John Wesley and Class Meetings:

Historical Development, Decline, and Relevance for Today

Kari Crisp

John Wesley, as the father of Methodism, did not intend to start a new denomination, but desired

to promote Holiness as a way of life. His formation of bands, classes, and societies was an

eclectic borrowing from both the Anglicans and the Moravians. Wesley said, “Holy solitaries’ is

a phrase no more consistent with the gospel than holy adulterers. The gospel of Christ knows of

no religion, but social; no holiness but social holiness. (Thompson, p.172)” This focus on social

holiness led Wesley to develop this mutually dependent methodology through the incorporation

of bands, classes, and societies. I will examine the historical development, decline, and the need

for Wesley's methods in the world today.

Historical Development of Bands, Classes, and Societies

The origin of Methodist Societies can be traced back to Anthony Horneck in the 1670's.

Horneck and his contemporaries had a desire to meet together to develop a disciplined spiritual

life. From these small beginnings many societies were formed, most notably, the Society for

Promoting Christian Knowledge. John Wesley's father, Samuel, became active in this society,

and John later became a member. The purpose of the society had evolved to one that endorsed

lives of personal holiness (Heitzenrater, p.21-22). The discipline that John Wesley found in the

early societies was evident by the mark that they have left on Methodism. It is said that the

societies are the bodily composition of Methodism (Watson, p.74).

John Wesley had no aspirations of forming a new denomination. His upbringing set him on the

path of a life long quest for personal spiritual holiness that has created a ripple effect that is felt

throughout the world. John's parents were Samuel and Susanna Wesley. They both came from

families of dissenters of the Church of England, but both had returned to the Church. Susanna

taught all her children to read early and to think critically (Langford, p.19). John's early

development and training came from these home lessons, as well as his father's church. Around

the age of ten, John was sent to Charterhouse for formal education. John later studied at Oxford

University. It was during this time at Oxford that John Wesley observed a sort of spiritual

slackness in the world around him, and that spurred him to pursue personal piety and holiness for

his life (Heitzenrater, p.31).

When John's brother, Charles, began his studies at Oxford, he too noticed the difficulties of

living a holy life in a world that was spiritually slack. Charles sought the advise of his older

brother to help develop spiritual maturity (Heitzenrater, p.38). John visited Charles at Oxford

and as noted above, the birth of Methodism became a reality in the band of committed believers

at Oxford. From these humble beginnings the course of the Methodist movement was set in

motion. John Wesley combined his knowledge, experience, reason, and tradition to form a more

formal method of discipleship for those in earnest pursuit of holiness.

The Moravian bands have roots that travel back to late Medieval Christianity. The remnant of

the fellowship that survived the Medieval period were known as the Unitas Fractum. In the

eighteenth century, Herrnhut became the new center for the Unitas Fractum, with Count

Nikoulaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf the foremost leader (Watson, p. 76). The leadership of von

Zinzendorf resulted in the creation of the Banden, or small fellowship groups of people who

were committed to a disciplined life, striving toward personal holiness (Watson, 2010).

Bands were divided by age, gender, and marital status. Bands were formed from people that had

already accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and had experienced justification through

faith. Bands gave a means for mutual accountability and growth in the Christian faith

(Thompson, 2010). John Wesley had first hand exposure to the Moravian bands and heart

theology on a missionary trip to Georgia. Upon Wesley's return to England, he encountered a

Peter Bohler, a German Lutheran Minister, who furthered Wesley's interest in the teaching of the

Moravians. John Wesley later went to Germany to visit the Moravian communities and deepen

his understanding of what made these people especially holy (Heitzenrater, p.82). Ironically,

Wesley's quest for knowledge about the Moravian bands occurred after he had inadvertently

formed the first Methodist band.

The first Methodist band was formed out of a request to John Wesley, by his brother Charles, to

help Charles in his desire to grow in his faith. Charles was studying at Oxford and realized that

it was difficult for a young man to pursue Godliness in the college environment. At Charles'

request, John came to Charles at Oxford and with Charles' friends, William Morgan and Bob

Kirkham, they soon formed the first Methodist band (Heitzenrater, p.38). They met together

frequently for study, prayer, and general accountability. This small start led to growth beyond

what John Wesley would have ever imagined.

As noted, the bands were segregated by age, gender, and marital status. In 1738 John Wesley

wrote a four page Rules for the Band Societies. In this he states , “The design of our meeting is,

to obey that command of God, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that

ye may be healed." As well Wesley gives a list of suggested questions to search the soul of those

in attendance, but there were five mandatory questions that had to be asked to each person in

attendance:

1. What sin have you committed since our last Meeting?

2. What temptations have you met with?

3. How were you delivered?

4. What have you thought, said, or done, of which you doubt whether it be Sin or

not?

