John Wesley's Ecclesiology

John Wesley's Ecclesiology: A Study in Its Sources and Development looks at the major traditions and sources that shaped Wesley's study of church doctrine. Wesley's ecclesiology is best understood in light of the sources and background that contributed to his own theological formation, as well as the events that he faced in the course of his endeavors in the Wesleyan Revival. Therefore, this study first examines the possible sources for Wesley's doctrine of the church and then moves to the investigation of the development of his ecclesiology in the course of his ministry. In doing so, this study looks at the large number of works written by John Wesley and the primary sources of the various traditions that influenced Wesley. John Wesley's rich legacy was inherited from several traditions—including primitivism, Anglicanism, Puritanism, Pietism, and to a lesser extent, Roman Catholicism—and these sources were instrumental in shaping his ecclesiology. Anyone interested in reading Wesley in the Christian tradition would want to read this book. Wesley's ecclesiology will provide Wesleyan Churches with a renewed understanding of their origins and a model for moving toward truly catholic, thoroughly evangelical, and continually reformed church.

What major traditions and sources shaped John Wesley's ecclesiology? How did his ecclesiology develop throughout his life and ministry under the influences of these sources? What elements were important for his ecclesiology? John Wesley's Ecclesiology: A Study in Its Sources and Development addresses these important questions. Wesley's concept of church is best understood in light of the sources and background that contributed to his own theological formation and the events he faced in the course of his endeavors in the Wesleyan Revival. This book includes the possible sources for Wesley's doctrine of the church and the development of his ecclesiology in the course of ministry. Gwang Seok Oh researched primary records-the large number of Wesley's works and the sources of the traditions that influenced him.

John Wesley inherited his rich legacy from various sources that were instrumental in shaping his ecclesiology. The major traditions on which he drew include primitivism, Anglicanism, Puritanism, and Pietism. He also drew, although not heavily, on the mystics of Roman Catholicism and, indirectly, on the reformers. Wesley's doctrine was an amalgam of the multiple traditions that he inherited and sought to appropriate in a creative eclecticism. This book is an attempt to interpret Wesley's ecclesiology in a comprehensive setting. Wesley's ecclesiology provides Wesleyan Churches with a renewed understanding of their origins and a model for moving toward truly catholic, thoroughly evangelical, and continually reformed church.

About the Author:
Gwang Seok Oh is currently pastor of the Berlin Methodist Church in Germany

Gwang Seok Oh is a pastor of the Berlin Methodist Church in Germany. He is also a visiting scholar at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin where he is working on a project in German Pietists and John Wesley. He is former Adjunct Professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.