Methodist
Methodist & Wesleyan
Grace upon grace — prevenient, justifying, sanctifying.
Methodism began in the 18th-century revival under John and Charles Wesley, who never intended to start a new church but to "spread scriptural holiness over the land." The Wesleyan tradition is marked by its rich theology of grace (prevenient, justifying, sanctifying), the doctrine of Christian perfection (entire sanctification), the means of grace, social holiness, and connectional governance. Today the family includes the United Methodist Church, Global Methodist Church, Wesleyan Church, Free Methodist Church, AME, AMEZ, CME, and others.
Source of faith: Methodist Articles of Religion & Wesleyan distinctives
What we believe
Our beliefs are organized around 25 core articles.
Read the full statement of faith →God
4 articles
Scripture
2 articles
Humanity & Salvation
6 articles
The Church
5 articles
Sacraments
5 articles
Society
3 articles
Distinctive doctrines
The doctrines that most shape this tradition.
Prevenient Grace — Grace That Goes Before
Wesley taught that God's grace is at work in every human being before they ever know God or seek Him. This "prevenient" grace — from a Latin word meaning "going before" — is…
Read more →Justifying Grace — The Doorway
If prevenient grace is the porch, justifying grace is the doorway. It is the moment a person crosses from death to life, from unbelief to belief, from being a stranger to being …
Read more →Sanctifying Grace — Entire Sanctification
This is Methodism's most distinctive contribution to Christian theology. Wesley taught that God does not stop with forgiveness — He intends to make us holy. Sanctifying grace …
Read more →The Means of Grace
Wesley insisted that grace is not magic — it comes through ordinary channels God has appointed. He called these channels "means of grace" and divided them into two kinds: inst…
Read more →The Wesleyan Quadrilateral
The phrase "Wesleyan Quadrilateral" was coined in the 20th century by Albert Outler to describe how Wesley actually did theology. The four sources are Scripture (primary and fin…
Read more →Social Holiness — Personal Faith, Public Justice
Wesley famously said, "There is no holiness but social holiness." He did not mean a social gospel that replaced personal conversion — he meant the opposite. True conversion pr…
Read more →Wesley's Three General Rules
In 1739 John Wesley gave his societies three simple rules. They have remained foundational to Methodist discipleship ever since: do no harm, do good, and attend upon all the ord…
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