How John Wesley Preached: Plain Truth and an Offer of Christ Now
John Wesley preached an estimated 40,000 to 45,000 sermons, many outdoors and many at 5 a.m. We studied twelve of them, including Salvation by Faith, preached at Oxford in 1738. Under every one sits the same shape: one plain text, a life-or-death question, two to four numbered heads, and a turn to “thou” with an offer of Christ to expect now.
Who John Wesley was
At Whitefield’s invitation, Wesley first preached in the open air on April 2, 1739, “to about three thousand people,” when he “submitted to be more vile.” Over some 50 years he rode about 250,000 miles and preached more than 40,000 sermons. Around 70, he described a crowd at Gwennap Pit in Cornwall as “the largest assembly I ever preached to.”
His brother Charles also preached, but Charles’s legacy is about 6,000 hymns. John’s sermons became Methodism’s doctrinal standards. When he died in 1791, Methodism had 135,000 members and 541 traveling preachers.
The shape of a Wesley sermon
Wesley quoted the text at the head of every sermon we studied, kept the introduction short and usually announced his division before he started the body. The heads were often the text’s own words, or simply What, How and Why.
He liked to define by negation. Before he said what faith is, he said what it is not: “not barely… a cold, lifeless assent.” Then he gave a one-sentence definition people could carry home.
Some sermons give a whole section to objections. He named the objection plainly and answered it head-on rather than stepping around it.
Near the end the voice changes. In almost every sermon he turns to “thou” and “you” and speaks to one hearer: “Thou ungodly one… O come quickly!” Some close with a plain invitation to act now: “expect it now.”
What made his preaching different
One plain text
One plain text, raised as a life-or-death question, then two to four numbered heads. Nothing ornamental stood between the hearer and the point.
Negation first
What it is not, then a one-sentence definition. Clearing away the false version first made the true one easier to see.
Turn to “thou”
Objections answered, then a direct offer of Christ. The last part of the sermon spoke to “thou,” not to the crowd.
What others said
“I look upon all the world as my parish.”
— John Wesley
“The sermon was short but eminently evangelical.”
— Johan Henrik Lidén, professor from Uppsala, hearing him in London, 1769
What to take into your own pulpit
Say it plainly
“Plain truth for plain people.” Choose the clear word over the impressive one, and the room will follow you.
Clear the ground first
Tell people what a thing is not before you define it. A false idea left standing will quietly bend your definition.
Turn to one person
Wesley didn’t end by summarizing. He spoke to the single hearer as “thou” and offered Christ to receive now.
Those are the ideas. The guide turns them into ten steps you can follow this week, plus the sermons we studied and a fill-in outline in his shape.
Free PDF · Preach Like the Greats
Learn to preach like John Wesley.
This post is the overview. The guide has the research and the method.
- The 12 sermons we studied, start to finish
- Ten steps to preach the way he did
- His sermon outline, movement by movement
- A fill-in template for your own text, 9 pages
Common questions
What was John Wesley’s preaching style?
Plain, logical and urgent. He took one text, raised a life-or-death question, set out two to four numbered heads, defined by negation, answered objections and closed by speaking to the hearer directly with an offer of Christ.
How did John Wesley structure a sermon?
The text at the head, a short introduction that usually announced the division, numbered heads often taken from the text or from What, How and Why, a section on objections when needed, and a direct “thou” appeal near the end.
How many sermons did John Wesley preach?
An estimated 40,000 to 45,000, many outdoors and many at 5 a.m., over some 50 years of travel.