Now I’m the first to admit, I don’t often use the word “revolutionary” in relation to the United Methodist church.  We’re not a church that is considered to be an “early adopter” when it comes to how church’s work.  The “hot” churches, those that are at the cutting edge of new worship styles and ministries, are usually independent churches that don’t worry about fitting into a denominational framework.  But, at one time, the United Methodist church was very much a revolutionary church.  In fact, you can say it was the “American Revolution”-ary church, because it was formed at the same time as the American Revolution.  The UM church is a distinctively American church – one formed out of the necessity of shaping a church when all of the English priests were recalled because of the war.  Congregations were left without clergy to lead them, and so some lay leaders, along with clergy that stayed, came together to form a new church – the Methodist church.

It is exactly because of the way this church formed that we face a distinct structure in the scope of Christianity.  The UM church, on a national level and to some point on a local level, is modeled after the structure of the United States government.  We have an executive branch (Bishops, District Superintendents, national/conference officials, and pastors) who have a responsibility for the day to day work of the church.  Our legislative branch comes in the form of our general, annual, and charge conferences.  These bodies meet to decide the “law” of the church, the general (or worldwide) conference meets every 4 years, and the annual (area) and charge (local) conference meet yearly, with an equal balance of clergy and non-clergy representatives.  Our church also has a judical branch, with a national judicial council that serves as the “supreme court” of the church, as well as having methods for handling disputes on an area and local level.  All the “branches” have duties and responsibilities along with appropriate checks and balances.

How does this structure help us as a church?  It places the power and responsibility not on one person (a pastor), but on the church as a whole.  It is not a church led exclusively by the clergy, but managed through a cooperation between clergy and non-clergy.  Neither does the non-clergy have an overabundance of power, but the clergy have the assurance that they are part of the greater church and have a larger support structure.

Maybe the UM church isn’t on the cutting edge of innovation, but we can stand firm in the idea that our structure gives us stability to move through the bumps of a changing world.  We can trust that our balance gives us a great foundation as we serve Christ and seek to spread His love in the world.

Methodism is a unique animal in the world of church formation.  Most churches are formed out of some theological disagreement.  One church believes “x” while a group in that church believes “y”, and so the “y” group breaks off to form a new church.  It’s the story for almost every church, but it’s not the story of the beginning of Methodism.  John Wesley never intended to form a new church.  He was an ordained pastor in the Church of England and saw his role as reformer.  His passion was not to carry the banner for a new theological movement, but to transform the practice and ministry of the Church of England.  He had no theological disagreements with the church, but instead saw the church as having lost it’s passion and focus.  The church had become a social club and was failing to have personal impact in people’s lives or making any impact on the society around it.  He began to preach outside to the masses, sharing the gospel with those who were not welcomed in church buildings.  He formed groups to study the bible and took seriously the idea that Christians should not only live differently, but should seek to become Christlike in all ways.  Wesley began reaching out to those in need and fully intergrated charity to those in need within the life of the church.  All the while he held firm in the traditional, orthodox beliefs that have been held by the church for centuries.

Wesley was good friends with people who disagreed with him theologically.  George Whitfield, the great evangelist of the First Great Awakening, was a close friend.  Wesley’s passion was not for pushing a particular theological bend, but for helping people discover Christ and begin to live the life He intends.

The Methodist church continues today to be a church dedicated to transforming lives.  Some would say that our lack of theological focus has led to the church falling away from Wesley’s teaching.  The Confessing Movement is a movement within the UM church dedicated to restoring and protecting the church theologically to the orthodox foundation that Wesley taught.  Within that foundation there is great freedom to serve God in a variety of ways.  But above all the church has a focus of transforming personal lives for Christ.  In the essentials of faith we have unity.  In the non-essentials we have charity.  In all things we live to love and honor Christ.

I don’t know when I was first introduced to Mazlow’s Hierarchy of Needs, but it had enough impact that I still remember it.  Basically, Mazlow noticed that people focus on certain things in life before they focus on others.  Certain needs were foundational (food, water, etc.) and one would need to have those needs met before he/she could focus on other needs, such as security or love.

While John Wesley never stated it this way, there is a unique approach that Wesley used to develop his theology.  Theologians call it the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, a term coined by Wesleyan scholar Albert Outler.  To put it simply, John Wesley used four approaches in determining his theology – scripture, tradition, reason, and experience.  Theologians have given a number of descriptions of how these all work together, none of which have really helped me understand how it all works.  Finally I studied it myself and have come to an understanding of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral that I think works.  I call it Wesley’s Hierarchy of Truth. Continue reading →

It was May 24, 1738 and a young priest in the Church of England was on a desperate search. He looked around and saw a church that wasn’t living up to what it said it believed. The people who were in the pews for the most part held a pompous piety that held no strength beyond the church walls. They knew the prayers and dressed the part, but did not live out lives of love. All around England society was falling apart. The poor were not cared for. Drunkenness was destroying lives and families. John Wesley knew something must be done, but did not know what or how. He had returned from an unsuccessful trip as a missionary to America and lacked focus and direction. So on that faithful day in May he went to worship with a group of Moravians (a church group focused on prayer and personal faith development) and while worshiping with them felt his heart “strangely warmed.” Continue reading →