John Wesley as Mission Strategist

Dr. George Hunter, professor at Asbury Theological Seminary, writes about John Wesley as a Mission Strategist (Wesleyan Theological Journal, Volume 21, 1986, pages 25-33) as evidenced by these key strategies of Wesley's ministry:

1) Identify and focus on receptive people groups. This was certainly true of Wesley's work in Kingswood among the coalminers and their families.

2) Indigenous ministry approach. Again his ministry at Kingswood utilized common language, open air services and a hymnody based on the familiar tunes of the day. He was willing to disrobe from the prejudices of his Oxford education. Wesley would have acknowledged that "it takes all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people."

3) Multiplication of leaders and units. Within the first week of his public ministry at Wesley organized small groups for new believers to grow in Christ, one group for women and another for men. Wesley would instruct his team members, "do not preach where you cannot multiply classes."