ABSTRACT
This chapter examines John Wesley's ecclesiology during the final decade of his life, noting unresolved issues that will resurface in later Methodism. The elderly Wesley combined robust sacramentology with ‘extreme catholicity’, recognising the legitimacy of a wide variety of church bodies. The chapter notes how Wesley both defended against the charge of schism and sought to discourage the Methodists from separating from the Church of England. However, his account of the Church of England itself was ambiguous, particularly because he failed to integrate Anglican structures of ministry within his understanding of the means of grace. This, coupled with his appeal to the Spirit-led conscience as the final arbiter of ecclesial separation, sowed the seeds of division that would bear fruit in the nineteenth century.
