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September 7, 2021Catholics in each of the Catholic Church’s Ordinariates for the Anglican tradition take pride in the recognition that Vatican II embraced so much of St. John Henry Newman’s vision it could be called “Newman’s Council.” Among the things “Newman’s Council” called for was renewal in the life of the Church through frequent reception of the Eucharist, deeper devotion to Sacred Scripture, empowerment of the laity to evangelize, and a call to mission in the modern world. But in those ways, what the Council envisioned for the Church’s renewal was also envisioned by another forerunner movement: Wesleyan Methodism. Ordinariate Catholics should rejoice in this knowledge too.
The Wesleys and Methodism contribute significantly to the Anglican Patrimony of the Ordinariates, although their contribution is often overlooked. John and Charles Wesley were both Oxford-educated priests in the Church of England and fit into the High Church of their day, particularly in their early careers. Their Method for Salvation and Sanctification involved frequent reception of communion, frequent prayer and scripture reading according to the Book of Common Prayer, and fasting, which would nourish their spiritual life and manifest in works of charity and evangelization. While the Ordinariate is familiar with the specific components of “the Method,” it can still benefit from the particular methods of the Wesleys’ mission.
Methodism has thrived from an empowered laity. As a movement within the Church of England, Methodism was largely lay-driven and that tradition carried on even after their separation. Methodist laity often belonged to groups called societies, classes, and bands. These groups represented either a city or parish, a group of a dozen people, and a small group of about five people, respectively. A Catholic example of this today can be seen in the FOCUS Missions group that are dedicated to college campus ministry, where lay missionaries lead small groups of students with similar backgrounds (within the context of the campus ministry community) toward deeper spiritual growth in scripture, prayer, and sacrament. College students, however, are not the only people who need this direction.
In order to lead other Methodists, laity were and still are required to go through training and discernment in order to become a leader in the movement. Lay Leaders are not only taught how to instruct the faithful as a catechist, but are also taught how to lead public prayer in various forms, how to lead worship, and how to preach, resulting in their titles of Lay Preacher and Lay Speaker. In fact, we see powerful similarities between the roles of Methodist Lay Leaders and the Instituted Catechist that Pope Francis has formally established this year. In Africa, for instance, lay catechists lead prayer, worship, and preaching, and work closely with the priests carrying out the sacramental and pastoral ministry, in each “mission station” connected to a parish. It is the kind of missionary dynamism the Holy Father is envisioning for the wider Church, esp. in post-Christian societies in Europe and the Americas, and which the Ordinariate is well-equipped to put into action drawing on our Methodist roots.
Another Catholic (largely lay) Movement, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement, also provides a model of how it is possible for laity to worship, pray, and even preach together. The empowerment of laity to lead prayer, worship, and preach is one that may sound unfamiliar in the Catholic Church, since laity are not allowed to preach at Mass. The reason for that is the homily is considered part of the single liturgical act of the Mass. Whereas outside Mass, Sacramentum redemptionis indicates the possibility of lay preaching “in accordance with the norm of law.” One such possibility could be the Liturgy of the Hours. Divine Worship: Daily Office has a rubric indicating in Morning and Evening Prayer where a reflection may be given. The Ordinariate is a shining example for how to renew the Liturgy of the Hours in the life of our parishes particularly through our heritage of Morning and Evening Prayer. By the same token, the Ordinariate has a strong tradition of worship and prayer in non-Eucharistic settings that can be shared to the benefit of the wider Church.
The ability not only to catechize in study, but to lead formal worship, prayer, and preaching for small groups and local communities is what gave Methodist Lay Ministers their influence and success in evangelization. In the Ordinariate context, this can easily be seen in something like a lay-led Evensong with lay preaching, for example. But we have to bring this outside of our own parishes. This non-Eucharistic worship may look like a traditional Evensong (or Vespers) service, or it could be the “low church” worship of the Catholic Church with contemporary praise and worship music and lay preaching. So long as the doctrine is the same, the worship styles for non-Eucharistic worship can be focused on what best suits a particular group for the purpose of evangelization. This principle was established by John Wesley himself in what he called the “catholic spirit.”
This variety is known in Anglicanism through "high church" and "low church" cultures, but it is definitive in Methodism. Wide variety in worship is a tool in the kit of the evangelist intent on bringing men and women to Jesus Christ. Even as regards music, American Methodist hymnals open wide access to the music historically beloved by American Evangelicals, including the hymns of Fanny Crosby, Robert Lowry, and the Gospel music of revival meetings. They also can share with the Catholic Church the great African-American spiritual traditions and music from the many historically Black Methodist churches and denominations.
The lay empowerment typical of Methodism has ecumenical significance as well because we can share non-Eucharistic worship with our fellow Christians who are still outside the Catholic Church. We can invite them to share in common prayer. By training lay preachers, we enhance the possibility for Catholics to get pulpit time in places and churches previously unthinkable. By offering more lay-led, non-Eucharistic worship, we open up possibilities for fellow Christians to pray, sing, and preach with us. Through shared worship, the Ordinariates can build bridges toward unity by giving fellow Christians a real taste of what realized ecumenism looks like in the fullness of the Catholic Church.
Methodism has a reputation for mission and outreach. It can even be characterized as more of a movement than a church because on its own, Methodism often lacks developed ecclesiology and doctrinal standards. It was originally, after all, only meant to be a movement within an already existing church structure. Much like the famous religious orders in the Catholic Church, Wesleyans had a knack for revival and charitable work. Methodist societies spent time and money to feed the hungry, visit the prisoner, care for the sick, and clothe the naked. For them, this was both the manifestation of their Christian faith and a means of grace moving them toward salvation. And it’s vital for our own witness in the Ordinariates today.
Throughout the ages the Church has had movements to answer new challenges, and today the Church needs a new movement for the modern world. That movement, the one Vatican II calls for, can already be seen in the Wesleys’ Methodism, and so it belongs to the Patrimony of the Ordinariates. It is a movement designed to embed the Gospel with Anglican spirituality in a projectile form, so to share it in action with the world. It has the power to be the “fresh air” Pope St. John XXIII called for, and the means of bringing lumen to the gentes. It is the method of our mission.
Paul Caleb Roland is an Ordinariate Catholic who writes from Oklahoma.Related articles by this author:
What Methodist Patrimony Brings to the Ordinariate MissionWesley’s Method Part I: Frequent Reception of Communion and the Love Feast
Wesley’s Method Part II: Frequent Prayer and the Daily Office
Wesley’s Method Part III: Form a Bible Study, Go Make Disciples
Wesley’s Method Part IV: Fasting Wednesdays, Fridays & Other Times for Sanctification
Wesley’s Method Part V: Forming Small Groups for Discipleship
Wesley’s Method Part VI: Following Christ by Works of Mercy
Wesley’s Method Part VII: Singing and a Hymnal in Every Home
Wesley’s Method Part VIII: How Field Preaching Equips the Laity to Proclaim Jesus Christ
Wesley’s Method Part IX: Holy Conferencing, Revivals, and their Ordinariate Potential
Wesley’s Method Part X: How Lay Servant Ministry Can Grow the Catholic Church
