Wesley created the classes for welcoming, caring for one another, salvation, and sanctification
Odilon Massolar Chaves
Copyright © 2023, Odilon Massolar Chaves
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"But the Methodists and their little groups who cared for each
other provided many with a place of hope and community. As Kevin Watson states
'in the vast work of social organization that is one of the dominant features
of nineteenth-century England, it would be difficult to overestimate the role
played by the Wesleyan revival.' Revolution or not, there is no arguing that
anything close to the storming of the Bastille happened. One cannot concede the
success of the Methodists solely on the basis of John Wesley's field preaching.
As innovative and risky as his willingness to get outside the walls of the
church was, it was probably something else that contributed even more. George
Whitefield himself, the best-known field preacher of the day, believed that
Wesley's impact had more to do with the care he took to organize the masses
into classes and bands. He attributed Wesley's success, and lack of his, to
Wesley's creation, organization, and maintenance of the class meeting.[1]
Table of Contents
·
Introduction
· The Origin and Influence of the Society on Methodism
· Methodist Societies
·
The Bands
·
The Classes
·
The classes supervised by Charles Wesley
·
The role of the Class Leader and Assistant
·
The classes supervised by John Wesley
·
The importance of classes, bands and societies
Introduction
"The
Revolution of the Classes" is a book especially based on the diary of John
and Charles Wesley.
The classes
provided acceptance, confession, growth, and sanctification. They had the purpose
of salvation and to seek a holy life.
In the classes
there were no studies, but monitoring on the development of the Christian life
of the participants.
According to
Michael Henderson, "the class meeting turned out to be the main means of
bringing millions of the most desperate people in England into the liberating
discipline of the Christian faith." [2]
He wrote
"John Wesley's Class Reunion: A Model for Making Disciples," where
the class is placed in a larger context in Wesley's organization.
It was a time
of revolutions: the Industrial Revolution, the American Revolution, the French
Revolution, etc. In Methodism there was the revolution of the[3] Wesleyan classes.
According to
Methodist Kevin Watson, the success of Methodism in eighteenth-century England
cannot be conceived of with Wesley's field preaching alone.
The impact had
to do with the care he took to organize the masses into classes and bands.
Wesley was the
organizing genius who was always on missions. He was wise in the conduct of
societies, bands and classes.
In addition to
societies and bands, in 1742, Wesley included classes in the Methodist
organization.
In the diaries
of Charles and John Wesley there is a record of struggles, difficulties, moving
of the Holy Spirit, restorations, and ministrations.
They in their
diaries reveal the day-to-day life of the members of the bands and classes.
Lives that had
the purpose of sanctifying themselves and that sought in the small Wesleyan
groups a strength and support to continue in the Christian walk.
The Author
The
Origin and Influence of the Society on Methodism
"In
1742, a Society in London had 426 members, who were divided into 65
classes"
Religious societies were started in England by Anthony Horneck (1641-1697). He was a Protestant German clergyman who moved to England. "He studied theology at Heidelberg and arrived in England about 1661. In 1663 he was appointed a fellow of Queen's College, Oxford and vicar of All Saints, Oxford, in 1664."[4]
Anthony was a fervent Pietist, committed Anglican, preacher, and a reformer.[5]
"He preached salvation. He avoided disputes over non-essential things. Most significantly, he organized religious societies of awakened souls beginning in 1678."[6]
Society in Oxford
The Oxford Methodists found that the only way they could keep their zeal and spirituality alive was to meet together often[7].
The Oxford society began in the late winter of 1729/30 when Bob Kirkham began to meet John Wesley, Charles Wesley, and Morgam regularly.
They organized the Holy Club and were called Methodists.
Societies in America
As a missionary in America in 1735, John Wesley invested in creating societies with the most committed people in the congregation. The goal was to develop the spiritual life.
Wesley organized two small societies seeking to follow the example of the society (Holy Club) of Oxford, England.
In Frederica. On June 10, 1736, Wesley began to have meetings similar to what he did in Oxford, at the Holy Club. He spent time with the more committed singing, reading, and talking.
In Savannah. Wesley established a small group with fixed days in Savannah.
Faced with initial difficulties, Wesley understood that he needed to see new ways to be useful to the small flock of Savannah.
On the 11th of April, 1735, they agreed to form "a sort of little society, and to meet once or twice a week, in order to rebuke, instruct, and exhort one another. 2. To select from these a smaller number for a more intimate union with one another, which might be directed, partly by conversing individually with each one, and partly by inviting them altogether into our house; and this, therefore, we have determined to do every Sunday afternoon."[8]
Society of Fetter-Lane
In England, the Moravian leader Peter Bohler organized on May 1, 1738 (before Wesley's experience) the Society of Fetter Lane, London.
