What Do Methodists & Wesleyans Believe? An Introduction to the Movements

Wesleyanism is a vibrant movement of Christianity that traces its roots to the eighteenth-century ministry of two brothers, John and Charles Wesley. Emerging initially as a renewal movement within the Church of England, it sought to restore what its founder, John Wesley, called primitive Christianity: the purity, passion, and zeal of the early church. Today, it encompasses a diverse global family of denominations and traditions.

At its core, Wesleyanism would simply define itself as “scriptural Christianity.” It is characterized by an optimism of grace, the theological conviction that God’s power is not only sufficient to forgive sin but also to radically transform the human heart in this life. While sharing fundamental Protestant tenets like justification by faith, the Wesleyan tradition places a distinct emphasis on sanctification: the process of being made holy through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

A brief history of the Wesleyan movement

The story of the Wesleyan movement is grounded in the history of a small group of Christians. At the center were the Wesley brothers. John and Charles were raised in a devout Anglican household where intellectual rigor and fervent faith went hand in hand. Their mother, Susanna, gave birth to nineteen children and nurtured her offspring in Scripture and prayer. Their father, Samuel, served as a parish priest. This combination of disciplined devotion and passionate faith became a hallmark of the movement they would later inspire.

While John Wesley became the movement’s chief organizer and evangelist, Charles Wesley made an equally enduring contribution through hymnody. A gifted poet and hymn writer, Charles authored more than six thousand hymns, many of which are still widely sung today, including “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” His hymns gave voice to the movement’s theology, helping to shape Wesleyan spirituality for generations of believers.

John Wesley famously traced the Wesleyan–Methodist movement by referring to the three “rises” of Methodism indicated by their locations: Oxford, Georgia, and London.

1. The first rise: Oxford

While students at Oxford University, John and Charles Wesley formed a small group beginning in 1729 that focused on mutual accountability, sacramental devotion, and rigorous discipline. Critics labeled them the “Holy Club” and mockingly called them “Methodists,” referring to the strict, methodical way they approached the practice of faith. The name stuck and was eventually embraced by the group, as they did believe that Christians should be methodical in their approach to daily prayer, Bible study, reception of Communion, and acts of piety such as visiting the sick and imprisoned. This period provided the movement with its vision for holiness marked by a step-by-step approach to walking with Christ.

2. The second rise: Georgia

John and Charles Wesley traveled to the Georgia Colony in 1735 as missionaries, driven by an idealistic desire to plant Christianity among native peoples in the New World. Though the mission was largely a failure, it was pivotal because John Wesley encountered a group of Moravians during his travels. Their calm faith during a terrifying storm at sea struck him deeply. Wesley panicked as the Moravian pietists sat calmly singing hymns, and he realized he lacked and longed for the internal assurance of faith they possessed.

3. The third rise: London

Returning to London, John Wesley experienced his famous Aldersgate encounter on May 24, 1738. While listening to a reading of Luther’s preface to the epistle to the Romans, he felt his heart “strangely warmed.” He wrote, “I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation: and an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine.”¹ This profound experience of assurance marked a turning point, not only in his own faith, but in a vision for the movement that would emerge.

Following these events, the movement gained momentum in England. When blocked from preaching in Anglican pulpits, John Wesley took to field preaching, reaching the poor and marginalized where they lived and worked rather than waiting for them to enter the doors of the established church. He famously declared, “I look upon all the world as my parish.”²

A Wesleyan reading of Scripture

For Wesleyans, Scripture is the primary and authoritative guide for faith and practice. John Wesley described himself as a “man of one book,” even though he read widely.³

A Wesleyan reading of Scripture begins with the goal of holiness. The Bible is seen as a means of grace through which the Holy Spirit continually assists and inspires the reader. Wesleyans see Scripture as an overarching narrative of God’s work of redemption from Genesis to Revelation.

The human condition and Wesleyan free will

The Wesleyan understanding of salvation starts with the understanding that humans are made in the Image of God (imago dei). While God created humans to live in right relationship with him, with one another, and with the whole creation, sin damaged this image, though it did not entirely eradicate it.

Original sin and total depravity

Wesleyans hold a serious view of original sin. They affirm that in our natural state since the fall, human hearts are turned inward and utterly corrupted by sin. Apart from grace, we lack the power to choose God.

Prevenient grace and “freed will”

The Wesleyan doctrine of prevenient grace (or “preceding” grace) holds that God comes to us before we can ever come to God. This is the divine love that surrounds all humanity and precedes any conscious human impulse toward God. Prevenient grace makes possible what humans by their own efforts cannot do: turn to Christ and receive salvation. This is often called “freed will” rather than “free will.”

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The Wesleyan “way of salvation” (via salutis)

Wesleyans view salvation as an ongoing process of God’s grace—a journey of growing in holiness in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Prevenient grace: the grace that goes before

The journey begins with prevenient grace, the divine work of God to draw us to himself before we are even aware of it. This grace acts as the “bridge” between human depravity and the exercise of the will, enabling us to respond to the gospel. It is a universal benefit that everyone receives, prompting a conviction of sin and a desire to please God.

Justifying grace: what God does for us

As a person responds to grace through repentance, they encounter justifying grace. Justification is the work that God does for us; it is the divine declaration that our sins are pardoned for the sake of Christ. It restores our relationship with God through faith alone. This addresses the guilt of sin, changing our status from alienated enemies to accepted friends of God.

