Revival and awakening

John Wesley

1703 to 1791 · England

John Wesley (1703 to 1791) was an English clergyman and evangelist who, with his brother Charles, founded the movement that became Methodism. After years of striving to be good, he found assurance of God’s love at a meeting in Aldersgate Street in 1738, when his heart was strangely warmed. He then rode an estimated quarter of a million miles preaching in fields and streets to the poor, and pressed Christians toward holiness and mercy.

Life and context

Wesley was born in Epworth in 1703, one of nineteen children, deeply shaped by his mother Susanna. Ordained in the Church of England, he belonged at Oxford to a disciplined group nicknamed the Methodists for their methodical devotion. After a discouraging mission to Georgia, he had a turning point on May 24, 1738 at a meeting in Aldersgate Street, where, hearing Luther’s preface to Romans read aloud, he felt his heart ‘strangely warmed’ and gained assurance that Christ had saved him. He took up open-air preaching alongside George Whitefield and organized societies, class meetings, and lay preachers across Britain. He championed prison reform and the abolition of slavery; his last letter, in 1791, encouraged William Wilberforce to press on.

What he taught and wrote

Wesley preached the new birth, the assurance of salvation, and the pursuit of holiness of heart and life that he called Christian perfection, meaning a love for God and neighbor that fills the whole person. He kept a lifelong Journal, published thousands of sermons, and worked alongside his brother Charles, whose hymns (‘Hark! the Herald Angels Sing,’ ‘And Can It Be’) carried the message into song.

What his witness points us to

Wesley’s life turned on discovering that religion is not earning God’s favor but receiving it. He points to a Christ who offers assurance and a love that works through mercy, reaching the poor and the imprisoned as much as the respectable.

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Methodism?

John Wesley (1703 to 1791), with his brother Charles Wesley, founded the movement that became Methodism. It grew out of their disciplined 'Holy Club' at Oxford and Wesley's field preaching across Britain.

What happened at Aldersgate?

On May 24, 1738, at a meeting in Aldersgate Street in London, Wesley heard Luther's preface to Romans and felt his heart 'strangely warmed,' gaining assurance that Christ had saved him. It reshaped his ministry.

What did John Wesley teach?

Wesley preached the new birth, the assurance of salvation, and holiness of heart and life (which he called Christian perfection), and he pressed for social reform, including prison reform and the abolition of slavery.