John Wesley and John Hutton participated in the organization of the society.[9] The rules were intended to provide spiritual health. When Bohler left, he left Wesley at the head of the society.
Society in London
The growth of societies, bands and classes was remarkable.
"In 1742, a Society in London had 426 members, who were divided
into 65 classes. Within eighteen months, that same Society had 2200 members,
all of whom were members of a Class Meeting!"[10]
The Bands
"The
band reunion was the main expression of John Wesley's synthesis of Anglican and
Moravian piety"[11]
A central function of the band was what Wesley called "close talk".[12]
Band was a model for making disciples perfect. It was the ideal place to seek holiness of heart.[13]
The bands were small companies created to lead the Methodists to perfect love.
The bands were important in the process of forming the Methodist organization.[14]
"In addition to Society and Class meetings, bands of about five people of the same sex and marital status met to confess specific sins and struggles to one another. It is estimated that about 1 in 4 Methodists regularly participated in a band."[15]
The main activities of the bands "were confession and prayer; their goal was spiritual growth. The bands were homogeneous, according to the Moravian model; there were bands of women, men and even boys (...)."[16]
In 1738, Wesley went to Germany to learn about the Christian practice of holy men and bands.
Within his dynamism, Wesley applied some Moravian
practices and others he left aside.
The Classes
The class
meeting was "the most influential instructional unit of Methodism and
probably Wesley's greatest contribution to spiritual growth"[17]
There was a purpose to class meetings.
Their primary goal "was personal holiness. The Class Meeting served as a place where the 6–12 people gathered could be honest about their condition and receive loving exhortation and encouragement in their battles. It provided a forum where everyone was welcomed into an atmosphere of acceptance. They would share about the previous week's experience, thank God for progress, and honestly share their failures, temptations, or internal battles."[18]
With more details and
historical moments, we summarize a little about its beginning and development,
the struggles and victories.
The beginning
Wesley realized that some
Methodists were growing cold in the faith and something had to be done.
"The Wesleyan class meeting came into being in Bristol early in 1742,
somewhat by accident. Wesley was increasingly concerned that many Methodists
did not live the gospel; "several grew cold and gave way to the sins that
had long afflicted them easily." (Works, 77-78) Clearly, some mechanism
for exercising discipline was needed (...).[19]
To meet a debt
To meet the
debt of the preaching house in Bristol, the society there (now numbering over
1,100) was divided into 'classes' of a dozen each. Leaders were appointed to
secure weekly contributions to the debt, and Wesley, being Wesley, asked the
leaders also to 'make a private inquiry into the behaviour of those he saw
weekly'. (Works, 9:261) This afforded the opportunity to exercise
discipline."[20]
It began on
Monday, February 15, 1742. Wesley wrote in his diary, "Many assembled to
consult on a proper method of paying off the public debt; it was finally agreed
1) that every member of the society, who was able, should contribute a penny a
week; 2) that the whole society should be divided into small companies or
classes—about twelve in each class; and 3) that one person in each class should
take the contribution of the rest and bring it to the stewards weekly."[21]
Later, the
method was used in London and everywhere else.
Establishing
the classes in London
On Thursday,
March 25, 1742, Wesley decided to establish the classes in London, after much
talk: "I appointed several serious and sensible men to meet me, to whom I
showed the great difficulty I had long encountered in knowing the people who
wished to be under my care. After much conversation, they all agreed that there
was no better way of arriving at a sure and complete knowledge of each person
than to divide them into classes, such as those at Bristol, under the
inspection of those whom I could most trust. This was the origin of our classes
in London, for which I can never praise God enough; the indescribable
usefulness of the institution has since been more and more manifest."[22]
A crucial tool
Soon the Methodist class meeting "grew into much more than a capital campaign. It became a crucial tool to empower Methodists to "watch over one another in love," to support and encourage one another in their lives with God. In fact, John Wesley felt that the supervision and support that the class meeting provided was so important that it became a requirement for membership in a Methodist society. Being a Methodist meant that you were involved in a weekly class meeting."[23]
Class, a model for making
disciples
Wesley guided how people should be grouped: "In order that it may be more easily discerned whether they are really working out their salvation, each society is divided into smaller groups called classes, according to their residences. There are about 12 people in each class, one of whom is appointed to be the leader."[24]
David Lowes Watson, in his book Responsible Discipleship, a modern handbook on the class system, writes , "It was a weekly meeting, a subdivision of society, in which the members were required to give an account to each other of their discipleship, and thus to sustain one another in their witness."[25]
Each Methodist belonged to a class. The meeting was a sharing of the personal experience of the past week. They learned from this to have self-confidence and the ability to speak in public.
The class was a place for all people from different social backgrounds to be accepted.[26] All people confessed their faults and sought salvation and sanctification.
