This year Methodists around the world will be celebrating the 300th anniversary of Wesley's birth. That celebration will inevitably inspire reflection on some of his many contributions to Methodism. The Covenant Discipleship Quarterly is a testament to one of the greatest, namely his understanding of Christian formation and the important part that a covenant-based accountability plays in it. But our legacy of covenant discipleship is not just because of Wesley's leadership. It is also due largely to the work of one of the unsung heroes of early Methodism — the Class Leader.

In fact, it is pretty safe to say that if there had been no Class Leaders, there might not have been any Methodist classes. Wesley once remarked, "In the Methodist discipline, the wheels regularly stand thus: The Assistant, the Preachers, the Stewards, the Leaders, the people" (Works III:428). The "Leaders" were the men and women who had the regular and personal contact with the people. It was their task to see where and how others lived. Their duties are still contained in "The General Rules" as found in the Discipline:

It is [the class Leader's] duty: (1.) To see each person in his [or her] class once a week at least, in order to inquire how their souls prosper; to advise, reprove, comfort, or exhort, as occasion may require; to receive what they are willing to give toward the relief of the preachers, church, and poor. (2.) To meet the Ministers and the Stewards of the society once a week; in order to inform the Minister of any that are sick, or of any that walk disorderly, and will not be reproved; to pay to the Stewards what they have received of their several classes in the week preceding.

From these "General Rules" Wesley saw three main duties for the Leader: to meet with the class to encourage spiritual accountability; to receive the contributions of class members to help meet the needs of the Society and its ministry among the poor; and to visit the sick.

It is probably not surprising that the Leaders were expected, "To see each person in his class once a week at least, in order to inquire how their souls prosper; to advise, reprove, comfort, or exhort, as occasion may require ..." (Works 8:270). Much has been written about the role that Leaders played in the spiritual growth of early Methodists and their relationship to the idea of covenant discipleship.

It is not uncommon for some churches to still use the "Leader" model for carrying out annual stewardship campaigns. We often carve up our membership roll into geographic areas and ask a "leader" to solicit pledges.

Leaders were also expected to visit the sick. What this indicates is that the laity were not just responsible for holding one another accountable for their discipleship. Neither were they only responsible for holding one another accountable for their stewardship. They were also largely responsible for the work of pastoral care.

In 1786, in the 83rd year of his life, Wesley wrote a sermon, "On Visiting the Sick." It almost seems to be written specifically to guide Leaders in this duty. In it he talks about the "the means of grace" and "ordinances of God." He continues to talk about "works of piety" and "works of mercy," familiar terms to those exposed to the General Rules of Discipleship. Wesley saw visiting the sick as a work of mercy, and works of mercy are essential to our Christian formation.

Wesley considered the sick to be all those who are "in a state of affliction, whether of mind or body; and that whether they are good or bad, whether they fear God or not." The sick were people in need. He considered visiting the sick to be more involved than simply sending assistance. It involved going to see them, where they were. "To send assistance is therefore entirely a different thing from visiting them. The former then ought to be done, but the latter not left undone." He was utterly convinced that this is the duty, not just of pastors, but of every Christian. The role models for this in early Methodism were the Leaders of the classes.

The most astonishing thing is that, to Wesley, visitation is not to be seen as a means of grace only to the sick. He says that if we do not go, we lose an excellent means of grace into our lives. Visitation of the sick becomes a means of grace when we become personally aware of the suffering of the poor. Wesley observed, "One great reason why the rich, in general, have so little sympathy for the poor is because they so seldom visit them," so that, "one part of the world does not know what the other suffers." (Sermon 98)

In short, what might be succinctly described as pastoral care to the poor and sick is essential to our Christian formation. Through it we offer grace, and in the process we receive it.

Modern Methodism seems to have forgotten certain aspects of this. As Methodism grew, and clergy became more educated and specialized, pastoral care become more clinical in its understanding. Pastoral care was eventually seen by some to offer specialized services that required years of training to provide. There is still certainly a place for that in the life and ministry of the church. But what we sometimes lose sight of is Wesley's conviction that pastoral care is to be provided not just by seminary-trained clergy.

The temptation is often to employ laity in the ministry of pastoral ministry simply because there is a shortage of ordained clergy to serve as pastors. Many annual conferences are experiencing shortages of clergy and are finding ways to identify, train, and deploy laypersons in pastoral care and visiting the sick. Some larger churches encourage laity to serve with pastoral staff and the congregation to provide pastoral care. These are some ways the church is looking to laity to serve Christ through pastoral care. When pastors and denominational leaders find ways to identify, equip, and deploy laypersons in pastoral ministry, the local church will more faithfully live out its mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ. In other words, laity should be encouraged to be free to engage in pastoral care because Christ has called them to this ministry in the local congregation. This is a powerful legacy left to Methodists by Wesley.

Dr. Barry E. Bryant is Associate Professor, Chair of Wesleyan Studies,
Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis, TN.