Part of a series on Methodism

John Wesley

Background Christianity Protestantism Pietism Anglicanism Arminianism Methodism or the Methodist movement is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... File links The following pages link to this file: Arminianism Methodism United Methodist Church George Whitefield John Wesley Francis Asbury Charles Wesley Pietism African Methodist Episcopal Church Thomas Coke (Methodist) Prevenient Grace Christian perfection Atonement (Governmental view) List of Methodist theologians Imparted righteousness World Methodist Council Template:Methodism Methodist Church... John Wesley (June 17, 1703–March 2, 1791) was an 18th-century Anglican clergyman and Christian theologian who was an early leader in the Methodist movement. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... Protestantism is one of three main groups within Christianity, whose beliefs are centered on Jesus. ... Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late-17th century to the mid-18th century. ... The term Anglican (from Medieval Latin ecclesia anglicana, meaning the English Church) is used to describe the people, institutions and churches as well as the liturgical traditions and theological concepts developed by the established Church of England, the Anglican Communion and the Continuing Anglican Churches (a loosely affiliated group of... For the Armenian nationality, see Armenia or the Armenian language. ...

Doctrinal distinctives Articles of Religion Prevenient Grace Governmental Atonement Imparted righteousness Christian perfection The Articles of Religion are an official doctrinal statement of American Methodism. ... Prevenient grace is a Christian theological concept rooted in Augustinian theology[1] and embraced primarily by Arminian Christians who are influenced by the theology of John Wesley and who are part of the Methodist movement. ... The Governmental view of the atonement (also known as the moral government theory) is a doctrine in Christian theology related to the meaning and effect of the death of Jesus Christ and has been traditionally taught in Arminian circles. ... Imputed righteousness, in Methodist theology, is that gracious gift of God given at the moment of the new birth which enables a Christian disciple to strive for holiness and sanctification. ... Christian Perfection is a Christian doctrine which maintains that after conversion but before death a Christians soul may be cleansed from the stain of original sin. ...

People Richard Allen Francis Asbury Thomas Coke Albert C. Outler Charles Wesley George Whitefield Bishops · Theologians Richard Allen (14 February 1760 - 26 March 1831) was born a slave of Benjamin Chew at Germantown, Pennsylvania (now a part of Philadelphia), but his family was soon sold to Stockley Sturgis whose plantation was near Dover, Delaware. ... Francis Asbury (1745-1816) was born at Handsworth, near Birmingham, England of Methodist parents. ... The Right Reverend Thomas Coke, M.A., D.C.L. (9 September 1747-2 May 1814) is known as the Father of Methodist Missions. ... Albert Cook Outler (1908-1989) was a 20th century American Methodist theologian and philosopher. ... Charles Wesley (12 December 1707 - 29 March 1788) was a leader of the Methodist movement, the younger brother of John Wesley. ... George Whitefield (December 16, 1714 - September 30, 1770), was a minister in the Church of England and one of the leaders of the Methodist movement. ...

Largest groups World Methodist Council United Methodist Church AME Church Church of the Nazarene British Methodist Church The World Methodist Council is a group composed of most of the worlds Wesleyan / Methodist denominations, working toward mission and unity. ... This article is about the current denomination in the United States. ... The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church, is a Christian denomination founded by Bishop Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816. ... The Church of the Nazarene is a Protestant denomination within the tradition of evangelical Methodism. ... The Methodist Church of Great Britain or British Methodist Church is the largest Wesleyan / Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations across Great Britain and the Isle of Man. ...

Related movements Holiness movement Salvation Army Personalism Pentecostalism The Holiness movement is composed of people who believe and propagate the belief that the carnal nature of man can be cleansed through faith and by the power of the Holy Spirit if one has had his sins forgiven through faith in Jesus. ... Shield of The Salvation Army The Salvation Army is a non-military evangelical Christian organization founded in 1865 by one time Methodist minister William Booth. ... Personalism is the school of thought that consists of three main principles: Only persons are real (in the ontological sense), Only persons have value, and Only persons have free will. ... The Pentecostal movement within Evangelical Christianity places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as shown in the Biblical account of the Day of Pentecost. ... This box: view • talk • edit

A Methodist local preacher is a lay person who has been accredited by a Methodist church to lead worship on a regular basis. Local preachers play an important role in the Methodist Church of Great Britain and other churches historically linked to it, and have also been important in English social history. The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... The Methodist Church of Great Britain or British Methodist Church is the largest Wesleyan / Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations across Great Britain and the Isle of Man. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

Historical background

"Local preachers" have been a part of Methodism from its beginnings as a revival movement in eighteenth century England. John Wesley tried to avoid a schism with the Church of England, and encouraged those who attended his revivalist meetings to attend their parish churches. However it quickly became necessary to build "preaching houses" where the Methodist meetings could be held, and these rapidly began to function as alternative churches even before the formal break with the Anglican church that resulted from Wesley's 1784 ordination of ministers to serve in the United States following the American War of Independence. Before the schism, Wesley had as accredited preachers only a handful of fellow Anglican priests who shared his view of the need to take the gospel to the people where they were. Because of their small number, these priests were necessarily itinerant, travelling around the country like Wesley himself. He therefore appointed local preachers, who were not ordained but whom he examined, and whom he felt he could trust to lead worship and preach, though not to minister sacraments. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... John Wesley (June 17, 1703–March 2, 1791) was an 18th-century Anglican clergyman and Christian theologian who was an early leader in the Methodist movement. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... In most Protestant churches, a minister is a member of the ordained clergy who leads a congregation or participates in a role in a parachurch ministry; such a person may also be called a Pastor, Preacher, Bishop, Chaplain or Elder. ... The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ... In Catholic belief and practice, a sacrament is a rite that mediates divine grace, constituting a sacred mystery. ...