"In 1760 there were 20,000 individuals in the classes. By 1790 this number had more than doubled to over 53,000. Thus, of the total population of England and Wales of 8,216,096, approximately 6.5% were part of Methodist society in a class or band."[27]
Wesley wrote how a person was admitted to the class and the Society: Anyone determined to save his soul could be united with the Methodists (this is the only necessary condition). But this desire was to be proved by three marks: to avoid all known sin, to do good, and to attend to all the ordinances of God.
The person was then placed in a class that was convenient for him where he spent about an hour a week. And in the next quarter, not objecting to it, he would be admitted to the Society.
Discipline was paramount in the Methodist movement. "Wesley did not hesitate to expel anyone from society if they were not following the Lord wholeheartedly. Wesley knew the condition of each member through the accountability of the class."[28]
In one society, in 1743, he excluded some members: "Two for blasphemy. Two for profaning the Lord's Day. Seventeen for drunkenness. Two for selling liquor. Three for fighting. One for beating his wife. Three for habitually telling lies. Four for having scolded and spoken evil of others. One for laziness and vagrancy. And twenty-nine for worldliness and levity."[29]
"The classes served as an evangelistic tool (most conversions occurred in this context) and as an agent of discipleship."[30]
In Wesley's small groups, leaders shared "honestly about their failures, sins, temptations, or inner battles. They were the role models for others.
Class meetings revolved around personal experience, not doctrine or biblical information. Perfect love was the goal of class meetings."[31]
"The purpose of societies and classes was to work out the salvation of their members (cf. Phil. 2:12) and to seek a holy life ("without which no man shall see the Lord," Heb 12:14)."[32]
The classes were grouped geographically and contained all the people in the Society. By 1742, the Society of London had over a thousand members.
Wesley guided how people should be grouped together: "In order that it may be more easily discerned whether they are really working out their salvation, each society is divided into smaller groups called classes, according to their residences. There are about 12 people in each class, one of whom is appointed to be the leader."[33]
Members of the society received quarterly notes from Wesley or his ministers, "provided they had not missed more than three class meetings during the previous quarter. This led to their regular and active participation and provided a painless way to get rid of members who had violated the rules. It usually happened if someone did not want to improve and corrupted the group; as long as he had a spark of spiritual life, he was rarely excluded. Wesley himself paid close attention to his societies; he was not only an organizing genius, but he also cared for details."[34]
Classes differed from bands: they were grouped geographically rather than divided by age, sex, or marital status; they contained all the people in society, not just those who voluntarily grouped together.[35]
Boys and girls class
John Wesley saw the
need to put the boys and girls of society in classes. There was still no formal
Sunday School in the evangelical churches of England.
On November 23, 1760,
he said, "In the afternoon I assigned the children to meet at Bristol,
whose parents were of the society. Thirty of them came today, and more than
fifty on Sunday and Thursday following. About half of them I divided into four
classes, two of boys and two of girls; and I appointed suitable leaders to meet
them separately." [36]
Wesley made a point
of meeting with them in a meeting.
"I met them all
together, twice a week; and it wasn't long before God began to touch some of
their hearts. On Tuesday and Wednesday I visited some of the societies in the
country." [37]
In the Methodist structure, in England, in the eighteenth century, there were small and large groups - Societies, Bands, Classes and Agapes.
Religious societies were started in England by Anthony Horneck in the 1670s. They were made up of small groups of laymen, who represented an almost spontaneous fusion of moralism and devotion, zealous to promote real holiness.[38] Later, other groups emerged, such as the Society for the Reform of Morals, in 1691. "Concerned with the morality of the neighborhood, this society was designed to encourage and assist magistrates in carrying out their duties in enforcing the laws regarding moral offenses, especially 'profanation and debauchery.'"[39]
Another society arose – The SPCK (Society for the Propagation of the Gospel). This society sought to attack what it considered the root of the problem: ignorance. The SPCK sought to develop channels for the education of the people. "The program of the SPCK consisted mainly of stimulating the establishment of charitable schools to teach the poor, promoting the dissemination of lending libraries, and visiting prisoners to give them instruction and books, as well as providing them with religious assistance."[40]
Society was commonplace. Some of Wesley's friends had their own society, such as John Clayton.[41]
The Oxford Society began in the late winter of 1729/30 when Bob Kirkham began to meet with John and Charles Wesley and Morgam regularly. Gradually the group expanded its activities.
The Moravian leader Peter Bohler organized on May 1, 1738 (before Wesley's experience) the Society of Fetter Lane, which became the third emergence of Methodism.[42]
John Wesley and John Hutton participated in the organization of the society. The rules were intended to provide spiritual health. When Bohler went to London, he left Wesley at the head of the society.[43]
The Moravians are historically linked to Wesley's "warming heart" experience. He went to a Moravian Society on May 24, 1738, when he had his experience. Some scholars even speak of his "Moravian conversion".[44]
After his experience, Wesley went to Germany to spend time with them. Through the Moravians, Wesley learned about total dedication to the Lord.
