The first English Methodist missionaries arrived in Mandalay in 1887, just two years after Upper Burma was annexed as a British colony. During the next 79 years nearly eighty missionaries struggled to establish and maintain mission stations in Mandalay, Kyaukse, Monywa, Pakokku, Pyawbwe and elsewhere. The last Methodist missionary left Burma in 1966. Each generation contended with turbulent events. In the 1920s and 1930s the missionaries faced ferocious opposition from nationalists. When the Japanese invaded in 1942 the missionaries fled to India leaving behind the Burmese Methodists to cope on their own. The missionaries returned to Burma in 1945 to discover that much of the mission property had been damaged or destroyed and that there was widespread social disruption. They lived through the effects of the assassination of General Aung San in July 1947 and Independence in January 1948. In the 1950s they were caught up in the crossfire between rival forces in the civil war and were subsequently affected by political instability and economic collapse during U Nu's premiership. After 1962 they had to survive the xenophobic and oppressive atmosphere of General Ne Win's Burma. Latterly the Methodist Missionaries extended their work into the Upper Chindwin, where they successfully proselytised the Lushai and Khongsai peoples, but Buddhist Burmans remained resolutely unresponsive. The thesis examines the internal dynamics of the mission - the missionaries' relationships one with another and with the Missionary Society in London. It also looks at some 'subaltern-style' contests that developed as the Church moved towards autonomy. The missionaries' stock-in-trade - religious conversion - was a constant source of social tension, and their relationships with the imperial ideal, colonial society, local people and Buddhist leaders were complicated and ambiguous. The correspondence, reports and minutes left behind by the missionaries provide valuable insights into European attitudes and Burmese politics of the time.

The uncompromising individualism which characterized all of Eighteenth Century England also penetrated the religious scene and was incorporated in the life and work of both John Wesley and the Countess of Huntingdon. The treatment of the major controversy between these two rugged individualists naturally must begin, in Chapter One, with a brief survey of their period, its specific characteristics and needs, and the climate which it provided for the development of the children of the Evangelical Revival. Chapters Two and Three are a brief study of the two major figures in this controversy, but are not primarily biographical. However, since Lady Huntingdon has been so unfortunate in her biographers, it was necessary to ascertain exact dates and to amplify relevant facts about her life in Chapter Three. It was also necessary to re-evaluate her hitherto largely overlooked contribution to the Eighteenth Century and to the Evangelical Revival, this being unnecessary in the case of John Wesley who has always held the prominent place. In Chapter Four a specific analysis is made of Wesley's and Lady Huntingdon's basic character traits and theological presuppositions which brought them into open conflict. The myth that Lady Huntingdon held a hyper-Calvinistic viewpoint from the moment of her religious "awakening" is examined and rejected, and the personal determinant in this theological controversy is examined in detail. Chapters Five, Six and Seven deal directly with the controversy itself, tracing its development from the time of their first meeting to their deaths in 1791. The final chapter assesses the disastrous consequences of this controversy for all parties concerned, and for the Church universal. In an attempt to be uniform throughout the thesis, i have used American spelling and punctuation. I have also used the term "Wesley" to denote John, and have always so indicated when referring to his brother, Charles Wesley. This study of the controversy between Wesley and Lady Huntingdon would not have been accomplished without much encouragement and help from many sources. It is with real appreciation that I tender my thanks to the Very Reverend Principal Emeritus Watt, who first saw the possibilities in the topic as a specific area of research, and to Professor James S. UcEwan, now of Aberdeen University* for his initial interest and encouragement. With deep appreciation I acknowledge the invaluable assistance and guidance of my friend * Principal Charles S. Duthie, of the Scottish Congregational College, who aided me in countless ways as my Senior Advisor, and who has read this manuscript with scholarly eye and offered most constructive criticism. I am indebted to President A. Victor Murray of Cheshunt College, Cambridge, who made available to me the unpublished Cheshunt MS3 Letters, allowing me to peruse them in the Cheshunt Library, and who was exceptionally kind to me and my family during our stay at Cambridge. To the Reverend Dr. Frank Baker, Secretary of the Wesley Historical Society, I owe a special debt of gratitude, for the sharing of his vast fund of knowledge thereby helping me to maintain accurate historical dates# and for his kindness in allowing me to use both his personal MSS Letters and those entrusted to his keeping by the Wesley Historical Society. To Miss K. Monica Davies, U. A., Assistant Curator of Manuscripts at the National Library of Wales for her transcriptions of Howell Harris' Diaries and for other considerations beyond those normally expected, I an grateful. I an deeply appreciative also for the consistently courteous and helpful assistance of the staff of the University of Edinburgh's New College Library, especially to Miss Erna M. Leslie, B. Litt., and to the Staffs in London of Dr. Williams' Library, the Moravian Archives, the Lambeth Palace Library, the Methodist Archives, the British Museum, and in Edinburgh to the Staff of the National Library of Scotland. To Mrs. Evelyn V. Chalmers who typed the final copy and who was unfailingly efficient, and to Mr. George Smith, M. A., who offered many suggestions, I offer my profound appreciation. And lastly there remains that blessing and help from my wife, which while it can be appreciated, can never be adequately expressed. These are debts which cannot be repaid but only continually appropriated in my ministry.