As the independent Wesleyan church developed following the schism and Wesley's death, a pattern was soon established in which ordained ministers, whose number was still limited, were attached for a short period (at first three years, subsequently five, and now more usually seven) to a circuit, a local group of churches that were within a reasonable horse ride of one another. The circuit minister had pastoral oversight and administered sacraments, but the majority of services were led, and sermons preached, by local preachers. In its essentials, this pattern remains to the present day. Although by the end of the nineteenth century, most circuits were staffed by several ministers, there were almost always more churches in the circuit than ministers, many of them offering two or three services every Sunday. The need for local preachers has never declined. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Women as local preachers

In early Methodism, a number of women served as local preachers (the heroine of George Eliot's Adam Bede is represented as one - although not a Wesleyan Methodist). However, in Wesleyan Methodism, from 1803 women were restricted to addressing women-only meetings, a ban that was not lifted until 1910. Many women, such as Sarah Mallet, however, ignored this ban. From 1918 on, women local preachers were recruited and deployed on exactly the same basis as men, whereas they were not admitted into the ordained ministry until 1974. George Eliots birthplace at South Farm, Arbury George Eliot is the pen name of Mary Anne Evans[1] (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880), who was an English novelist. ... Adam Bede is George Eliots first novel, published anonymously in 1859; it took at once with both critic and public. ... 1803 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Year 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

Importance of local preachers in English social history

Local preachers have always been required to undergo some form of training and examination - the examination being concerned with their doctrinal orthodoxy as well as with their knowledge of the scriptures and the history and doctrines of the church. Because Methodism had great strength among the lower middle classes and skilled working classes in nineteenth century England, training as a local preacher was one of the ways in which intelligent people who had little chance of formal schooling acquired education and an ability at public speaking. Although the church as an institution was by no means politically radical, many of its members were, and the discipline and eloquence of Methodist local preachers found a ready use in the developing labour movement of the later nineteenth century. Many of the founders of the trade union movement and the Labour Party in Britain were local preachers, perhaps most famously four of the Tolpuddle martyrs, including their leader George Loveless. A Trade Union (Labour union) ... is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ... The Labour Party is a centre-left or social democratic political party in Britain (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ... The Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of 19th century British labourers led by John Barnwell who were arrested for and convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. ...

Training and accreditation of local preachers today

Currently, the training for local preachers consists of a correspondence course supported by local tutors, with examination on its content by continuous assessment rather than unseen examination. Those offering themselves for training first ask for a note to preach from the superintendent minister of their circuit, and if deemed acceptable are then listed as on note and begin the course of study, which takes between two and five years to complete. At the same time they begin to accompany an accredited preacher and share in the leadership of worship. After some months, provided favourable reports are received at the quarterly meeting of all preachers (ordained and lay) in their circuit, they then progress to being on trial, and are allowed to lead worship on their own, though the preachers' meeting continues to appoint preachers and other local officers to audit their services and make reports. The preachers' meeting also carries out an oral doctrinal examination at the beginning of training, at intermediate points, and before the final acceptance of the candidate as an accredited preacher. Final accreditation is referred to as being received onto full plan, the Circuit plan being the schedule of preaching appointments for the circuit.

The correspondence course is organised on a connexional (national) basis, but all other aspects of the training and examination of preachers are dealt with at the local circuit level. However, once received onto full plan a local preacher who moves to another circuit is entitled to preach there - though it is always up to the superintendent minister whether any preacher is given any appointments.

All candidates for ordination as a presbyter in the Methodist Church in Great Britain are required to be received onto full plan as local preachers before they can be accepted as candidates or begin their training.

Local preachers and the liturgy

Compared to lay people in some other demoninations, Methodist local preachers have are accorded significant authority over the progress of a service, rather than just delivering the sermon. A local preacher may, at his or her discretion do a number of different things:

• modify the order of service
• omit or include any part of the order of service
• determine which Bible readings are to be included, his or her views taking precedence to those reading defined in the liturgy

The word leitourgia is derived from the two Greek words, leos and ergon. Leos, meaning the people of God and Ergon meaning the work. ...

Local preachers worldwide

The institution of local preachers spread from the original Wesleyan Methodist church to the other Methodist denominations that developed in Britain; and from Britain to Methodist churches in other countries, particularly those that were founded or supported by the UK Methodist church, such as the churches in India, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Fiji, and many countries in Africa. The title of "local preacher" was used historically in several Methodist denominations in North America, and local preachers there had the right to marry and bury people (though not to administer Communion) as well as to lead worship. But the role has more or less vanished from America to-day. Although the modern US United Methodist Church recognises an order of "lay speakers", they do not have the authority or the responsibility for leading worship in the same way as a local preacher in Britain. Within the last decade, the United Methodist Church began an order called "local pastors," which are appointed by a bishop to serve in one local charge and resemble the local preacher model. A religious denomination, (also simply denomination) is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity. ... West Indian redirects here. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... This article is about the current denomination in the United States. ... A lay speaker is a position in the United Methodist Church for the laity. ...

Lay preaching in other denominations

Although Methodism has probably organised the institution of local preaching more thoroughly than any other denomination, lay preachers are of course used by many other churches. The other non-conformist churches in Britain have long had similar arrangements, and the Church of England now makes considerable use of "lay readers", a title also used in the Roman Catholic church. However Anglican and Catholic lay readers, and indeed the lay preachers of other denominations, have never quite enjoyed the status within their own churches, or the recognition beyond them, that are associated with the Methodist local preacher. A religious denomination, (also simply denomination) is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity. ... In English history, a non-conformist is any member of a Protestant congregation not affiliated with the Church of England. ... St. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... A Lay Reader is a layperson authorized by a bishop of the Anglican or Roman Catholic church to read some parts of a service of worship. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...