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It has been awhile since I have added to my series on the class meeting for the 21st century. (If you have missed this series and want to learn more about the relevance of Wesleyan class meetings for the 21st century, click here for the last post and an outline of the entire series.) I recently received a great question from a reader about my post on the class meeting for the 21st century. The basic question was, Are there Methodist churches that have class meetings? The question is so good, I am going to dedicate a post to it.
The short answer is Yes!
In the Dallas-Fort Worth area I have worked with several ministries about starting something like a contemporary version of the class meeting. Here are three different ministries and the way that they have implemented a 21st century version of the class meeting in their unique contexts:
Munger Place Church is a congregation that was relaunched by Highland Park United Methodist Church. Public worship began at Munger Place just over a month ago. Munger Place has adopted the class meeting as their basic approach to small groups, which they call “Kitchen Groups.” In the first month as a worshiping congregation, Munger has already had a small group launch that resulted in starting five Kitchen Groups. The leaders for these five groups came from a previous small group that began meeting last spring. My family has been part of the leadership team that helped “relaunch” Munger Place and we have been blessed to be involved with Kitchen Groups as well. I am excited by the way that Andrew Forrest, the campus pastor, has embraced the class meeting model and renamed it. When Andrew talks about membership at Munger Place, he always mentions that part of the expectations of membership include involvement in a Kitchen Group. (One caveat: The link to the Kitchen Group page on the Munger website contains a video that is not specifically about Kitchen Groups. The video was actually made by Cornerstone for their small group ministry, which has a bit different emphasis.)
This is an example of a way that a United Methodist campus ministry is implementing a Wesleyan approach to small groups. This year, the Wesley Foundation at Southern Methodist University has started both class meetings and band meetings. Every time I meet with the director, Andy Roberts, and intern from Perkins School of Theology, Robert Perales, I leave energized and excited by the ways that both Andy and Robert are pouring themselves into the students at S.M.U. From the conversations with them, I am coming to see campus ministry as a context that is particularly ripe for Wesleyan forms of communal Christian formation. Andy has recently invited me to speak with the students leaders at the Wesley Foundation over a few weeks in the Spring – I can’t wait!
3. Nexus Community, A Church of the Nazarene
Finally, I was invited by Nexus Community, which at the time was part of Richardson Church of the Nazarene and has since become a new church plant, to share with them about the history of Wesleyan small groups and their contemporary relevance. The last time I spoke with them, I broke the congregation up into small groups and we did a “speed class meeting.” This gave everyone a chance to experience a very abbreviated form of the class meeting and dip their toes in the water of talking about their lives with God. Nexus has since started three class meetings, one meets at the church and two meet in the leaders’ homes.
These are just three examples, and I only know about them because of the ways I have been invited to walk beside them as they begin to reclaim the Wesleyan practice of “watching over one another in love.” Do you know of churches that have 21st century class meetings? Have you been in one? Please leave a comment and share your experience!
Kevin M. Watson 
Kevin,
Thanks for this excellent series of articles on the Methodist class meeting. In this piece I was hoping to see some mention of Covenant Discipleship groups (http://goo.gl/EEjd). Are you familiar with this contemporary adaptation of the class meeting?
Steve Manskar
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Steve,
In this post, I focused on examples that I know of that are local (to the DFW area) and as straightforward an imitation of the class meeting as I am aware of. I also wanted to highlight examples of regular pastors or church leaders who are doing this, in hopes of helping pastors who might read this recognize how “normal” people are actually doing this.
I was considering doing another post on broader approaches to the class meeting, which would certainly include Covenant Discipleship. (I was in a CD group when I was in seminary at Wesley Theological Seminary, and you even came and spoke to our class!)
I probably should have been more clear about the purpose of this post. Thank you for reminding readers of CD. Due to your prompting, I think I will try to get to a post that focuses on broader approaches and resources to CD.
Thanks!
I had the privilege of being in Kevin’s small group that started last spring with other Munger Place Church folks. I am now one of the leaders of the new groups that have formed from the original. We had our first meeting this week and I was already amazed at the results and know that tremendous things are going to take place in our new little group. Each of us that were in that original group have grown to be much more mature Christians over the past year and are excited to bring new people into our meetings. It is going to be a huge part, if not the most significant part of Munger’s DNA.
Nick,
Wow! Thank you for sharing about your experience with Munger Kitchen Groups. I know I was certainly blessed by being in a group with you. I appreciate your testimony of the way that you have seen growth in your own faith and in others through these groups. And I wholeheartedly agree that Kitchen Groups are a key part of Munger’s missional DNA!
Steve – While Covenant Discipleship groups are a modern small group accountability structure, there are key distinctions between these groups and class meetings. I was part of a Covenant Discipleship group at Wesley Seminary and like Kevin, you spoke to our class about Covenant Discipleship groups.
Covenant Discipleships hold persons accountable to a particular covenant, which may be linked with the focus being on Christian performance. In contrast, class meetings focus on the state of the soul, which encourages self-reflection, growth and support without a checklist.
Kevin – Thank you for sharing of these active groups in the DFW area. I am glad to hear of the concepts that you have outlined being put in practice. I continue to appreciate your work in this area.
Kevin,
I really enjoyed reading your post and find it exciting to hear of the spirtual growth people are experiencing and their willingness to be open and honest and participate.
I would like to ask what is a “band” meeting and is it different from a “class” meeting????
Andrew – Thanks for your comment and your encouragement.
Carol – Thank you for the kind words. I agree, it is very exciting to hear of places where people are growing spiritually as they enter more deeply into each others lives.
The basic difference between a class meeting and a band meeting is that the classes were larger (about 12 people in early British Methodism) and they were required of every Methodist for a period of time. Classes also often had both men and women together in the same class. The basic question was: How is it with your soul?
Bands were not required and were smaller (about 5 people). Bands also were divided based on gender and marital status (so, for ex., married women would have been in one group). People who were growing in their faith were encouraged to join bands, but it was never a requirement. The basic question of the band meeting was: What sins have you committed since our last meeting.
For more on the differences between classes and bands see #7 in my post on “The Top Ten Ways to Guarantee that Your Class Meeting Will Fail.”
The Methodist Church in Great Britain is trying to resurrect the bands with the Inspire Network. (http://inspire-network.org.uk/)
It’s so great to read about one Wesley’s methods that I believe would totally work now.
I am just curious. Is the class meeting similar or the same with cell groups? A lot of churches, both denominational and not are into it.
Will – Thank you for linking to Inspire. I have spoken with Phil Meadows about his work with Inspire, and it seems to be bearing fruit. I am eager to follow its development in Britain.
eufems – Thank you for your comment. I think cell groups are familiar with class meetings, but not necessarily equivalent. As far as I know, not all cell groups are alike. Some involve a more intense form of confession of particular sins – and as a result, would be more analogous to the early Methodist band meeting. Some are less intense, but still focused on the lives of the participants and their discipleship – these would be a very similar contemporary adaptation of the class meeting. Finally, there are cell groups that focus pretty strongly on curriculum, and as a result would be most similar to Sunday School or a Bible Study, which I have argued is very different than the class meeting.
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