The Story of the Wesleyan Church

The Story of the Wesleyan Church
Author: Robert Black
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018-06-29
Genre:
ISBN: 9781632572233

From its fiery revivalists to socially conscious reformers, The Wesleyan Church is a movement with a rich tradition and inspiring history in America. Robert Black and Keith Drury trace the church's heritage from its roots in European and American Methodism, through the 1968 merger of the Wesleyan Methodist and Pilgrim Holiness Churches, all the way to recent historic events. With a contemporary, conversational style, The Story of the Wesleyan Church offers a reader-friendly narrative of the growth and development of the church. Photographs throughout the book, with detailed captions, provide a journalistic map for easy access. The coauthors each represent one of the merging denominations which formed the church in 1968, weaving Pilgrim Holiness and Wesleyan Methodist threads into a single, colorful tapestry that both represents the history and anticipates the future of The Wesleyan Church. Pastors, students, and others interested in what God is doing in the world will not want to miss this narrative history. Let God's past faithfulness inspire your work toward the future!

Queering Wesley, Queering the Church

Queering Wesley, Queering the Church
Author: Keegan Osinski
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 135
Release: 2021-07-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1725254050

Fifty years after Stonewall, the experiences of LGBTQ+ Christians are--rightfully--beginning to be received with interest by their churches. Queering Wesley, Queering the Church presents a prototype for thinking about Wesleyan holiness as an expansive openness to the love and grace of God in queer Christian lives rather than the limiting and restrictive legalism that is sometimes found in Wesleyan theology and praxis. This inventive project consists of queer readings of ten John Wesley sermons. Reading these sermons from a queer perspective offers the church a fresh paradigm for theological innovation, while remaining in line with the tradition and legacy of Wesley that is so central and generative to Wesleyan churches. Arguing that a coherent line of thought can be drawn from Wesley's conception of holiness to the queer, holy lives of LGBTQ+ Christians, Queering Wesley, Queering the Church playfully utilizes queer theory in a way that is fully compatible with Wesleyan teaching. This book aims to be a first step in seriously considering the theological voices of LGBTQ+ Christians in the Wesleyan tradition as a valuable asset to a vital church.

Marks of a Movement

Marks of a Movement
Author: Winfield Bevins
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2019-09-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310093252

Marks of a Movement calls us back to the disciple-making mandate of the church through the timeless wisdom of John Wesley and the Methodist movement. With a love for history and a passion for today’s church, Winfield helps us reimagine church multiplication in a way that focuses on making and multiplying disciples for the twenty-first century. Winfield Bevins reminds us of the vital multiplication lessons from the Wesleyan movement, one of the greatest missional movements the world has ever known. He highlights the necessity of discipleship as the starting point and the abiding strategic practice that is key to all lasting missional impact in and through movements. The Methodist movement is an example of the power of multiplying movements that utilize the strategy of discipleship. Within a generation, one in thirty people who were living in Britain had become Methodists, and the movement soon became a worldwide phenomenon. We in the Western Church need a movement of historic proportions once again. What would such a multiplication movement look like for us today? We must look to the past to gain wisdom for the future. And as we look at the pages of church history, there is no better example of a multiplication movement in the West than the Methodist movement of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Marks of a Movement highlights the lessons and key insights that enable us to learn from the past and reapply this timeless, biblical wisdom for today.

Calvin vs. Wesley

Calvin vs. Wesley
Author: Dr. Don Thorsen
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Total Pages: 187
Release: 2013-10-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1426775067

