In brief, the Wesleyan Church finds its origin
in the Methodist Episcopal Church, at the time the main Methodist denomination in America. It was called the Wesleyan Methodist Church
at that time, a name that is still used in other countries and even sometimes in the
US. In 1968, it merged with the Pilgrim Holiness
Church and at that time rebranded as simply “The Wesleyan Church.” At the merger, some churches stayed out, including
the Allegheny conference, still around today as the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection,
with 108 churches. The Bible Methodist Connection of Churches
and Bible Methodist Connection of Tennessee also left at that time. The former has 84 churches In their history,
there have also been other denominations that have merged in, like the confusingly named
“Alliance of Reformed Baptists of Canada”, which was so-named not because of Calvinist
leanings, but rather because they accepted the doctrine of entire sanctification. The title of “Wesleyan” refers to John
Wesley, and many other groups also identify with that name, so not every church called
“Wesleyan” is part of the Wesleyan Church. The first article of religion affirms there
is only one God, and also affirms that doctrine of the trinity. Of Christ, his virgin birth is affirmed, he
is both God and man, he died and rose bodily, ascended to heaven and intercedes there. They believe that one day all people will
be resurrected, some to eternal life and others to damnation. The final location of an individual is heaven
or hell. A major source of the information in this
video is the Wesleyan Church’s Book of Discipline. Within it are Articles of Religion, which
are major teachings of the church, and also membership commitments, which all members
are to adhere to. Additionally, we’ll reference the “Special
directions” which the Wesleyan Church says “may or may not be membership Commitments”
and that “they reflect commonly held values of our Church that are voluntarily accepted
in order to make a positive statement to society; to protect the wellbeing and integrity of
each person; to bring transformation to culture; and to be a safe haven for those seeking refuge
from the damages inflicted upon them by an abusive and godless society.” There are two sacraments of the church, water
baptism and the Lord’s Supper. They are a means of grace. The Articles of faith state that baptism is
administered to believers, however, parents can choose to present small children for baptism,
or they may choose to simply have them dedicated. Many Wesleyan churches only practice believer’s
baptism to the extent that some may even be unaware that infant baptism is an option. Some churches, like Watermark Wesleyan Church,
don’t allow infant baptism. The book of discipline states that candidates
can choose to be baptized by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling. A person must have received baptism at some
point to be a church member. Churches are encouraged to observe the Lord’s
Supper at least monthly and required to at least quarterly. The element of the cup is unfermented grape
juice. The prayer of consecration given in the book
of discipline to be said before partaking says in part, “And so consecrate the bread
and the cup which are here prepared, that as we partake of them we may receive the spiritual
benefits of Christ’s broken body and shed blood.” There’s no detailed requirement on a viewpoint
on the presence of Christ in the elements of Communion. A spiritual presence view is consistent with
historic Wesleyan views, and is taught in some churches. Others practically take a more symbolic view. Mike McClung of Trinity Wesleyan Church in
Central, South Carolina says, “When Jesus says this is my body, what he is saying is
this is an image, this is a representation of my body, This is my blood, this is a representation
of my blood.” No restrictions are given on who may participate
other than believers, and so communion is open. Of the scripture, it is the 66 books of Old
and New Testaments, It is inspired, infallible, and the Word of
God, inerrant in the original manuscripts, and preserved without corruption of any essential
doctrine. Everything necessary for salvation is found
in the scriptures, so nothing outside of the Bible is to be required to be believed by
any person. On creation, the Articles of Religion state
that God is “the Creator and Preserver of all things.” Ken Schenck, New Testament Scholar and author
and longtime teacher of New Testament at Indiana Wesleyan University has stated “It’s important
to believe that the Bible is inspired; the Bible is not a mistake. It’s important to believe that God directed,
however it happened, but the Wesleyan Church doesn’t have an official statement saying
you can’t believe in theistic evolution or you have to believe these were 24-hour
days… Indiana Wesleyan is a place that is very friendly
to literal six-day creationists. In fact, most of our students would agree
with them. But we aren’t going to kick out anyone for
believing otherwise.” Indiana Wesleyan and other Wesleyan schools
teach a variety of viewpoints on the matter. Churches and ministers too may have varying
