Abstract
Is there Hope for a diminishing Church? In the context of 18th century Anglican decline, John Wesley’s Methodists saw great growth. Wesley’s contemporaries say it was his attention to spiritual growth in the context of classes and bands that caused sustained increase in the society. But what do the people that made up the classes and bands say drew them in? This paper gives voice to these people. Letters of people within the classes and bands are analyzed to find what drew out their spiritual passion. Modern institutions that are successfully tapping into these stated needs are then analyzed to see how they might also inform today’s church.
Degree Date
Fall 12-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Ministry
Advisor
Dr. Alyce McKenzie
Second Advisor
Dr. James Lee
Subject Area
Theology/Religious Education
Number of Pages
122
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Kirby, Eddie, "Band of Hope: How the Voice of the People in John Wesley’s Classes and Bands Informs Today’s Church" (2021). Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses. 10.
https://scholar.smu.edu/theology_ministry_etds/10
Notes
Methodism, small group, class and band, motivation, church growth, spiritual passion, community, spiritual growth, discipleship