Congregations are made up of people with all sorts of theologies. Pastor Mike Slaughter even says that these can stand in the way of the church’s mission of social and personal holiness. But most people do not adopt a theology on purpose, mostly they merely breathe in the prevailing cultural air. The theology "de jour" seems to be Calvinist, with its emphasis on “the elect” and “other worldly salvation.” In fact, there is so much Calvinism saturating the culture, that some do not even know there is an alternative way of thinking about their faith. They don’t know where to go to find a viable option; they don’t even know the key words to search Google. So people are left thinking like Calvinists but living with a desire to change the world, offering grace and hope to hurting people in mission and ministry—loving the least, the last, and the lost. In other words, they are living like Wesleyans. This book shows what Calvinist and Wesleyans actually believe about human responsibility, salvation, the universality of God’s grace, holy living through service, and the benefits of small group accountability--and how that connects to how people can live. Calvinists and Wesleyans are different, and by knowing the difference, people will not only see the other benefits of Wesleyan theology but will be inspired to learn more. By knowing who they are as faithful people of God, they will be motivated to reach out in mission with renewed vigor. And they won’t be obstacles to grace and holiness, but they can be better disciples and advocates for Christ through service in this world.

Sticky Church

Sticky Church
Author: Larry Osborne
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2008-12-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 031031299X

Why closing the back door of your church is even more important than opening the front door wider. In Sticky Church, author and pastor Larry Osborne offers a time-tested strategy for doing so: sermon-based small groups that dig deeper into the weekend message and tightly velcro members to the ministry. It's a strategy that enabled Osborne's congregation to grow from a handful of people to one of the larger churches in the nation—without any marketing or special programming. Sticky Church tells the inspiring story of North Coast Church's phenomenal growth and offers practical tips for launching your own sermon-based small group ministry. Topics include: Why stickiness is so important Why most of our discipleship models don't work very well Why small groups always make a church more honest and transparent What makes groups grow deeper and sticker over time Sticky Church is an ideal book for church leaders who want to start or retool their small group ministry—and velcro their congregation to the Bible and each other.

The Story of the Christian Church

The Story of the Christian Church
Author: Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
Publisher: Ravenio Books
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2016-03-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

Dive into the epic saga of faith, courage, and transformation that spans centuries—the story of the Christian Church. In this captivating narrative, Jesse Lyman Hurlbut weaves together the threads of history, theology, and human endeavor to illuminate the remarkable journey of Christianity. From the humble beginnings of a small band of disciples in Jerusalem to the global movement that shapes cultures and hearts today, The Story of the Christian Church unfolds with vivid detail. Hurlbut invites you to witness the struggles, triumphs, and pivotal moments that shaped the Church’s destiny.

The Absolute Basics of the Wesleyan Way

The Absolute Basics of the Wesleyan Way
Author: Phil Tallon
Publisher:
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2020
Genre: Christian life
ISBN: 9781628247725

"A 12-session study packed with dynamic illustrations and compelling analogies that explore the key elements of the Wesleyan movement. The lessons work through three primary sections: John Wesley's life, his core theological message, and the legacy of Wesley's leadership on the Methodist church. Like its predecessor, The Absolute Basics of the Christian Faith, this book can be studied individually, but is designed for group use. The accompanying videos are perfect for new member or confirmation classes, and for small-group or youth group settings. Rich in both history and faith-building, this study walks readers of all ages through a fundamental understanding of the value of scripture, prayer, communion, spiritual relationships, and the power of salvation, as evidenced in the life and teachings of John Wesley."--Publisher

Lead Like Wesley

Lead Like Wesley
Author: Mark Gorveatte
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781632571250

When John Wesley responded to God's call, it wasn't a clever corporate strategy that would lead to the historic transformation of the church-it was personal. Wesley followed and God in turn empowered him to transform and empower others to likewise lead. In Lead Like Wesley, author Mark Gorveatte offers a guided tour of foundational leadership principles ("helps") gleaned from the wealth of Wesley's wisdom and experience. With thoughtful, authentic application from Gorveatte "s own decades of ministry leadership trials and errors, he distills practical leadership principles that can ignite transformation today in both lay and professional ministry leadership. Begin the transformation of your leadership style by following God and by learning to lead like Wesley. Book jacket.

A Wesleyan Theology of the Eucharist

A Wesleyan Theology of the Eucharist
Author: Jason E. Vickers
Publisher: United Methodist General Board of Higher Education
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2016-10-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780938162520

Recover the Eucharist for church and ministry.