Parish 777 Final Exam Terms

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Jacob Albright

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1759-1808; head of the Evangelical Association strand (German-speaking group apart from United Brethren); Lutheran who became licensed Methodist exhorter and preached in German-speaking communities; kicked out of Lutheran Church and organized German-speaking “quarterly conference” with class leaders in 1803; formed the “New Methodist Conference” (unofficial group because Asbury insisted that Methodists had to have English services and this person wasn’t ordained by Methodist bishop; in 1809 adopted German translation of Methodist Discipline that had been prepared for the United Brethren), then changed the name to Evangelical Association in 1816 (not a denomination; strong revisionist tendency [trying to move past denominations so refused to adopt a confession of faith]); never joined the MEC due to German and their restorationist tendency to avoid having a creed but upheld Methodist polity

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Richard Allen

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early black Methodist preacher; licensed in 1784 and ordained as a deacon in 1799; the MEC never ordained any black person as an elder during Asbury’s life; many black people in North America were drawn to Methodism because of its acceptance of black people and early stance against slavery but frustrated by continuing discrimination

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Francis Asbury

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sent to North America by Wesley in 1771 with Richard Wright; only British Methodist preacher sent by John Wesley who stayed in North America after the Revolution (1777); only non-American preacher present at 1778 Conference when Americans gave themselves (not Wesley) final authority to approve Methodist preachers in North America (organized opposing conference in Delaware to keep him in power as the one sent by JW—defending connection to British Methodists and Wesley; caused Fluvanna Schism; Southern Methodists capitulated to him); distances himself from Wesley more at the 1784 Christmas Conference and turns Wesley’s appointments into American elections, giving Americans/the conference the final word (led to growing tensions between Wesley and this person); later struggled with tensions between him having somewhat centralized authority over Methodism in NA and giving more power to the conference of all the preachers; tried unsuccessfully to unite United Brethren and the Methodist Episcopal Church during his life (insisted that UB had to have services in English and UB wouldn’t adopt all of Methodist polity; traditions do unite eventually, just not while he is alive); never ordained a black elder but approved the creation of separate African American Methodist congregations; considered preaching more essential than sacraments so did not feel a strong need to ordain elders to perform sacraments (little emphasis on any means of grace other than preaching and Word)

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Nathan Bangs

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second generation Methodist leader who pushed for more education among clergy and laity, especially as circuit riders settled into regional charges and needed to preacher more different sermons; took on teaching office in Methodism because of his role as an editor (could form doctrinal opinion by controlling what information was shared in journals)—edited Methodist Magazine, Arminian Magazine, created weekly Christian Advocate, supported missions (became head of Methodist missions; contributed to settling clergy in established houses of worship and parsonages to avoid Methodists losing camp meeting converts to more established denominations—contributed to the break down of itinerancy and class meetings since stationed pastors took over lay roles and missionary societies and Sabbath schools replaced class meetings), education (president of Wesleyan University, instituted the course of study for clergy), and exercised authority to interpret events in Methodist life; became denominational apologist and historian, presiding elder and episcopal candidate

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Richard Boardman

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with Joseph Pilmore, one of the earliest lay preachers Wesley sent to North America (1769) to spread the movement, but could not administer sacraments; returned to England by 1777; with Webb, helped Methodists purchas former German Reformed church St. George’s Church in Philadelphia

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Martin Boehm

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Swiss/German Mennonite who held a bishop-like position in his tradition (selected by lot as pastor and then selected by pastors to serve in bishop-like role); stressed believer’s baptism, pacifism, assurance of the Spirit; Pietist leanings got him into trouble with his Mennonite tradition; met Otterbein at a revival at Long’s Barn in 1767 and began cooperative interdenominational movement the United Brethren, which eventually joined the Methodists to become the United Methodist Church

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Thomas Coke

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become the person John Wesley wanted to serve as the administrator of Methodism after his death; highly educated (doctoral degree) ordained Anglican priest with Methodist sympathies recruited by Wesley in 1777; became JW’s assistant and went to North America as Wesley’s agent (Wesley ordained him superintendent in North America) but was resisted by American Methodists (at 1784 Christmas Conference they refused to let him appoint Whatcoat [Wesley’s instructions] or acknowledge his authority); tried unsuccessfully to reunite Methodists with the Protestant Episcopal Church in NA but Asbury shot him down (didn’t want to re-ordain clergy); contributed to the demise of class/band meetings, General Rules, etc. in North America by downplaying them as “system of ethics” and means of satisfying social needs of humans instead of important formative disciplines/means of grace (characterizing them as duties made Americans suspicious of them—if they were duties, Am Methodist wanted to see where they were required by Scripture)