John Wesley shared some of Count Zinzendorf's theological presuppositions, especially faith: "Christians are sanctified by faith in Christ alone; but Wesley has, moreover, the conviction that the sanctifying power of God's grace enters effectually into the lives of men, and equips them to perfect love of God and men."[45]
Because he was a practical person, there were theological statements that Wesley had to set aside.[46] He retained what he considered good.
"Wesley also paid close attention to the Moravian organization. The division of Herrnhut into neighborhood groups, called 'choirs,' provided the basis for eleven 'classes' based on geographic location. In addition to these were ten classes, determined by sex and age, which formed the basis for daily spiritual supervision for regular religious conversations."[47]
On the other hand, the Moravian faith and organization were accepted, in part, by Wesley and contributed to the formation of the Methodist identity.
When the evangelistic movement brought new pastoral challenges, Wesley knew how to make new decisions: "The growing need for structure and organization, as the movement grew in size and complexity, is reflected in the summary of a meeting held at the end of June, 1732, and recorded in Wesley's diary: 'I have separated men and tasks.'"[48]
"The purpose of societies and classes was to work out the salvation of their members (cf. Phil. 2:12) and to seek a holy life ("without which no man shall see the Lord," Heb 12:14)."[49]
The classes were grouped geographically and contained all the people in the Society. By 1742, the Society of London had over a thousand members.
Wesley guided how people
should be grouped: "In order that it may be more easily discerned whether
they are really working out their salvation, each society is divided into
smaller groups called classes, according to their residences. There are about
12 people in each class, one of whom is appointed to be the leader."[50]
"Members received quarterly notes from Wesley or his ministers,
provided they had not missed more than three class meetings during the previous
quarter. This led to their regular and active participation and provided a
painless way to get rid of members who had broken the rules. It usually
happened if someone did not want to improve and corrupted the group; as long as
he had a spark of spiritual life, he was rarely excluded. Wesley himself paid
close attention to their societies; he was not only an organizing genius, but
he also cared for details."[51]
Classes differed from bands: they were grouped geographically rather
than divided by age, sex, or marital status; they contained all the people in
society, not just those who voluntarily grouped together.[52]
Whenever possible, Wesley met with the leaders weekly.
The bands were important in the process of forming the Methodist organization. They were more Wesleyan than many societies.[53]
"Their main activities were confession and prayer; their goal was spiritual growth. The bands were homogeneous, according to the Moravian model; there were bands of women, men and even boys (...)."[54]
"The band consisted of 4 to 6 people of the same sex, marital status, and similar age. Membership was voluntary here (although Wesley emphatically propagated it at other gatherings as his favorite group), and it was for people who wanted to grow up inside, in the purity of their intentions as well. Members of these groups shared and examined their motives and impressions of their hearts with complete honesty."[55]
With the development of the Methodist movement, Wesley had to make radical decisions and separate himself from the Moravians. He sought his own model of bands. As a simple man who was sensitive to the problems of human beings, Wesley noticed mistakes in the Moravian model: "(...) it did not adapt well to the needs of the English working class, people who faced the difficulties of social change and the economic conditions of the world of daily work."[56]
The main purpose of the small groups was to bring together "people who are interested in seriously pursuing the study of holy living."[57]
Later, in the face of new demands, Wesley made new adaptations, created the select bands for those who had received the remission of sins and were having an exemplary life.
Wesley put some Bristol women who had become negligent in a separate band. It became known as penitential bands.[58]
There was also a large group called the Agapes "in which the members of all classes of a society met for the purpose of breaking bread together, following the custom of the early church, and where their Christian experiences were publicly reported."[59]
These adaptations and
openness to the new characterized Wesley and Methodism in England in the
eighteenth century.
The classes supervised by Charles Wesley
"I
have examined the Society of about a hundred, most of whom have received the
atonement by attending their classes; an argument for such meetings which I
cannot overcome"
Carlos Wesley was tireless in supervising, guiding, supporting, and ministering in the classes.
Among its functions was the examination of the classes:
Finding members of the same class
On May 10, 1739, Charles
wrote in his journal: "In the Bowers's Society I met Bell, Bray, Hutton,
Oxley, Holland, Ridley, and others of the same class. I resisted them to the
face, and appealed to the God who answers by fire, by the truth of my doctrine,
that ordinances bind all, both justified and unjustified. A woman testified
that the last time I expounded here, and commanded them, who had been
confounded, to ask Jesus Christ alone if they had faith, she asked in our
prayer, and immediately the love of God overflowed her heart," Charles
wrote.[60]
Examining the classes
On Monday, May 8, 1749, Charles Wesley wrote that he found it "a blessing to examine the classes. I left out a careless girl; and her mother came abusing me with horrible oaths and curses. Satan, I realized, did not like our work," [61] said Charles.