5. Have you nothing you desire to keep secret?

The mastermind of Wesley's plans for the bands was in his realization that being a disciple of

Christ was the natural response to the sanctifying grace of God (Watson, p.84). Bands were but

once piece of the Wesleyan Societal puzzle.

The Methodist classes were made up of more diverse groups of people (Watson, p.94). The

classes did not have their roots as a meeting, but as a method of reducing the debt that was

incurred by Methodist Societies for meeting houses and charitable works. The leader of the class

was responsible for between eleven and twenty other members of the class, not only for the

financial giving, but for the personal oversight of the class members (Thompson, 2010). Classes

developed from the Methodist Societies, and were divided by neighborhoods. The closeness of

proximity of the class leaders to their class helped develop the class leader position into more of

a pastoral role. In the early, formative development of the classes, the leaders would report

directly to John Wesley about the spiritual state of those in the class (Heitzenrater, p. 118).

Class leaders were entrusted with visiting each member of their class at least once a week, in the

member's home. It was in this manner that the class leader would be able to give an account of

each member of the class to either Wesley or the clergy that was appointed as shepherd of the

society. During a home visit the leader would have first hand knowledge on the state of the souls

of those in their charge, as well as any obstacles to the member in their personal pursuit of

holiness (Atkinson, p.13, 101). There were three primary rules for the classes:

1. Do no harm, and avoid evil in every kind.

2. Do good of every possible sort, and as far as possible to all men.

3. Attend upon all the ordinances of God.

The classes themselves did have fixed agendas, differing from the less formal style of the band

meetings (Watson, p.110). While bands were voluntary groups for the people that desired

spiritual maturity, the classes were mandatory for anyone that belonged to the Methodist

societies.

Membership into a Methodist society simply came from the desire of the person “to flee from the

wrath to come” (Thompson, 2010). As the societies grew in numbers, so did the need for more

accountability for the members of the societies. In his essay, From Sect to Church in British

Methodism, John H. Chamberlayne notes, “It is clear that to 'join the Methodists' meant

withdrawal from much social life and the necessity to find one's pleasures among the faithful

members of the local Society.”

Once a member of a society, a person would be required to become a member of a class. The

class accomplished many purposes including Christian fellowship, spiritual growth, and

outreach, but the primary purpose of these class meetings was to foster a sense of mutual

accountability among the members (Thompson, 2010). The small, close knit bands served those

people who desired to travel further down the road toward Christian perfection. The bands were

a way people who desired, could have a closer union during the process of sanctification. There

were also penitent bands for those people that had backslid, allowing them to repent and begin

the sanctification process anew. The spiritual direction of the societies, classes, and bands was

steered by John Wesley. Wesley did not believe in the lay person having a vote in who would

preach and teach (Dreyer, 1986). After Wesley's death the Methodist societies, classes, and

bands that he had so careful designed began to change.

Wesley's design for the Methodist societies, classes, and bands was little churches within the big

church (ecclesiolae in ecclesia). During the life of John Wesley the “big church” was the

Church of England. The American Methodists desired to break ties with the mother church, and

they formed their own new denomination. As a result of the separation of Methodist Church in

America with the Church of England, the little church within the big church model that Wesley

had patterned was beginning to unravel.

Decline of Methodist Societies, Classes, and Bands

In his day, John Wesley was fighting a spiritual battle. Wesley desired a true Christian revival.

He addresses this in his sermon, The Almost Christian. He believed that people were showing

the outward form of Christianity by not doing anything that was expressly forbidden by the

gospel. His call to change was to get people to make that inward change of the heart through

loving God and neighbor (Outler & Heitzenrater, p. 62-68). The inward change that Wesley so

desired to see in people is the purpose behind the Methodist societies, classes, and bands. After

John Wesley's death the structure of these Methodist groups began to deteriorate.

Andrew Goodhead in the book, A Crown and a Cross, offers some suggestions for the decline of

the class meetings within the Methodist Churches. He asserts that the classes became

regimented, with a repetitive format. Goodhead also attributes the decline to large class sizes

and untrained, inept class leaders (Hardt, 2011). This deterioration of the Methodist classes was

all the more evident in the United States where the shortage of ordained ministers was a painful

reality for a developing nation that needed the sound doctrine of Wesley.

In the 1850's Leonidas Rosser, of Richmond Virginia wrote about the Methodist classes and the

role of the class leaders. Rosser set forth twenty three questions the class leaders should be

asking each person in the class. This was much more rigid than the precedent that had been set

by John Wesley. The unrealistic demands that were placed on the class members led to a decline

in class membership as people felt helpless to live up to these demands (Watson, p.44).

