I spent this weekend in Saskatoon, SK teaching a course entitled "The Heart of Free Methodism." It's required for those interested in becoming ordained or commissioned ministers in the Free Methodist Church in Canada. I had a great time teaching and learning with five pastors from Lakeview Church in Saskatoon and one lay minister from Cornerstone Church in Prince Albert, SK.
One of the ways this course intersects with my current book project is the focus on John Wesley and his system for organizing people who later became known as Methodists. As a Church of England minister, Wesley saw the need to preach the Good News to the poor and to support them to learn and grow in Christian community. The Church of England did not have systems in place so Wesley used societies--small-ish communities that gathered for prayer, worship, and other practices. Societies would comprise a group of classes, essentially small groups of 10-12 people committed to learning and growing in Christian faith. Wesley also had a system of bands, which were even smaller groups that intensely focused on accountability and helping believers grow in holiness.
The beauty of the system was that societies, classes, and bands were all led by lay people. Furthermore, the class was where new people could attend and learn from those who had been walking with Christ for a long time. This has obvious ties to the early church, which met house-to-house. While Wesley's and the early church system is fraught with complications, there is a sort of beautiful simplicity to it.
As I write my final book chapter, one focused on the question, "What now?", I find myself wondering if and how the Canadian church could begin to conceive of itself as a movement of smaller groups or house sized churches. This would take the pressure off of full-time pastors and make room for more leaders to share the load.
It's not a perfect idea, but it's a start.