Examining the classes
On Friday, November 17, 1749. "I examined the classes; and returned with great bodily pains to Bristol," [62] said Charles.
Society and Class
"Received the Atonement by attending his classes"
On Tuesday, August 13, 1751, "I rode with my little family to Sunderland," said Charles. "I surveyed the Society of about a hundred, most of whom received the atonement by attending their classes; an argument for such meetings which I cannot overcome." At seven o'clock I preached in a large convenient room, full of attentive souls, whom I called, "Behold the Lamb of God." For an hour and a half my strength held."[63]
Examining Three Faltering Classes
On October 26, 1756, Charles wrote, "After preaching, I examined three of the most vacillating classes, and persuaded all but the Dissenters to return to church and sacrament. The treacherous traffickers dealt very treacherously. Even before our departure, the grave wolves are inserted, not sparing the flock. How much more, after our departure, will men rise up from ourselves, speaking wicked things, to draw disciples after them!"[64]
The role
of the Class Leader and Assistant
"Let the
Assistant, the Preachers, the Stewards, the Leaders know and perform their
various offices. Let none invade the other, but all move together in harmony
and love. Thus will the work of God flourish among you, perhaps as never
before; while you all maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace"
Wesley created the
classes in Bristol on February 15, 1742. Nearly thirty years later, Wesley
arrived on a trip on Sunday, April 31, 1771, and set out to investigate the
state of society in Dublin, Ireland.
"It was clear
that there was a continual shock, at least for the last two years, which
stumbled the people, weakened the hands of the preachers, and greatly hindered
[the work of God]," Wesley said. "I wanted to know the foundation of
it,"[65] and he was able to
find it.
Wesley then gathered
the leadership and exposed how the class should work.
He said: "On
Wednesday evening, I read to the leaders the following document: in order to
make it easier to discern whether the members of our societies are working on
their own salvation, they are divided into small groups, called classes.
One person in each of
them is called a Leader." [66]
Wesley then goes on
to give special guidance on the role of the leader:
"It's your
business," that is, your role, Wesley said.
"1. To see each
person in his class once a week; to inquire how their souls prosper; to
counsel, rebuke, comfort, or exhort them:
2. Receive what they
are willing to give for the expenses of society: And,
3. Meet with the
Assistant and the Butlers once a week." [67]
The one and only
business of a Leader
"In the
multitude of counselors there is safety"
Wesley further explained
to the leadership in Dublin:
"This is the
sole and exclusive business of a Leader, or any number of Leaders. But it is
common for the Assistant, anywhere, when several Leaders meet, to ask their
advice on anything that concerns the temporal or spiritual welfare of the
society. This he may or may not do, as he sees fit. I often do this in the
larger societies; and on many occasions I have found that in the multitude of
counsellors there is safety." [68]
Answering questions
"It's easy to answer
the following questions"
Wesley then used the
technique by making a question-and-answer questionnaire.
He said, "From
this brief overview of the original project of the Leaders, it is easy to
answer the following questions." [69]
And the questions and
answers were directed especially to the role of the leader:
"P. 1. What authority does a single
Leader have? He has the authority to attend his class, receive their
contributions, and visit the sick in his class.
Q. 2. By what
authority did all the leaders of a society meet?
They have authority
to show their class work to the Assistant; to give the money they have received
to the stewards and to bring the names of the sick." [70]
The role of the
Assistant
After teaching that
"it is common for the Assistant, anywhere, when several Leaders meet, to
ask their advice on anything that concerns the temporal or spiritual welfare of
society," [71] Wesley puts some
more guidance on the Assistant in his "questions and answers."
And he teaches about
the authority of the Assistant and the need to speak softly:
"Q. 3. But don't
they have the authority to restrain the Wizard if they think he acts
improperly?" [72]
"No more than
any member of society. After speaking softly with him, they should refer the
matter to Mr. W.
Q. 4. Do they have no
authority to prevent a person from preaching? No one but the Assistant has that
authority.
Q. 5. Do they not have the authority to
replace a particular leader?
No more than the
doorkeeper has. Placing and displacing Leaders is solely up to the Assistant.
Q. 6. Do they not have the authority to expel a certain member from the city?
No: the Assistant can only do that.
"Temporal
affairs belong to the Stewards; spiritual to the Assistant."
Q. 7. But have they
not authority to regulate the temporal and spiritual affairs of society?
Neither the one nor the other. Temporal affairs belong to the Stewards;
spiritual matters to the Assistant.
Q. 8. Do they have
the authority to make any charges of a public nature? No: the Assistant can
only do that.