Another factor that contributed to the decline of the Methodist classes was the formation of the

Methodist Sunday School Union in 1827. The purpose of Sunday school was fundamentally

different from that of the class meetings. Sunday school was developed as a means for Biblical

training and instruction, while the class meeting was to provide accountability for the

discipleship of persons. Sunday school became more appealing to the masses because a person

could receive the Biblical knowledge without the spiritual discipline (Watson, p.51).

A contributing factor in the decline of Methodist classes, societies, and bands in the United

States were the divisions within Methodism that were occurring. Splits and schisms were

fracturing the fledgling Methodist Episcopal Church in the late 1700's through the mid 1900's.

Though these splits and schisms led to the the extinction of the Wesleyan designed classes,

societies, and bands, the end result was the emergence of the United Methodist Church

(McEllhenney, p.57).

Leslie Church writes in The Early Methodist People that the most important development from

the Methodist movement is the class meeting. Church notes, “It was only when the idea of the

class-meeting was born, in 1742, that Methodism had its family hearth round which all could

gather, whether they were beginners or veterans, and feel themselves at home, their Father’s

welcome guests. This was the ‘crowning glory’ and it has done more than any other Methodist

organization to inuence the world (Thompson, 2010).” I wonder if John Wesley could even

have imagined what the world would look like today.

Understanding the World Today

Over two hundred years have passed since John Wesley, and since his time many things have

changed. The Methodists, which were considered either a society or sect during the life of John

Wesley, have become a full fledged denomination. The band meetings, love feasts, and watch

nights, have been exchanged for pot lucks, church socials, and mid week dinners. The Methodist

church in America would not look that different than the Reformed, Baptist, or Lutheran

churches in any given town. The spiritual disciplines that were at the heart of Wesley's theology

are no where to be found today (Maddox, p.132).

Today we live in a postmodern world, and to define this in the simplest way would be to say that

we live in a world that rejects or denies absolutes. Even the term postmodern, has been used to

such an extent that it has term 'postmodern' itself being amorphous in meaning. Traditional

moral values are rejected, while people will defend their right to believe what they want with

fervor. People believe that what is true for you does not have to be true for me. The best

description of the world today would be from 2 Timothy 3.1-5:

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be

lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to

their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without

self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of

pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its

power. Have nothing to do with such people.”

This is exactly the typology of a postmodern Christian. The postmodern believer will go to

church and have the outward appearance of godliness, but they deny the power of God. People

have separated the two tenants of faith that were designed to compliment each other, religious

experience and religious belief (Harrison, 2010).

In modern American Christianity people will choose what parts of the Bible they like and ignore

or reject the rest, and it is in this that we find the thrust of the problem between Christianity and

the Postmodern world (Veith, p. 209). People will choose aspects of Christianity that they like,

and combine it with other religions and practices such as Buddhism, meditation, yoga, and Tai

Chi to make their customized designed faith. I call it the Burger King mentality, “Have it your

way”. This mentality has reduced Conservative Christianity into a form of apologetics in

attempts to respond to the critics of the Christian faith (Harrison, 2010).

A poll of Americans showed that 94% believe in God, 80% claim to be Christian, and only 10%

of professing Christians have actually read the entire Bible. George Gallup said, “Americans

revere the Bible but, by and large, don’t read it. And because they don't read it, they have

become a nation of biblical illiterates (Mohler, 2004). How did America become a land of Bible

illiterates? The journey to this point is easy to see. When America was first colonized people

were Bible literate. Children were taught early from the New England Primer and learned basic

education in reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion (Prothero, p.74). It was when the Supreme

Court banned prayer and devotional Bible reading in public schools, in the early 1960's, that the

religious literacy of America began to decline (Prothero, p.88). The lack of religious instruction

for the children starting in the 1960's has bred a culture of religious illiteracy in the United

States.

Feeding into the separation of religious experience and religious belief is the focus on

experiential Christianity. People can recognize that they are sinners and will readily ask God for

forgiveness, but stop after that point. Evangelical Christianity has been focusing on the decision

theology and neglecting to make disciples. It has been so busy fighting the postmodern culture

that it has only fed into it by creating a Christian subculture. Christians today have their own

schools, music, book stores, concerts, and even movies (Veith, p.212). It is easy for a Christian

to live in the Christian subculture and never grow in their faith. This is where Christian leaders

have their biggest challenge and biggest opportunity.

