohnWhesley 5 (Mathews 1949, 25) 6 (Henderson 1997, 40) 7 (Wesley 1872, 2:72-73 8 (Seaborn 1985, 45-51) 9 (Henderson 1997; Blevins 1999; Harper 1983) 10 (Wesley 1872, 2:366-67) 11 (Tyerman 1872, 69-70)
12 13 14

(Telford 1960, 79-93) (Wesley 1872, 12:33)