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Small groups—in which 6 to 12 people regularly gather to talk about their spiritual journeys, study the Bible, and pray—have become an integral and dynamic part of modern American church life. They have helped transform thousands of churches and millions of individuals. Though many think they were invented in the last couple of decades, they've been around in one form or another since the early 1700s, with the ministry of Methodist founders John and Charles Wesley.

June marked the 300th anniversary of John Wesley's birth, and Christianity Today took the occasion to look at one of Wesley's most enduring legacies. To explore the Wesleys' small-group innovations—and what they might teach us today—we asked senior writer Tim Stafford to talk with Tom Albin, dean of The Upper Room in Nashville. Albin did doctoral research at Cambridge University on the small groups of early Methodism, and he helps lead one of the most significant renewal groups in Methodism.

Why do historians often call the Wesley brothers organizational geniuses?

They often say that the secret of the Methodist movement was its small groups. But when I began my research, I found that nobody had gone deeply into what made those small group structures work. In the 18th century, the Wesleys were remarkably effective within the oral tradition of a working class, almost semiliterate culture. There were no manuals for class leaders produced during the lifetime of the Wesleys. To answer the question, you had to look to letters and diaries for clues.

So what were the early groups like?

There was a rich diversity of groups that emerged within the first five years. The trial band, for example, distinguished a sincere seeker for God from somebody who was just casually curious. You were on trial to see if you really wanted to know and love God.

A group of four to six people met weekly with a leader. They prayed, they sang and worshiped, and there was always an element of spiritual accountability. If they could do that faithfully over the course of two to three months, they were recommended to be a member of the United Society and the class meeting.

In the trial band, you find exactly the grace and power of the sincere seeker that one finds today in the 12-step groups. What does it take to be a part of AA? You have to say, I've got a problem and I need help from on high. And I'm sincere enough that I'll do the 12 steps.

What were the requirements for getting into a trial band?

You just had to be sincere. You didn't have to say you believe in Jesus Christ as your only Savior and Lord, that you accept the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God. You just had to say, "I want God in my life."

The whole Wesley system was set up to help the people who really wanted more of God. If you missed more than three meetings in a quarter, you were out. They made it really easy for people to get out, and significantly challenging for people to get in and stay in.

They created a system where sincere seekers could receive guidance and instruction. In fact you could say that the whole Wesley revival was really a revival of pastoral care and spiritual guidance. The diaries are what clued me in to this. Over and over the person says, "I went to this pastor and they weren't interested, and I went to this person and they couldn't help me, and I read this book, but I had no one to guide me in the divine life." The phrase no one to guide me opened my eyes.

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August 2003, Vol. 47, No. 8