Dissertation

Abstract

A Wesleyan Theology of Worship and

Its Development in Free Methodism

Rob C. McLaren

Doctor of Ministry

2001

School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary

Thesis: The purpose of this dissertation is to present John Wesley’s theology of worship and show how his understanding and practice of worship were changed in the development and growth of Methodism in North America.

This paper will briefly explore John Wesley’s work on the subject of worship and how he believed that the sacrament of the Lord’s Table is the centerpiece for public worship on the Lord’s day. Through a study of Wesley’s sermons, notes, letters, theological addresses and hymn’s (by both John and Charles), it will be argued that at the heart of his theology of worship is the Christ event. This paper will seek to demonstrate that Wesley believed that on each Lord’s day in public worship, the word should be preached and the sacrament of communion should be celebrated. Methodism was a renewal movement under the leadership of the Wesley brothers during the eighteenth century in England. It was Wesley’s desire that a balance of the Word and Table be restored to worship in the Church of England. Wesley’s work resulted in a restoration of the Lord’s Table to a weekly practice in the Church of England by the end of his life. But the story takes a different path in Methodism in North America. This paper will look at that journey and how circumstances shaped the theology of worship in Methodism.

This paper will contain three areas of research. The first area of research will give the biblical and theological foundations for worship. Particular attention will be given to the life and ministry of Jesus and the context of the first century Church. This chapter will also provide a theological foundation for the Trinitarian model for worship.

The second area of research will develop a Wesleyan theology of worship. Special attention will be given to the works of John Wesley and the Eucharistic hymns of John and Charles Wesley. This section will focus on the historical perspective and the theological views of Wesley on worship along with his practice of worship.

The third area of research will provide a look at Wesleyan worship from a liturgical viewpoint. This section will develop Wesley’s theology of worship into liturgical movement for public worship.

The goal of this dissertation is to bring to the table a discussion about worship, for the Free Methodist and Wesleyan/Holiness denominations, which have neglected to embrace the teachings of John Wesley on worship. It will also give the framework for Free Methodism to establish and develop, from a biblical and Wesleyan position, a theology of worship and a book of worship.

Theological Mentor: Greg Ogden, D.Min.

Words: 429

INTRODUCTION

The study of worship has been the passion of many students, pastors, teachers, and scholars throughout the centuries of Christianity. From the very beginning of the Christian Faith, worship has been the centerpiece of the Christian life. A study of the Acts of the Apostles, shows clearly the importance which the first century believers placed upon worship. Worship was so important to their daily life that they would meet together early before their work day began for prayer, the word and the sacrament. We also learn from the Acts of the Apostles, that the believers of the first century, which were mainly Jewish, established their corporate worship on the Lord's day. This action would eventually be a major step of distinguishing the Christian faith from Judaism.

Christian worship has its foundation in Judaism, with Temple worship centered upon the sacrificial system, and Synagogue worship with a focus on the teaching of the scriptures. The earliest expression of Christian worship blends the Temple sacrificial system and the Synagogue services of the teaching of the scriptures. In the liturgy of the first century Christian worship service we find the blending of their Jewish heritage into a Word and Table service. The teachings of the Apostles and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper become the centerpiece of the liturgy of the early Church. Their liturgy became well established very early under the leadership of the Disciples which gave structure to the four fold pattern for worship. That structure was; the entrance, the teaching of the Word, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and then their sending into ministry.

The subject of worship has been studied and discussed from every possible viewpoint. Throughout the many centuries of Christianity, both the clergy and laity have maintained a vested interest in worship. As the Church grew and developed, theological and doctrinal issues divided the Church. Worship became the center by which many groups within the Christian faith marked their differences. Today, worship is a hotbed of debate among the churches. This debate, commonly called "worship wars," is no longer simply

an issue emphasizing denominational differences, but has reached into almost every denomination in North America. Our generation is in a worship war that runs deep. It began early in modernity with the debates over the Traditional verses the Contemporary

style of worship. By the end of modernity, the issues in worship have become more complex caused by the development of technology, a new generation of music, a new approach to evangelism through the seeker service and as well as other cultural and generation issues.

These subjects are not the focus of this dissertation. The style of worship and the music which drives the contemporary movement today and other contemporary developments will not be the center of our research. The focus of research for this paper is a biblical and Wesleyan theology of worship. Every generation and each culture since the time of the Apostles have shaped worship to become relevant to their time and culture. This process is very appropriate to maintain a spiritual depth in worship for the community of faith. But this process must be guided by biblical principles which will ensure its spiritual integrity to the historical Church and our Apostolic mission.

