A Loyal Disruption?
Beginning in 2016, General Superintendent Wayne Schmidt asked Wesleyans to consider an important question, “What will it take to become a movement once again?” There has been much activity since then, but no definitive answer. A few of us embarked on a journey to consider this question again.
We are pastors, church planters, district leaders, teachers, and loyal members of The Wesleyan Church.
We’ve been reading books on the history of movements, sharing ideas, and interviewing leading historians and thinkers. This summer, we traveled to England and toured Epworth, Oxford, Bristol, London, and other key cities while meeting Wesleyan scholars who shared their insights. We asked hard questions and, in many cases, received even harder answers.
Through a series of articles, released once or twice a month, we want to share a few things we have learned and make a case for what we believe are a few of the most pressing issues we must wrestle with if we want to continue to pursue a Spirit-led movement.
This means we will raise specific and serious questions about what we believe needs to change within our tribe. And some things need to change.
Change is usually uncomfortable and can often be divisive. But it doesn’t have to be. We draw inspiration from those first Methodists who were both the fiercest critics of the Church of England and, at the same time, its most loyal defenders.
We have called this series "A Loyal Disruption ” because we believe a disruption in our trajectory is necessary. We also believe those most loyal to our tribe should be wrestling with us. We want to invite you to the table.
Jesus has always been at the forefront of movement, and the more we study the great movements of church history, the more we are convinced that movements begin with a love for lost and broken people. This same sacrificial love was on full display throughout the Wesleyan movement.
Movements happen because of that kind of love. To get each article when it appears, please click the Subscribe button below!
