Pondering Wesley's Model For Today

Monday, April 7th, 2008

There is resurgence in our day for human beings to no longer be totally individualistic but we are seeing more people yearning for community. Today our cities and suburbs are full of lonely people who long for a sense of community those once rural neighborhoods, towns and cities their reputations. There needs to be a return to the Wesleyan model for Christian community, which is something that has been based totally from Scripture. Since Creation it is made clear that humans are made for relationships. The church is described in Scripture as having both an identity and relationship as the people of God not just a gathering of individuals who come together out of their own motives.

When Jesus called people he called people to be with him so they could be like him. He not only calls people to be with him but he calls people together to be with him. When he called the disciples he called them as a group or community. One cannot talk about spiritual transformation without talking about community, which is about the mission of Jesus. This is seen in early Methodist where Christianity was not an individualistic idea but something, which was carried out in societies, bands, and classes. The practice of community should be seen as an integral part of the Church as something that belongs to Christ with the eschatological reality that is here on earth. The community of faith is something that is a reality on earth because of the power of the Holy Spirit. The ascension of Christ does not leave the church powerless or with a loss of identity but empowered by the Holy Spirit waiting with expectation for the bridegroom to come back for her. In the mean time Christians are to pursue entire sanctification as a community of faith.

A question I have been pondering lately has been how would Wesley succeed in establishing Methodism in today’s context. Without a doubt England witnessed an unprecedented revival that lasted over fifty years. What separated Wesley from other leaders was his dedications to seeing people grow in their faith. Many of Wesley’s contemporaries believed that evangelist George Whitefield was a stronger preacher than Wesley who had many converts to show for it. The one thing Whitefield lamented over was his lack of organization compared to Wesley small group model. Whitefield said his followers were scattered like ropes of sand. Wesley refused to preach in a town if he could not set up his small group model (bands and classes). How would Wesley introduce his “high commitment discipleship model” to an individualistic society who thinks they have everything, wants to be entertained, and is scared of commitment? More specifically I am asking what does it look like in our church plant context?