John Wesley
John Wesley was bornon 17 June 1703 in Epworth, Lincolnshire, British, is Anglican Cleric and Christian Theologian. John Wesley, best remembered as the Father of the Methodist movement, was born in England to an Anglican clergyman and his devout wife. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford, Wesley was ordained first as a deacon and then as a priest of the Anglican Church. Later he went to the United States to become the minister of the newly formed Savannah parish; but the venture was highly unsuccessful and he returned home beaten and depressed. He began to see the light when by chance he discovered the Lutheran doctrine of salvation by faith alone. Eventually, he started the Methodist Movement, which became a huge establishment within his lifetime. Although he never severed his ties with the Church of England, Methodist Church gradually became a separate denomination. Today, there are around 80 million Methodists across the earth. The United Methodist Church, the Methodist Church of Great Britain, the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Wesleyan Church are some of the largest bodies which follow Wesleyan theology. Apart from these, the Holiness movement and Pentecostalism also owe their origins to him.
In 1784, the Bishop of London refused to ordain priests for the American Methodists
In 1776, with the independence of the USA, the situation became different
On his recovery in 1751, he once more immersed himself into the work, making sure the movement he had started would continue after his death
Therefore in 1743, he drew up a set of rules to be followed by all the units
In 1742, he introduced the ‘class-meeting’ system so as to enforce discipline within the society
However, he refused to bow down and in April 1739, he gave his first sermon near Bristol in the open air
In 1738, Wesley visited the Moravian headquarters in Herrnhut, Germany
In spite of such success, Wesley had to flee the colony in December 1737 because of some legal problems arising out of a failed love affair, and returned to England broken and depressed
Eventually, they reached the colony in February 1736
Accordingly, Wesley sailed for Savanna from Gravesend in Kent along with his brother Charles on 14 October 1735
However from 1732, they began to be referred to as the Methodists because they followed a rigorous method and tried to ensure that each hour was used wisely
Although he was ordained as a priest on 22 September 1728 he continued serving as the curate till November 1729
In 1727, Wesley started his career as a curate in his father’s parish
In March 1726, he was elected a fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford
With such an aim, he was ordained a deacon on 25 September 1725
In 1724, he graduated from Christ Church with a Bachelor’s degree
He graduated from there in 1720 and entered Christ Church, Oxford, on scholarship with classics and logic
In 1714, as he turned eleven, John Wesley was sent to the Charterhouse School in London
On 9 February 1709, the roof of their home caught fire while they were all sleeping
John Wesley was born on 28 June 1703, in Epworth, near Lincoln
