circuit rider history, Lay Speaker history, exhorter

The office of lay speaker in The United Methodist

Church, originally known as exhorter, has existed in the

church almost from the beginning of Methodism. We do

not know the exact time that the first exhorter began to

speak, but one of the earliest references to this precursor

of the office of certified lay speaker occurred in 1746,

only two years after the first annual conference of

Methodism, a meeting of Wesley’s British Methodist

preachers...

History of the office of Lay Speaker

UMC History of the Office of Lay Speaker

A lay speaker was now to witness to her/his Christian faith by serving in the

following “areas of ministry”: communication, church and community leadership, and

caregiving ministries. No longer was it just assuring that there were “no silent pulpits.”

Lay speakers were to be in ministry in virtually every facet of the life of the church,

especially those that touched other people's lives...

John Wesley the Methodist

A plain account of his life and work...

Circuit riders, many of whom were laymen, traveled by horseback to preach the gospel and establish churches until there was scarcely any crossroad community in the United States without a Methodist presence.

The Circuit - Riders in Early American Methodism

The Methodist Church was literally moved forward on horseback with the Circuit Rider Preacher. Traveling 4 or 5 weeks at a time, he preached daily at noon time at any convenient gathering place. In 1784 he was paid $64/year, but by 1800 his salary had advanced to $80/year plus traveling expenses and an allowance for his family.

The Methodist Circuit Rider threw his influence in the direction of civilization and culture inspite of his own lack of education. He carried books, etc. and was often the only visitor a family would see in weeks.

Peter Cartwright, exhorter, describes a Methodist preacher of olden days:

"A Methodist preacher, when he felt that God had called him to preach, instead of hunting up a college or Biblical Institute, hunted up a hardy pony, and some traveling apparatus, and with his library always at hand, namely, a Bible, Hymn book, and (Methodist) Discipline, he started, and with a text that never wore out nor grew stale, he cried, "Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world." In this way he went through storms of wind, hail, snow, and rain; climbed hills and mountains, traversed valleys, plunged through swamps, swollen streams, lay out all night, wet, weary, and hungry, held his horse by the bridle all night, or tied him to a limb, slept with his saddle blanket for a bed, his saddle-bags for a pillow. Often he slept in dirty cabins, ate roasting ears for bread, drank butter-milk for coffee; took deer or bear meat, or wild turkey, for breakfast, dinner, and supper. This was old-fashioned Methodist preacher fare and fortune."

"Many nights, in early times, the itinerant had to camp out, without fire or food for man or beast. Our pocket Bible, Hymnbook, and Discipline constituted our library. It is true we could not, many of us, conjugate a verb or parse a sentence, and murdered the King’s English almost every lick. But there was a Divine unction attended the word preached, and thousands fell under the mighty power of God, and thus the Methodist Episcopal Church was planted firmly in this western wilderness, and many glorious signs have followed, and will follow, to the end of time..."

Peter Cartwright: God's Breaking Plow

Francis Asbury - The first American circuit rider

"Whilst riding along my soul enjoys sweet and intimate communication with God. The advantages of being on horseback are: that I can better turn aside to visit the poor; I can get along more difficult and intricate roads; I shall save money to give away to the needy; and lastly, I can be more tender to my poor, faithful beast."

Engraving, early 19th century.

"Methodist circuit riders"

Circuit riders had a simple plan of evangelism: They went where the people lived, and they ministered to their needs.

The Lay Preacher in the Wesleyan / Methodist tradition

A very early tradition of preaching in the Wesleyan / Methodist churches was for a Lay Preacher to be appointed to lead services of worship and preach in a group (called a 'circuit') of meeting places or churches. The lay preacher walked or rode on horseback in a prescribed circuit of the preaching places according to an agreed pattern and timing, and people came to the meetings. After the appointment of ministers and pastors, this lay preaching tradition continued with Local Preachers being appointed by individual churches, and in turn approved and invited by nearby churches, as an adjunct to the minister or during their planned absences.

In addition to being appointed by members of their local churches, Local and Certified Lay Speakers of the United Methodist Church attend a series of training sessions. These training sessions prepare the individual to become a leader within the church. All individuals who are full members of the church are laity, but some go on to become Lay Speakers. Some preachers get their start as Lay Speakers.