Class Leaders: Recovering a Tradition

by David Lowes Watson

Overview

In 1988, The General Conference of the United Methodist Church restored class leaders and class meetings to the Book of Discipline after an absence of fifty years. In this volume, David Lowes Watson explains what the recovery of this tradition can mean for congregations, and offers some guidelines for the revitalized office of class leader. Adapting the later Methodist class meeting as a pastoral subdivision of the congregation, Watson shows how class leaders, under the supervision of the pastor, can nurture the discipline of other church members in light of a "General Rule of Discipline" derived from the early Methodist societies: "To witness to Jesus Christ in the world, and to follow his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit." This volume is the second in a trilogy : Covenant Discipleship, Class Leaders, and Forming Christian Disciples.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781725202238
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	04/30/2002
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	184
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

David Lowes Watson is Director of the Office of Pastoral Formation for the Nashville Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church.

A native of England, he was educated at Oxford University, (M.A.), Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri (M.Div.), and Duke University, Durham, North Carolina (Ph.D.). He has pastored inner city and rural congregations in Illinois and North Carolina, and has served as Executive Secretary for Covenant Discipleship and Christian Formation at the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church. He has taught at Southern Methodist University as the McCreless Professor of Evangelism at Perkins School of Theology, and at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. as Professor of Theology and Congregational Life and Mission.

He has written extensively in the fields of Methodist history and theology, evangelism, and congregational life and mission. His books include The Early Methodist Class Meeting, and God Does Not Foreclose. He has also written curriculum resources for The United Methodist Church, including the New Testament studies in Troublesome Bible Passages. He was the founding editor of the Covenant Discipleship Quarterly and the Journal of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education, of which he is a past President. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Bicentennial Edition of The Works of John Wesley and is presently a member of the Board of Directors of Eden Theological Seminary.
David Lowes Watson is Director of the Office of Pastoral Formation for the Nashville Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church.

A native of England, he was educated at Oxford University, (M.A.), Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri (M.Div.), and Duke University, Durham, North Carolina (Ph.D.). He has pastored inner city and rural congregations in Illinois and North Carolina, and has served as Executive Secretary for Covenant Discipleship and Christian Formation at the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church. He has taught at Southern Methodist University as the McCreless Professor of Evangelism at Perkins School of Theology, and at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. as Professor of Theology and Congregational Life and Mission.

