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Ready Resources - Wesleyan Distinctiveness
For information about Wesleyan Distinctiveness, please Download the PDF File At a historic gathering in November 2007 of Bishops and Extended Cabinet representatives from all over the world, a renewed emphasis on Wesleyan and “Methodist” distinctiveness was discussed. The time is ripe for the United Methodist Church to do some soul searching. It is the same type of soul searching John Wesley himself did as part of a renewal movement in the 18th century Anglican Church. Today, there is wide-spread consensus that we are in need of a contemporary “movement of renewal.” Ours is a time when the retrieval of Wesleyan and Methodist “distinctiveness” is essential. Our distinctiveness or uniqueness within the overall Christian family is not for the sake of being “over-against” other denominations in a battle for institutional influence or even survival. Instead, claiming Methodist distinctiveness is really a matter of seeking spiritual clarity, vitality and fruitfulness as Christian disciples and communities of faith. It is a return to the fundamental focus on what Wesley termed “holiness of heart and life.”
As the Methodist Way document states: “For early Methodists the goal of their “Way” of life was to become faithful and mature disciples of Christ. This meant far more than just affirming Christ as their Lord, or having an assurance of his pardoning love. They longed for what they saw promised in scripture—the transformation of their sin-distorted attitudes and disposition into ever greater conformity with Christ’s abiding love for God, neighbor and the whole creation.” In a word, the Methodist “Way” is about transformation! “As we experience the love of God transforming our lives we are more inclined to engage the world around us in compassionate and transforming ways.”
To read more, access the pdf on Wesleyan Distinctiveness.
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