英国国教会における信仰覚醒運動から生じたメソジズムの歩みを、18世紀に運動を起こしたジョン・ウェスレーや、その弟で多数の讃美歌を記したチャールズらの業績から今日に至るまで紹介します。どのようなアイディンティ、性質、歴史を持つのか、キリスト教会の中でのメソジズムの位置付けを探ります。メソジストの主張や、彼らがどういう人たちでどのような習慣を持つのかを説明し、発祥の地での現在と、世界に及ぼした影響について検討するとともに、未来の展望を描きます。
  

• Considers the origins and history of Methodism, from John Wesley to the present day
• Discusses the practices of Methodism, the messages it preaches, and the identity of Methodists
• Explores the impact of Methodism on the world today

　　
Beginning as a renewal movement within Anglicanism in the eighteenth century, Methodism had become the largest Protestant denomination in the USA in the nineteenth century, and is today one of the most vibrant forms of Christianity. Representing a complex spiritual and evangelistic experiment that involves a passionate commitment to worldwide mission, it covers a global network of Christian denominations. 
　　
In this Very Short Introduction William J. Abraham trace Methodism from its origins in the work of John Wesley and the hymns of his brother, Charles Wesley, in the eighteenth century, right up to the present. Considering the identity, nature, and history of Methodism, Abraham provides a fresh account of the place of Methodism in the life and thought of the Christian Church. Describing the message of Methodism, and who the Methodists are, he also considers the practices of Methodism, and discusses the global impact of Methodism and its decline in the homelands. Finally Abraham looks forward, and considers the future prospects for Methodism.