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Daniel Coker

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early black Methodist preacher in Baltimore; led a group that joined Richard Allen’s African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1815 (realities of racial discrimination [limiting the roles of black people, refusing to ordain black elders during Asbury’s life, etc.] led to creation of some separate African-American Methodist traditions)

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Phillip Embury

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German-Irish cousin of Barbara Ruckle Heck; active in Irish Methodism as a local preacher before moving to North America, encouraged to return to preaching by Barbara in NA; started Methodist group that met in a rigging house (1766) in New York before building John’s Street Chapel in 1768

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John Fletcher

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1808 General Conference voted against using Wesley’s Sermons and Notes and this person's Checks as standards of Methodist doctrine due to fears about being accountable to them in questions of church trial; North American Methodism shifted to a focus on this person more than Wesley due to their associating real theology with apologetics and systematic theology, like his work to defend Methodism against Calvinism; American Methodists drew on his ideas about entire sanctification and Christian perfection occurring with the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2) which brings purity to cleanse away depravity and power for future growth (consider sanctification two gifts: conversion/assurance and gift of the Spirit to instantaneously remove unholy tempers though not add unholy tempers instantaneously [purity but not yet maturity—different definition of Christian perfection/sanctification from Wesley; led to early Methodist conflict between him and Wesley because he only stressed the instantaneous and not the gradual/living in the means of grace]); John Wesley wanted him to take over administration of Methodist after Wesley’s death because he was best educated/well-trained for the role but he didn’t want the job so Coke ended up being Wesley’s top candidate; suggested setting up the Methodist Church as a daughter church of the CofE to allow Methodists to ordain clergy for North America (rejected proposal)

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Barbara Ruckle Heck

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German-Irish cousin of Phillip Embury who encouraged him to take up preaching/involvement with Methodists in North America; active in Irish Methodist movement before moving to North America

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James O’Kelly

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at 1784 Christmas conference, insisted that district superintendents had to be elected by the conference and not appointed from the top down (insisted on the system Asbury established at the Christmas conference); argues for a very “republican”/independent/congregational model in which everything is done by popular vote (decision of the whole body) instead of Asbury’s presbyterian (representative) model; leads to schism in 1792 when he organizes the Republican Methodist Church (considers it a truly American church) which he reorganized in 1801 as the Christian Church (reflecting restorationist tone to return to NT [no denominations]) which later became part of the United Church of Christ; RMC/CC was the first group to split and remain outside of the Methodist Church

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William Otterbein

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with Martin Boehm, one of the founders of the United Brethren (met Boehm at revival at Long’s Barn); ordained in German Reformed tradition; sent from Germany pastored Evangelical Reformed church in Lancaster, PA (sola scriptura emphasis) and then called to pastor Pietist leaning congregation in Baltimore (strong emphasis on holiness) where he begins to function essentially as a bishop (guest preaches in other churches, holds meetings of network as other Pietist leaning congregations; functions in NA much like JW functions in England); did not stress believer’s baptism or pacifism but did stress assurance of the spirit

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Phoebe Palmer

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lay woman who became a traveling evangelist and was an influential theologian, effective in mobilizing women who felt called and empowered into mission based on their experiences of the Holy Spirit; identified “entire sanctification” as a moment of entire consecration or surrender to God to be claimed in a simple prayer of faith (beginning of the journey of Christian life, not the end of it; equates sanctification with baptism of the Holy Spirit); claimed public testimony was vital to retaining holiness/sanctification

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Joseph Pilmore

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with Richard Boardman, one of the first lay preachers John Wesley sent to North America in 1769; sent to spread the movement but could not administer the sacraments because not ordained; returned to England by 1777; with Boardman and Webb, helped Methodist buy St. George’s Church in Philadelphia

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Robert Strawbridge

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with his wife Elizabeth held the earliest known gatherings of classes/societies in North America (Southern Maryland); had been a lay leader in England before moving to North America; likely started society in Leesburg, VA that obtained land for a meeting house in 1766 (earliest record of land purchased specifically for Methodist worship); controversial because he began baptizing and administering communion without ordination or Wesley’s supervision (eventually put out of Methodism though the land he helped purchase stayed Methodist)

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James Varick

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early black Methodist preacher in New York; founded African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in 1796 out of John’s Street MEC because of discrimination; built Zion Church in 1800 and organized as a denomination in 1821, adopted official name in 1848 and continues to have members

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Thomas Vasey

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ordained as deacon and elder alongside Whatcoat and Coke (superintendent) by John Wesley and sent to North America; with Coke and Whatcoat prepared agenda for 1784 Christmas conference (didn’t work out so well); eventually sought orders with the Church of England after the creation of the MEC

