Wesleyan Accent is World Methodist Evangelism’s online magazine of practical resources in the area of discipleship, evangelism, leadership and theology. Through articles, book reviews, and interviews, WME features leading and emerging voices of the Wesleyan Methodist world.
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In 1314, wounded English knights fled south through Scotland towards the safety of the English border after their cataclysmic defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn. Overcome by weakness and pain, some fell from their horses. Many were left to die, but more compassionate locals took others to the abbeys dotted throughout the Scottish borders. These abbeys had infirmaries and monks
Written By: Published On: It is true that most of us spend our lives waiting to live. We see today as such a mundane time, so insignificant, so unexciting. But once we change our focus and begin to encounter the events of today with vitality and purpose, all sorts of changes take place. This is especially true in our personal
Written By: Published On: An exciting partnership between two denominations within the wider Wesleyan Methodist family is opening doors for Filipino pastors to continue their calling in Australia. On 16 August 2026, Rev. Dr. Lex Akers, National Superintendent of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia, and retired Bishop Rodolfo A. Juan, representing the United Methodist Church in the Philippines, signed
Written By: Published On: Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a plenary panel on the future of theological education. One of the questions put to us was about artificial intelligence and the role it may increasingly play in ministry: sermon preparation, program development, communication, congregational engagement, and more. My answer was fairly straightforward. AI is not a fringe
Written By: Published On: I don’t know when it actually began. Maybe in that little church in rural Mississippi when a country preacher sounded a note that called for a response from a fourteen-year-old boy in the congregation. The package was too neatly wrapped and tied then. The walk down the aisle, the public profession of faith, and the baptism
Written By: Published On: Movement. It is a word that I hear often when it comes to living our faith. I coach in an organization that desires movement. The theme of my Annual Conference this summer was movement. Our mission at World Methodist Evangelism is to “help leaders build faith-sharing movements.” As people who believe in the movement of the
Written By: Published On: Growth is not accidental – it is intentional, purposeful. There are leaps which we make unconsciously, and great strides in development often come as by-products. Primarily, however, we make the decision to grow. This is not to say that we manufacture growth. We don’t, no more than a doctor manufactures healing. We simply become persons open
Written By: Published On: The Power of Influence in Christian Leadership The Methodist Church in Cuba (IMECU) is blessed with exceptional men who are committed to their calling and ready to serve wherever the Lord needs them. One such man is Bishop Ricardo Pereira Díaz. For over two decades, he has been the leader God has used to guide the
Written By: Published On: God, the Father, loves you. I mean, really loves you. Why Is It Hard to See God as a Loving Father? The idea of God as Father is difficult for some people. We may have trouble seeing God as loving and good due to a difficult relationship to our own earthly father. Perhaps we misunderstand God
Written By: Published On: Early in my ministry, I served as pastor of three small country churches. Members of those congregations deserve “praise and thanksgiving.” Their pastor was also a college student. Their grace abounded as I wrestled a lot with time problems. I sometimes think that arrangement of pastoral leadership should not be allowed. But when I reflect, I
Written By: Published On: I have been in and out of jail more times than I can count. The first few times were intimidating. But before long, I became comfortable with the surroundings, the women I met, and the conversations I never expected to have. When you read the above sentences, what was your initial thought? Did your mind go
Written By: Published On: New experiences and endeavors can help us see things we did not see before we took that step. Taking action forces us into new positions and literally re-frames our perspectives. These can happen at any moment and most often in big decisions. We recently bought a house, one you might call a fixer-upper. Did you know
Written By: Published On: I’m behind on my deadline. Well, I’m behind on several deadlines, actually. This article was supposed to be on the editor’s desk quite some time ago, as a matter of fact. I am thankful for his grace. I have tried, really. Missing a deadline is hard for someone like me who prides himself on planning and
In Part 1 of this series, I shared how God challenged me to become more intentional about sharing my faith. I realized that although I had spent my life in church, I had never learned how to have meaningful spiritual conversations. Preparation became the first step. Before we can confidently step out, we have to sit with our own story.
Henry Jordan was a great all-pro defensive tackle who played with the Green Bay Packers back in the glory days of Vince Lombardi. Henry was as good with words as he was at sacking opposing quarterbacks. That made him a favorite with sports writers. One of his most widely quoted statements came when someone asked, “Does Mr. Lombardi show any
In 2014, I walked out of a Sunday service deeply challenged by my pastor’s sermon on sharing our faith. As I reflected on what he said, I realized I believed in sharing my faith, but at 57 years old, I had never actually done it. I had been raised in the church and lived in it my whole life. I
I want to tell you something about John Wesley that might surprise you. Actually — it might embarrass you. It embarrassed me. Most modern Methodists celebrate communion monthly. Some quarterly. Some considerably less. We think of it as a memorial — a symbolic remembrance of what Jesus did at the cross. A meaningful ritual. A box to check on the
Someone said that worshipping God is permanent. It starts on earth and goes on for everlasting eternity. All our toiling and efforts are temporary. All our services in the church, mission work, preaching, and teaching, etc., are temporary. But worship is eternal. So, as Christians, worshipping God is our primary duty. What is the True Meaning of Christian Worship?