Sanctifying grace: what God does in us

While justification is what God does for us, the New Birth (regeneration) is the initial work of sanctifying grace that God does in us. This marks a qualitative change where the Holy Spirit begins to transform our nature from a life of sin to one of initial holiness. If justification deals with the guilt of sin, the New Birth deals with the power and dominion of sin.

Following the New Birth, the believer enters a journey of “growth in grace,” becoming increasingly conformed to the likeness of Christ. Wesley described this as a rich synergy between God’s power and human agency. This experience is received in the lives of those who are surrendered and responsive to Christ’s ongoing work of sanctifying grace.

Entire sanctification: perfection in love

The distinctive emphasis of Wesleyanism is the doctrine of entire sanctification, also known as Christian perfection. This is a work of grace where the believer is freed from the being of sin, the inward carnal nature. Wesley rejected “sinless perfection,” noting that humans remain subject to “infirmities” like mistakes and physical frailty. Instead, it refers to purity of heart and perfect love, where the heart is so habitually filled with the love of God that there is no room for the desire to sin.

Entire sanctification is the distinctively Wesleyan teaching that God fully consecrates believers to himself and perfects them in love.

Entire sanctification is the distinctively Wesleyan teaching that God fully consecrates believers to himself and perfects them in love. It is not freedom from human limitations or mistakes. Rather, it is a profound work of grace in which the Holy Spirit cleanses the heart from sinful dispositions and fills it with love for God and neighbor. John Wesley described this experience as being “made perfect in love,” a life no longer ruled by self-centeredness but increasingly shaped by wholehearted devotion to God.

Assurance: the witness of the Spirit

Wesleyans believe it is the privilege of every believer to experience the reality that they are indeed children of God. The Holy Spirit “bears witness with our spirit” (Rom 8:16) that our sins are forgiven. This gift removes the fear of condemnation and offers believers the gift of a state of rest in the personal love of God.

Glorifying grace: the fullness of the image

The final movement is glorifying grace. Glorifying grace reminds us that salvation is not complete in this life. This is God’s final and completing work of salvation through which believers are fully conformed to the image of Christ, raised to new life in the new creation, and welcomed into the fullness of God’s eternal kingdom.

Social holiness: the communal pursuit of faith

Wesleyans believe that holiness cannot be attained in solitude. John Wesley famously stated, “The gospel of Christ knows of no religion but social; no holiness but social holiness.”⁴ In the Wesleyan tradition, “social holiness” refers specifically to the communal nature of the faith.

This communal pursuit of holiness took shape through a distinctive system of small groups:

• Societies: Larger gatherings for preaching and worship
• Classes: Groups of about twelve people who met weekly for mutual support and spiritual accountability
• Bands: Smaller, intimate groups of three to five people where members transparently confessed their sins to one another and prayed for healing

Within these groups, Wesleyans practiced the means of grace such as prayer, Scripture, and the Lord’s Supper, viewing them as channels through which God conveys transforming power. Social holiness is the shared rhythm of the Christian life where believers sharpen one another and corporately pursue the image of Christ.

What denominations are considered Wesleyan today?

Wesleyanism remains a vibrant global movement today.

Those who count themselves among the heirs of the Wesleys are found in Methodist denominations such as the Global Methodist Church, the United Methodist Church, and the Methodist Church in Great Britain, among others.

Several Black Methodist denominations emerged in nineteenth-century America and remain to this day, including the African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, and Christian Methodist Episcopal churches.

Other Wesleyan denominations that are counted in the historic Holiness tradition include the Wesleyan Church, the Church of the Nazarene, the Free Methodist Church, the Church of God in Christ, and the Church of God, Cleveland, as well as the Salvation Army.

Conclusion

At its heart, Wesleyanism is a movement of grace. Rooted in Scripture, nourished by the wisdom of the historic church, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, it proclaims a God who not only forgives sinners but transforms them into the likeness of Christ.

From its beginnings in the eighteenth century to its global expression today, the Wesleyan tradition continues to call people to holy love, vibrant discipleship, and participation in God’s renewing work in the world. The Wesleyan message remains the same as those iconically contained in John Wesley’s last words breathed on earth: “The best of all is, God is with us.”⁵

Share your thoughts

What is Wesleyanism’s most distinctive belief? Join us in the Word by Word group to share your thoughts.

Jessica LaGrone’s suggested reading

• Wesley, John. Sermon XLIII: The Scripture Way of Salvation. In The Work of John Wesley, vol. 6. Third edition. London: Wesleyan Methodist Book Room, 1872.
• Watson, Kevin. The Class Meeting: Reclaiming a Forgotten (and Essential) Small Group Experience. Seedbed, 2014.
• Danker, Ryan, ed. To Spread Scriptural Holiness: Theological, Social, and Missional Foundations for the Wesleyan Movement. Seedbed, 2026.

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1. John Wesley, The Works of John Wesley, vol. 18: Journals and Diaries I (1735–1738),ed. W. Reginald Ward and Richard P. Heitzenrater (Abingdon, 1988).
2. John Wesley, The Journal of John Wesley, ed. Percy Livingstone Parker (Moody, 1952), 74.
3. John Wesley, “Preface,” in Sermons on Several Occasions (Faithlife, 1999).
4. John Wesley and Charles Wesley, “Preface,” in Hymns and Sacred Poems (London: William Strahan, 1739), viii.
5. John Fletcher Hurst, John Wesley the Methodist: A Plain Account of His Life and Work (Eaton & Mains, 1910), 298.