Methodist Church

“An excellent small group study.” – Rev. Travis Knoll In a time of upheaval in the largest denomination of the Methodist movement, this classic explanation and defense of Methodist Christianity by its founder is required reading. Pastor David Wentz has updated Wesley’s 18th-century language, deleted references to no-longer-relevant theological disputes, and added an introduction that sets the work in context. The result is a clear, easy to read text that is enjoyable and understandable for modern readers of all levels of theological interest and expertise. This short book is ideal ...

Jesus provided his disciples teachings for how to follow Torah, God's word; he told them parables to help them discern questions of ethics and of human nature; he offered them beatitudes for comfort and encouragement. But sometimes Jesus spoke words that followers then and now have found difficult. In The Difficult Words of Jesus, Amy-Jill Levine shows how these difficult teachings would have sounded to the people who first heard them, how have they been understood over time, and how we might interpret them in the context of the Gospel of love and reconciliation.

The half century following the American Revolution witnessed the transformation of American Christianity. The passion for equality, says Hatch, brought about a crisis or religious authority in popular culture, introduced new and popular forms of theology, witnessed the rise of minority religious movements, reshaped preaching, singing, and publishing, and became a scriptural foundation for 19th century American individualism.

This is the story of one of Church history's most revered women, the godly mother of John and Charles Wesley. This biography recounts the story of a woman who used her strong leadership and faith to raise well educated and spiritually disciplined children. Her unwavering devotion to God and family in the face of grief, poverty, and a sometimes difficult marriage is a tremendous inspiration.

This book fundamentally changes the game for the Church of the Nazarene. A growing number of people are calling for fresh conversations about sexuality and gender. And many want fundamental change. This book gives voice to those people. There are strong reasons the Church of the Nazarene should become fully LGBTQ+ affirming. The writers of these essays – whether queer or straight – lay out those reasons, share their experiences, and explain why change is needed. Love rests at the heart of the denomination’s view of God. And yet its statement about human sexuality does not support the ...

It's uncertain that Howard Thurman made the remark often attributed to him, "I have been writing this book all my life," but there is little doubt that he was deeply immersed in reflection on the times that bear an uncanny resemblance to the present day, which give voice to the Black Lives Matter movement.

It was John Wesley who coined the phrase “agree to disagree” in a memorial sermon at the death of George Whitefield in 1770. Since that time, Wesley’s theological descendants have often seemed to disagree more than agree. Nevertheless, author Kevin Slimp believes most United Methodists aren’t as disagreeable as they might seem at first glance. In What’s Next: Twenty-Two United Methodist Leaders Discuss the Future of the Church, Slimp continues the conversation he initiated in his 2019 best-selling book, Where Do We Go From Here? Honest Responses From Twenty-Four United Methodist ...

Is being good the way to heaven? Being religious? Jesus said, “You must be born again.” John Wesley, spiritual forefather of Methodist, Pentecostal, and Holiness churches and the Salvation Army, explains Jesus’ words in this brief classic. One of the standard sermons Wesley required his circuit riders to learn and re-preach, The New Birth shows that religion and morality are good but new life in Jesus is vital. Wesley pulls no punches. But his 18th-century English is hard for most modern readers. As with his best-selling John Wesley’s The Character of a Methodist, David Wentz has ...

American Methodism Revised and Updated begins with the explosion of evangelical Pietism and revolutionary Methodism, the First Great Awakening, as an independent nation was formed. It then highlights key nineteenth century themes and Methodist contributions, such as spreading scriptural holiness through missions and literature, planting tens of thousands of Sunday schools and churches by Circuit Riders, the pivotal Methodist schism between abolitionists and enslavers, the innovative building of schools and hospitals into the next century, and the revivalism of the Second Great Awakening.

Following the February 2019 session of The United Methodist General Conference, many United Methodists returned to their Sunday School classes, worship services and small groups, asking the same question: “Where do we go from here?” In Where Do We Go From Here?: Honest Responses From Twenty-Four United Methodist Leaders, four bishops, several pastors, laypersons, campus ministers, students, general board directors and others share their honest responses to the question, “Where do we go from here?”Voices from the traditional, centrist and progressive viewpoints share their thoughts ...

Jesus promised, “Where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them" (Matthew 18:20). Writing in a positive, friendly, engaging style, the author encourages you to claim that promise and experience that presence, and walks you through it with practical how-to advice.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus made an odd claim: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am among them" (Matthew 18:10). After surviving a global pandemic, church leaders have had to ask themselves this age-old question with renewed relevancy: What does it mean to gather in Jesus' name during and after a global pandemic? In this book, Rev. J.J. Warren seeks to respond to this question by sharing first-hand interviews conducted with United Methodist leaders in Denmark, Kenya, the Philippines, Singapore, and the U.S. Through these interviews and by dipping into the well of United ...

As a child, we were taught that the church was the building. While we intellectually understand that the church is the people, a congregation often makes decisions that lead us to believe that perhaps this is not the case. As we evert the church model for the postmodern, post-Christian world, we need to evert-turn inside out-many of our thoughts and beliefs about how we go about "doing" church. This is NOT about changing our beliefs but about changing how we engage in ministry. There is urgent kingdom work that needs to be done. The postmodern, post-Christian world is suffering. People are ...

After slavery was abolished, how far would white America go toward including African Americans as full participants in the country's institutions? A schism over slavery split Methodism into northern and southern branches, but Union victory in the Civil War provided the northern Methodists with the opportunity to send missionaries into the territory that had been occupied by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. A Long Reconstruction details the denomination's journey with unification and justice.

Charles Henry Philips (1858 - 1951) was an influential bishop of the Christian (previously called "Colored") Methodist Episcopal Church. He played a critical role in the CME Church becoming a national denomination, extending its reach beyond the South. He fought to erase the stigma associated with the Church's origins in the institution of slavery.

Great leaders are constantly growing. If a leader is not continuously growing and learning, she/he will soon become irrelevant and no longer be fully equipped to lead. During my more than a decade of coaching leaders, I (Kay) have found an inordinate number of church leaders who lack self-awareness and, as a result, seem un-coachable. Leaders must be willing to be fully self-aware of who they are, who they aren’t, and be willing to continuously self-evaluate as they continuously grow and evolve as a person, a follower of Christ, and a leader. I have run across leaders who have come to the...

A new Bible verse and devotional about God's favor for each day of the month! Start your day off right each morning by studying God's word. Grab your Bible and this new devotional, get cozy, and take a few quiet moments with the Lord to get your day off on the right foot. Or end your day snuggled in bed while you let God speak to your heart. Each day of the month begins with a Bible verse on the topic of God's favor, followed by a personal story from author Sparrow Brooks and how she interprets this verse in her real life. She ends each devotion with questions to ask yourself and a focus ...

Jimmy Creech, a United Methodist pastor in North Carolina, was visited one morning in 1984 by Adam, a longtime parishioner whom he liked and respected. Adam said that he was gay, and that he was leaving The United Methodist Church, which had just pronounced that "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" could not be ordained. He would not be part of a community that excluded him. Creech found himself instinctively supporting Adam, telling him that he was sure that God loved and accepted him as he was.

This important audiobook contains eight articles by Korean Christian clergy and scholars who have experienced the vibrancy of Korean Christianity in Australia and New Zealand. Many of these scholars have been participants in the history-making process. This audiobook, therefore, is an indispensable resource for scholars, pastors, laypeople, and the interested public who want to understand the experience of Korean Christians better.

This book gives great insight into the mind and thoughts of the early CME Church Bishops. These men lead the church between reconstruction and WWII, serving as a backbone to the working of the Church body. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible.