This is not a theological treaty on the value of a particular tradition, which God used to communicate His love and message of redemption to me. This is not an apologetic on why Wesleyan Holiness (WH) theology is “right” because I don’t think such rhetoric is helpful. This is definitely not a comparison between WH and other traditions since that can lead to division.
This is a personal statement.
A confession, of sorts, on my experience of WH communities, which focuses on the positive. I am doing this because I have come to realize that much of blogging can be an airing of grievances, which I have done. But it can also be a means of grace that allows one to reflect on the positive and reaffirm the covenants of old in order to move forward in faithfulness. So to the WH communities that have reached into the muck and mire of my life and, by God’s grace, pulled me out onto a solid rock, this is my confession.
1. They are a gracious people. A small country church welcomed my father and I into their community and supported us financially, emotionally and spiritually as we navigated life post divorce. They did not judge me for not knowing church stuff. Instead, they loved me. Laughed with me and always welcomed me. They became home to me.
2. They are a people on a mission. From the beginning, WH communities have showed me that we are a people on a mission. In high school, friends from a WH community invited peers to hang out, to church, to bible studies and all because they wanted to see them come to a relationship with God through Christ. In college, they served the poor, the orphaned and widow because they knew that the way of Jesus meant the realization of the kingdom now.
3. They are a wise people. They have guided me through my life from 16-29. And they have never led me astray. They have clued me into dangerous ways of thinking. And they have taught me to listen to the Spirit through prayer, community and Scriptures.
4. They are generous people. By God’s grace, they have given me a new identity, Christian; Christ follower. They have given me a vocation of pastor. They have given me my higher education. They have given me a wife, whom I met through our church and fell in love with in college. They have given me discipline when I have needed it and love all along the way. They have given me financial assistance all along the way because they are a generous people.
5. They are a faithful people. WH communities have been a faithful people to God, one another and their communities. In seminary, my church continued to be faithful even if they didn’t always have the resources. And God has blessed them by allowing them to participate in the power of the Gospel by seeing people repent, be healed and move out in faith in order to minister.
