A Model for Making Disciples: John Wesley's Class Meeting [Paperback]

D. Michael Henderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2005

John Wesley's techniques for nurturing and training Christian disciples not only brought personal transformation to tens of thousands of individual working-class believers, but a moral reformation to eighteenth-century England as well. In this book, Michael Henderson explores the origins of Wesley's techniques and details his "method" of creating small, interactive groups. After analyzing why Wesley's system was so effective, he shows how the class meeting serves as a model for making disciples in the twenty-first century.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

D. Michael Henderson is the teaching pastor at Northland, A Church Distributed, in Longwood, Florida. He is also the founder and Executive Director of Heart of Africa, an organization which supports African initiatives in leadership training and community development. He has been a pastor and college/seminary professor in both the United States and Africa for forty years. Dr. Henderson is a graduate of Asbury College and Seminary, Yale University, and Indiana University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Evangel Pub House (June 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1928915701
• ISBN-13: 978-1928915706
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #68 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Protestantism > Methodist

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting to the Heart of Class Meetings, June 24, 2001

By 

"gam2saints" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: John Wesley's Class Meeting (Paperback)

Henderson gives us the finest book on the theological and practical underpinnings for this institution that became to hallmark of early Methodism. Church leaders and scholars often point to the Wesleyan class meeting as the best model for how small group discipleship can be done. But, almost as often, key points of Wesley's purpose and method are overlooked (or ignored), causing people in the church to miss some of the most significant elements of genius in what Wesley put into practice.

D. Michael Henderson's book is about going back to the roots of the class meeting in order to genuinely understand what the early Methodists were doing and why. This book would be of particular use to those interested in contemporary small group ministry -- or those with an interest in Wesley or early Methodism.

Superb. This book gets my highest recommendation.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent explanation of John Wesley's use of small groups., February 7, 1999

By 

Matthew H. Johnson (Prairie Grove AR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John Wesley's Class Meeting (Paperback)

Henderson's book gives real insight as to how John Wesley used small groups and community groups in giving England and the world back to their Creator. Must read for pastors and church workers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Restoring the "Method" to Methodism, December 29, 2009

By 

Dr. David Frisbie (Rancho Santa Fe, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Model for Making Disciples: John Wesley's Class Meeting (Paperback)

In the early 21st century church, there's a lot of interest in small groups. We've discovered that people are more likely to "belong" and "remain" in a fellowship when they are essentially connected to others in smaller, more intimate settings.

So far, so good. What we may not have "discovered" was actually formulated several centuries ago by John Wesley --- whose outline for spiritual growth centered on the use of structured meetings and personal accountability. "How doth your soul prosper?" is among Wesley's guidelines as an opening question for group sharing.

Today's effective and powerful Celebrate Recovery movement (launched at Saddleback but spreading everywhere) understands and applies these key principles to persons who want to overcome addictions and break the power of past habits. Yet is this not the case with everyone who finds new life? All of us need new patterns of health and righteousness; all of us need to break old patterns that are unhelpful and ultimately destructive.

Henderson has written an excellent explanation of the history, theology, and psychology of small-groups, as explained by Wesley.

Got groups? Excellent. Here's what to do with them.

Dr. David Frisbie
The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
Author of: "Moving Forward After Divorce"