In Part 1 of this article I shared the positive impact Covenant Discipleship and the Group Reunions of The Emmaus Walk had on my life. Here I would like to reflect on my experience in light of my research into the Methodist small-group practice that took place in England during the time of John and Charles Wesley.

Some Points of Continuity
Active participation in the life of a local congregation is the foundation for the early Methodist movement, Covenant Discipleship groups, and Emmaus small groups. Personal spiritual disciplines and small-group practices support the larger ministry and mission of Christ in the church and in the world.

Prayer was at the very heart of the relationship with God and with others. In fact, it is in the context of prayer with and for one another that Christians learn to pray. This is clearly seen in the first disciples' request that Jesus teach them to pray (Luke ll:1ff); it is true of every early Methodist; and it has proven true in my own experience of Covenant Discipleship groups and Walk to Emmaus reunion groups.

An understanding and experience of the "means of grace" is source of a life in grace. Early Methodists knew the importance of participating in all the means of grace in order to have the spiritual strength and energy to live as disciples. The same is true for Covenant Discipleship groups and the Walk to Emmaus. The small group is the best context for education and Christian spiritual formation. In small groups, the new understanding of the sacraments and the basic spiritual disciplines leads to formational and transformational experiences. This is clearly seen in the Scripture and in the history of Methodism to this present day.

Christian discipleship takes the incarnation seriously. Methodist spirituality, then and now, is clearly focused on the mission of Christ in the world: to do good to the bodies and souls of all God's children. Works of mercy and works of piety are both essential. Spiritual needs and physical needs cannot be separated or placed in opposition any more than the two wings of a bird can be seen as in competition with each other.

The accountable relationship in small groups is voluntary and mutual. Control and coercion are not acceptable behaviors on the part of leaders or group members, then or now. A key distinction between a cult and a movement of God's spirit is the members' freedom to join or leave as they wish. Although the expectations of the small groups in Covenant Discipleship and Walk to Emmaus are clear, participation is voluntary and accountability is mutual.

Points of Discontinuity
Early Methodism had a system for providing regular opportunities for the education, spiritual nurture, and support of small-group leaders. Although this is sometimes the case in Covenant Discipleship and Walk to Emmaus groups, it is not as clear or central to the core process of spiritual formation as it was for the Wesley brothers.

Eighteenth-century Methodists knew the importance of music and singing. They included it in every setting: the large group gatherings for field preaching, the meeting of the United Society, the Leaders' Meeting, the Watch Night, the Love-Feast, the Covenant Renewal (see my chapter on early British Methodism, in "Heart Religion" in the Methodist Tradition and Related Movements, ed. Richard B. Steele [Scarecrow Press, 2001]). This same point is true for the early Methodist small-group meetings (class meeting, band meeting, select band meeting). My experience in Covenant Discipleship and Emmaus small groups has rarely included singing.

Conclusion
My spiritual life has been deeply touched and formed through the small-group structures of The Walk to Emmaus and Covenant Discipleship. I trust that the reflections here help illuminate a few of the areas of continuity and discontinuity with the movement begun by John and Charles Wesley in eighteenth-century England. My prayer is that God will continue to bless them both in the next 200 years.

Tom Albin (talbin@upperroom.org) is Dean of The Upper Room Chapel (Nashville, Tennessee) and International Spiritual Director for the Walk to Emmaus.