METHODIST STUDIES SEMINARS

The Methodist Studies Seminars were established in 2012 by the Manchester Wesley Research Centre and Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History, Oxford Brookes University as a biannual seminar series. This collaboration has extended to include the Wesley Study Centre, St John’s College, Durham University; Wesley House, Cambridge; Cliff College; and The Queen's Foundation, Birmingham. The seminars provide an opportunity for established and emerging scholars of Methodist Studies to present the findings of their research. We conceive of Methodist Studies broadly and aim to provide opportunities for students of history, theology, literature, art, material culture and other fields related to Methodism. You can sign up for the seminars mailing list here.

Next Seminar(s)

The next seminar will be at Wesley House, Cambridge and online on Friday 3 May 2024. You can register to attend in person or online and view the programme here.

Past Seminars

The inaugural seminars were held in April 2012 in Oxford and December 2012 in Manchester, the 2013 seminars in April 2013 in Oxford and November 2013 in Manchester, the 2014 seminars in April 2014 in Oxford and December 2014 in Manchester, and the 2015 seminars in April in Oxford and December in Manchester. The April 2016 seminar was in Durham and December seminar in Oxford. The April 2017 seminar was in Cambridge and the December 2017 seminar was in Durham. The April 2018 seminar was at the John Rylands Library and the December 2018 seminar was in Birmingham. The May 2019 seminar was in Cambridge and the December 2019 seminar was in Manchester [focusing on the history and theology of the Holiness Movement in the UK]. Videos of the presentations can from the April 2018 and December 2019 seminars can be accessed on the MWRC YouTube page. The first 2020 seminar was hosted by Durham (via Zoom) and the second by Oxford (via Zoom). Audio recordings of select December 2020 presentations can be accessed on the OCMCH YouTube Channel and a digital exhibition on the theme of Methodism and monasticism is available here. The programme of May 2021 seminar on the theme of ‘Methodism and Race’ hosted (via Zoom) by Cliff College and the MWRC is available here and videos of most presentations are on the MWRC YouTube Channel. The programme of the December 2021 seminar in Durham and online on the theme of 'Methodist Ecclesiology and Mission in Times of Transition' can be found here. The programme of the May 2022 seminar hosted online by Wesley House, Cambridge on the theme of ‘Methodist Theology in a World Parish’ can be found here. December 2022 Birmingham seminar programme is available here. The programme of the May 2023 MWRC-Cliff College seminar is available here and videos of presentations available here. The December 2023 Durham programme is available here.

Contacts for the Seminars

Papers delivered at the seminars can be considered for publication in journals connected to the sponsoring institutions: Wesley and Methodist Studies (Manchester and Oxford), Theology and Ministry (Durham), Holiness (Cambridge). 

For enquiries relating to Oxford-Birmingham seminars contact Dr Peter Forsaith: pforsaith@brookes.ac.uk and Dr Judith Rossall: j.rossall@queens.ac.uk 

For enquiries relating to Manchester seminars contact Dr Geordan Hammond: ghammond@nazarene.ac.uk and Dr George Bailey: george.bailey@methodist.org.uk

For enquiries relating to Durham seminars contact Dr Liz Kent: elizabeth.kent@durham.ac.uk

For enquiries relating to Cambridge seminars contact Dr Paul Chilcote: pc679@cam.ac.uk