The dissertation has at its heart the key question of whether the current form of episcope - i.e. leadership and oversight structures - within British Methodism continue to be appropriate in the contemporary church, or whether the Church is held by past models which are no longer effective. This question is explored through three distinct sections: • historical research examines the origins of leadership structures within Methodism in Britain. These structures are compared with those which developed contemporaneously in the United States, and which were different in form. This section then traces the development of British Methodism’s leadership structures up to the present day, notes changes which have taken place, and the debates over episcopacy. •Empirical research forms the second part of the thesis. Quantative research utilising congregational questionnaires are used to explore the views of lay Methodists on issues relating to leadership, such as their knowledge of those in positions of leadership within the Church, their views regarding the influence of structures upon their worshipping lives at local church level, and the possibility of episcopacy being introduced. A qualitative approach is used in detailed interviews carried out with Methodist presbyters in key leadership roles. The interviews are wide-ranging in their exploration of current models of leadership, including areas where significant change might be desirable. • Proposals for change from a range of sources are then considered. These include the views of contemporary writers on Methodism, and different modes of church leadership in other denominations as well as within the newly formed Methodist Church in the Gambia. It is argued that history and context are key elements within the formation of church leadership, and critical when change is considered. The research leads into a final section which offers proposals for the development of leadership within contemporary British Methodism both at local (Circuit), and national (Connexional) level. These proposals include consideration being given to the possible introduction of an episcopate as a means of offering an improved system of leadership for the Methodist people.

No description available.

John Wesley once famously remarked that "when the Methodists leave the Church [of England], God will leave them." However, if numerical growth could be taken as a measure of God's favour on the movement Wesley founded, history proved the opposite to be true: In the decade following Wesley's death Methodism membership grew exponentially, resulting in a religious movement that would come to change not only the spiritual, but the also the political landscape, on both sides of the Atlantic. Drawing on neglected archival resources, unpublished manuscripts, and recent scholarship this creative and engaging critical study of Wesley's Irish preacher and assistant Henry Moore (1751-1844) explores the ascendancy of British Wesleyan Methodism in the decades following Wesley's death and redresses significant gaps in denominational histories of the period. It argues that the influence of Wesley's "son in the gospel" was not simply forgotten, but intentionally suppressed by later Methodists under the leadership of Jabez Bunting. Using Moore's life trajectory as a window through which to view the evolution of Methodist structures and self-identity, this study identifies the key factors that made Methodism such an attractive religious alternative for English-speaking people in the years leading up to the Victorian period. The resulting thesis will be of interest not only to historians seeking to understand the process by which a relatively small sect evolved into a major international force in less than a century, but also to church leaders and theologians who seek to understand better the ecclesiological roots of the Methodist movement. The contribution to learning made by this thesis is hence twofold: First it analyzes previous largely neglected Sources relating to Moore. Second, it draws conclusions from those sources shedding new light upon Methodist history, particularly in its Irish context.

Christianity is currently coming to terms with the demographic shift of now being primarily a Southern church, and mission is emanating out of its new heartlands. In recent generations, it has not been uncommon to interpret international mission from places like Africa through the paradigmatic thinking of the modern missionary movement. However, missiologists have begun to take note of the ways of thinking in the majority world. Important to missiological conceptualisation of many in the majority world is the role of migration, and it offers perspectives into what may very well be an unfolding mission paradigm. As a mainline church with strong roots in Ghana, the Methodist Church Ghana gives insights into how a church in a worldwide communion both understands and navigates mission on the world stage. This thesis explores the conceptualisation of international mission in the Methodist Church Ghana. It ascertains the priority the Methodist Church Ghana places on international mission, and it gives identification to the ways in which international mission is conducted. As demonstrated in the semi-structured interviews, the Methodist Church Ghana has a favourable view of its international mission engagement and the direction with which its mission is headed to in the future. Based on the cultural values of communal responsibility, it employs a missional church ecclesiology as mission occurs collectively through the modality. As its members migrate to lands beyond Ghana with different Methodist narratives, it must negotiate seemingly paradoxical perspectives as it belongs to a larger world communion and lives out its evangelical ‘world parish’ theology. Through migration and the expressions of mission by and amongst its diaspora communities, differentiating models for interpreting diaspora mission can be identified in the Methodist Church Ghana.

