As we live into the United Methodist Vision to “love boldly, serve joyfully and lead courageously,” we need look no further than our friend John Wesley for inspiration.
Early in his ministry, Wesley wrote a series entitled “The Character of a Methodist” — not only to correct misconceptions people had about his movement, but also to ensure his followers would never forget what it meant to be Methodist. Looking at Wesley’s definition today, we see that Methodism has always been about loving boldly, serving joyfully and leading courageously.
Love Boldly
Like many people who set out to define something, Wesley begins by telling readers what a Methodist “is not.” Methodists, he explains, are not defined by distinct doctrines or unique rituals that set them apart from other Christians — the way people might typically judge a new religious movement.
Instead, Wesley describes a Methodist as “one who has ‘the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost given unto him.’ One who ‘loves the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind, and with all his strength.’” The first and most important mark of a Methodist, according to Wesley, is a bold and complete love of God.
Methodism begins in the heart, but like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, Wesley knew that the measure of one’s heart is not by how much one loves, but by how much one is loved. We love God because God first loved us. We are made in God’s image, redeemed through Christ and transformed from within by the Holy Spirit. Aware and assured of God’s unending love, we are able through grace to respond in kind.
But the Methodist isn’t just someone who is in love with God. Wesley explains that the Holy Spirit fills the Methodist’s heart with love for “his neighbor as himself; he loves every man as his own soul. His heart is full of love to all mankind, to every child of ‘the Father of the spirits of all flesh.’”
For Wesley love of God awakens of one’s love of neighbor as we come to see them as beloved children of God too. A Methodist doesn’t love only those nearby or kind to them, but everyone — including one’s enemies. According to Wesley “The love of God has purified his heart from all revengeful passions, from envy, malice, and wrath, from every unkind temper or malign affection.” For Wesley everything Methodist is and does begins with love of God and love of neighbor.
Serve Joyfully
Filled with the bold love, Wesley writes that Methodists “cannot but rejoice… ‘being justified freely, and having peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’” This joy begins in the heart but expresses itself outwardly through action. Methodists are not people who follow Christ’s teachings or perform good works out mere obligation or fear. We do so with a glad and joyful heart. People know us not only by our fruits, but by our spirits.
This doesn’t mean every day is “sunshine and rainbows”, or that we never feel sad or upset. It simply means we find our deepest joy in serving God and neighbor, even the darkest of times. Wesley first encountered this joy when he witnessed Moravian Christians remaining calm and prayerful during a terrible storm at sea. He longed for that same peace and assurance.
Because we take joy in service, it naturally becomes part of our daily ministries and practices. The first unofficial Methodist church, the Foundry, was established in London in 1739. It didn’t just hold worship services and class meetings — it also hosted a children’s school, a shelter for the poor and even a makeshift hospital. This was a church devoted to serving both God and the surrounding community with joy.
Today, many of our congregations continue that legacy, housing food ministries, homeless shelters, preschools, recovery groups and other community services. When we speak with members of these churches about these ministries, they often smile and grow animated because it brings them joy to help others. Without this joy, our witness would not be nearly as strong or enduring.
Lead Courageously
Finally, Wesley states that a Methodist is one who does not let “the customs of the world at all hinder his ‘running the race that is set before him.’” He was no stranger to opposition. Methodist preachers were sometimes attacked in public, their churches vandalized and their practices mocked in the press. In fact, the name “Methodist” began as an insult hurled at them by their enemies.
The early Methodists also faced practical challenges, such as lack of money or trained preachers — and yet they accomplished so much because they had courageous leaders. Wesley would die a poor man with only a few pounds in his pocket, yet his legacy lives on in the millions of United Methodists seeking justice and offering mercy to others all over the world.
Wesley was not afraid to preach against the greatest moral evil of his day: slavery. He preached against slavery from the pulpit and even led economic boycotts against the cotton and tobacco industries. He also was not afraid to try new ways to reach others, such as preaching in the open air. He created new opportunities for laymen and women to preach the Gospel.
Though we live in very different times today, we are still running the same “race that is set before [us]” as Wesley and the early Methodists. We speak out courageously against racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and authoritarianism. We welcome all people into our churches, especially those society has cast aside.
We also seek new and creative ways to reach and serve others for Christ using technology and innovation. Today we hold church in bars, coffee shops, beaches and online. Our combined resources as a connection provide disaster relief, global health services and economic development in parts of the world many of us may never see. Courageously, we continue to share God’s love with the world.
Living out The Vision
To “love boldly, serve joyfully and lead courageously” is to live as Wesley’s Methodists did — hearts set aflame by God’s love, hands ready for service and spirits strengthened by faith. The world has changed since Wesley’s day, but the heart of our calling remains the same and is embodied in the daily ministries of The United Methodist Church.