positions. On human nature and original sin, they state
that originally, humanity could choose to do right or wrong, and individuals were morally
responsible for their choices. After Adam’s fall, people are unable in
their own strength to do right. Original sin now corrupts everyone and is
reproduced naturally. Humans cannot of themselves even call on God
or exercise faith for salvation. God provides prevenient grace to all to enable
them to turn and be saved. Another article states, “The atoning work
of Christ is the only remedy for sin, whether original, willful or involuntary.” The Wesleyan Church teaches the necessity
of each person to individually have a saving relationship with Christ. Of how this is possible, they state, “We
believe that Christ’s offering of himself, once and for all, through His sufferings and
meritorious death on the cross, provides the perfect redemption and atonement for the sins
of the whole world, both original and actual. There is no other ground of salvation from
sin but that alone.” They also state that people mentally incompetent
from birth, saved people who become mentally incompetent, or those under the age of accountability
have this atonement made unconditionally effective for them. For everyone else they must repent and believe
in Christ. Repentance is prompted by the convicting ministry
of the Holy Spirit. It involves a willful change of mind that
renounces sin and longs for righteousness, a godly sorrow for and a confession of past
sins, proper restitution for wrongdoings, and a resolution to reform the life. Repentance is the precondition for saving
faith, and without it saving faith is impossible. Faith, in turn, is the only condition of salvation. Good works cannot save but do follow regeneration. After regeneration, people may fall into sin
again, and there is no height of holiness in this life from which it is impossible to
fall. With repentance and faith a person can find
forgiveness and restoration. The view on salvation and atonement is Arminian,
as opposed to Calvinist. Christ died for all, but only those who believe
are saved. A person once saved can forfeit salvation. Chris Bounds, professor at Indiana Wesleyan
University says, “In contrast to the Reformed and Lutheran understanding of “perseverance
of the saints” and the Baptist teaching on the “eternal security” of believers,
The Wesleyan Church teaches that Christians can “fall from grace.” Because the work of salvation involves human
cooperation, a cooperation made possible through prevenient grace, a Christian can decide to
no longer cooperate with God’s grace and turn away from God. Wesleyans believe people can be genuinely
converted and then turn away from God and forfeit the salvation He offers.” Sanctification begins at the moment of justification
and regeneration in salvation. It then continues progressively. A person can experience entire sanctification
in a crisis moment, which is viewed as the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This cleanses a person from inbred sin. It perfects the believer in love. On spiritual gifts, the Gift of the Spirit
is the Holy Spirit himself, which is most desirable. However, the Holy Spirit also bestows spiritual
gifts on those in the church. Of the gifts, an Article of Faith says, “The
relative value of the gifts of the Spirit is to be tested by their usefulness in the
Church and not by the ecstasy produced in the ones receiving them.” The Wesleyan Church is, however adamantly
opposed to certain theological views that are part of the modern charismatic movement. One of their membership commitments states,
“To preserve the fellowship and witness of the Church with reference to the use of
languages. The Wesleyan Church believes in the miraculous
use of languages and the interpretation of languages in its biblical and historical setting. But it is contrary to the Word of God to teach
that speaking in an unknown tongue or the gift of tongues is the evidence of the baptism
of the Holy Spirit or of that entire sanctification which the baptism accomplishes; therefore,
only a language readily understood by the congregation is to be used in public worship. The Wesleyan Church believes that the use
of an ecstatic prayer language has no clear scriptural sanction, or any pattern of established
historical usage in the Church; therefore, the use of such a prayer language shall not
be promoted among us.” The Wesleyan Church affirms a personal and
imminent return of Christ. There’s no explicit requirement of millennial
or tribulation views of eschatology. The Pilgrim Holiness Church which merged into
the Wesleyan Church in 1968 emphasized the "premillennial and imminent return of the
Lord Jesus Christ," but this view is just one of the many views held to today. The Article of Religion on Marriage and the
family says in part that “God’s plan for human sexuality is that it is to be expressed
only in a monogamous lifelong relationship between one man and one woman within the framework
of marriage.” Additionally in 2016 the North American General
Conference added the following sentence: “We adhere to the teachings of Scripture regarding
