Methodists and sermons??

CheG

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 16, 2010
Messages
1,121
Reaction score
80
Location
Oregon
Website
chegilson.blogspot.com
OK! Hi! I need to know if Methodists have sermons? I found a typical service for a Methodist Sunday and there isn't one listed. So would it be bizarre if there was a sermon?

And if all else fails, who else DOES have sermons? I'm looking for a mainstream non-Baptist (sorry) Protestant denomination for a character to be the priest of. I was hoping to call him Reverend Austin so I settled on Methodist but I guess I can change it to Father Austin if I have to. Reverend just suited him so well!

ALSO- does the priest come out of the vestry to deliver the sermon/conduct services?
 
Last edited:

ucf612

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 4, 2011
Messages
288
Reaction score
39
Location
Florida
Every Methodist church I've been to has had a sermon.
 

ucf612

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 4, 2011
Messages
288
Reaction score
39
Location
Florida
We never called them a Priest. I thought that was only Catholics? We called them a Pastor or Reverend. I grew up in a small Methodist church.
 

Siri Kirpal

Swan in Process
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 20, 2011
Messages
8,943
Reaction score
3,151
Location
In God I dwell, especially in Eugene OR
Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Methodists don't have priests; they do have sermons, which are sometimes marked in the bulletin (AKA program) by their titles (eg. "Showing Kindness to Strangers"). Episcopalians have priests who can marry. Presbyterians have sermons also, and they also don't have priests.

My husband was a Methodist, and I'm descended from John Knox's parents.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

