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Membership Fact Sheet

First Wesleyan Church                                                                                 Gastonia, NC

First Wesleyan Church exists to glorify God by evangelism, worship, relationships, ministry and leadership.  This purpose is expressed in five core values:

• Evangelism:  If people with whom we have contact die and go to hell, nothing else we have done for them matters.
• Worship:  The one thing we can do for God is worship Him.  Doing so not only pleases Him but it also helps us to see ourselves as we really are (both positively and negatively).
• Relationship:  God has made each of us and so we are valuable to Him.  He loves us just like we are but He loves us too much to let us stay that way.  God's primary ways of changing us are through His Son and through His Family.
• Ministry:  Every Christian needs a job.  God gives every believer one or more gifts in order to make the Body of Christ more effective.

·         Leadership:  It all rises and falls on leadership.  Leaders in the Church must be called of God, empowered by His Spirit, cleansed of selfish ambition, broken-hearted for lost people and equipped with a "basin and towel" to serve those they lead.

First Wesleyan is one of about 100 Wesleyan Churches in the Western part of North Carolina which make up the North Carolina West District of the Wesleyan Church.

·         Along with 33 other Districts across the US and Canada, the Wesleyan Church has nearly 400,000 constituents in 5,000 churches and missions in 80 countries of the world.

·         It was formed in 1968 resulting from the mergers of several like-minded groups, dating back as far as 1843.

·         The Wesleyan Church has its roots in John Wesley's Methodism.

What is a Wesleyan?

By Keith Drury

1. A Short History

I am a Wesleyan—both in doctrine and denomination.  A Wesleyan in doctrine means that I generally fit with the way John Wesley viewed theology and the world. And I am also a Wesleyan denominationally--I am a member and ordained minister in a church calling itself Wesleyan—The Wesleyan Church.  This small denomination split from the Methodist church in 1843 when the Methodists refused to condemn slavery.  My denominational forefathers were abolitionist Methodists who split from the Methodists and founded a new anti-slavery denomination.  They chose the term “Wesleyan” because John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, took an ardent anti-slavery position and they believed they were being true to Wesley’s own position. Thus they considered themselves the “true Wesleyans.”  The Wesleyan Church today is a branch of Methodism—though more conservative and more evangelical than some Methodists, but nevertheless, in the family of great world-wide Methodist fellowship of churches tracing their roots to the “Wesleyan Revival” in England in the 1700s.

The founders of my denomination felt slavery was simply sin and it should be labeled as such with slaveholders being treated as such—sinners who needed to repent of slave holding and get right with God.  The Methodist church at the time was being torn by the issue and was attempting to pacify southern Methodists who called for patience and a little more time.  The founders of the Wesleyan church did not believe patience was the right response to sin.  When Methodism “refused to deal with it” these abolitionist ministers and laity (including Orange Scott and Luther Lee) simply split from the Methodists in 1843 and organized another Methodist church—the “Wesleyan Connection,” later to become the “Wesleyan Methodist Church” and later still “The Wesleyan church” (the name chosen in 1968 on merging with the Pilgrim Holiness Church).  The institution where I teach is called Indiana Wesleyan University.  By that it means we are both Wesleyan in our outlook and also that we are sponsored by The Wesleyan Church denomination.

 If you are interested in more historical information click here:

Or here: 

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However, denominational labels are not always enough to answer the question, “What is a Wesleyan?”  Especially when the sponsoring denomination is a small one that many folk have never heard of.  Past denominational history can’t always adequately define what a denominations are today.  Being “Wesleyan” may be better defined by doctrine, ethos and values than just our history.  So here goes.

2. Wesleyan Doctrine

Wesleyans are evangelicals and thus are doctrinally conservative.  

• We believe in God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit—the Trinity. 
• We believe in Jesus Christ’s virgin birth, His sinless life, His death and resurrection, and His promised return in the future. 
• We believe a person is lost without Christ and every human needs of a personal relationship with Christ to be saved. 
• We believe in the afterlife—that all humans will be resurrected some day and there is heaven or hell as our final destination. 
• We believe Christ died for all men and women and none of us can be saved except through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
• We believe in the church—the collective group of Christian believers, and we believe God works through this collective body on earth to help Christians guide and direct each other to live in this present age. 
• We believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word to us and that it is authoritative in guiding us in what to believe and in how to live. 
• Wesleyans believe in an active work of the Holy Spirit—God’s invisible presence today on earth—to guide and direct people and draw them toward Jesus Christ and the Father and to empower them to change and live a Christ like life.

‘Want to know more about what we believe?  Ask for a full copy of our doctrinal statement (complete with where we find our beliefs in the Bible) or go on-line to:  www.wesleyan.org/beliefs

3. Religious Conversion

Since Wesleyans are “Evangelicals” we believe that all men and woman are spiritually lost without Christ.  Thus we try to lead people to a personal conversion or personal relationship with Christ. 

