Francis Asbury
Encyclopedia
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
, now The United Methodist Church in the United States. He was the namesake of Indiana Asbury University, now DePauw University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
.
Biography
Born at Hamstead Bridge, StaffordshireStaffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England on August 20 or 21, 1745 to Elizabeth and Joseph Asbury.But before he was born, God had appeared to his mother in a dream and told her that she was going to have a boy. According to the dream her unborn boy was destined to become a great Christian leader and spread the word of the Lord to a specific group of people. The group of people was not specified but knowing the rest of his life that group of people turned out to be the colonists in America. From the moment of his birth, his mother prepared him for his destiny. She wanted him to become the Archbishop of Canterbury which is considered “the spiritual head of Great Britain” . When he was an infant, she would read him the Bible for an hour. The stories she told were not exactly the happiest stories. She tended to read the bloody parts of the Old Testament and the stories about Jesus on the cross in the New Testament. For another hour, while he was an infant, she would sing him hymns and pray over him. Asbury became a local lay preacher for Methodist meetings at age 18. At age 22, John Wesley appointed him as a traveling preacher. His boyhood home
Bishop Asbury Cottage
Bishop Asbury Cottage is the boyhood home of Francis Asbury, the first American Methodist Bishop, in Great Barr, England.Now a grade II listed museum, the 18th century cottage is furnished in period style, with memorabilia and information relating to Asbury's life in West Bromwich and Great Barr...
still stands and is open as a museum in West Bromwich
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
, England. In 1771 he volunteered to travel to America. When the American War of Independence
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
broke out in 1776, he was the only Methodist minister to remain in America.
Once in America, he began drinking beer and light wine for his health, which gave some the idea that he was an undercover alcoholic. But within the first 17 days of being in the colonies, he had preached in Philadelphia and New York. And during the first year he was Mr. Wesley’s assistant and preached in 25 different settlements.
Under his preaching, Methodists became the first sect to make drinking a matter of concern to the Lord. And in July of 1772 the membership of the Methodist church doubled although there was a constant loss of Methodist ministers.
“Francis Asbury had a great distrust of person popularity, and equally marked distaste of personal publicity” . He had a strange suspicion against having his image preserved. He had been in America for 23 years, and a bishop for 10 years before he had let a portrait be made of him. His friend James McCannon persuaded him to have it done. Asbury had had a portrait painted of him for his mother in 1797. And his last portrait was made in 1813 by an unknown artist in Strasburgh Pennsylvania. Francis Asbury was a vain person, he did not like having his portrait done or to hear good things about himself. He was a gloomy and pessimistic person; he tended to have gloomy thoughts and opinions. He believes himself to be “a true prophet of evil tidings, as it suits my cast of mind”. Although he was pessimistic, those who knew him considered him an extremely sensitive person. In his journal he recorded more failures and misgivings than success in his ministry. He loves simplicity and has “frequent spells of morbid depression” . He tended to use cynical sarcasm in his preachings. One of the typical prayers he would say, even on his way to America, was “Lord, we are in thy hands and in thy work. Thou knowest what is best of us and for thy work; whether plenty or poverty. The hearts of all men are in thy hands. If it is best for us and for thy church that we should be cramped and straitened, let the people’s hands and hearts be closed: If it is better for us; for the church,—and more to thy glory that we should abound in the comforts of life; do thou dispose the hearts of those we serve to give accordingly: and may we learn to be content whether we abound, or suffer need” .
He rose at 5 every morning to read the bible. He was impatient with those who did not do the tasks assigned to them as soon as the task was assigned. As great a preacher as he was, barely any notice was given to him. He was considered a great preacher despite how unpopular he seemed. He was “one of the wisest and most farseeing men of his day” .
In 1813, he wrote his will and “the greatest membership gain in the history of the church” was achieved. In 1814 his health starts to fail and he becomes ill, and because of the war the membership numbers of the church start to decline rapidly. In 1816 he starts to regain strength, he continues his preaching journey. He “preaches his last Sermon in Richmond, Virginia” on March 24, “and dies at the home of George Arnold near Fredericksburg” on March 31
In 1784 John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
named Asbury and Thomas Coke
Thomas Coke (bishop)
Thomas Coke was the first Methodist Bishop and is known as the Father of Methodist Missions.Born in Brecon, south Wales, his father was a well-to-do apothecary...
as co-superintendents of the work in America. This marks the beginning of the "Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
of the USA". For the next 32 years, Asbury led all the Methodists in America. However, his leadership did not go unchallenged. His idea for a ruling council was opposed by such notables as William McKendree
William McKendree
William McKendree was the fourth Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the first Methodist bishop born in the United States. He was elected in 1808.-Early years:...
, Jesse Lee, and James O'Kelly
James O'Kelly
James O'Kelly was an American clergyman during the Second Great Awakening and an important figure in the early history of Methodism in America. He was also known for his outspoken views on abolitionism, penning the strong antislavery work Essay on Negro Slavery...
