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istry
WAlan P. Swartz
esley’s understanding of salvation and the work of grace should al-
ways be understood as the foundation of how he organized the
Laity Methodist Societies. In reading Wesley, one can see his understand-
ing of the primacy of God’s grace at work in all he does. Let us con-
sider for a moment how Wesley viewed laity in ministry and put
in them to work in early Methodism.
Early Methodists retained their membership in the Church of England.
Min- When you became a part of a society you would also be placed in a class or
band, which were smaller groups within each society that were formed to help
people in their spiritual growth. Putting people into classes and bands was not
istry unique to Wesley. It was a structure he adopted for he had seen evidence of its
effectiveness. The concept fit into his understanding of sin and repentance, as
well as growth in perfect love and sanctification. His was a method built on his
theological foundation, but with anthropological concerns. He talks about what is expected of the Method-
ists. This involved doing no harm and avoiding evil, doing good, and attending the ordinances of God
Church: Eucharist, daily service of the Word, private prayer, scripture reading, and fasting).
There was more to being a Methodist in Wesley’s day than being a member of a society. Members
were divided into classes, smaller groups of people, to aid them in their edification and growth. Beyond
this, bands were formed for those who desired to continue in their quest for Christian perfection. These
bands were organized by age, sex, and marital status into groups of about five to ten members. Designed
for the purpose of fellowship and spiritual oversight, a leader was chosen from among the members of the
band. As the class meeting developed, the separation of the class from the bands became less noticeable.
The class meeting arose out of the difficulty in visiting all the Methodists for various reasons. The
bands sprung from a desire of members to have a “closer union” and more direction in their spiritual de-
velopment. Leaders were chosen (as the name implies—no fancy titles here) to lead the classes and
bands. The Assistants (to the Ministers) tended to many of the functions of worship, etc. in the absence of
the ministers. The Stewards (of temporal matters) handled the finances of the societies and tended to the
needs of the sick. When these responsibilities became too great, special Visitors were chosen to visit the
sick three times each week to inquire into the state of their souls. Wesley specifically compares this office
to the diaconate as it is understood in the New Testament. Finally, Schoolmasters (and mistresses) were
chosen to help in the education of the young. It is interesting that today most of these functions are entrus-
ted to the pastor of the parish without this kind of organized assistance.
How did Wesley understand his role as a supervisor of lay ministers? His supervisory role was obvi-
ously an important expression of his desire to help provide pastoral leadership to so many people. He con-
tinued to be engaged in personal ministry to people (especially evident in his letters). How did Wesley
train his ministers? The answer to this question remains largely unknown.
I believe that much of Wesley’s understanding of assurance, sanctification and perfect love are already
a part of our faith system. How can we faithfully integrate this faith into a plan for ministry in this parish?
I think Wesley’s thought must be translated into modern idiom. True, it will no longer be just Wesley’s
thought and belief—but, he will continue to serve as a major mentor to the theological foundation in what
we do. We are not considering the implementation of Wesley’s structure of the bands and classes in a pro-
gram of lay ministry. It is, however, evident that the classes and bands, as well as the lay positions of
Leaders, Assistants, Stewards, and Visitors indicate Wesley’s use of laity in ministry.
Called to Serve!
Paul Kiesow recently gave me some material on Total
Quality Management and Leadership along with some
biblical research he did on the subject. Paul was demon-