The Methodist Quest For An Educated Ministry

Abstract

Abstract The Methodist pattern of education for ministry, as was briefly noted earlier, differed considerably from that of the older Nonconformist groups. That difference was rooted in part in the centralized Methodist structure, first in the person of John Wesley and later in the continuing authority of the Conference, as opposed to the independency of the Congregational and Baptist churches. For one thing, Methodists did not establish an institution for ministerial training until 1834. To have done so in the eighteenth century would have meant separating from the Church of England, an action Wesley re fused to take. After his death strong feeling continued among Methodists that they should not be linked with Dissenters, and thus few were inclined to follow the Nonconformists’ lead in the education of ministers. Further, the ministers in question were understood to be “preachers,” that is, supplements to the regular ministry of the Church of England. It was not until Methodists began to perceive themselves as a church (as opposed to a “soci ety” within a larger church) that matters such as ordination and institutional education for ministry became serious questions. The requirement of Conference approval for all proposals for ministerial training also delayed developments in this area.