. Eventually a General Conference
General Conference
In the United Nations system of specialized agencies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency or UNESCO, General Conferences are the recurring meetings of Member States. General Conference sessions are usually held yearly or biennially at the headquarters of the Agency...
to which delegates could be sent was established on the advice of Asbury's fellow bishop Thomas Coke in 1792.
Like Wesley, Asbury preached in myriad places: courthouses, public houses, tobacco houses, fields, public squares, wherever a crowd assembled to hear him. For the remainder of his life he rode an average of 6,000 miles each year, preaching virtually every day and conducting meetings and conferences. Under his direction, the church grew from 1,200 to 214,000 members and 700 ordained preachers. Among the men he ordained was Richard Allen
Richard Allen (reverend)
Richard Allen was a minister, educator and writer, and the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal , the first independent black denomination in the United States in 1816. He opened his first church in 1794 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was elected the first bishop of the AME Church...
in Philadelphia, the first black minister in the United States.
In an exciting time in American history, Asbury was reported to be an extraordinary preacher. Biographer Ezra Squier Tipple
Ezra Squier Tipple
Ezra Squier Tipple was the fifth president of Drew Theological Seminary from 1912 to 1929.-Biography:He was born in 1861 and had a brother, Bertrand Martin Tipple. He died on October 17, 1936 of pneumonia.-References:...
wrote: "If to speak with authority as the accredited messenger of God; to have credentials which bear the seal of heaven ... if when he lifted the trumpet to his lips the Almighty blew the blast; if to be conscious of an ever-present sense of God, God the Summoner, God the Anointing One, God the Judge, and to project it into speech which would make his hearers tremble, melt them with terror, and cause them to fall as dead men; if to be and do all this would entitle a man to be called a great preacher, then Asbury was a great preacher." Bishop Asbury died in Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Spotsylvania County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 90,395 people, 31,308 households, and 24,639 families residing in the county. The population density was 226 people per square mile . There were 33,329 housing units at an average density of 83 per square mile...
. He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery
Mount Olivet Cemetery (Baltimore)
Mount Olivet Cemetery is an old cemetery in western Baltimore, Maryland, on Frederick Avenue. It is known as "The Resting Place of Methodist Bishops."...
, in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, near the graves of Bishops John Emory
John Emory
John Emory was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1832.-Early life and family:John was born at Spaniard's Neck, Queen Anne's County, Maryland. His parents were Methodists, his father a jurist who designed him for the law. His mother, however, who had been converted...
and Beverly Waugh
Beverly Waugh
Beverly Waugh was an Americanwho distinguished himself as a Methodist Pastor, Book Agent, and Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1836.-Birth and early years:...
.
His journal
On September 4, 1771, at the age of 26, Francis Asbury began his journey to Philadelphia from the port of Pill near Bristol. “It cost him much to leave home and kindred, as is witnessed by his affectionate letters and sacrificial remittances home: but the call of God was not to be denied” . Before he left, he wrote a letter to his family. “I wonder sometimes how anyone will sit to hear me, but the Lord covers my weakness with his power….I trust you will be easy and more quiet. As for me, I know what I am called to. It is to give up all, and to have my hands and heart in the work, yea, the nearest and dearest friends….Let others condemn me as being without natural affection, disobedient to parents, or say what they please….I love my parents and friends, but I love my God better and his service….And tho’ I have given up all, I do not repent, for I have found all” . On this voyage he began a journal. “In his journal he pours out the feelings and impulses of the moment, but often without giving a clue to either the offender or the offense” . He became seasick for the first week but had recovered. He was “poor in material things, but rich in the spiritual atmosphere created and maintained by his mother” . He also spent a lot of time studying and reading the bible and books written by Wesley. On September 22, he preached to the ship’s company. Again, on September 29, he preached. On October 6, he preached to the ship’s company on deck. And finally, on October 27, he landed at his destination in Philadelphia.Asbury kept a journal assiduously; on December 8, 1812, he crossed the Broad River
Broad River (Carolinas)
The Broad River is a principal tributary of the Congaree River, about 150 miles long, in western North Carolina and northern South Carolina in the United States. Via the Congaree, it is part of the watershed of the Santee River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean...
into York County, South Carolina
York County, South Carolina
York County is a county located in the north-central section of the U.S. state of South Carolina. According to the 2010 census, the county's population was 226,073. It is the second largest county in the Charlotte metropolitan area...
and came to the home of David Leech, Esq. He states in his journal that Leech offered him a Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and a bottle of brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
; he wrote, "I took one." His journal also contains some references to opinions of ministers who disagreed with the Methodist leadership, such as Rev. Charles Hopkins of Powhatan County, Virginia
Powhatan County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,377 people, 7,258 households, and 5,900 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 people per square mile . There were 7,509 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...
who had rejected the Methodist ideals several years before.
Veneration
Asbury is honored together with George WhitefieldGeorge Whitefield
George Whitefield , also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican priest who helped spread the Great Awakening in Britain, and especially in the British North American colonies. He was one of the founders of Methodism and of the evangelical movement generally...
with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA)
Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church in the United States of America)
The veneration of saints in the Episcopal Church is a continuation of an ancient tradition from the early Church which honors important people of the Christian faith. The usage of the term "saint" is similar to Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Those in the Anglo-Catholic tradition may...
on November 15.
