It’s no secret that John Wesley and Frances Asbury were quite dictatorial leaders who envisioned quite different futures for the peoples called Methodist….Or maybe it is? Hence, this podcast episode! Today, we’ll look at two (of the many) “founders” of Methodism, John Wesley and Francis Asbury. How did their different leadership styles create different types of Methodist movements? Was Wesley influential after the official formation of the MEC or did Asbury fully take over? What is their legacy in United Methodism today?

GUESTS:

Dr. Laceye Warner serves as the Associate Dean for Wesleyan Engagement at Duke Divinity School where she has taught Methodist Studies for over twenty years.  Laceye lives in Abbott, TX with her husband, daughter, and many of God’s creatures.

Rev. Dr. Steven Manskar served as Director of Wesleyan Leadership with Discipleship Ministries from 1999 until 2018. He continues to direct the annual Wesley Pilgrimage in England. Steve lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife, Gina.

HOST: Dr. Ashley Boggan Dreff, General Secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church. Dreff earned her PhD from Drew Theological School’s Graduate Division of Religion, specializing in both Methodist/Wesleyan Studies and Women’s/Gender Studies. She is the author of Nevertheless: American Methodists and Women’s Rights (2020) and Entangled: A History of American Methodism, Politics, and Sexuality (2018).