Are we ready?
WesleyBlog asks: Are We Ready For Real Modern Day Circuit Riders?
We may pray that God would raise up a new generation of church planting movements. But would we be comfortable if he answered our request?
Would you have signed up to join the Methodist circuit riders (church planters) who conquered the US frontier over two centuries ago?
- The early circuits were more about church planting, not about trying to breathe life into aging congregations.
- Eight or ten miles was a much bigger distance then than now. People are willing to travel farther to go to church in the 21st century. How many congregations could be efficiently combined today if parishioners would only allow it?
- Hardly any of the first or second generation circuit riders had anything more than a grade school education.
- In the 18th century, the standard circuit took about four weeks to complete, and was between 200 and 500 miles in length. It definitely wasn’t standard to race between churches on Sundays to preach two services back to back.
- The original circuit riders preached almost every day of the week, often more than once a day.
- Circuit riders used standard scripture texts, but generally preached extemporaneously (without notes)
- Most of the early circuit riders preached in homes, barns, schools, taverns, or outside- not in church buildings.
Why? Because movements are characterized by high levels of commitment to the cause.
Another good reason? Methodism went into decline as a movement around the time that the circuit riders got down off their horses and became settled clergy.
