John Wesley s Life & Ethics offers a comprehensive analysis of John Wesley s personal and social ethical thought. Ronald Stone places Wesley in a social location and examines his ethical thought biographically. He argues that in the case of John Wesley, the Christian traditions provide a biblically informed deontological ethic of love. This ethic is grounded in the Christian community to form the individual and in social reform to transform the nation within the limits of Christian realism concerning human nature and social order.

The volume covers Wesley s complete ethical reflection and teaching and, at appropriate points, places them in comparative perspective to other 18th century ethics and social thought contributors. Ethical topics addressed include abortion, vocation, family, money, social nature of humanity, politics, economics, imperial relations, and war and peace.

This book will be a supplementary text in Ethics classes, primarily in United Methodist schools. It will also be a useful text in Methodist history classes. Methodist scholars and pastors interested in a social biography of Wesley will want to own this book."

Living Grace is the most comprehensive expression of systematic theology for United Methodism to appear in the 1990's. Its authors, Bishop Walter Klaiber and Dr. Manfred Marquardt, are leading theologians of continental European United Methodism. Their work meets the long-felt need to provide partners in ecumenical dialog a clearer exposition of Methodism's theology, as founded upon biblical witness, apostolic heritage, the Protestant Reformation, and the Wesleyan Revival.

The authors concede that Methodists are often regarded more as specialists in evangelization, ecclesial organization, or social engagement, than as representatives of a cogently articulated theology. Further, United Methodists today are frequently at the forefront of facilitating interchurch cooperation in worship and social outreach. It is the authors' hope that a clearer exposition of our common understanding could offer a foundation upon which the "vital Wesleyan accent" could better direct the Christian witness we are offering in the world. Their response to the challenge has produced a thoughtful attempt to find a solid theological basis for our identity as a church that will not only accent our distinctiveness but will also assist other faith communities to articulate their profiles of faith.

In this first English edition, the work has been adapted for the American historical and social milieu. As such, it becomes a pathbreaking effort to articulate for our American constituency the global dimensions of a United Methodist theology, in which the American church is increasingly called to participate. Four emphases of the book are: Responsible Proclamation, Basics of a UMC theology; Universal Salvation; Personal Faith; and, Fullness of Christian Life and the Reality of Love.

This resource is a summary study of the eight life-enriching practices that are part of the series--prayer, Bible study, evangelism, community, worship and the sacraments, outreach, justice and others. Questions for discussion are included with each chapter.

The essays in this volume all share a common assumption: in order to know where you're going, you have to understand where you've been. If the spiritual and theological descendents of John Wesley are to meet the challenges of spreading scriptural holiness in an increasingly complex world, then they will need to grasp the core beliefs and values that have always guided their tradition. In this important volume, a distinguished group of interpreters of Wesleyan tradition, all of whom are John Wesley Scholars of A Fund for Theological Education, identify the central convictions and practices of the Methodist movement. Their purpose in making this identification is two-fold. First, they insist that these convictions and practices lie at the heart of what the Wesleyan/Methodist family is, and has been. Second, and more important, they claim that in these distinctive beliefs lies the future of the "people called Methodist." If renewal and growth in witness and mission is to occur, the authors argue, it will come through a reclamation and reinterpretation of such cental beliefs as salvation by grace through faith, the authority of Scripture, disciple-making within community, the vocation of Christian holiness, and the church's mission to the world.

For early American Methodists, quarterly meetings were great festivals at the heart of Methodism's liturgical life. The meetings lasted several days and could attract thousands. In this volume, Lester Ruth offers a revisionist description of worship at the quarterly meetings in early American Methodism (ca. 1772-1825). The author describes the quarterly meeting as the setting in which early Methodism most "dramatized" itself for public view as graced fellowship. He explores each of the liturgical dynamics of this experience, including the distinction between public and private worship, the loud exuberance of American Methodists, the vivid proclamation of God's Word, the role of the sacraments and of Wesley's liturgical innovations, the power of fellowship as eschatological manifestation, and the interaction between the personal experience of grace and ecclesial inclusion.

