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 Beyond Casual ChristianityTried-and-true methods for discipleship have their roots deep in history.
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Ever since Jesus commissioned his followers to "make disciples of all nations," the church has created a variety of tools for that task—from early church leaders' formulating creeds to clarify the gospel, to nineteenth-century innovators like Robert Raikes and Dwight Moody launching "Sunday schools" to teach street kids how to read—and how to follow Jesus. The American frontier was marked by a new kind of ministry: revivals and camp meetings. While fiery Presbyterian and Baptist preachers took part, this form of making disciples was perhaps most fully developed by the Wesleyans. Wesleyan Christians believed in salvation and sanctification. While many frontier camp meetings were about "get'n saved," many more were about "get'n sanctified." John Wesley was a great revivalist. But he was a greater "methodist." Beyond a powerful emotional experience at a preaching event, he knew how to organize converts for discipleship, for methodical progress toward deeper faith. Young John Wesley got his methodist label during his student days at Oxford. But the genius appeared only after his heart was "strangely warmed" in 1738. He became a powerful evangelist and faced the problem of making living Christians out of raw converts. The Methodist system of societies, classes, and bands, traveling preachers, simple preaching houses, and quarterly love feasts was all set up under Wesley's watchful eye. His vision was a discipline-in-community system. At its heart was what we might call small groups. Only there is a significant difference. Today's small groups are often feel-good fellowship without discipline. Not Wesley's! After 30 years Wesley's system numbered 27,341. Exactly? Exactly. Wesley counted them. He even had little membership cards to keep track—weekly. The "class meeting" was the cornerstone of the whole structure. But don't think of classes as instruction. They were more like house churches, a dozen or so people meeting in neighborhoods where they lived. Class leaders (both men and women) were pastors and disciples. Classes normally met one evening each week for an hour or so. Each person reported on his or her spiritual progress, or on particular needs or problems, and received the support and prayers of the others. A leader had two duties each week:
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