What do you think of when someone talks about the subject of worship? What picture comes to your mind? What was the first thing that came to your mind, just now? Was it music, preaching, drama, personal needs being met, fellowship with friends, or a myriad of other things? For many today, a feeling of frustration grips their thinking because of the many changes they have witnessed in their church on Sunday morning. Their frustration comes from the many stylistic changes to their worship experience. So what is the answer to this problem? It is simple and yet very complicated at the same time.

The simple answer is to develop worship from biblical principles and shape the liturgy so that it is relevant to our culture. The complicated part is that most believe that their worship style is already biblical and relevant to their culture. It must be understood that style is not a biblical principle, but a generation issue. Let me return to the question, what did you think of first when asked about worship? The correct theological answer is, God. The Lord God Almighty must be the center of Christian worship. Yet, too often worship is reduced to a humanistic experience where "we" are the focal point. Worship is not about us, but about God.

Since the Protestant Reformation and the influence of modernity, the Protestant churches of North America have moved away from worship that is God centered and moved to a experiential model of worship. These two models of worship, God centered being the Incarnational or Trinitarian Model and the Experiential Model centered on the sermon, music, needs, and etc., will be explained in chapter three. The result of this change in worship has had an impact that is far deeper than an issue over style. It has had a profound effect upon the theology of worship for the Protestant Church in North America.

The purpose of this dissertation will be to discuss this important change in the theology of worship during the modern era and to discuss this issue in the context of Methodism and its development in North America. The central issue for our discussion of Methodism will be to present John Wesley's theology of worship and show how his theology and practice of worship was changed during this period of time. Our research will explore John Wesley's work on the subject of worship and show that he believed the preaching of the Word and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper are to be the central focus of the liturgy for corporate worship on the Lord's day. Through a study of Wesley's sermon, notes, letters, theological addresses, and hymn's (by both John and Charles Wesley), it will be argued that the heart of Wesley’s theology of worship is the Christ event. This paper will seek to demonstrate that Wesley believed that on the Lord's day in corporate worship the Word must be preached and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper must be celebrated in order to fulfill the biblical command for Christian worship. Wesley believed this to be the biblical and tradition heritage given to us by the Apostolic Church of the first century. It was this tradition, Wesley believed, which laid the foundation for the theology and practice of corporate worship which guided the Church through the first centuries of Christianity. This is the foundation which we must maintain to remain connected to the historical faith in Christianity.

Methodism was a renewal movement under the leadership of John and Charles Wesley during the eighteenth century in England. During this time, the Church of England had reduced the frequency of the Lord's Supper to a yearly celebration in most local parishes. It was John Wesley's desire and passion to restore the sacrament to a weekly celebration for corporate worship in all the local parishes. His work toward this goal was finally reached by the end of his life, and today throughout the Anglican Church the Lord's Supper is celebrated in corporate worship. Despite Wesley's best effort, the weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper in corporate worship within Methodism was not successful. The liturgy for Methodism in North America takes a different path and rejects Wesley's advice concerning this important theological issue.

This dissertation will begin by establishing a theology for ministry and show that the first century Church developed its theology of ministry upon the life and mission of Jesus Christ. The biblical foundations for a theology of worship will be discussed from a few key passages which will give us the groundwork for our study. The Old Testament passages will set a foundation that God is clearly the central figure for worship. The New Testament will build upon that foundation and give us a perspective which places the action of God in the work of Christ as the focus through which Christian worship will be centered. From there, we can then discuss the models for worship which are in use today in most Protestant churches in North America. The conclusion we will reach is that a biblical theology of worship will show that the Incarnation or Trinitarian model is the only proper model for corporate worship.

From that vantage point, a Wesleyan theology will be developed. It will be shown that Wesley's theology of worship is in harmony with the Incarnational model. Wesley's work with the renewal movement in the Church of England and the liturgy he gave to the Methodist Church of North America fits the perfectly within the Incarnational model for worship. The last chapter will develop Wesley's theology of worship into liturgical movement for corporate worship with the context of Free Methodism. The liturgies for worship developed in this chapter will take the principles learned from this research and put together several orders of worship which are relevant to our culture and generation.

A personal goal for this dissertation is to bring to a discussion the theology of worship and how the Methodist and Wesleyan/Holiness denominations have neglected to embrace the teachings and practice of John Wesley on worship.