In volume offers insight and guidance regarding this new ministerial order both to those who are called into the diaconate, and those among whom they will minister. The book begins by locating the office of deacon within the larger United Methodist understanding the ministry of all God's people and of ordained ministers. Drawing on the stories of those whom God has called and ordained to the ministry of deacon, the authors portray the crucial link between the worship of the church and service to the world that is central to the office of deacon. The book concludes with answers to common questions asked by deacons and the churches in which their ministry takes place: Who pays for insurance? What about pensions? What responsibilities do deacons have to the congregations that hire them, and what to the conferences of which they are members?

Just as Roots told the story of the African-American experience in the United States, Breaking the Barriers illustrates the experience of African Americans within United Methodism, and the important roles that faith, the church, and family played in molding the character and work of numerous individuals throughout the denomination.

On July 19, 1984, Leontine Current Kelly was elected bishop of The United Methodist Church, making her the first African-American woman to become a bishop within a major American religious denomination. Breaking the Barriers recounts the story of her journey and that historic achievement

This new collection of essays explores the subject of conversion in the Wesleyan tradition from biblical, historical, theological, and practical points of view. Written by leading Wesleyan scholars, the essays reinvoke the notion of conversion as an identifiable experience in the Christian's life. The contributors, drawn from a diversity of backgrounds, rightly call for a much needed, and inclusive, balance: process and instantaneousness, nurture and regeneration, holy living and vibrant faith. The recovery of conversion as an illuminating paradigm of saving grace promises both renewal and revitalization in the Wesleyan tradition.

Partners in Ministry is built upon the basic assumption that ministry is the fundamental vocation of all Christians and not simply clergy. Drawing on their extensive experience in leading the Partners in Ministry program, the authors provide direct, practical guidance on how the ministries of laity and clergy can complement and strengthen each other. The basic building block in their approach is the ministry team, in which one s status as clergy or laity does not matter, but one s sense of God s call and gifts for ministry does. Ministry is the fundamental vocation of all Christians, and not simply clergy. Roy and Jackie Trueblood help this truth become an integral practice in a church ministry partnership.

Key Benefits: Readers will find practical guidance on how the ministry of laity and clergy can complement and strengthen one another Helps congregations train and build ministry teams Helps readers understand differences between clergy and laity in terms of ministry functions rather than levels "

How is it that we come to know ourselves as Christians? What were the elements of John Wesley s work that contributed to spiritual formation for a Christian life, and how did these elements interrelate? Focusing on matters of formation and transformation in faith, Sondra Matthaei answers such questions in light of early Methodist practices of formation. Through research and dialogue with Wesleyan scholarship and constructive proposals related to the life of the church, this insightful study encourages faithful and imaginative approaches to spiritual formation in churches today.

The focus of this book is on matters of formation and transformation in faith. The book answers the question "How do we come to know ourselves as Christian?" and analyzes this question in light of early Methodist practices of formation and an ecology of education within the Methodist movement. The reader will come to understand John Wesley's idea of character formation and moral transformation. The reader will understand how Christian and vocation are shaped through spiritual formation and will understand the role of structures and relationships (family, school, church, etc.) in spiritual formation. "

In recent years, new music and worship styles have enriched the worship styles have enriched the worship experience, from contemporary worship and praise music to world music. New hymnody offers modern images and refreshing tunes that tell the old, old story. Now churches can continue to sing the hymns they treasure and add newer music to their worship life! All editions come with Cross & Flame emblem on the cover except for the "Cross Only" version of the Pew Edition.

The demands of congregational ministry are many, the rewards sometimes seem few, and burnout becomes a real possibility. Small wonder, then, that churches become stuck in a state of arrested spiritual development. When the pastor is functioning in a survival or maintenance mode, the church's vitality is often the first casualty. Yet Wills's own experience demonstrates that churches can turn around; the wind of the Spirit can be felt anew. This happens when the congregation is infected by the vision of what God is doing in their midst--a vision which the leaders, particularly the pastor, must bring before them.

In Waking to God's Dream, Richard Wills shares the spiritual disciplines and insights which he believes account for the transformation of the congregation he serves from a large church in decline to one that is growing and reaching out to its community in a variety of creative ministries. Detailing the steps and initiatives that led to this turnaround, Wills demonstrates how personal commitment on the part of the congregation's leaders and ministers have been the key to the work they have accomplished.

