This year, we celebrate forty years as The Wesleyan Church.  Our church is a merger of the Wesleyan Methodist and Pilgrim Holiness churches.  We will be celebrating this anniversary at our General Conference in Orlando, FL in June.  The current issue of Wesleyan Life Magazine, is a reflection of that anniversary and over the next year, I will share some of the articles with you.  Why did this new denomination choose the name “Wesleyan?”  Dr. Melvin Snyder, a former General Superintendent, writes — Why the Name “Wesleyan?” which I have copied in its entirety below.

Why was the name The Wesleyan Church chosen for the new denomination? The term Wesleyan has come to stand for a definite, theological position among theologians and Bible students. In fact, it is the most significant and meaningful term used in describing the doctrinal position of those churches which properly may be called holiness churches. However, it must be clearly understood that the name was not chosen to honor a man. Were John Wesley now living, he would vigorously protest the use of his name in any institutional designation. Yet he himself would not be able to change the historical and theological connotations that now surround his name. There are four basic tenets of Wesleyan theology.

It Stands for Universal Grace

The doctrine of universal grace stands at the top of the list of the issues that defined the Wesleyan movement. That doctrine stands opposed to the claim of a limited atonement or sovereign election. Wesley and his co-laborers proclaimed that the grace of God is freely bestowed upon all people, making it possible for all to repent, believe, and be saved.

It Proclaims Assurance of Salvation

Second, Wesleyan theology proclaims the doctrine of assurance—that people may know they are saved from sin, not only by witness of the Scriptures and other corroborating evidence, but also by the direct “witness of the Spirit.”

It Declares the Possibility of Holiness

Third, Wesleyanism stands for the possibility of Christian perfection in this life as a second, definite, instantaneous work of grace effected and witnessed to by the Holy Spirit. Mr. Wesley boldly and scripturally proclaimed, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” This cleansing from all inner corruption, he insisted, was received by faith, not by works, and was retained by a continuing faith.

It Warns of the Need for Faithfulness

Fourth, Mr. Wesley and his fellow workers warned that there is no state of grace in this life from which one cannot fall. Therefore, a continuing faith is necessary if one is to be finally saved.

Since the term Wesleyan so accurately and forthrightly describes our theological position, let us wholeheartedly embrace it as our new name, and with renewed zeal let us proclaim this message of full salvation to all people everywhere.