We think people are not born or brought up Christian, but become Christian when God draws them and they respond in personal faith.  We call this experience variously, “becoming a Christian,” “being born again,” “finding faith in Jesus Christ,” or “beginning a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”   All these terms mean the same thing—recognizing we cannot save ourselves and need God through His Son Jesus Christ to give us eternal life in heaven and His guidance and power for living today on earth. 

From this personal faith comes a daily practical personal walk of trust and faith in God through Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit guides and directs our lives.   A  Wesleyan church member has been converted and tries to practice this personal walk with Jesus Christ through God’s power.  In addition, they will want you to start this walk too if you have not yet done so—Wesleyans believe in “evangelism.”   However we generally reject high-pressure manipulative methods of evangelism, so if you meet a Wesleyan you can probably relax and expect to be treated with dignity and respect, and most of all personal friendship. 

 'Want to know how to be converted?  Click here: 

4. Catholic-spirited

While Wesleyans are Protestants we are very “catholic-spirited,” like John Wesley was.  Put another way, we believe in the universal church—the collective group of all Christians in all denominations. We do not believe Wesleyans are the only folk going to heaven or even that we have the perfect answer to every question of life.    Wesleyans are not a narrow-minded legalistic sect that rejects all other denominations and thinks we have the inside track to heaven.  Rather we reach out and relate with (and learn from) people form other denominations and even people with no faith at all.  We believe one should approach others with humility, respect and an open mind.  This catholic-spirited ethos makes Wesleyan churches and universities attractive to people from a wide variety of denominations.  Wesleyan local churches and universities are sensitive to people first—not denominational labels. 

Our churches, universities and colleges often attract people from Lutheran, Reformed, Presbyterian , Baptist, Charismatic, Catholic and a dozen other backgrounds.  While these students or attendees do not always agree with us on everything, they find our approach to things is more open-minded than the churches they came from.  Among Wesleyans they find accepting friendship and respect.  Wesleyans tend to shy away form being doctrinaire and dogmatic in our approach.  That is not to say we do not hold our beliefs dearly—we do.  We just believe in approaching people with dignity and respect and holding our beliefs with humility seeking common ground with others, not searching for areas where we can scrap.  Wesleyans are constantly learning from other Christian groups while we contribute our own specialties and emphases to their religious heritage.  We try to give a “fair shake” to all Christian views while presenting our own views too, hoping that the weight of our own position will persuade a person to enrich their own heritage with the Wesleyan perspective, or maybe even adopt our own views on these matters. 

So, what is that perspective?  Besides our doctrine and being catholic-spirited, what is the ethos you will find in a Wesleyan church or University?

5. Optimistic

Wesleyans are not pessimistic about the world and the future.  We really believe we are put here to change the world and make it a better place.  Being a “world-changer” is a particularly optimistic approach.  We do not withdraw to our churches or campuses to wait for the world to go up in smoke and Jesus to return.  Instead, we are activists—getting involved in the world around us, improving things, making a difference and attempting to make the world a place where God’s will is done here “as it is in heaven.”  Thus at our universities or in our churches you will find a generally positive outlook toward improving the world.   We really believe one person can make a difference.  We do not hide out heads in the sand from the pain and suffering in the world, but we do not sit around waiting for God to do something either—we try to do what God would want done: feeding, clothing, giving medicine, counseling, aid, and comfort—fixing things the way God would want them fixed.  (Optimism runs so deep in our value system that it even bleeds into our view of holiness, but that’s the next item.)  Among Wesleyans you will find optimism prevails—we really do believe a person can be a world-changer.

6. Holiness

This optimism is such a deep value among Wesleyans that it affects how we view Christian living and holiness.  God is a holy god, but God also calls His people to be a holy.  Christians are supposed to actually live a Christ-like life.  Christians should be different—they should really live up to what they claim to be. We believe Jesus Christ is our example of the holiness—he shows us how to live.  Thus Wesleyans often speak of “becoming Christ-like” or try to live life using the question, “What would Jesus do?”  Wesleyans believe that Christians should actually become more like Jesus Christ in their practical daily living.  Not just by avoiding sins like murder, hate, bitterness, lying, stealing or adultery, but by actively practicing positive Christ-like actions and attitudes like compassion, generosity, honesty, gentleness, patience and fidelity.  To Wesleyans these are not just pie-in-the-sky ideals but real practical possibilities through God’s changing power.  So, you will often see Wesleyans having a time when people can pray and receive from God the power to change—to make us a better person.  This is because Wesleyans actually believe people can improve—nobody is trapped being only what he or she is today.  God will give change-power to those who believe in Him—not just to forgive past sins, but God can change a person into becoming more like Jesus Christ in thought, word and deed.