This book explores the relationship between the practices of pastoral care and the practices of spiritual direction with the aim of enabling pastoral caregivers to draw upon the guiding principles, resources, and techniques of spiritual direction within the Christian tradition. With an emphasis on both "practice" and "presence", the book reclaims the tradition of "soul care" for the pastoral ministry, thereby complementing the medical, or crisis intervention, model of pastoral care with a wellness/growth model of pastoral care.

Listening for the Soul:
-- Challenges clergy to take seriously the relationship between pastoral care and spiritual direction.
-- Integrates theological and psychological insights with issues of spiritual life and formation.
-- Includes a chapter on the spiritual formation of children.
-- Provides practical guidance for integrating spiritual direction with pastoral care.
-- Tends to the pastoral caregivers own needs for spiritual deepening.
-- Includes reflection questions and case studies to enable the text to function on both the individual reader and classroom levels.

No issue more polarizes American Protestants today than the church s stance on homosexuality. In recent years, a number of denominations have engaged in prolonged and divisive debates on the subject, and it appears that these debates will continue to occupy their attention. The contributors to this volume call for the formation of a loyal opposition that is serious in its commitment to the difficult process of reconciliation and forgiveness. Faithfulness to the gospel, they remind readers, requires nothing less than that Christians will be committed to the full inclusion of all persons in the body of Christ not least of all those who disagree theologically and ethically.

The book offers readers a multifaceted argument that the gospel requires a commitment to the full inclusion of all persons in the body of Christ. It focuses on how members of mainline denominations can respond to official denominational positions with which they disagree. Readers are offered an alternative response besides staying in the denomination and remaining silent or leaving the denomination because one disagrees with its official position on this issue.

Contributors include: J. Philip Wogaman, Roy Sano, Stanley Hauerwas, Jeanne Audrey Powers, Victor Paul Furnish, Dale Dunlap, Gil Caldwell, and Joretta Marshall. Foreword by Leontine Kelly.

"

This volume in the United Methodist Studies series challenges United Methodists to engage in life-transforming practices. The author explains a theme and underscores major emphases within the United Methodist denomination. This adult study is divided into four sections with suggestions for group discussion, and can be completed in 4 to 8 sessions. No leader s guide is needed. The sections are: Living from the Heart - This chapter examines the essence of prayer and devotional life for United Methodists: holiness of heart and life. The chapter is divided into two sections to enable this examination: Communion (heart) and Compassion (life). Read and Pray Daily - Exploring these two central disciplines in Christian formation and the Wesleyan Tradition guides readers into practical expressions of what it means to read devotionally (lection divina) and pray continually (the life of prayer). Get Connected! - The idea of "connectionalism" is a significant part of our tradition. This chapter examines this idea from two vantage points of classic formation principles and the concrete structures Wesley used in early-Methodism, which still contain implications for today. Go On! - The cultivation of prayer and devotional life in United Methodism is not about "attainment" but rather about "journey." This chapter examines the pilgrimage motif through the two lenses of the biblical doctrine of Christian perfection, and the practical development of that message through an action/reflection model of Christian formation. "

The purpose of this book is simple -- to reclaim a vision for church leadership from the great spiritual awakening known as the Wesleyan movement. Yet the way one goes about this work, contends Lovett H. Weems, Jr., is anything but simple. It involves walking a tightrope between continuity and change. The task is neither to repeat the past, nor to ignore it. Rather the need is to locate the genius behind the achievements of the past from which we can learn for our day. It is to choose selectively those themes and emphases of the Wesleyan movement that can best inform the practice of ministry today, and to seek to grow into them. In order to achieve this, Weems identifies such principles of early Wesleyanism as beginning with where people are, focusing on service, and remembering the poor. He then enumerates practices of Wesleyan leadership, such as leading from the center and the edge, living in tension, and making "connection" happen. Finally, he names the core passions of the Wesleyan spirit: knowing God, proclaiming Christ, and seeking justice.

