To continue our Lenten series on United Methodist identity and beliefs, Lisa Poy highlights the spiritual transformation that occurs within intentional community, where grace, accountability, and holiness are nurtured.
LISA POY
Novi UMC
Editor’s note: This year, the Michigan Conference is focusing on rediscovering what sets us apart as United Methodist Christians. Conference leadership invites every local church to plan a study of Laceye Warner’s “Knowing Who We Are: The Wesleyan Way of Grace.” This book offers a clearer picture of our Wesleyan way of following Jesus. Read this article to learn more.
In recent years, The United Methodist Church has experienced denominational divisions that have left us facing the challenge of rediscovering who we are and what we need to focus on to find renewed purpose. In this time of challenge and transition, United Methodists need to rediscover the spiritual and missional essence of Methodism, as emphasized by John Wesley.
In the early Methodist movement, Wesley emphasized that spiritual transformation required intentional community and organized small groups to nurture grace, accountability, and holiness. The “method” of Methodism is a way to guide and help people grow in the grace of God, so that all may experience a transformed heart and live a life of holiness.
In “Knowing Who We Are,” Laceye Warner affirms the role of small groups within Methodism, stating that one of the key Methodist ecologies for receiving and sharing God’s grace is the small group (p. 25). This statement speaks directly to United Methodists’ sense of who we are as a people of faith, what we need to do, and how we need to grow into a life of holiness of heart and life.
If small groups were essential to the early Methodist movement, then they are no less essential to the spiritual renewal and revitalization of the United Methodist community today.
Small Groups in Early Methodism
Wesley established three small groups, commonly identified as the Society, the Class Meeting, and the Band. Each group had its own purpose and strengths, cultivating growth in grace, accountability, and Christian leadership. Among them, three specific meetings were particularly effective: the Trial Bands, the Penitent Bands, and the Select Societies. Through these three types of meetings, the Methodist movement could exist, grow, and experience renewal. This small-group structure became a key reason generations of Christians have continued to live out their faith within The United Methodist Church.
First were the Trial Bands. The basic requirement for joining was a sincere desire to be saved. People who had heard the gospel and felt drawn to it gathered to practice the General Rules, which are “do no harm,” “do good,” and “attend upon all the ordinances of God,” as they began walking the path of salvation God had set before them. In today’s language, this might look like a seeker group or an entry-level discipleship group, where those exploring faith grow together through Scripture and the foundations of Christian belief.
Next were the Penitent Bands. These groups emphasized mutual care, especially for those facing spiritual or physical struggles. Compared with the Trial Bands, they involved deeper confession, accountability, and honesty about personal battles. Members encouraged and supported one another as they sought spiritual healing and growth. In this environment, participants committed themselves to becoming more mature Christians and to living lives that reflected the character of Jesus Christ.
Finally, there were the Select Societies. These were leadership gatherings within the Methodist movement. Small-group leaders and mentors met to pray for the church, discern needs, and provide guidance for both groups and individuals. They served as a spiritual and strategic support network for the broader ministry.
Each of these three small groups had its own unique dynamics and offered a structured path for members to progress from one level of spiritual commitment to another.
A Model for Spiritual Formation and Christian Mission
Warner observes that American spirituality “tends to run broad but shallow” (p. 37), which emphasizes the need for structured spiritual formation. Likewise, those who call themselves Christian, who are spiritual yet detached from institutional religion and its communities of spiritual formation, may resemble a wide river that is no more than a shallow stream.
However, Methodist small groups provided a structured, systematic environment for both conviction and spiritual growth. Class Meetings typically included 10 to 12 members and were organized by geography, while Bands were smaller, interest-based groups designed to foster members’ spirituality through demographic compatibility. These different types of meetings offered distinct opportunities for spiritual growth and equipped members for spiritual leadership, guiding them from initial exploration of faith to mature Christian commitment to the kingdom of God.
Through the small-group movement, Methodists experienced deep conviction and received justifying and sanctifying grace. Small-group meetings served as important means of grace, where many people encountered and experienced the transforming grace of God.
Another unique spiritual quality or benefit of Methodist small groups was helping bring people to the place of worship to hear the message of God. They were also an effective way to reach those who were unchurched or dechurched. Field preaching reached thousands of people through a combination of existing societies and small groups. “Preaching in areas where religious societies such as bands and class meetings existed proved to be most effective” (p. 33). Warner also observes that founder George Whitefield drew larger crowds when he preached, but Wesley’s Methodism had the greatest impact because of his system of small groups.
In early Methodism, the purpose of small groups went beyond study. They served as the “primary space for cultivating leadership and discerning mission” (p. 28).
The small-group movement initiated by Wesley provides the driving energy that enables the church to live as a missional community. Methodist small groups offer the life-giving message of the gospel and the power of salvation. Through these groups, individuals not only experience personal holiness as redeemed Christians but also are called to embody that grace through acts of love and good works that advance social holiness.
Within this structured flow of Wesley’s small-group movement, we can clearly see a powerful model for Christian discipleship — a pathway that nurtures seekers, restores the struggling, and equips leaders for the mission of the church.
The Transformative Power of Small Groups in United Methodism
A key identity of United Methodism is living as faithful Christians by the grace of God and demonstrating that grace through our actions toward all people, regardless of who they are. This identity is sustained through intentional participation in the process of spiritual formation within the faith community.
Warner notes that Wesley wrote with deep appreciation for Methodist societies. “[One] of the characteristics for which he is most proud is how the Methodists were distinguished by their willingness to welcome anyone into the society meetings” (p. 28). This welcome was not merely general hospitality — it was a heartfelt openness to receive people and their stories at the deepest level, even the parts they may keep hidden.
For John Wesley, intentional gatherings in society and participation in small-group meetings were essential to spiritual formation. Through these meetings, members could experience the way of salvation as a means of grace within the Methodist community. In these gatherings, John Wesley sought two outcomes through small-group activities: first, mutual support and accountability; second, a commitment to living a life of holiness in both heart and life.
I have come to believe that Wesley’s approach to spiritual formation and his grace-filled discipleship are essential to my faith because I experienced transformation not in isolation but within a community that challenged and supported me in becoming a faithful United Methodist.
I have been involved in discipleship training for the past twenty-five years. I was born and raised in a family with no church background. I began my faith journey in high school. Over time, I gradually learned the gospel and was discipled step by step. Through that process, I now live as both a missionary and a pastor’s wife.
When I reflect on that journey, I can clearly see that a structured training process shaped me into a disciple of Jesus Christ. There were stages of learning and receiving the gospel, growing and maturing as a believer, and becoming a leader — sharing the gospel with others and helping train new leaders. As I look back, I realize that this very discipleship pathway is deeply embedded in the small-group system that Wesley established and that later developed within The United Methodist Church.
In the discipleship process I experienced, there was life-giving power — the power to save lives — and an organic principle in which life flows from one person to another. Today, as I study Wesley’s small groups, I see that same vitality with my own eyes, sense it in my heart, and feel my spirit stirred once again.
The publication of this article was made possible thanks to generous financial gifts from local United Methodist churches in Michigan through Ministry Shares. Thank you! Learn about the impact of Ministry Shares on mission and ministry in Michigan and around the world.
Last Updated on February 27, 2026