Q. 9. Do they have
the authority to receive the annual subscription? - No: That also belongs to
the Assistant."[73]
And in the face of
this whole picture, Wesley said, "Considering these things, can we marvel
at the confusion that has existed here for some years?" [74]
After giving an
example of how the Methodist discipline works, Wesley said:
"Thus will the
work of God flourish among you, perhaps as never before; while you all maintain
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace"
"Let the Assistant, the Preachers, the Stewards, the Leaders know and perform their various offices. Let none invade the other, but all move together in harmony and love. Thus will the work of God flourish among you, perhaps as never before; while you all maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."[75]
The classes supervised by John Wesley
"I found the classes and was pleasantly surprised to find that that
bitterness against the Church, with which many were infected when I was here
before, was now completely over"
Wesley was the great leader, tireless, determined, a visionary with the purpose of bringing holiness to the Methodists.
The classes were created by Wesley and were fundamental within this process.
We highlight some of Wesley's visits and procedures in relation to the classes over a period of years:
Determined to Meet Again in Class
Faced with the
difficulties that were happening at Kingswood, on Friday, September 3, 1773,
Wesley went to Kingswood. "Since the last time God visited them, several
of them kept a measure of the fear of God. But they grew colder and colder,
until Ralph Mather found them at the end of August. Several then resolved to
meet in class again, and seemed to have good wishes."[76]
Decreasing even more
Elsewhere, on the
28th of June, 1769, Wesley said, "Wednesday and Thursday I visited the
classes. Diminishing still! Seven years ago we had about four hundred members
in this society; five years since then, about three hundred members. Two years
ago it was two hundred; now one hundred and ninety."[77]
Visiting classes
On Friday, November
11, 1768, "I returned to London. The following week I visited the classes,
and in the intervals I read Mr. Boswell's 'Corsica Report,'" [78]said Wesley.
Surprise to find the
classes
On Tuesday, June 3,
1762, "I found the classes, and was pleasantly surprised to find that that
bitterness against the Church, with which many had been infected when I was
here before, was now altogether ended: Yet the death which occasioned remained,
and I doubt it will continue. It will not be removed soon," [79] Wesley said.
Surprised on the
visit to the classes
On Tuesday, June 8,
1762, Wesley wrote, "I visited the classes, and was surprised to find no
testimony of the great salvation. Surely the flame that is kindled in Dublin
will not stop there. The next night God actually kindled it here; a cry went up
on every side; and the excited believers seemed all on fire to be "cleansed
from all unrighteousness."[80]
Comforted in the
visit to the classes
On the 9th day of
April, 1762, "being Good Friday," I nearly lost my voice from a cold.
Yet I spoke as I could until, before noon (being a waking night), I was able to
speak almost as well as before. On Easter day we had unusual congregations, as
indeed we had during the whole week: and I observed a firmer and more solid
demeanour in most of what is common in this kingdom. Monday and Tuesday I
labored visiting the classes; and I was much comforted among them: there was so
much hunger and thirst in all who tasted the grace of God after a complete
renewal in his image," said Wesley.[81]
No class
On the 15th of
January, 1762, Friday, "I preached at Yarmouth. Saturday, the 16th. I
transcribed the society at Norwich; but I did not account for two hundred of
them, as they knew no class. About four hundred remained; half of whom seemed
to be serious," [82]said Wesley.
Catering to classes
On Monday, December
2, 1761, at five, I began a course of sermons on Christian Perfection. At seven
I began to attend classes," [83]said Wesley.
What a work God is
working here too!
On Sunday, July 26,
1761, "I preached at seven o'clock in the morning, 'Lord, if thou wilt,
thou canst cleanse me.' And what a flame God has made. Kindle! Many were
"on fire, to be dissolved in love." About one I preached to the usual
congregation at Birstal. What a work God is working here too! Six in a class
this week found peace with God; two this morning in meeting with the
class."[84]
The
importance of classes, bands and societies
"Meanwhile,
most of those who were thus united kept 'striving to enter in through the narrow
gate' and to 'get hold of everlasting life'
One of the goals of the classes was to avoid spiritual backsliding, but also to provide spiritual progress.
Wesley said in 1748, "In a few months, the greater part of those who had begun to 'fear God, and to work righteousness,' but were not united, fainted in their minds, and returned to what they were before. Meanwhile, the greater part of those who were thus united continued to 'strive to enter in the strait gate,' and to 'lay hold upon eternal life.'"[85]
Whitefield recognized the
reason that converts with Wesley had stayed and sought holiness: membership in
bands, classes, and societies.
The words of George Whitefield commenting on Wesley's small group practice still speak to us today: "My brother Wesley acted wisely, the souls that were awakened in his ministry he gathered together in the classroom, and thus preserved the fruits of his labor. This I have neglected, and my people are a rope of sand."[86]
Praise for Whitefield
On Monday, October 25, 1756, Charles delivered high praise to George Whiefield.
