Gospel
Proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and sharing the message of salvation.
The Methodist tradition is part of the wider Protestant Christian heritage and traces its roots to the ministry of John Wesley, an Anglican clergyman in eighteenth-century England.
John Wesley was raised in a deeply Christian household. His mother, Susanna Wesley, played an important formative role in his spiritual and personal development.
Educated at Oxford University, Wesley devoted himself to prayer, Scripture, Christian discipline and the life of faith.
A defining moment in Wesley's spiritual journey took place on 24 May 1738, when he attended a meeting in Aldersgate Street, London, where Martin Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans was being read.
Wesley later described experiencing a profound assurance of faith in Christ. This became a significant turning point in his life and ministry and is remembered throughout the Methodist tradition as the Aldersgate experience.
The Methodist movement that grew from Wesley's ministry placed strong emphasis on personal faith, holiness, Scripture, discipleship, evangelism and practical Christian service.
Wesley's ministry combined the proclamation of the Gospel with concern for the spiritual and practical needs of people and society.