School of Methodism - John Wesley Institute

The John Wesley Institute’s School of Methodism

The School of Methodism (SOM) is designed to equip the laity with the riches of the Wesleyan tradition by bringing faithful and experienced scholars to local venues around the country. Speakers focus on up to five general areas of formation: history, theology, bible, formation/ethics, and worship. The SOM can be either a two-day event that begins on a Friday evening and culminates mid-afternoon on Saturday, or a Saturday event with two speakers focused on history and theology; the story of Methodism and the message of the Wesley brothers.

The first SOM was held in High Point, NC at Wesley Memorial Methodist Church. It was an amazing time of fellowship and formation. Christianity Today covered the event. You can read about it here.

SOM are joint efforts of the John Wesley Institute (JWI) and the host site/conference. Only if we partner together, can we pull off a successful School of Methodism

To cover costs, SOM’s are usually ticketed events; the cost of tickets determined by how many attendees are expected. Local organizations may also want to sponsor the event to make it more accessible.

Full five-topic SOMs cost around $7500. This covers travel, hotel, speaking fees, and lunch for the SOM. Ticket prices can be adjusted, but a $25 registration fee can cover this amount if 300 attendees are expected.

For a full SOM, it is expected that an offering will be taken up at the Friday evening worship service to support the ongoing work of the John Wesley Institute.

Two-topic SOMs cost $2000, covering travel, hotel the night before, speaking fees, and lunch for the SOM on Saturday. In this model, 80 participants paying $25 each will cover the costs.

organize the programming of the event
appoint the scholars/speakers
organize travel and hotel accommodation for the speakers
set up ticketing
set up a SOM website for each local event
promote the event on JWI social media accounts

provide a space that accommodates up to 300 people for a full SOM or 80 for a two-topic SOM
organize the opening worship service (Holy Communion for full SOM, a morning devotion for two-themed SOM)
organize Saturday lunch
provide technical support for speakers (PowerPoint, etc.)
provide welcome teams to help attendees find their way in the location/church
advertise in the host church
place SOM on the host church website, newsletter, and social media accounts
reach out to local Wesleyan clergy/churches in their area
if applicable, place SOM on conference website, newsletter, email listing

Advertising on the local level is vital and should be aimed at the laity. Clergy are, of course, welcome. But clergy who sign up should be encouraged to bring two or more laity with them.

Local advertising is imperative. The JWI does not have the same ability to reach the people in local Wesleyan churches. Therefore, this must be taken up by the host site/organization/conference to ensure that the SOM is successful. If registration for a local SOM has not reached viable numbers within two weeks of the event, the JWI will cancel or postpone.

Friday
6:30 – Service of Holy Communion
7:45 – Session One: (History)
8:45 – Reception

Saturday
9:15 – Session Two: (Theology)
10:30 – Session Three: (Formation)
Noon – Lunch
1:00 – Session Four: (Bible)
2:15 – Session Five: (Worship)

Saturday
10:00 Morning Devotion
10:15 – Session One (History)
11:30 – Session Two (Theology)
12:45 – Lunch

Contact: Dr. Ryan N. Danker, Director, The John Wesley Institute: [email protected]