"Never leave the Methodists, or God would leave them"
Charles Wesley wrote in his diary: "Here I rejoiced to hear of the great good which Mr. Whitefield did in our Societies. He preached as universally as my brother. He warned them everywhere against apostasy; and strongly insisted on the necessity of holiness after justification, illustrating it by this comparison: 'What good would the King's pardon do to a poor evildoer dying of fever? Thus, notwithstanding that ye have received pardon, unless the disease of your nature be cured by holiness, you can never be saved.' He defeated the spirit of separation, highly commended the prayers and services of our Church, charged our people to know their bands and classes constantly, and never to leave the Methodists, or God would leave them. In a word: he did all in his power to strengthen our hands, and deserves the thanks of all the Churches, for his abundant labor of love."[87]
The importance of cells is recognized by many leaders.
"The
great preacher Henry Ward Beecher said, 'The greatest thing John Wesley ever
gave to the world was the Methodist class meeting.' Dwight L. Moody agreed,
'Methodist class meetings are the best institution for training converts this
world has ever seen.'"[88]
Church of the
Nazarene theologian Mark A.
Maddix stated that the class meeting was "the most influential
instructional unit of Methodism, and probably Wesley's greatest contribution to
spiritual growth. The class meetings get a lot of credit because they radically
transformed the working masses of England."[89]
In 1763,
Wesley wrote in his diary:
"I was
more convinced than ever that to preach like an apostle, without uniting those
who are awakened, and training them in the ways of God, is only to beget
children for the murderer. How much preaching there has been for these twenty
years throughout Pembrokeshire! But no regular society, no discipline, no order
or connection: and the consequence is that nine out of ten of the once awakened
are now quicker to sleep than ever before."[90]
Pembrokeshire
is a county in south-west Wales.
The fact is
that class and band meetings revolutionized life and thousands of people in
Britain in the eighteenth century.
[1]https://www.amazon.com.br/Manuscript-Journal-Reverend-Charles-Wesley/dp/0687646146. Kevin Watson is a Methodist pastor and writer. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma (BA), Wesley Theological Seminary (MDiv) and Southern Methodist University (PhD). https://kevinmwatson.com/ about/
[2] Michael
Henderson, John Wesley's Class Meetings, Evangel Publishing House: Francis
Asbury Press, 1997, 28; https://joelcomiskeygroup.com/
2021/08/30/john-wesleys-discipleship-system/. D. Michael Henderson, is the
founder and executive Director of African Leadership, an organization that
trains African leaders for ministry in Africa.
[3] It derives
from CLASSIS, "class, army, division". It originally designated
"the people of Rome who could be called to arms", related to CALARE,
"to call". https://origemdapalavra.com.br/palavras/classe/
[4]
https://pt.frwiki.wiki/wiki/Anthony_Horneck
[5]
https://www.prints-online.com/anthony-horneck-14093440.html
[6] https://www.ebay.com/itm/313628009849
[7]
http://wesley.nnu.edu/?id=92
[8]
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:7.2?rgn=div2;view=fulltext
[9] Ibidem, p.79.
[10]
https://holyjoys.org/history-significance-class-meeting/
[11]https://academic.oup.com/book/27734/chapter-abstract/197911662?redirectedFrom=fulltext
[14] LELIÈVRE, Mateo. João Wesley, Sua vida e obra.
Editora Vida, 1997, p.118.
[16] There were
several societies in England. Wesley and other leaders of the Holy Club led
some, but they were not necessarily considered Methodist (HEITZENHATER, Richard
P., Ibidem, p.103).
[17]
https://belonggsumc.com/john-wesleys-small-groups-models-of-christian-community/.Mark
A. Maddix is Professor of Christian Education and Dean of the School of
Theology and Christian Ministries at Northwestern Nazarene University.
[20] Ditto.
[22] Ditto.
[23] https://kevinmwatson.com/
7/30/2010/the-methodist-class-meeting-for-the-21st-century-the-foundation/
[24] BURTNER, Robert; CHILES, Robert.
Collection of the Theology of John Wesley, ibidem, p.264.
[25]
http://www.disciplewalk.com/files/Joel_Comiskey_Methodist.pdf.
[26]
http://www.nph.com/nphweb//html/ht/article.jsp?id=10008759
[28] Ditto.
[29] WESLEY, John Wesley. Excerpts from
John Wesley's Diary. Translated by Paul Eugene Buyers. General Board of
Christian Education, 1965, p.41.
[30]
http://www.disciplewalk.com/files/Joel_Comiskey_Methodist.pdf.
[31]
http://www.ncnnews.com/nphweb/html/ht/article.jsp?id=10008759.
[34] Ditto.
