American Saint: Francis Asbury and the Methodists 

What made Francis Asbury such an effective leader? According to this exciting new biography by John Wigger, it was not his having great personal charisma, autocratic control, or persuasive eloquence as a preacher. Instead, his leadership was shaped by two distinctive characteristics.

The first was his evident piety. Asbury was deeply devoted to God, compassionate and generous to others, and lived a simple, unpretentious life.  The character of his life was transparent to others--after all, Asbury had no home of his own, and was instead a guest in thousands of homes during his lifetime. The more people knew him the more they respected him and trusted his judgment.

Second, he was both faithful to the Wesleyan doctrine and discipline yet highly sensitive to the American context. He had a missional vision and the skill to organize people and resources to accomplish it.

In this eloquently written book Wigger not only gives us a landmark portrait of Asbury but takes us into the world of early Methodism itself, introducing us to range of personalities and practices against the backdrop of the new American nation. It is no wonder it already has won the Smith-Wynkoop Book Award at the Wesleyan Theological Society and had an entire issue of Methodist History devoted to it. Through it we not only meet Francis Asbury, we learn valuable lessons about the nature of Christian leadership that are as valid for our day as they were for his.

Faculty Speaking Schedule: April 2011