The thesis investigates how contemporary United Methodist short-term mission (hereafter STM) participants express their motivations for taking part in their service activities. It argues that a robust theology of STM is absent. Indeed, this absence is usurped by cultural and economic influences. The disclosed motivations are more reflective of pilgrimage rather than theologies of mission as expressed in the missio Dei and Wesleyan missional theology. The thesis first uses academic literature to codify a United Methodist theology of mission through investigation of the historical influences and current mission practices. Emphasis is placed upon the development and expression of a theology of the missio Dei within the context of a discussion of Fresh Expressions, the Emergent Church, and Third-Wave Mission movements. The unique role of United Methodist mission is illustrated through its historical roots in the Wesleyan movement and contemporary expression in the ubiquitous STM movement in the United States. Next, it utilizes original field research data: semi-structured focus group interviews and online anonymous surveys to gather the implicit and explicit theologies of lay and clergy participants in these international service journeys for intense, but brief, periods of time. The literature and field research are synthesized in an effort to further develop a theology of STM. It is clear that a substantial number of STM participants and leaders placed primary importance upon framing their service trips as a self-benefiting experience. The influences of the Economy of Experience, as illustrated in Joseph Pine and James Gilmore's work, is significant in the field data as participants describe their time, money, sacrifice, and service, applied in the name of mission, as a way to purchase an experience akin to personal growth commonly sought by pilgrims. The resulting tensions this creates for evangelism and mission are explored. There is a call for robust theological work to move this ubiquitous practice away from consuming mission for personal edification.

No description available.

This thesis attempts a comprehensive account of the financing of eighteenth century Wesleyan Methodism, based mainly on primary sources such as Methodist account books. In the late 1730s John and Charles Wesley launched a movement to reform the Church of England, preaching throughout the British Isles, and creating a network of supporters who met in local societies. In time this ‘Connexion’ deployed full-time preachers, paying them stipends and allowances, funded by regular contributions from members. Chapels were built to house preaching services, partially financed by debt underwritten by John Wesley and other preachers. By 1766 25,000 members employed some 100 preachers, and occupied 100 chapels; a commercial publishing operation produced 60,000 books and pamphlets a year, distributed by the preachers; and the Connexion ran a boarding school and various local welfare activities. As its chapel debts became unsustainable, the leadership launched an intensive fund-raising campaign, and decentralised financial responsibility for them to the local preaching ‘circuits’, though with continuing central oversight of chapel debt. Now the costs of supporting preachers put pressure on local society funds, especially because more preachers acquired families. By 1780 the Connexion’s finances were again stretched; a complex system of cross-subsidies developed, for example from richer areas to poorer, and the movement became increasingly dependent on the financial commitment of its wealthier supporters. New educational, welfare and missionary initiatives emerged, often funded independently of the Connexion. On John Wesley’s 1791 death, neither burgeoning Book Room profits nor increasing revenue from voluntary collections could prevent renewed resource pressures, which fuelled a series of disputes over governance and practice, leading in the mid 1790s to the emergence of the Wesleyan Methodist denomination, outside the established Church. While Wesleyans viewed their movement as inspired by Heaven, they worked with the market to ensure that their ambitions were financially achievable on Earth.

This thesis concerns the establishment and development of Primitive Methodism on the Yorkshire Wolds from the arrival of missionaries in Hull in 1820 to the Connexion's final sublimation into the wider Methodist Church in 1932. In its nineteenth century heyday Primitive Methodism was a vibrant, evangelistic faith which enhanced the lives of many working people. It gave them purpose, conviviality and a shared spirituality which few had experienced before. In the later nineteenth century it became a cohesive force in village life through its services, Sunday Schools and links with the Friendly Societies. This thesis examines why Primitive Methodism put down such powerful roots in the Wolds, a relatively isolated area with no industrial development and compares its progress there to that in other areas where it was equally strong - Durham, North Lincolnshire and Norfolk - and to those where it had a firm foothold - Shropshire, Derbyshire and Bedfordshire. Primitive Methodism was religiously radical: it believed in the priesthood of all believers and in the capacity of all to embrace the word of God and communicate it to others through preaching and extempore prayer. Its religious radicalism sometimes led on to political radicalism, to links with Chartism, trade unions, and the nascent Labour Party. Much recent historical writing has concentrated on this aspect of its past while neglecting its religious impact and the fact that it remained - as did all branches of Methodism - socially conservative. This thesis will consider Wolds Primitive Methodism in the context of the general historiography of the Connexion and assess the contribution it made.