3. The people called Methodists

The initial agenda of Methodism as a renewal movement in the Church of England was ‘to reform England, especially the church, and to spread scriptural holiness throughout the land’. Like most renewal movements in the history of Christianity, it did not succeed. Instead it morphed into a network of Methodist denominations across the world. ‘The people called Methodists’ outlines John Wesley’s new version of Christianity and its separation from the mother church. It describes the search for succession, the process of ordination, and the core elements of Methodism. Methodists insist on the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist, and on orderly ordination for their clergy. But beyond that there is flexibility, innovation, and adaptability.