Wesley, John

Wesley, John (1703–91). Founder of Methodism. After ordination in 1725 and a brief curacy, Wesley became fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford (1726), where he was a member of a small religious society nicknamed the ‘Holy Club’ and also dubbed ‘Methodists’ because of their emphasis on discipline and self-examination. In 1735 he undertook missionary work in Georgia, but, burdened by disappointment and a sense of personal need, he returned home in 1738. Influenced by Moravians, he experienced conversion at a meeting in Aldersgate St, London (‘I felt my heart strangely warmed’), and thereafter became a passionate evangelist, constantly preaching in the open air throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland, as well as sending preachers to N. America. Travelling on horseback approximately 8,000 miles a year, he recorded his experiences and frequently hostile receptions in his Journal. He had no wish to secede from the Church of England; but opposition, and the necessities of the mission field in America (which caused him to ordain Thomas Coke as Superintendent or bishop) led to increasing separation. He and Charles Wesley are recognized in the Lesser Festivals of the Church of England, 24 May.