backslashbaby

~~~~*~~~~
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2009
Messages
12,635
Reaction score
1,603
Location
NC
My family is Methodist (among other things) and there is always a sermon that takes about 20 minutes in my church. We call the lead dude reverend or pastor. There may or may not be a special place for him to preach from. Often, it's just a podium. Sometimes it's more removed and like the Episcopal church. Other folks come up to the podium to speak as well (if there are other speakers in the service). Some churches have soloists sing from that spot, too.

The Methodist church switches out its pastors, though, so check up on that if your character needs to remain at the same church for many years. I don't know the details, but we get new pastors here and there, and it's just something the church does. I've never looked up why or how it's done.
 

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Messages
18,615
Reaction score
4,029
Location
Brillig in the slithy toves...
I'm not sure how common it is, but the Methodist Church where I grew up had a pastor that everyone called Brother [insert last name].

(don't want to call him out or anything :) )
 

Theo81

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 11, 2010
Messages
1,288
Reaction score
376
Website
www.atrivialblogforseriouspeople.blogspot.com
It's a priest in Catholicism. Protestant religions have vicars (Reverend). And Methodists have ley preachers also, don't forget. Why not just go with CofE (Anglican)?

Can I suggest you go to a few services of whatever denomination you settle on and learn a bit about it? Methodism is very particular, very austere, very much about the individual's personal relationship with God and what they agree with Him. Strict Methodists don't drink. When I was young, there were areas of North Wales where
you couldn't even buy alcohol on a Sunday (no idea what it's like these days, but I'm confident you'd find places).

When you arrive at the church, the vicar would probably be in the vestry getting ready, yes.


ETA (after Cyia's post): Our local bloke was known to us as the Reverend Nick. He was young, played a guitar and was cast as Danny in my schools production of Grease after the boy who was supposed to be doing it got yanked by the head of the science department due to a cloud over his grades.
 
Last edited:

Stlight

ideas are floating where they will
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
2,604
Reaction score
1,069
Location
where you can put sugar sprinkles on lots of thing
Methodist church - back long ago they used to move the preachers every four years. I had friends in elementary school who were moved and moved and moved, not unlike military families. I'm not sure what the idea is behind this except if you get one you don't like, you know you'll get a different one soon.
 

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Messages
18,615
Reaction score
4,029
Location
Brillig in the slithy toves...
Strict Methodists don't drink. When I was young, there were areas of North Wales where
you couldn't even buy alcohol on a Sunday (no idea what it's like these days, but I'm confident you'd find places).

Yep. Yep. You can't buy alcohol here on Sundays, either.
 

tjwriter

Emerging Anew
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 13, 2005
Messages
11,983
Reaction score
3,256
Location
Out of My Mind
Website
www.kidscoffeechaos.wordpress.com
My father is a lay pastor for a small United Methodist Church. They get moved around every so often within their district. Sermons are typically 15-20 minutes and the name of it will be what's listed in the bulletin, most often.

We most often call all of them pastor, at least in our area.
 
Last edited:

IceCreamEmpress

Hapless Virago
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 2, 2007
Messages
6,449
Reaction score
1,321
The churches of the Anglican Communion (Church of England, Church of Canada, Episcopal Church USA, etc.) also have priests, and they are a Protestant denomination.

The vestry (at least in my own experience of the Episcopal, Catholic, UCC, and Unitarian churches) is where the people who are participating in the service get dressed. It is a separate room off the altar. I don't know why someone would come out of a vestry to deliver a sermon.

This United Methodist Church has uploaded to YouTube several videos of full services, and several more videos of sermons only. Perhaps watching them, and looking around YouTube for other Methodist churches' uploads, might help you get a feel for the way different churches within the denomination conduct services?

"Lay preachers," folks, not "ley preachers." A lay preacher is someone who is not ordained (i.e., a "layman"); a ley preacher would be someone preaching in a pasture, or on a line between two historic monuments believed to have spiritual power.
 
Last edited:

tjwriter

Emerging Anew
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 13, 2005
Messages
11,983
Reaction score
3,256
Location
Out of My Mind
Website
www.kidscoffeechaos.wordpress.com
"Lay preachers," folks, not "ley preachers." A lay preacher is someone who is not ordained (i.e., a "layman"); a ley preacher would be someone preaching in a pasture, or on a line between two historic monuments believed to have spiritual power.

Yeah, I edited mine before I saw your post because ley just didn't look right.
 

Amadan

Banned
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
8,649
Reaction score
1,623
Can I suggest you go to a few services of whatever denomination you settle on and learn a bit about it? Methodism is very particular, very austere, very much about the individual's personal relationship with God and what they agree with Him. Strict Methodists don't drink. When I was young, there were areas of North Wales where you couldn't even buy alcohol on a Sunday (no idea what it's like these days, but I'm confident you'd find places).


There's a lot of regional variation. In the U.S., the United Methodist Church is one of the more liberal protestant denominations. (Individual congregations vary: some are quite conservative and fundamentalist, but generally Methodists are much less so than, say, Baptists.)
 

KellyAssauer

The Anti-Magdalene
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 3, 2006
Messages
44,975
Reaction score
14,604
Location
inbetween
Last time I was a Methodist,
all they did was eat and sing...

but it's..... been awhile. ;)
 

blackrose602

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 14, 2008
Messages
236
Reaction score
42
Location
My backyard changes daily
Website
blackrose602.wordpress.com
My mom's extended family is Free Methodist. They split from the Methodists in the 1800s because the Methodists were getting too liberal. Even today it's a super-conservative denomination (no movies, no dancing, no jewelry--not even a wedding ring, etc, etc).

They call their preachers Brother Lastname, or refer to them as "the preacher." No women, ever, in the ministry (at least in this part of the world, I can't speak for other states/countries).