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Thomas Webb

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British military officer converted by Wesley in Bristol; came to North American in 1755 with the British military; joined Phillip Embury’s society in NY in 1767; became key organizational figure who helped raise money for John’s Street Chapel; moved to Philadelphia with his military unit and helped organized the remnants of one of George Whitefield’s revivals into a society and led them to purchase St George’s Church (formerly a German reformed Church); one of the oldest surviving Methodist places of worship in the US and the first one to have been consecrated as a church when Methodist obtained it); continued traveling in North America and working for Methodist cause until returning to England with the military when British troops withdraw in 1783

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Richard Whatcoat

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ordained as deacon and elder alongside Thomas Vasey and Thomas Coke by John Wesley (seeking to follow tradition of ordaining in groups of three); Vasey, Coke, and this person prepared the agenda for the 1784 Christmas conference where Wesley wanted them to appoint this person superintendent alongside Asbury, but Americans refused to allow Coke to appoint him superintendent at the 1784 Christmas conference

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1784 Christmas Conference

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Wesley send Coke and two other to ordain Asbury and help him run the NA Methodist church, but Asbury, worrying the Americans won’t like that, turns the conference into a quarterly meeting and makes Wesley’s appointments American elections (the conference has the final say, not Wesley);; Wesley is upset and tries to reclaim authority unsuccessfully (leads to growing tension between Wesley and Asbury); American Methodists agree to follow Wesley’s ideas on church government while he’s alive but soon recant that commitment; “constituting conference” of MEC in which Methodist Episcopal Church establishes itself as a new church independent of Wesley or CofE (leads to new debate about vesting authority in Asbury or the general body)

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1792 General Conference

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officially dropped the Council and established the Conference as a permanent body to reconvene every four years; schism when O’Kelly organizes Republican Methodist Church; first general conference of all preachers to be held once every four years to address concerns about lack of representation in the district conference model; amended Discipline to be more Wesleyan (early American Methodists saw these kinds of documents and indicative of doctrine and theology, not Wesley’s sermons, etc.)—left behind no minutes or documentation of conference apart from amended Discipline; gave conference legislative power for the church (need 2/3 majority to approve or revise legislation, or majority to amend legislation), power to elect and try bishops, organize district and annual conferences, distinguish office and powers of presiding elders

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Calm Address to Our American Colonies (1775)

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John Wesley’s document to North American Methodists that borrowed heavily from Samuel Johnson arguing for them to work within the British system instead of seeking liberation from it; argued Americans don’t truly believe in natural, equal rights because they don’t extend them to women and slaves and that even if they did, their desires would lead to chaos without authoritative structures in place; very poorly received by North Americans who though Wesley was a turncoat Tory and tried to discredit him

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Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Lord’s Day (1784)

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Wesley sent this collection of hymns and psalms with their musical settings to American Methodists to be used in worship but they didn’t; NA Methodists preferred Wesley’s Pocket Hymn Book, which was intended for use at society meetings; early American Methodist worship look much more like society meetings (informal singing, preaching, testimony, etc.—no sacraments) than Sunday morning worship in the Anglican church

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The Council

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only lasted 2 years (1789-1790) before being dropped in favor of General Conference model; consisted of men chosen from among the bishops and presiding elders (district superintendents) of Methodism’s 7 districts who would meet to represent the whole connection; problematic because required unanimous decisions (so Asbury could veto) and legislation was only binding in concurring conferences (division in the connection)—first meeting addressed these issues (representatives chosen by ballot from among most experienced elders and legislation only needed 2/3 majority to pass and become effective in majority of conferences); James O’Kelly led opposition against this body; dealt with publishing and circulation of Methodist books and Arminian Magazine, worship practices, and provided for Cokesbury College and other colleges and Native American missions, and gave deacons a 3 year probationary period

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Deed of Declaration (1784)

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document of British Methodists; restricted the legal conference to a named body of 100 preachers instead of just whoever John Wesley wants to invite; invest the authority of Methodism in a group instead of an individual leader or independent congregations; paves the way for Methodism to become independent of the Anglican Church; creates an equality of elders with one elder set apart for a specific time to play the administrative role

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Evangelical Association (distinctive emphases)

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restorationist desire to move beyond denominations and connect with the church of Scripture so supported dual membership in this group and other groups and refused to adopt a separate confession of faith; adopted German language version of Methodist Discipline and polity

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First Restrictive Rule

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“the General Conference shall not revoke, alter, or change our articles of religion, nor establish any new standards or rules of doctrine contrary to our present existing and established standards of doctrine.”; adopted at 1808 General Conference; as a result even to date there has never been any revision of the Articles of Religion

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Fluvanna Schism

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illegal conference meeting in Delaware brokered by Asbury to keep Asbury in leadership and maintain connections between American Methodist and John Wesley/British Methodism after the 1778 conference made up of American preachers and Asbury gave the American conference power to approve or veto Wesley’s decision about who could be a Methodist preacher in NA; southern Methodists held their own conference [in Fluvanna Co, Va] in retaliation (dissolved established CofE in NA, gave some lay preachers authority to administer sacraments) and Asbury threatened to cut them off so they capitulated to him and reunited in 1781. [Note: See Heizenrater, p.274 for full account.]

