John Wesley Beliefs

This week’s reflection entails the first lecture on the life and earliest theology of John Wesley. Most of the lecture was a review of particular points within Wesley’s biography. I found it interesting that even though he was given a task to convert Native American people in Georgia in 1735 CE Wesley had never actually served a parish before or after this venture to the colonies. It’s no wonder he later proclaimed the world to be his parish since the closest he ever came to an appointed parish was by assisting his father, Samuel. How could Wesley, a man with no personal experience in serving and leading a parish create such a steadfast philosophy on need for the itinerant circuit riders?
Wesley certainly attained a great deal of education prior to adopting his notions regarding itinerancy. Perhaps it was this lack of personal experience that allowed for such a radical notion. Wesley did not have a false sense of loyalty to a parish system that often accompanied years of parish service experience in England. At any rate, whatever held him to the notion of itinerancy led him to what some today may consider an extreme expectation as each circuit

Today’s life expectancy has doubled since the 1700’s at roughly eighty years of age. However, this is the only simple item in my calculations. Today’s typical age of entry into itinerancy either as a Licensed Local Pastor or an Ordained Elder is almost non-existent. While the typical age of pastors only a few decades ago was twenty-something, the age of pastors entering itinerancy almost twenty years after the second millennium ranges anywhere from mid-twenties to even late-fifties. Many entering seminary come after serving one or even two different careers prior to seeking ordination or LLP. To make calculation more complex, the typical time span for one appointment can range from only a few years to ten or even more, with five to nine years being the