The sermon is the main event during any service (Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night all have sermons, and I think now the early Sunday service--before Sunday School--has a separate sermon from the late service--after Sunday School). At my grandmother's church, at least, the sermon is 30-45 minutes when they get a reasonably young, cool preacher and over an hour when they get an older, more traditional one.

The children (typically anyone under 12) are sent out of the main service to a separate Children's Church under a lay preacher. This occurs right before the sermon starts--the preacher addresses a few words to them and sends them on their way.

There are also tent revivals with sermons that can go on for literally days--start late Friday night, break for a few hours, start right back up Saturday morning...usually last till late Sunday night. Those occur once every couple of months, and may be hosted by any Free Methodist preacher in the area.

Hope that helps a little!
 

Siri Kirpal

Swan in Process
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 20, 2011
Messages
8,943
Reaction score
3,151
Location
In God I dwell, especially in Eugene OR
Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Oh, in the US of A, Protestants like Methodists don't use the word "vicar" much. Anglicans might.

The minister/pastor usually sits near the front of the church, either in the front pew or in a chair in the chancel (area around the altar).

I second the motion that you attend a few church services of whatever demonination before you write your story to get the details right.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

Mclesh

It's too hot
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
Messages
4,526
Reaction score
1,804
Location
Southern California
Website
www.storyrhyme.com
Oh, in the US of A, Protestants like Methodists don't use the word "vicar" much. Anglicans might.

In the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States, vicars are priests who serve at the behest of the bishop over a mission congregation. The mission church I attended for a while was under the charge of a very "interesting" vicar.

Episcopal priests are addressed by their parisioners as Father Tom or Mother Judy if they have a more informal relationship, more formally as Father Smith, Mother Smith, etc. They're also known as The Reverend Thomas Smith, or The Very Reverend Thomas Smith depending on their senior status within the diocese. They can also be referred to as rector of a parish.


ALSO- does the priest come out of the vestry to deliver the sermon/conduct services?


The priest sits in the sanctuary and delivers the sermon from the podium or comes down to the crossing depending on their preference. At the beginning of the service, the priest processes in, entering from the rear of the church, or narthex.

Hope this helps. :)
 

L.C. Blackwell

Keeper of Fort Blanket
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 12, 2008
Messages
2,373
Reaction score
521
Location
The Coffee Shop
Episcopal priests are addressed by their parisioners as Father Tom or Mother Judy if they have a more informal relationship, more formally as Father Smith, Mother Smith, etc. They're also known as The Reverend Thomas Smith, or The Very Reverend Thomas Smith depending on their senior status within the diocese. They can also be referred to as rector of a parish.

There's also this information from the website of the Anglican Church of Canada....

Father as a form of address for Anglican clergy
 

Theo81

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 11, 2010
Messages
1,288
Reaction score
376
Website
www.atrivialblogforseriouspeople.blogspot.com
"Lay preachers," folks, not "ley preachers." A lay preacher is someone who is not ordained (i.e., a "layman"); a ley preacher would be someone preaching in a pasture, or on a line between two historic monuments believed to have spiritual power.

You DO know Ynys Mon, ancient site of Druidic importance, is in North Wales don't you? Can I use that fact to convince you I'm not an idiot who needs to get out of homophone corner more often? No? :D


I think what we've all learned from this thread is that the OP would do best to find a Vicar/Pastor/Priest locally and ask them because there are far too many regional variations on this matter.
 

Stlight

ideas are floating where they will
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
2,604
Reaction score
1,069
Location
where you can put sugar sprinkles on lots of thing
Episcopal info - We always called the podium, which was a raised dais ringed with a banister that was waist height, the pulpit. The priest reached it by walking up several stairs. It was on the right as you face the altar. The lectern was on the left and held the HUGE Bible that a lay person used to read the day's lesson.

Note in recent years the terms may have changed.
 

areteus

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
2,636
Reaction score
183
Location
Manchester UK
I think High Church Anglican sometimes call them Priests but they are so close to Catholics you can sometimes not realise they are not Catholics...

The Methodist pledge (which asks you to abhor all alcoholic drinks) used to be compulsory before you could be a full Methodist. I know this because my in laws refused to sign it on the basis that they did not intend to give up alcohol nor did they intend to be hypocrites by signing it and then drinking (their minister of the time apparently respected them for this stance knowing as they did several who had signed and still drank). Sometime in the last 20 years (I can find out exactly when for you if you like) they changed it so that you did not have to sign the pledge to be full members.

If you go to Bournville in Birmingham (where the Cadbury factory is) there are no pubs in the entire village (and most villages have at least one) apart from the Cadbury club which opened more recently and requires you to be a cadbury staff member to join. There are also no off licenses (you have to walk to either Selly Oak or Cotteridge to find one) and any attempt to open one in the village has been met with staunch opposition (even Tesco quivered in fear and did not plan to stock wine in the tesco express they opened there). Bournville was founded by the Cadbury family who were all Quakers (they had a plan to replace gin with hot chocolate as the working man's tipple of choice) and as a result the place has been dry for over 100 years. I know all this because I used to live there (the smell when you woke up in the morning was fantastic, well if you liked chocolate it was anyway :) )
 

pdr

Banned
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
4,259
Reaction score
832
Location
Home - but for how long?
Interesting...

the naming.

In the UK and NZ it's a Methodist Minister, not pastor or preacher. There are or were notable Methodist preachers who travelled to different churches to preach but were not ministers.