These challenges have not gone unnoticed in the Methodist church. In the 1988 Book of

Discipline, the first modern Methodist response to the call for a return to the Wesleyan roots of

mutual accountability. In the 2012 Book of Discipline the topic of accountable discipleship is

again addressed:

“Historically class leaders provided lay pastoral leadership, and classes and class

meetings were the basic structural means of Christian spiritual formation in the

early Methodist societies.Class leaders may be commissioned and classes may be

organized within the local congregation for the purpose of forming persons as

faithful disciples of Jesus Christ through mutual accountability and support for

witnessing to him in the world and for following his teachings through acts of

compassion, justice, worship, and devotion under the guidance of the Holy

Spirit.”

I would argue that if Christian leaders want to stem the tide of Biblical illiteracy and spiritual

apostasy they must return to the Wesleyan system of bands, classes, and societies.

Societies, Classes, and Bands for Today

The return to tradition reached further back than John Wesley, it reaches back to the Bible. Acts

2.42, 46-47:

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of

bread and to prayer....Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.

They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising

God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily

those who were being saved.”

Delving deeper into Biblical history though, the pattern for Christian discipleship was created

when Jesus called the twelve disciples. This pattern for Christian formation was key in the

Wesleyan classes. Today, we have something similar in form in our small groups. However,

while these small groups may resemble discipleship in form, most fall short in the true sense of

Biblical discipleship.

If given the opportunity small groups can play an integral role in the discipleship process. Small

groups provide a forum that people can express their thoughts, feelings, and attitudes and gain

response from other members of the group. This allows a Christian to challenge and be

challenged by others and thus grow in their faith. John Wesley taught about the instant

sanctification when a person repents, this is the decision theology of today. Wesley did not stop

there though, he also taught about that gradual sanctification process that happens in the lives of

believers (Randall) . This gradual sanctification process is best fostered through the intentional

discipling that happens in the small group setting.

An excellent example of the Wesleyan concept of societies, classes, and bands would be the

ministry of Celebrate Recovery. This was the brain child of John Baker from Saddleback

Church in Lake Forest, California. The Celebrate Recovery ministry is best known as a means

for a person to gain help in overcoming the hurts, habits, and hang-ups that plague any person

that lives in the world today. It is a Christ-centered 12 step recovery method that employs large

groups (societies), small groups (classes), and intensive twelve step groups (bands).

This Celebrate Recovery ministry has been in existence for over 20 years. The key to the

success of this program, that has now spread across the United States, is the small group

accountability. A snap shot of a typical Celebrate Recovery model would be coming together

once a week for a large group worship. After the large group, participants would break off into

gender specific, and issue specific groups, and given the opportunity to share. Participants that

desired to go deeper in their recovery would then work through the recovery steps in a step study

group. Along the way participants are urged to find accountability partners and sponsors that

will help them along this healing journey. A person that has been through the twelve steps is

then expected to become a group leader and mentor to those that are beginning the process. The

key idea that is interwoven in the success of Celebrate Recovery is the same ingredient that was

crucial to the Wesleyan classes, accountability.

Looking toward the future of the body of Christ it is crucial that the focus return to discipleship,

and small groups are key. An advantage that small groups have over the modern day Sunday

school lies in the ability of small groups to meet in private homes, offices, or even restaurants.

This provides a freedom of expression that is not found in the Sunday school setting of a church.

As well this allows the conversations to become more personal and meaningful to the

participants as compared to the abstract Biblical teachings found in most Sunday school models

(Rainer, p.293).

Small groups are paramount to the health and vitality of any church. One one hand you have a

small church of about 150 members. In this church the pastor and a small number of lay leaders

do the majority of the work of ministry. They get trapped in a painful cycle of doing ministry

that leads to exhaustion and burnout. Although they have been laboring intensely the church

does not grow numerically (Russell, p.176). They are like a hamster in a cage, spinning the

wheel, and never going anywhere. The other side of the coin would be the mega church of

today. Thousands of people flock to the church every Sunday to participate in the worship

service experience. The worship music looks and feels like any secular concert, and the pastor

comes to the stage and delivers a sermon, that sounds much like any other self-help, feel-good

message, and people attend the service and leave without having been truly affected one way or

the other. The church may grow numerically, but the people remain spiritually dead.

Small groups are the key to bringing the small and the mega churches back together and to help

people find spiritual life and vitality. Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea, one of

the largest churches in the world owes it's success to small groups. Small groups are not just part

of the church, the church is composed of small groups as the foundation for the church

(Dougherty & Whitehead, 2010). These small groups are holistic in nature and emphasize

Christian discipleship by not just discussing the Bible, but focusing on how it relates to the life of

each individual. Each member plays a part.