[35] HEITZENHATER, Richard P., Ibidem,
p.104.
[36] https://wesleyscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Volume-3-Journal-1760-1773.pdf.
[37] Ditto.
[38] HEITZENHATER,
Richard P. Wesley and the people called
Methodist. Editeo-Pastoral Bennett, 1996, p.21.
[39] Ibidem, p.24.
[40] Ibidem., p.24.
[41] HEITZENHATER,
Richard P. Wesley and the people called
Methodist. idem, p.78.
[42] HEITZENHATER,
Richard P., Ibidem., p.78.
[43] Ibidem,
p.79;
[44] RUMBLE, L.
"Os Metodistas" em Vozes em Defesa da Fé. Petrópolis: Editora
Vozes Limitada, 1959, p.30.
[45] KLAIBER,
Walter; MARQUARDT, Manfred. Living the grace of God. Editeo-Editora
Cedro, 1999, p. 302.
[46] In 1739, with
Moravian tendencies, Philip Henry Molther began to teach in the London
societies that there were no means of grace, but Christ. They were to stand
"quiet" before the Lord. This "sublime theology" was
contrary to "all that Wesley had long believed and practiced." Wesley
exhorted societies to wait on the Lord in all their ordinances (HEITZENHATER,
Richard P., Ibid., p.106).
[47] HEITZENHATER,
Richard P. Ibid., p. 84.
[48] Ibidem,
p.45.
[51] Ditto.
[52] HEITZENHATER,
Richard P., Ibidem, p.104.
[53] LELIÈVRE,
Mateo. João Wesley, Sua vida e obra. Editora Vida, 1997, p.118.
[54] There were
several societies in England. Wesley and other leaders of the Holy Club led
some, but they were not necessarily considered Methodist (HEITZENHATER, Richard
P., Ibidem, p.103
[55]
Ditto.
[56] Idem,
p.119.
[57] Ibidem,
p.108.
[58] Ibidem, p.123.
[59] LELIÈVRE,
Mateo. John Wesley, His life and work., ibidem, p.366.
[60]
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=26141
[61] https://wesleyscholar.com
wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Journal-vol-2-1849.pdf, vol 2, p.58.
[62] The Journal of the rev. Charles
Wesley, vol. 2, op.cit.p.64.
[63] The Journal of the rev. Charles
Wesley, vol 2, op.cit, p.93.
[64] https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=26171
[65] THE JOURNAL
OF THE REVEREND JOHN WESLEY, A.M., published by t
he Wesleyan Conference Office in
London, England, in 1872, vol. III, op.cit.
[66]Ditto.
[67] THE JOURNAL OF THE REVEREND JOHN
WESLEY, A.M., published by t
he Wesleyan Conference Office in London, England, in
1872, vol. III, op.cit.
[68]
THE JOURNAL OF THE REVEREND JOHN WESLEY, A.M., published by the Wesleyan
Conference Office in London, England, in 1872, vol. III, op.cit.
[69]
Ditto.
[70]
Ditto.
https://wesleyscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Volume-3-Journal-1760-1773.pdf
[70]
Ditto.
[71]
THE JOURNAL OF THE REVEREND JOHN WESLEY, A.M., published by t
he Wesleyan
Conference Office in London, England, in 1872, vol. III , op.cit.
[72]
Ditto.
[73]THE JOURNAL
OF THE REVEREND JOHN WESLEY, A.M., published by the Wesleyan Conference Office
in London, England, in 1872, vol. III, op.cit.
[74] Ditto.
[75] Ditto.
[76]
THE JOURNAL OF THE REVEREND JOHN WESLEY, A.M., published by t
he Wesleyan Conference Office in London, England, in
1872, vol. III. AN EXTRACT OF THE REV. M.R. JOHN WESLEY'S JOURNAL.
https://wesleyscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Volume-3-Journal-1760-1773.pdf
[77]
Ditto.
[78]
Ditto.
[79] Ditto.
[80] THE JOURNAL OF THE REVEREND JOHN
WESLEY, A.M., vol. 3, op.cit.
[81] Ditto.
[82] THE JOURNAL OF THE REVEREND JOHN
WESLEY, A.M., published by the Wesleyan Conference Office in London, England,
in 1872, vol. III, op.cit.
[83] Ditto.
[84] Ditto.
[85]https://holyjoys.org/history-significance-class-meeting/
[86]
http://seedbed.com/feed/how-john-wesley-s-class-meetings-serve-as-identity-formation.
[87]
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=26171
[88]
https://holyjoys.org/history-significance-class-meeting/
[89]
https://belonggsumc.com/john-wesleys-small-groups-models-of-christian-community/.Mark
A. Maddix is Professor of Christian Education and Dean of the School of
Theology and Christian Ministries at Northwestern Nazarene University.
[90]
Ditto.
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