These new essays summarize the latest research by highly respected United Methodist scholars, exploring the distinctive doctrines and discipline of the denomination. Essays include An Untapped Inheritance: American Methodism and Wesley's Practical Theology; The Scripture Way of Salvation: Narrative Spirituality and Biblical Praxis in Early Methodism; Theology, Religious Activity, and Structures of the Lives of Ordinary People; The Doors of Opportunity: Methodist Theological Education, 1866-1925; What Makes "United Methodist Theology" Methodist?; The Church as a Community of Moral Discourse; and Exploring Both the Middle and the Margins: Locating Methodism within American Religious History."

Noted author and scholar David McKenna celebrates these simple, yet distinctive foundations and shares with enthusiasm the chalenges facing present-day Wesleyans in his timely new book.

A work that will inspire cross-cultural sensitivity, this practical guide provides a road map to the basic worship practices of the major ethnic and cultural groups in North American Protestantism.

"In Worship Across Cultures, Kathy Black reports information about actual Christian worship practices gathered in collaboration with persons who come from and minister with churches in twenty-one different cultural contexts in the US. This book is a uniquely valuable resource whether for pastors who regularly lead Christian worship in cultural contexts beyond their own, or for persons visiting worship in another context to attend a marriage or a funeral. By approaching the study of worship through description of actual practices, it will inspire cross-cultural sensitivity, as well as providing food for thought and new ideas for worship. I heartily recommend it for laity, pastors, and seminary classes."--Ruth Duck, Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary

While this work takes proper notice of its origins in John Wesley's 18th-century movement in England, it is primarily concerned with the church's origins and history within the United States. Offering an account of the construction and reconstruction of the Methodist church, the authors examine the various institutional practices of the church, its organization, leadership and form of training and incorporating new members. Through their treatment of Methodism as defined by conferences bound together by a commitment to episcopal leadership and animated by various forms of lay piety, the authors help the reader understand the internal history of the denomination and its development in the United States. This student edition, ideal for classes in American Religion, Denominational History, Protestantism, and American social and cultural history, includes a chronology of significant events in the history of the church in the U.S., and concludes with a bibliographic essay intended as a guide for further reading in the history of Methodism.

These sermons are written to be preached. They are inspired, practical, and filled with fascinating illustrations that keep members of a congregation listening for more.
Leonard Mann writes that the ..". purpose of this small book is] to examine some preludes to Pentecost. By these God was anciently leading his people into larger places of spirit and mind, giving them insights for living, incentives for growing, ever making them ready..."
Sermon titles include:
Pentecost: Postscript or Prelude?
The Glory Of Being Human
The Anatomy Of A Journey
Does God Bother About Our Troubles?
Getting A Fix On The Future A Right Use Of Angels
... and more
Leonard Woodson Mann served as pastor of United Methodist churches for 37 years. Now in retirement, he is involved with special occasion preaching, research, and writing. He has written nine books, has been the editor of two volumes, and has been a major contributor to the preaching journal "Emphasis." He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Ohio Northern University and serves as a life member of its Board of Trustees. During his active ministry Mann was senior minister of some of Ohio's largest Methodist congregations.

In this fourth edition, the bibliographies define the basic resources for students and instructors of seminary-level courses in United Methodist history, doctrine, and polity, as determined by the Advisory Committee of the Division of Ordained Ministry of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church.

This essential, completely updated reference tool provides basic bibliographies for students of the Methodist movement and Wesleyan heritage. It identifies standard texts with emphasis on the best modern critical interpretations available. Materials are arranged topically, each entry carrying an item number, with an index for cross-referencing.

In a time when the United Methodist Connectional System is being questioned throughout the denomination, this volume explains the roots of the system, its rationale, and its success. Chapter essays: Connectionalism and Itinerancy; Constitutional Order in United Methodism and American Culture; African American Methodists; Methodist Identities and the Founding of Methodist Universities; Redesigning Methodist Churches: Auditorium Style Sanctuaries; Wesley's Legacy of Social Holiness; United Methodist Campus Ministry; The Effect of Mergers on American Wesleyan Denominations; Determinants of the Denominational Mission Funding Crisis; and others.