What Makes Us Methodist?
What’s in a name? Our names convey not only a sense of identity, but of heritage and distinctiveness.
As a member of the Pearsall Methodist Church, I wonder how many of us have paused to reflect on what it means to be a Methodist, how that name defines our church and why it even matters.
This church's reflection to disaffiliate, caused us to re-engage and remember the treasure of our Methodist heritage as we sought God’s wisdom for the future of the Pearsall Methodist Church and the direction of its future ministry.
When our church disaffiliated from The United Methodist Church in May 2023, we did so to uphold the traditional Christian doctrines and Methodist disciplines that we view as non-negotiables shared by traditional conservative biblical Methodists:
1.The authority of Holy Scripture 2, Centrality of Jesus Christ 3. Holy Spirit 4. Grace 5. Discipleship 6. Service to others in the name of Christ
History - Methodism Then and Now
The Methodist movement began as an 18th century revival movement within the Church of England, led primarily by two brothers — John and Charles Wesley — who wanted “to reform the Continent, and especially the Church, and spread scriptural holiness across the land.” This desire has led people called Methodists to structure our churches in a certain way, sing certain songs, and have certain theological beliefs that are different from our brothers and sisters who are Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, or the Independent denominations.
But how does the name “Methodist” describe and define our church, "Pearsall Methodist Church"?
Methodists are a people who emphasize the amazing grace of God in Jesus Christ.
At Pearsall Methodist Church, when we say we want to Reach People for Jesus, we are aligning with the vision of the people called Methodists throughout the centuries.
We believe humanity fell at the fall in the garden of Eden, that mankind found themselves in a state of sin and that the loving Creator God, and the Holy Trinity, came up with a plan for the salvation of men. As stated in Romans 5:8 - "8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us".
Early Methodism
John Wesley assumed one both could and must talk about the "wrath to come", during the Methodist movement he led in the 18th century.
Indeed, believing in and responding to the reality of "the wrath to come" was foundational to being a Methodist in the first place!
This may seem a strange thing to say about Wesley or the Methodists. While their preaching did refer to the wrath to come on many occasions, their primary emphasis was on the grace of God-- prevenient grace, justifying grace, sanctifying grace, and both responding to and cooperating with God's grace.
Where Wesley and the Methodists wanted people to head was precisely in response to and toward that grace.
But responding and moving toward that grace was and is also a matter of moving away from something else, And included in that "something else" was "the wrath to come."
So significant was a sincere desire to flee the "wrath to come", that the Wesleys set it as one of the prerequisites for joining a trial class meeting. The journals of John Wesley and the sermons of the Wesley brothers speak of "fleeing the wrath to come" no less than 39 times. It mattered to them. They and other early Methodists pressed the point with people, on many occasions. As we still have in our Discipline in the section describing the General Rules, "There is only one condition previously required of those who desire admission into these societies: "a desire to flee from the wrath to come, and to be saved from their sins."
John and Charles Wesley preached that the grace of God has three distinct but related facets.
First, the Wesleys taught that all people get to experience God’s prevenient grace. This grace is a free gift to all — Christians and non-Christians alike — and is meant to draw us closer to God, we called this, Prevenient grace.
Prevenient grace is meant to bring us to a place of Justifying Grace, where one accepts salvation. Acts 16:30 "He then brought them out and asked, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" The biblical response, Acts 16:31 "They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household.'"
Prevenient Grace is understood as God's grace that is always before us, calling us to be saved! When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and repent of our sins, we receive His atoning sacrifice for our sins and are made right (we are justified) with God. "The blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son cleanseth us from all sin" [1 John 1:7].
Hebrews 9 - the offering of the blood of Christ in the great sanctuary of heaven secured for us an actual atonement, an actual remission of our sins [verses 12, 22-28]. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. 23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
As Methodists, we know that our Christian journey does not end when we are justified. Instead, John Wesley taught that we should all be striving for sanctification - meaning that we should strive to live holy lives in deep and ongoing gratitude for what Jesus did for us, in salvation! Thus a follower of Jesus will want to grow in grace. A follower of Jesus will want to know more about the love of God in Christ Jesus.
And we believe that this journey is available for all people, not just God’s so-called “elect.” It's not just for the one's who were raised in church, or who have a church. It's for all who will call upon the name of the Lord and be saved, (Romans 10:13 "for Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”)
That’s why, along with the Wesleys, our church seeks to reach all people for Jesus Christ and lead them to a lifelong journey of following God.
Disciple Them in Faith
The primary way for the early Methodists to grow in grace according to the Wesleys was through a smaller group of believers. The second component of our church’s mission statement, Disciple Them in Faith, is all about this emphasis of Methodism.
John and Charles Wesley did not seek to begin a new denomination. Instead, they wished to reform the Church of England by creating small groups of believers called Societies, Classes and Bands. Societies were regional gatherings of 50 or so members. Classes were comprised of 10-12 Methodists who wanted to grow in their faith. Bands were small, same-sex groups of no more than six believers who held each other accountable for their walks with Christ. The Wesleys believed that true discipleship and life transformation happened not just during Sunday morning gatherings, but all throughout the week. Our church’s work is to see 100% of our church membership is involved in a discipleship program. A program which aligns perfectly with John Wesley’s vision for the people called Methodists.
Help Those in Need
Finally, our church understands that Christ calls us to heal the sick, feed the hungry, and Help Those in Need. John Wesley once wrote, “There is no holiness but social holiness.” In other words, Wesley knew that the church should transform the world not just through evangelism, but also by being the hands and feet of Christ. Early American Methodists took this call seriously and founded countless hospitals, schools and orphanages across the country and the world. Pearsall Methodist Church continues this mission in Frio County and many other places, through our Missional Givings. We often say, “Missions is the heartbeat of our church,” and the Wesleys’ vision for the people called Methodists necessitates this type of vision.
As a part of the Pearsall Methodist Church, you might have wondered if you are a Methodist.
If you believe in the authority of Holy Scripture, and have accepted and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and understand that God’s grace is for all, and discipleship to Christ is a priority, and that we are called to help the less fortunate, congratulations — you’re a biblical Methodist!
When Pearsall Methodist congregation, decided to disaffiliate (meaning separate themselves from The United Methodist Church denomination), (and join a new denomination, the Global Methodist Church- which has maintained the Holy Biblical Apostolic Faith) we said that we needed to disaffiliate in order to remain faithful to the biblical faith as presented in Holy Scriptures and the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the Church.
The Book of Jude in the Bible captures this sentiment: Jude: 3 "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ."
If we did not disaffiliate as a church, we would not have had the option to continue remaining true to who we are as a people of faith in the Methodist Wesleyan Biblical heritage. For us the crucial issues were the 1. The Authority of the Holy Scriptures in the life of the church 2. Lordship of Jesus Christ 3. Openess and fideltiy to the Holy Spirit 3. And faithfulness to the Great Commission mandate of Winning Souls!
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we invite you to join us in praying for our church and the people called Methodists throughout the world — that we may be faithful to Jesus Christ, faithful to the Apostolic Faith, and faithful to bear the mantle of John and Charles Wesley, seeking to transform the world for Jesus Christ. Amen!
