Includes essays about United Methodist congregations, patterns of giving, ministry in transition, clergy compensation, and the experience of various racial and ethnic groups, both in terms of how these groups were affected by Methodism and how Methodism was shaped by their experience. The collection offers a candid description of "golden era" Methodism, and challenges how the church recalls its history.
Dennis M. Campbell is former Dean of the Divinity School and former Professor of Theology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Currently he is Headmaster of Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry Forest Virginia.
(2011) Russell E. Richey is Dean Emeritus of Candler School of Theology and the William R. Cannon Distinguished Professor of Church History Emeritus in Atlanta, Georgia.
William B. Lawrence is dean and professor of American Church History at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University (Dallas), where he has served since 2002. Dr. Lawrence is an ordained elder in the North Texas Annual Conference. He is the author of Sundays in New York and Methodism in Recovery, and he has co-edited numerous books, including Connectionalism: Ecclesiology, Mission and Identity; The People(s) Called Methodist: Forms and Reforms of Their Life; and Doctrines and Disciplines. Additionally, Dr. Lawrence is a member of the Judicial Council of The United Methodist Church.