gender identity, sexual conduct, and the sacredness of marriage, and believe that sexual relationships
outside of marriage and sexual relationships between persons of the same sex are immoral
and sinful.” A pastoral letter states, “We do not believe
that anyone is predestined to homosexuality or destined to remain in an endless loop of
sinful habits, followed by repeated failure and habitual repentance.” On divorce, a Membership commitment states
one commitment as “To follow the teachings of the Scriptures regarding marriage and divorce.” And states “we regard sexual sin of the
spouse, such as adultery, homosexual behavior, bestiality or incest, as clear biblical grounds
for considering divorce, and then only when appropriate counseling has failed to restore
the relationship.” Another commitment says “To preserve the
sanctity of the home by honoring Christ in every phase of family life and by demonstrating
Christlike love (always avoiding violence, including physical, psychological, emotional,
or sexual abuse toward one’s spouse or family members, as well as sexual infidelity or desertion,
any of which warrant church discipline for the offender and may justify separation or
divorce if true repentance and appropriate counseling cannot bring about reconciliation)…” Divorce on other than scriptural grounds is
sinful. Divorce is a valid and permanent dissolution
of a marriage. A person who was saved or redeemed from a
backslidden condition after divorce is free to marry in the Lord, but a believer who wrongly
divorces a believing spouse is to remain unmarried to leave room for reconciliation. Ministers are prohibited from uniting people
in marriage who are divorced outside the church’s guidelines, and also from marrying people
of the same gender. A church special direction states that they
oppose induced abortion, but leaves room for exception in the case of a threat to the life
of the mother. They also condemn infanticide and euthanasia,
and state that removal of life-support systems is not to be considered infanticide or euthanasia. They say also, “The Wesleyan Church believes
that capital punishment should be reserved for those crimes committed in serious circumstances
which are clearly defined by law and administered by justice.” The book of discipline says that each church
should have systematic Bible Study. Normally this is done through a Sunday School. The Wesleyan Church has membership commitments
as guides and helps to holy living. Disregard of these by those ordained or in
elected leadership may lead to church discipline. Members are to reverence the name of God and
honor the Lord’s day, abstain from Spiritism, the occult, witchcraft and astrology,
Abstain from gambling, using or selling alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs, and not participating
in secret societies. On alcohol, a statement by Ken Schenck, indicates
that not all Wesleyans observe the prohibition today. He says, “The Wesleyan Church, however,
has historically chosen to be abstinent as a statement against the consequences that
often result from drinking in broken lives and uncontrolled actions. And so we now have community members who drink
moderately, while Wesleyan leadership binds itself--beyond the biblical requirements--not
to drink at all.” Members are to use their time and resources
wisely, including tithing 10% of their income to the church. This is viewed as a minimum financial obligation. Another membership commitment states “To
grow in the knowledge, love and grace of God by participating in public worship, the ministry
of the Word of God, the Lord’s Supper, family and personal devotions and fasting.” On religious liberty, one of the church’s
elementary principles states, “Every person has an inalienable right to private judgment
in matters of religion, and an equal right to express personal opinions in any way which
will not violate the laws of God or the rights of others.” A Church special direction on peace states
that the Wesleyan Church “urges that persons and nations seek by every legitimate means
to avoid armed conflict among the peoples and nations of the world.” It allows people to serve in the military,
or to be conscientious objectors or noncombatants. Although the Wesleyan Church doesn’t prohibit
oaths, they reserve the right of their members to abstain from taking judicial oaths. A church special direction states, “Modesty
in Attire. The Wesleyan Church believes that our people
should provide clear testimony to Christian purity and modesty by properly clothing the
body and by dressing with Christian simplicity.” Ken Schenck says of this, “fifty years ago
they would have kept from Wesleyan membership a woman who did not wear long enough dresses
or who cut her hair short. In conservative groups that separated from
Wesleyan and other holiness churches, such requirements remain at least implicit and
sometimes explicit membership requirements even today…we will allow our women to cut
their hair and follow their consciences as to what modesty might mean today.” The Wesleyan Church teaches that the Christian
Church is all believers, on heaven and earth. In other words, they would view their denomination