This is the third installment on the Christian Pattern. Click here for part one and part two. The Inner Life and the Voice We’ve Stopped Hearing There is a spiritual condition that most pastors recognize but few talk about publicly. It goes by different names in the tradition. The desert fathers called it acedia. The medieval mystics called it
George Washington Carver was born in a slave’s shack on a cotton farm. You know his story. He became a member of the Royal Academy, distinguished himself in science and helped discover countless uses of the peanut and sweet potato which helped salvage the economy of cotton-growing areas with depleted soil. Dr. Carver was not only a distinguished scientist, a
Isaiah directs the reader to “Come to Me with your ears wide open. Listen for the life of your soul is at stake.” Listening for the voice of the Lord must become a serious lifestyle imperative for us all. We cannot afford to do any less than to continually come to Him with our ears wide open, because our never-dying
This is the second article in a series on the Christian Pattern. Read the first article here. What Is Your Life Really About? I have been a pastor for over thirty-five years. In that time I have sat across from a lot of people in a lot of conversations — in hospital rooms, in counseling sessions, in coffee shops, in
Note: For several years, I have heard about the amazing things God is doing in the Methodist Church in Cuba. I have sought to see these firsthand on several occasions. However, for various reasons, those doors kept closing until this February. I took a group of four from our young church along with me as I taught at WME’s Unity
Check out the earlier articles in this series where Maxie shared about the need for personal holiness (part 1), surrender (part 2), character (part 3), faithfulness (part 4), the wisdom of the saints (part 5), discipline and obedience (part 6). Two more characteristics of the saints I want us to explore as we wrestle with the question, “Will I finish well?”
I was nineteen years old when I wandered into the First Methodist Church of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and fell in love with John Wesley. I didn’t know much about him at first. But the more I read, the more I was captivated — by the way God had raised him up, by his faltering journey to faith, by his struggles with
Check out the earlier articles in this series where Maxie shared about the need for personal holiness (part 1), surrender (part 2), character (part 3), faithfulness (part 4), and the wisdom of the saints (part 5). If we want to finish well in our ministry, we do well to look to those who have walked before us. In my studies and
In our world today, there are many groups of people who have instantaneous access to so much information. With little time to discern its truth, we witness competing philosophies and differing opinions filling the media landscape. The sheer volume of differing views causes some to feel that the Gospel is outdated, too complicated, or worse, irrelevant, for our world today.
Check out the earlier articles in this series where Maxie shared about the need for personal holiness (part 1), surrender (part 2), character (part 3), and faithfulness (part 4). It is not enough to recognize that the fruit and progress that result from our leadership are based on strong character. We must practice the disciplines that build that character and make
Note from the author: Somewhere along the way, I was told that a good Methodist preacher should always have a sermon and a prayer ready. Wanting to be faithful in that calling, I keep a few in reserve for those times I am asked to preach in different places. This one has become a favorite. I have preached it in
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. Jesus, Mark 1:15 ESV “Gospel” is a word that we hear quite a bit in church circles. However, what exactly is “the gospel?” In many settings, at least in churches in the West, it runs the risk of being reduced to
Christians talk about HEAVEN as the place where they will live for eternity. ETERNAL LIFE is the life that is a gift of God which comes to those who accept Christ as God’s gift of salvation. Paul uses the phrase eternal life to describe the goal of the process of salvation. We normally think of eternal life as what happens
Back in January of this year, media channels were flooded with accounts and commentary regarding the immigration enforcement actions taken in Minneapolis by the current presidential administration. Everyone agrees that two people were killed by federal officers. There are videos of each incident. What is striking about the videos, however, is that they do not seem to have changed anyone’s
Many news outlets have picked up the story of the decline of the church. Many strategies have been crafted to counterbalance this dataset. What if there has always been a way to not only prevent the decline but to engage the world around us well? How to Respond to Church Decline in a Changing Culture In Love Goes F1rst, Andrew
Check out the earlier articles in this series where Maxie shared about the need for personal holiness (part 1), surrender (part 2), and character (part 3). A couple of years ago I was smitten in my heart by a word I heard in the ordination service of the Free Methodist Church. It was verses 4 and 5 of Ezekiel 2:
The following article has been reposted with permission from Beth Felker Jones. Check out the original post at her Substack: Church Blogmatics. Understanding the Mystery of the Holy Trinity We should not be surprised to discover that God, being God, goes beyond human categories and assumptions, and we should be suspicious if we find our theologies supposing themselves capable of
I like to do projects around the house and the garage. It may be a small chore like changing a light fixture or a large job repairing the car. I like to be part of the solution. Over the years I have learned that one key to doing the job well is having the right tool for the job. You
So far in this series, I have shared how personal holiness and surrender have kept me spiritually alive throughout my ministry. Let me now make my case and offer specific notions which I pray might have at least some hints of wisdom. Spiritual, emotional, and relational growth takes time and energy. It requires discipline. It diverts us from “pastoral duties”
I’m not what you’d call an outdoorsy person. In fact, the only exercise I typically get is jumping to conclusions. So when I found myself at the bottom of a very steep hill in the Peak District of Derbyshire, legs already burning, lungs already protesting, I had a moment of serious doubt about my life choices. But I’m getting ahead
In March of 2020, as many of us were coming to terms with the COVID-19 pandemic, I became close friends with a neighbor. Our kids are close in age, and we defiantly kept a similar “open-door policy” with our neighbors and their kids in a season when many were understandably afraid of contagion (or peer-judgment). Because of our likeminded attitude
In my last article, I took the long way around to getting to where I really want to be in my sharing with you. Often the Holy Spirit speaks to us in some very personal way to lift us out of discouragement – but not only so, calls us to make an on-course adjustment in our pattern of life and