Every member is a minister. That statement would probably upset more than a few clergy that

have spent much time, effort, and money in obtaining a theological education. However, if

Christian leaders do not change their mindset and start equipping the saints for service, the

churches are in danger of becoming nothing more than a social club. The pattern for many

churches has been a pyramid, and the person on the top has been the ordained clergy. When that

notion is altered to viewing the church as an encompassing circle,with many circles of members

inside, the model for growth and discipleship is realized (Russell, p.176). A great leader is one

that multiplies his productivity in leadership though using the gifts and talents of others (Stanley,

p.27). The key to growing successful small groups would be in equipping the leaders.

Equipping Christian leaders is a complex matter, but one that is worth the time and effort.

Ephesians 4.11-16, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the

shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the

body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son

of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that

we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every

wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking

the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is

equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds

itself up in love.”

Each small group should be structured to be independent, but interdependent upon the church as

a whole. There must be a structure to this interdependence and this structure needs to be

transparent to every small group leader. In this way the each small group can have structure and

support to be more effective. This improvement will in turn strengthen the entire church body.

Preparing for the Future

The importance of class leaders is intricately woven throughout the United Methodist heritage.

We have the opportunity to revive this forgotten office with the advantage of hindsight to correct

the past mistakes (Watson p.64). There must be an emphasis placed on training the small group

or class leaders. Equipping the saints is the task that Christian leaders have been charged with,

and working within the areas that God has gifted leaders is integral, Romans 12.4-8:

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all

have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member

belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of

us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is

serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give

encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is

to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

For many years now, the primary work of ministry in leadership has been monopolized by the

ordained clergy. The key to success that must be foundational in effective discipling is centered

in equipping lay leadership (Watson, p.30). Ordained clergy need to focus their energy on

working within their core competencies to maximize their time and ministry efforts. Training

and delegating to lay leaders those tasks that fall outside of the core competencies of the clergy

helps to strengthen the body of Christ as a whole.

Consider for a moment what may have happened if the disciples of the Bible did not practice

delegating. In the book of Acts the disciples were being pressed because some of the widows

were not receiving a share of the daily food distribution. What would have happened if the

disciples continued working outside of their call to the ministry of the Word to wait on tables?

However working outside of the core competencies is exactly what has limited the effectiveness

of today's clergy.

It does take an investment of time to train lay leaders, but it is an investment that is necessary if

the churches today want to make fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ for the transformation of

the world, this is the mission of the United Methodist Church. It is the process of creating these

fully devoted followers that will trigger the change that is needed in the churches today to cure

spiritual apostasy and cause a return to Biblical literacy. It is gleaning the knowledge of the past,

and applying the principals to the world today that will prepare Christianity to stand firm in the

future.

It is the radical transformation of lives that will radically change the overwhelming Biblical

illiteracy and spiritual apostasy that is in the world. John Wesley was in the trenches fighting

this same battle, and he demonstrated what can be done with such a humble start as three people

coming to him to seek spiritual guidance (Randall). Leaders are charged to be an example to

others. Hebrews 13.7, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider

the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”

Moving forward Christian leaders must be recognize the great duty and responsibility that has

been placed before them. There is no perfect plan, formula, or method that is the key to

equipping and training disciples. The key is the one word no one likes to hear, discipline. As

Wesley realized though it is not just solitary discipline, it is social as well.

This social accountability principal has been woven into the United Methodist history and must

be intertwined into the future of the United Methodist Church. Leaders in the church are

supposed to be living examples of what it means to live a holy life. St. Francis of Assisi said,

“Preach the gospel, if necessary, use words.” The actions and lives of Christian leaders will

testify wether or not they are true disciples of Jesus Christ or as John Wesley would say, “The

Almost Christian.”

The charge that today's church leaders have is found in 1 Corinthians 11.1, “Follow my example,

as I follow the example of Christ.” It is time to realign the spiritual compass of all believers to

fall on the true North of Jesus Christ. In doing so it will create the radical transformation that is

required to change lives and change the world.

It is my fervent hope and prayer that I will see in my lifetime the reawakening of true

discipleship in Jesus Christ. This is why I feel I am called to ministry, to help facilitate the

discipleship of those whom God entrusts in my care. I have the heartfelt desire to participate in

Wesleyan bands, classes, and societies so that I would have that accountable discipleship that

was the heart of Methodism in Wesley's day. My call into the Methodist denomination is that

draw of the Wesleyan teachings of social discipleship. I want to affect the tide of this

postmodern world by helping to create fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ for the

transformation of the world.

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