The Wesleyan Distinctives series introduction

Ethan Linder

For most people in our congregations, transition feels like the only constant. We’re consistently adjusting our schedules, navigating conversations in workplaces, greeting new neighbors and seeing old ones move away. Often, we feel less like we’ve arrived at a destination, and more like we’re living in the space between. Uncertainty seems like one of the few things that’s dependable.

Sometimes, we bail on this feeling of uncertainty by looking to theology to provide a rigid view of clarity, certainty and a polished answer that can help us escape the feeling of helpless unknowing.

Good theology, though, isn’t an escape from uncertainty. It’s a wrestling with how God’s voice shows up in the space between. At its best, Wesleyan theology helps us hold together what others hold in tension. We’re from a theological tradition that believes in restorative justice and inward renewal, historic tradition and fresh innovation, spiritual formation and social witness, Spirit-filled worship and Spirit-commissioned work.

These Wesleyan distinctives will shape how we talk about God’s way of animating our shared values toward effective ministry during a disruptive time.