He has written extensively in the fields of Methodist history and theology, evangelism, and congregational life and mission. His books include The Early Methodist Class Meeting, and God Does Not Foreclose. He has also written curriculum resources for The United Methodist Church, including the New Testament studies in Troublesome Bible Passages. He was the founding editor of the Covenant Discipleship Quarterly and the Journal of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education, of which he is a past President. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Bicentennial Edition of The Works of John Wesley and is presently a member of the Board of Directors of Eden Theological Seminary.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	ix
	Preface	xiii
	Introduction: Recovering a Tradition	xv
	Eventful Legislation	xv
	The Genius of Methodism	xv
	Clergy and Class Leaders	xvi
	A Focus on Class Leaders	xvii
	Small Groups	xviii
	The Horse Before the Cart	xix
	Covenant Discipleship	xix
	An Echo of the Class Leader	xx
Chapter 1	The Need for Leaders in Discipleship	1
	The Mystery of Christian Discipleship	1
	Loose Discipleship	2
	Moments of Resentment	3
	More Discipline?	4
	The Two-Fold Ministry of Jesus	5
	Feed My Sheep	6
	A Shepherd's Secret	6
	Too Much Expertise	7
	Getting the Job Done	8
	Practicing the Basics	8
	Delaying Tactics	9
	First Steps	10
	More Delaying Tactics	11
	Leading the Flock	12
	Guidance in the First Steps	12
	Leadership Credentials	13
	A Leadership Question	14
	A Touchy Question	15
	Amateurs and Professionals	15
	A Model from Early Methodism	17
	For Reflection	18
Chapter 2	The Origin of Class Leaders	19
	The Early Methodist Movement	19
	Affection for the Church	20
	True Freedom of Discipleship	20
	Privileged Servanthood	21
	Spirit and Structure in the Church	22
	Spiritual Renewal	23
	Obedient Discipleship	24
	Religious Common Sense	25
	Pastoral Oversight	25
	Mutual Accountability	26
	The Need for Mutual Support	27
	The Class Leader	28
	Disciplinary Oversight	28
	Resistance to Discipline	29
	Matters of Heart and Life	30
	Spiritualized Discipleship	31
	Disciplined Relationships	31
	Companionship with Christ	32
	An Early Methodist Class Leader	33
	A Return to Class Leaders	36
	For Reflection	38
Chapter 3	The Class Leader in North America	39
	Across the Atlantic	39
	Pastoral Concern	40
	Class Leaders in Their Prime	42
	Literature on Class Meetings	42
	The Duties of Class Leaders	43
	Signs of Decline	44
	From Society to Church	45
	The Mother Church of Methodism	45
	Uncertain Identity	46
	Churchly Responsibilities	47
	A Question of Leadership	47
	An "Unnecessary Wheel"	49
	An Unfortunate Irony	49
	Loss of Leadership	50
	Displacement of the Class Meeting	51
	The Question of Slavery	52
	Loss of Integrity	52
	Keeping the Tradition Alive	53
	African American Methodism	54
	An Extract from A.M.E. Polity	55
	African American United Methodists	56
	Other Methodist Traditions	57
	The Korean Tradition	58
	Mutual Learnings from a Common Tradition	59
	For Reflection	60
Chapter 4	Recovering the Tradition of Class Leaders	61
	Tradition and Traditioning	61
	Faithful Traditioning	62
	The Presence of the Risen Christ	63
	The Methodist Tradition	63
	A Detraditioned Office	64
	Retraditioning the Office	64
	The United Methodist Church and Its Context	65
	A Counter-Cultural Office	66
	Careful Traditioning	67
	The Importance of the Pastor	67
	First Things First	68
	A Climate of Accountability	69
	Covenant Discipleship	69
	The General Rule of Discipleship	70
	Extending the General Rule	71
	Classes as Pastoral Groupings	72
	"Tracking Them Down"	73
	Why Not Class Meetings?	74
	A "New Frontier"	75
	The Class Leader as Coach	75
	The Class Leader as Drill Instructor	76
	The Class Leader as Guide	76
	The Class Leader as Co-Pastor	77
	Why Class Leaders?	78
	A Foundation and a Catalyst	79
	Hearing the Call	80
	For Reflection	81
Chapter 5	Discerning the Call: Preparing for the Task	83
	The Inward Call	83
	The Outward Call	84
	A Good Reason to Hesitate	85
	A Good Reason Not to Hesitate	86
	Seemingly Impossible Standards	87
	The Most Important Question	89
	He Did the Best He Could	90
	They Did the Best They Could	91
	Ready to Go Professional	91
	Preparation through Covenant Discipleship	93
	A Condition of the Office	94
	Accepting the Office	94
	Prayerful Preparation	95
	The Leaders' Meeting	97
	Co-Pastor of the Congregation	98
	Your Accountability	98
	Getting to Know Your Congregation	99
	Getting to Know Your World	100
	Training "On the Job"	100
	Forming Your Class	101
	For Reflection	103
Chapter 6	Getting to Know Your Class	105
	Diversity of People	105
	An Open Mind	106
	Diversity of Gifts and Graces	106
	Human Qualities and Talents	107
	Spiritual Gifts	108
	The Fruit of the Spirit	109
	Diversity of Needs	110
	Diversity of Faith	112
	Faith as a Human Universal	112
	Religious Faith	113
	Religious Beliefs	113
	Stages of Faith	114
	"Degrees of Faith"	115
	The Christian Life	116
	The New Birth	116
	Growth in Christ	118
	Maturity in Christ	119
	Constancy of Grace	121
	Diversity of Discipleship	122
	Growth in Discipleship	123
	Christ-Centered Discipleship	123
	A Word of Encouragement	125
	For Reflection	126
Chapter 7	Forming the Discipleship of Your Class	127
	Establishing Contact with Your Members	127
	The First Visit to Your Members	127
	The Agenda of the Visit	128
	The General Rule of Discipleship	130
	This Is Just the Beginning	131
	An Intensive First Few Weeks	132
	What Not to Do with Your Class	133
	At Ease and Alert	135
	Reactive Resistance	136
	In Covenant with an Active God	137
	Joyful Surrender	138
	Getting Caught in the Crossfire	139
	A Christ-Centered Relationship	139
	Becoming Informed about Your Congregation	140
	Further Contact with Your Members	141
	Applying the General Rule	142
	Witnessing to Jesus Christ in the World	142
	Acts of Compassion	143
	Acts of Worship	143
	Acts of Justice	144
	Acts of Devotion	146
	The Guidance of the Holy Spirit	146
	Connecting Your Class Members	147
	For Reflection	148
	Conclusion: In Harmony with One Another	149
	Knowing Who You Are	149
	Spiritual Discernment	149
	A Dangerous Gift	150
	Deal Charitably with Your Members	151
	Deal Charitably with Your Pastor	152
	A Question of Calling	152
	True Christian Collegiality	153
	A Final Word	154
	Endnotes	155
	Resources	163