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John’s Street Chapel

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built by Barbara Heck and Phillip Embury in New York in 1768 (Thomas Webb helped raise money for it); James Varick split from this congregation in 1796 to form the AME Zion Church

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Long’s Barn, Lancaster PA

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Boehm and Otterbein met at a revival here in 1767 and decided to form the United Brethren (cooperative interdenominational movement)

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Mission statement (as revised in North America)

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“to reform the continent, and to spread scriptural holiness in these lands” (1785) instead of “to reform the nation and the church” because there is no established church in North America (restorationist idea that God is establishing a new church that is the true church of Scripture); strong sense of mission and some imperialism; post-millennialism (God is working through Methodists to bring God’s reign to this new land—emphasis not just on preaching the kingdom of grace but enacting the kingdom of glory through education, health care, etc.); Methodists built colleges to train both clergy and laity (laity could spread holiness by doing non-clerical jobs to usher in the kingdom of God); Methodist polity easily adapted to the frontier to spread across the continent

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Quarterly meetings

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roots of camp meetings (so beneficial to leaders that they decided to make them open to everyone); earliest recorded Dec 1772; powerhouse of growth and vitality of Methodism; gathering of circuit preachers for revival and planning after each full circuit to revive preachers before going back out to minister; business session followed by preaching, love feasts, demonstrative worship, etc.

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St. George’s Church

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Philadelphia; oldest surviving Methodist place of worship and first to have been consecrated when Methodists acquired it; purchased from German Reformed Church with help from Captain Thomas Webb; location of first “annual conference” of preachers in 1773 led by Rankin, Wesley’s appointee (intended to be meeting of all NA Methodist preachers, but this wasn’t feasible); Richard Allen led a group out of this church in 1787-1792, built “Mother Bethel” church in 1794, and formed the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1816 (joined by Daniel Coker’s group in 1815)

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Sunday Service for the Methodists in North America (1784)

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abridge BCP Wesley sent to North American Methodists; recommended weekly celebration of Eucharist, but this was impossible in the NA setting (not enough clergy to go around); not really used by American Methodists (instead Methodist worship services looked more like society meetings with emphasis on fellowship and preaching, not sacraments; emphasized Wesley’s prudential means of grace and practices: class meetings for support and accountability, free worship in society meetings, exhortation and testimony, and reliance on lay ministry)

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United Brethren (distinctive emphases)

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formally aligned with Arminians in 1785; not a separate church/denomination (restorationist desire to move beyond denominations); retained German language (this and their refusal to adopt Methodist Discipline and statement of faith and issues of polity kept them from uniting with Methodists during Asbury’s life despite Asbury’s efforts); mmore democratic/Americanized polity than MEC (bishops elected for four year terms instead of life, bishops appoint preachers to circuits in consultation with preachers and circuits, presiding elders are elected by conference, itinerant and local preachers vote at conference, class meetings only suggested instead of required, and allow range of baptismal practices)

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Wesley’s assumptions/arguments allowing him to ordain elders

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-claimed that bishop and elder are the same thing within the understanding of Scriptures’ and traditions’ three offices of bishop, elder, and deacon (based on Peter King’s idea), so elders can ordain just like bishops can
-rejected that ordination bestows grace to minister
-claimed the situation was different in England than in North American because there were no Anglican Churches in North America, so out of pastoral concern Wesley had to ordain Methodists to provide for American Methodists and he claims he had the freedom to do that because he wouldn’t be stepping on anyone’s toes since there weren’t Anglican clergy there to encroach on
-resisted ordaining in England until his death
-tried to honor the precedent tradition as much as possible by ordaining 3 elders/bishops to do other ordinations
-have separate ordinations for deacon and elder (often ordained people deacon one day and elder the next)
-only ordained people who were properly trained
-ordained some in Scotland, etc. during his life

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Wesley’s letter to “Our Brethren in America”

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Wesley’s guide for North American Methodists on how to be church; identified Coke and Asbury as “superintendents” in NA, encouraged Americans to be “at full liberty, simply to follow the Scriptures and the Primitive church”; included instructions for appropriate worship (Sunday Service), revised Articles (from Anglican 39 Articles to 25 Articles), and a hymn book call A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Lord’s Day—worship resources were not widely used in NA (NA Methodist worship looked more like class meetings than Anglican Sunday services)

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XXV Articles of Religion

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abridged CofE Articles of Religion Wesley sent over to North American Methodists alongside instructions and resources for worship with his letter to “Our Brethren in America”