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)

MWRC and Cliff College, Manchester, on Friday 5 December 2025.

The Methodist Studies Seminar is a partnership between The Oxford Westminster Research Network, Manchester Wesley Research Centre (Nazarene Theological College), Wesley Study Centre (Durham University), Wesley House (Cambridge University), The Queen’s Foundation (Birmingham) and Cliff College. The seminars provide an opportunity for established and emerging scholars of Methodist Studies to present the findings of their research and are designed to stimulate scholarship and thought about the broad range of Wesleyan and Methodist traditions, across a wide range of disciplines.

Thus, the Methodist Studies Seminars welcome papers that relate to history, culture, theology, mission & ministry, literature, art, material culture, and other fields and issues as related to Methodism, broadly understood.

Presentations should be prepared for 20 minutes, with discussion following. Persons needing to present on-line may be offered the opportunity to make 10-minute presentations.

Please send the proposal including presenter’s name, institution, title, and an abstract of approximately 150 words to mwrc@nazarene.ac.uk by 7 September 2025. Persons will be informed of acceptance by 14 September 2025. A second round of proposals, submitted by 1 November 2025, will be considered with notification by 15 November 2025. The submission information (with no emails or phone numbers) will be used to advertise the event.

Questions and paper proposals may be addressed to jlett@nazarene.ac.uk or to dbundy@nazarene.ac.uk.

Registration - there is no cost for attending the seminar, but we ask attendees to register to assist us with planning. Link will be forthcoming

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. The 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. The May 2024 Cambridge seminar programme is available here. The December meeting of the Methodist Studies Seminar was held at Lincoln College, Oxford and the programme is here. The May 2025 seminar was held on 10 May 2025 at St John’s College, Durham.

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), Theology and Ministry (Durham), Holiness (Cambridge). 

For enquiries relating to Oxford-Birmingham seminars contact Dr Thomas Dobson: tdobson@brookes.ac.uk and Dr Daniel Reed: d.reed@brookes.ac.uk and Dr Judith Rossall: j.rossall@queens.ac.uk 

For enquiries relating to Manchester seminars contact Dr David Bundy: dbundy@nazarene.ac.uk and Dr Andrew Stobart: a.stobart@cliffcollege.ac.uk

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

For enquiries relating to Cambridge seminars contact Dr Daniel Pratt Morris Chapman: dp604@wesley.cam.ac.uk