On Methodism, I

How I became a Methodist and why I have grown to love this tradition

Apr 01, 2026

I started to write this and quickly realized it would need to be more than one Substack, so consider this part one!

If you have known me for a while, the subtitle of this Substack may come as a bit of a shock to you. Not that being a Methodist or my love for Methodism is new, but rather that I am 1) being upfront and unapologetic about it, 2) am not being a contrarian for once in my life, and 3) choosing to take pride in the tradition that has formed me into who I am over the last five or so years.

Maybe you have never heard of Methodism. Or, your only impression of it is the United Methodist Church around the corner from where you live that has a pride flag on its building. Whatever your familiarity or lack thereof with Methodism may be, allow me to offer a brief introduction to Methodism. Firstly, I want to make sure to specify that, like every other Christian tradition that has upheld the same sexual ethic for 2,000 years, to be a Methodist is to not glorify, affirm, or participate in sin. Cultures change, but God’s Word and the faith that has been handed down to us from the disciples of Christ to now does not change. Like every other Christian tradition, true Methodists believe that Christ invites all people to Himself, and upon encountering Him, you ought to be transformed from the inside out, and as Christ said, “Go, and from now on sin no more.”[1] To encounter Christ and His grace, yet then to continue to glorify, affirm, or participate in sin, is to cease to be a Methodist; simultaneously, it is to cease to be a Christian. Jesus made this pretty clear when He said, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”[2]

That was a bit of a tangent, but not an insignificant one. Sometimes, distinctions must be made. In that same vein, I long to offer a brief definition of Methodism for those unaware or potentially misinformed before I share about how I became one (and why I have grown to love it, which will be shared in the next Substack). If you read John Wesley’s The Character of a Methodist, one of the main ideas that Wesley affirms is that to be a Methodist is to be an orthodox[3] Christian. Meaning, the core doctrines of the Christian faith expressed by all other orthodox traditions are the very same core doctrines found, believed, and practiced in Methodism. That is (except in the case I have already addressed) still true today, yet Methodism is a profoundly distinct part of the body of Christ.

If I might tease out a metaphor before giving a brief definition of Methodism: all Christian denominations (same meaning as ‘tradition’ as I have been using it thus far) are like branches on a tree. The stump of the tree from which all the branches come forth is the orthodox fundamentals of the faith. Some of those fundamentals would be the belief in the Trinity, the authority of Scripture, the witness, traditions, and creeds of the Church, etc. The stump is rooted in Christ Himself, who established His Church on the faith confessed by St. Peter and promised the coming of the Holy Spirit, who has never allowed the gates of hell to prevail against His Church. The roots sustain the stump, and the branches come forth from the stump. When a branch, or a denomination, chooses to cut itself off from the stump, they do so by breaking away from the orthodox fundamentals of the Christian faith, which are rooted in the truth, provision, and sustenance of God. If a branch chooses to cut itself off from the stump and its roots, it will cease to be Christian and will likely, with time, wither away and die. Likewise, if a branch remains faithful to the stump and its roots, then it will grow through the countless seasons of time, striving for the Kingdom of God to be brought to earth.

This is just a metaphor I came up with; I am sure that it falls apart somewhere. Regardless, in this metaphor, Methodism is a branch that has, unfortunately, given way to many other branches. Some of these branches have remained true to the stump and therefore to the roots, but some have not. I hope that metaphor gave you a mental picture of some basic ecclesiology, or the study/understanding of the Church. If not, you just read another paragraph of meaninglessness, much like what is found in the book of Numbers in the Old Testament (I am just kidding… mostly).

Now, onto a proper definition of Methodism. After all, this is my working definition, so it may not be proper, but it certainly is ‘a’ definition. Methodists are Protestants in that we are not Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, but we are not really Protestants when compared to the other traditions that arose from the Protestant Reformation of the 16^th century. Rather, Methodism is a renewal movement born out of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the lives and ministry of John and Charles Wesley, who went to their grave as ordained Anglican clergy. Methodism began as a revival within the Church of England in the 18^th century and soon spread into the Americas and across the globe, and is still bearing fruit to this day. Methodism is centered on scriptural and social holiness, meaning that through the grace of God revealed in His Word, by faith, and in fellowship with others in the faith, we can become truly holy. John Wesley would call this entire sanctification, Christian perfection, or “to be perfected in love.” Methodism inherited the devotion to the sacraments from the Church of England, which inherited that same devotion from Roman Catholicism. The sacramental life of the Church plays a significant role in the pursuit of holiness that was previously mentioned. John Wesley wrote quite strongly of the necessity of the sacraments (Holy Baptism & Holy Eucharist) in the life of the Church and each individual believer. Finally, one more distinctive worth mentioning when it comes to the basics of the Wesleyan tradition is the emphasis on the person, work, fruit, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Methodism has always had some of its roots in the person and work of the Holy Spirit, who is absolutely necessary for the life, growth, and perfection of the Church and the individual believer.

This definition falls short in many ways, I am sure. I obviously chose to briefly (at least, briefly to me) define Methodism in a positive light, but that does not mean that my tradition is without its flaws. No Christian tradition is perfect, because every Christian tradition is full of human beings. That goes for you, my “one true church” Roman Catholic reader (reminder to go to confession, it’s probably been a while…). And you, my Eastern Orthodox catechumen reader, who argues constantly online about the Filioque but doesn’t do their Jesus Prayer. And that goes for you, my Dutch Reformed Calvinist reader who is, indeed, predestined to read this and smoke your pipe afterwards. And also you, my Baptist reader, who thinks Jesus was being literal when He said to “do this remembrance of me,” but not when He said, “if you don’t eat my flesh and drink my blood, then you have no life in you.” And also for you, my non-denominational reader, who up to this point had been completely lost in this article because, “it’s a relationship, not a religion, bro.” And even for you, my Pentecostal reader, who can speak in heavenly prayer languages but not read St. Paul’s clear instructions in Scripture on the orderly use of gifts in worship. But it most definitely does not go for any Latter Day Saint or Jehovah’s Witness that may be reading, because you guys are not Christians. If you need help with that, go back to my tree metaphor and read it really slowly.

I love the body of Christ, in all its fullness and chaos, because I am called to be a shepherd to Her. I love the beauty found in all the idiosyncratic pockets of worship with whom I can fellowship because we worship and serve the same Triune God, even though we bicker on how to best go about it. But the reality is, no particular tradition of Christianity is perfect. This includes my own. Methodism is a bit of a mess, but it is the mess that God has called me to.

Now that you have reached the end of this, you may realize I spent this whole time teasing out a definition for Methodism and not actually writing about how I became one or why I have grown to love it. Although this is not the route I intended to take when I began writing on this topic, I have a mind that works annoyingly systematically, so a proper definition was in order before the “hows” and the “whys.” Nevertheless, I am eager to see where this journey takes me as I recall how I became a Methodist and why I have grown to love this tradition in my next Substack, and I hope you’ll join me there!

Soliloquies of Ezra Smith

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