The Story of The Wesleyan Church

by Robert Black, Bob Black (Joint Author), Keith Drury (Joint Author)

From its fiery revivalists to socially conscious reformers, The Wesleyan Church is a movement with a rich tradition and inspiring history in America. Robert Black and Keith Drury trace the church's heritage from its roots in European and American Methodism, through the 1968 merger of the Wesleyan Methodist and Pilgrim Holiness Churches, all the way to recent historic events. With a contemporary, conversational style, The Story of the Wesleyan Church offers a reader-friendly narrative of the growth and development of the church. Photographs throughout the book, with detailed captions, provide a journalistic map for easy access. The coauthors each represent one of the major faith streams that came together to form the church in 1968, weaving Pilgrim Holiness and Wesleyan Methodist threads into a single, colorful tapestry that both represents the history and anticipates the future of The Wesleyan Church. Pastors, students, and others interested in what God is doing in the world will not want to miss this narrative history. Let God's past faithfulness inspire your work toward the future!

Genres: Church History, Nonfiction, History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 25, 2012

Reviews

[Aaron Case · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a pastor in process of transferring my ordination credentials from the Alliance (formerly Christian & Missionary Alliance) to the Wesleyan church... so this was required reading for me. However, I was pleased to see our denomination's activist roots in the anti-slavery movement, along with the women's suffrage movement. It was also interesting in that it had some early connections with the Alliance founder A. B. Simpson, and common geographical roots to me (a native Hoosier).

[Ariail Lankford · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a history book… certainly 5 stars. It reads like you’re having a conversation about the history of the church with Dr. Black. I also appreciate his willingness to point out where the church went wrong—something a lot of our history books in America are missing these days.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and engaging history of the Wesleyan church.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written history of the Wesleyan Church and its two main antecedent bodies.

[Evan Hoekzema · Rating 4 out of 5]

I surprisingly loved this book. Growing up in the Wesleyan Church I had no clue about the rich history and identity we have as a denomination. Not a hard read, and worth the time!