Why is it important to be a member of a Church?

You may have been attending First Wesleyan for some time.  You may have even gotten involved in some of the ministries of the Church.  So what is the value to formalizing your relationship by becoming a member?

Being a Christian involves more than believing; it includes belonging.  "Membership" conjures up thoughts of paying dues, meaningless rituals, silly rules and handshakes and your name on some dusty roll.

            The Apostle Paul had a very different image.  He saw "membership" as being a vital organ in a living body.  Paul wrote:

(Rom 12:4-5)  "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, {5} so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."

(1 Cor 6:15)  "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? . . ."

(1 Cor 12:12-27)  "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. {13} For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. {14} Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. {15} If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. {16} And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. {17} If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? {18} But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. {19} If they were all one part, where would the body be? {20} As it is, there are many parts, but one body. {21} The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" {22} On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, {23} and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, {24} while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, {25} so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. {26} If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. {27} Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

            Any organ detached from the body will cease to provide its intended function and will soon shrivel and die.  Every believer ought to be a vital part of a local body of Christians.

There are two ways of speaking of the Church:

• …the invisible Church, of which all Christians are members.  We sometimes refer to the invisible Church as “the Body of Christ.” The Church is God’s tool to do His will in the world.  No one person can ever be “The Body of Christ.”
• …the visible Church, which is divided into various denominations and sects.  Each has its own practices and emphases and each models aspects of the Body of Christ.  No one local Church or denomination can ever be the Body of Christ.

Six reasons to join a local Church

1. Identification -- It says, “I’m in.”

·         In the beginning of the Church, becoming a Christian and joining the Church were the same thing.

·         As the threat of heresy increased, what it meant to be a “Christian” had be be more and more carefully defined.

2. Submission -- It says, “I am not alone.”

·         I submit my beliefs and interpretations to the larger community of Christians past and present.

3. Accountability -- It says, “I’m under authority.”

·         I grant the right to others to hold me accountable.

4. To vote -- It says, “God can guide through me.”

·         I will let the Holy Spirit guide the Church, in part, through me.

·         In saying that, I acknowledge that the Holy Spirit may guide the Church through others as well and that their opinion may differ from my own. (see #2)

5. To lead -- It says, “I am willing to lead.”

·         I am willing to serve on the board, make decisions and hold places of service reserved for members.

6. Because of what it says if I don’t…

·         I’m not (fully) in.

·         I don’t (completely) submit.

·         I’m not (totally) accountable.

·         I don’t care about decisions and votes.

·         I don’t want to lead.

So, with such good reasons to join, why do some folk not join?

1. I can’t agree with all of this Church’s doctrines.

·         Different doctrines than the Church I used to attend.

·         Or one particular doctrine I can’t accept.

2. I can’t accept some of this Church’s “rules.”

·         Who says I can’t do that?

·         Where do these rules come from?  I don’t see them in the Bible.

·         What gives you the right to tell me how to live?

'Interested in what the "rules" are for the Wesleyan Church?  Click here:

3. I already belong somewhere else.

·         I’ll just leave my membership there and attend here.

·         I can get almost all the benefits of membership without joining.

Finally, some “common opinions” on church membership

1. We ought to give to the church where we attend.

·         We ought to support  the “storehouse” where we get our food.

2. We ought to attend the church where we belong. (Or perhaps join where we attend.)

·         It is too hard for people far away to hold us accountable

3. We don’t have to agree 100% with everything to join a church

·         All issues are not of equal weight.

·         Some convictions are written in blood and we will not change them (like the deity of Christ and the inspiration of Scripture).

·         Some convictions are written in ink and we will think long and hard before we change them.

·         And some convictions are written in pencil and represent our times and the culture in which we live.

·          It may not be about agreeing so much as submitting.

·         What we must agree to do is to NOT divide the Church over issues about which we disagree.

4. Thoughts on “Rules”

·         Christians should live differently from people who are not Christians.

·         Rules have  always been in the church.

·         The Bible does not deal explicitly with everything we face.  Rules are the consensus of the Church about those issues.

·         Some rules exist for the sake of our witness to other believers and to those who are not believers.

·         Rules change; usually with a time lag between when people in the Church start breaking the rule and when it is changed.

·         Yes, you can get almost all the benefits of church membership and avoid the obligations if you don’t join . . .but

·         Church membership is something like citizenship.  You can live in the US and get most of the benefits and not have to vote, hold office or join the military.

·         So why be a citizen?  Because we who are “citizens” of this local church welcome new citizens—especially “naturalized citizens” who come from elsewhere, for we are all “immigrants” too.