as only a small part of the true church, which contains people from many corners of Christianity. There are also local churches, which are formally
organized bodies of believers. On cross-denominational cooperation they state,
“While The Wesleyan Church opposes the building of one all-inclusive ecclesiastical organization
which regards neither scriptural doctrine nor practice, it welcomes fellowship with
those who are committed to the same doctrines and standards of holy living, and cooperation
across denominational lines with those who hold the cardinal doctrines of the Christian
religion revealed in the Bible.” The denomination has a General Conference,
organized into districts. The General Conference contains equal numbers
of ordained ministers and lay members, as elected by the districts. Districts have superintendents. The General Conference meets every four years. During the four-year interval, the General
Board of Administration carries out the will of the General Conference. It is the chief governing body of the church
outside of the conference. General Superintendents are elected and are
the general spiritual and administrative leaders of the Church. The Wesleyan Church holds the rights to the
properties of the local churches, who hold them in trust. Sometimes the district, instead of the local
church, holds the properties in trust for the denomination. Within the local churches, the members form
the local church conference and are the highest governing body. There is also a local board of administration,
which is made up of minimally the pastor or pastors, treasurer and secretary, but may
also have other church staff or lay members on it. The book of discipline says of the governance
in the local church, “The health and growth of the local church is a shared responsibility,
with the board focused on governing, the pastor on leading, the staff (employed or volunteer)
on managing, and the congregation on ministering to the community and to one another.” Congregations outside the Wesleyan Church
that may not want to fully join but still are in agreement may become an affiliate church. There are several differences between member
churches and affiliate churches, including not requiring district involvement in calling
pastors, and the congregation retaining all rights to their own property. These Churches can’t use the name “The
Wesleyan Church.” There are two levels of ministry which have
a degree of permanency, ordained and commissioned minister. There are also licensed ministers preparing
for ordination. However, ministers may serve in various capacities,
such as pastor, evangelist, missionary, educator or itinerant Bible teacher, administrator,
chaplain, interchurch service, special service, and affiliate church pastor. Laypersons may also serve as a lay minister. The book of Discipline states, “Every Wesleyan
minister must be a member of some Wesleyan church, and each ordained minister must be
a member of a district.” It is mentioned in the elementary Principles
that it is obligatory upon the members to compensate the ministers. In part, the discipline states on the pastor,
“A pastor is an ordained, commissioned or licensed minister, who is called of God and
appointed by the Church to serve as the spiritual shepherd, teacher, and administrative overseer
of the local church.” There may be one pastor or multiple with a
presiding senior pastor. A majority vote of the membership is required
to call a pastor. New pastors are normally called on a two-year
term, but it may be four years or more, after which there is a vote on renewing the call. On Women in Ministry, the website of the Wesleyan
Church says “The Wesleyan Church affirms its long-standing commitment to full opportunity
for women to be ordained to the ministry and to serve in any and all ministerial and leadership
capacities. Although this vision has yet to be fully realized
within The Wesleyan Church, the Church and its precedent bodies have experienced the
benefits of such a commitment for over 150 years.” They also state, “we condemn any practice
of exclusive male- only leadership on boards or committees in the church, excluding women
from these positions by either public policy or unofficial behind-the-scenes agreed-upon
policy.” The Wesleyan Church is a part of the National
Association of Evangelicals, Wesleyan Holiness Connection, Christian Holiness Partnership,
Global Wesleyan Alliance, and World Methodist Council. In North America, there are around 1,600 congregations
, and an average attendance of 233,581 as of the 2018-2019 year. Official membership stands at 124,837. There are large clusters of churches in Michigan,
Indiana, and North Carolina. Worldwide, there is an International Conference
of The Wesleyan Church made up of international denominations that are in doctrinal agreement. There are around five to six thousand congregations
worldwide. There are 5 major higher education institutions
affiliated with the Wesleyan Church, with around 27,000 students between them. You’re watching a Ready to Harvest Video. Support more videos like this by becoming
a member at Readytoharvest.com.
