What Can Church History Teach Us About Combating Loneliness and Isolation?
Lessons from John Wesley
There is no debate that America, along with many industrialized nations, faces a growing problem of loneliness and isolation. Despite identifying societal shifts that predicted this issue, effective solutions on a national scale remain elusive. To hear more about this, check out Kate Bowler’s interview with Vivek Murthy. This problem does not escape the Christian Church.1 Church history provides valuable lessons for addressing the issues that are being faced by society.
Ok, I admit this article may be more of an interest to methodists. Some of you have tuned out, but for a second hang with me. There is much to be learned from John Wesley’s methods, regardless of your denominational affliation. The life and work of John Wesley offers insight on how we respond the culture around us. Wesley’s mission focused on drawing people to Jesus by fostering community and mutual accountability.
Wesley lived in a time in which the world was changing under his feet. There was the Industrial Revolution and the Evangelical Revival in England. Both events changed the world and they also changed how Wesley adjusted and shifted to meet the needs of a changing world. One of Wesley's key innovations was the formation of small groups known as classes. These classes encouraged community, provided support, and guided members toward holiness. By prioritizing relationships and accountability, Wesley’s methods addressed the human need for connection during a time of societal upheaval.
The changes in society and the shift from agrarian life to more individuals living in cities and towns, changed the dynamics of society.2 John Wesley was innovative and worked outside the accepted norms when it came to the work of the Anglican church. His desire for a different way forward matched the fact that the world was very different. Many of the places that began to develop during the period of the Industrial Revolution did not have assigned clergy nor places of worship. Many who lived there found connection in Wesley’s societies and then classes.
So what does that mean for the here and now? Much like the time of John Wesley, the world is changing rapidly under our feet. The changes we are seeing in our society is the amount of time we are spending with friends and loved ones, and as that trends down, we are lonelier and lonelier. Our context is different but there are similarities. People’s cognitive desire may have decreased for connection but the innate need to find belonging is still there. In the next article I will discuss how we take what we learn from Wesley and use it in innovate ways as we conduct fresh expressions of church.
So, I dont publish frequently enough to have compensation but I have decided to add this option, Buy Me a Coffee. This is a small way to contribute to some creative projects I have in mind. Feel free to contribute or ignore, you are loved either way :)
Susan Mettes, The Loneliness Epidemic: Why so Many of Us Feel Alone-and How Leaders Can Respond (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2021), 88.
L. Allen Doyle IV, “Implications of the Industrial Revolution on John Wesley’s Theology: Insights on Constructive Postmodernism” (paper presented at the Wesley Philosophical Society Conference, Baylor University, Waco, TX, March 15, 2020), 1.
One guy in the NPR interview yesterday said one of his roles to organize parties, but he can never get his entire friend group to show up for the party. One night will suit one group, but always leaves someone out, so he moves his nights around. Cindy Baubach is all in for the next Sacred Ale. It is among the stars in yours and Allyson's crowns. As frustrating as it can sometimes be, gatherings are mother's milk in these lonely, isolated times.