EMQ » April–June 2020 » Volume 56 Issue 2
By Winfield Bevins
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Reflective, 2019
220 pages
USD $17.99
Reviewed by David Greenlee, Director of Missiological Research and Evaluation, Operation Mobilization, Tyrone, Georgia.
Movements to faith in Christ are reported around the world. Will they quickly fade, or will they last for centuries? In Marks of a Movement, Winfield Bevins points us to important lessons from the Wesleyan Revival and the resulting movement of churches—lessons that may help us address questions of longevity concerning modern movements.
Director of Church Planting at Asbury Theological Seminary, Bevins notes that John Wesley and the Wesleyan Revival are little known outside of Wesleyan circles. From Anglican roots himself, not Wesleyan, Bevins is convinced we desperately need to know more (18–19). Why? Wesley created “a disciple-making movement that equipped and empowered thousands of people to join in God’s mission,” (22) a movement with lasting global impact over 275 years since its inception.
After an introductory chapter covering general characteristics of movements, Bevins structures the following chapters around six themes, each a mark of the Wesleyan Revival:
- Changed lives: Movements begin as people’s lives are changed by a fresh encounter with the living God.
- Contagious faith: Movements become contagious when ordinary people share their faith with others.
- The Holy Spirit: Movements emphasize the person and work of the Holy Spirit in peoples’ lives.
- Discipleship systems: Movements develop systems for discipleship and spiritual growth.
- Apostolic leadership: Movements have an apostolic impulse—drawn from the models and methods of the early church—that empowers and mobilizes all of God’s people for mission.
- Organic multiplication: Movements have an outward missional focus that naturally leads to the multiplication of disciples and new communities of faith. (40–43)
Key lessons the book offers draw from Wesley’s basic ministry strategy of meeting “the needs of the entire person through a discipleship ecosystem,” a holistic approach that helped “move believers beyond themselves to reach out and meet the needs of others, both those in the larger ‘society’ or congregation who [were] hurting and in need, as well as unbelievers in the broader community” (117).
Preceding the Conclusion, the chapter aptly titled “Movements Can be Messy,” focuses on challenges the Wesleyan movement faced. One key lesson for today concerns the class meetings at the heart of Wesley’s strategy. These class meetings were abandoned in mid-nineteenth century North America, while at the same time, there was an increased emphasis on higher education of ordained pastors. Once this occurred, the vigor of the movement faded (171–173).
The book is affordable and clearly presented, attractive for a global readership, including those who speak English as a second—or fourth or fifth—language. I will be recommending it widely among my own colleagues and especially for training programs and for developing ministry approaches.
If Bevins is correct that “perhaps more than any other Christian denomination in the West, Methodism will be remembered as a multiplication movement, one that spread the gospel from England to the world,” (163) those of us interested in fomenting movements today should take notice and learn.
For Further Reading
Addison, Steve. 2019. The Rise and Fall of Movements: A Roadmap for Leaders. 100 Movements Publishing.
Kreider, Alan. 2016. The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: The Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.