Namesakes
- Asbury's boyhood home, Bishop Asbury CottageBishop Asbury CottageBishop Asbury Cottage is the boyhood home of Francis Asbury, the first American Methodist Bishop, in Great Barr, England.Now a grade II listed museum, the 18th century cottage is furnished in period style, with memorabilia and information relating to Asbury's life in West Bromwich and Great Barr...
, in SandwellSandwellSandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands with a population of around 289,100, and an area of . The borough is named after Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country, and the West Midlands conurbation, encompassing the urban towns of Blackheath,...
, England, is now a museum. - The first Methodist Episcopal school of higher education was named Cokesbury College (1785 - burned 1796) in honor of Asbury and Thomas Coke, drawing some concern from John Wesley. The name lives on in CokesburyCokesburyCokesbury is the retail division of the United Methodist Publishing House. While it is an agency of the United Methodist Church, Cokesbury serves Christians of all denominations...
, part of the United Methodist publishing arm. - Three schools are named after Asbury:
- Two are in Wilmore, KentuckyWilmore, KentuckyWilmore is a city in Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,134 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area...
: Asbury University and Asbury Theological SeminaryAsbury Theological SeminaryAsbury Theological Seminary is a multi-denominational, graduate institution that offers a variety of master degree and postgraduate degree programs through the schools of Biblical Interpretation and Proclamation, Theology and Formation, Practical Theology, World Missions and Evangelism, and...
. - In addition, DePauw UniversityDePauw UniversityDePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
in Greencastle, IndianaGreencastle, IndianaGreencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It was founded in 1821 by Scots-Irish American Ephraim Dukes on a land grant. He named the settlement for his hometown of Greencastle, Pennsylvania...
was originally known as Indiana Asbury College after him. - Francis Asbury Elementary School in Hampton, VirginiaHampton, VirginiaHampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts...
. - Asbury High School, Marshall County, AlabamaMarshall County, AlabamaMarshall County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. Its name is in honor of John Marshall, famous Chief Justice of the United States. As of 2010 the population was 93,019...
- Two are in Wilmore, Kentucky
- James A. BradleyJames A. BradleyJames Adam Bradley was a wealthy Manhattan brush manufacturer, financier, member of the New Jersey Senate, philanthropist, and real estate developer. He designed the resort destination of Asbury Park on the New Jersey Shore...
, a convert to Methodism, named the town he founded on the New Jersey shore, Asbury Park, after Asbury. The Mascot of the Asbury Park High School is "The Bishops." - The former Asbury Methodist Church on Staten IslandStaten IslandStaten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
(now the Son-Rise Interfaith Center) stands as a monument to his memory. - In 1796 Bishop Asbury helped lay the cornerstone for the church in Hall's Mills, NJ which shortly changed its name to Asbury (now a village in Franklin Township, Warren County, NJ).
- A statue, Francis AsburyFrancis Asbury (Lukeman)Francis Asbury, also known as the Francis Asbury Memorial, is a public equestrian statue, by American artist Augustus Lukeman, located at 16th Street and Mt...
, was erected in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1921. - A statue of Francis Asbury on horseback was erected at Drew University in Madison, NJ.
- A hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North...
follows part of the path Asbury took when crossing the mountains in the early 19th century. There is a monument dedicated to Asbury at Shiloh Memorial Cemetery in Pigeon Forge, TennesseePigeon Forge, TennesseePigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 5,875....
, where Asbury delivered a sermon on October 20, 1808. - Stratosphere Balloon Cave in Germany ValleyGermany ValleyGermany Valley is a scenic upland valley high in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia originally settled by German farmers in the mid-18th Century...
, West Virginia was for over 150 years called "Asbury Cave". (Asbury records his 1781 visit to the cave in his Journal.) - Many towns and villages bear an Asbury United Methodist Church, including the fourth largest United Methodist Church in the denomination, located in Tulsa, OK (www.asburytulsa.org).
- The first Methodist Church in Northern China, the Asbury Church in Peking, built in 1870 by Rev. Hiram Harrison LowryHiram Harrison LowryRev. Dr. Hiram Harrison Lowry was an educator, Methodist clergyman and college president of China.Dr. Hiram Harrison Lowry was born on May 29, 1843 in Zanesville, Ohio. He graduated from the Ohio Wesleyan University, and received the degrees of A.B., A.M. and D.D.. In 1862-63 Lowry served during...
, was named after Asbury. Today the church is known as Chongwenmen Church (崇文门教堂). - Asbury Avenue in Evanston, Illinois, home of Northwestern University, founded by Methodists
- Francis Asbury Elementary school in Hampton, Virginia was also named after Asbury
See also
- Bethel AcademyBethel AcademyBethel Academy was the first Methodist school established in the United States west of the Appalachian Mountains. Established by Francis Asbury in 1790, the school operated in present-day Jessamine County, Kentucky until 1805.-Establishment:...
- List of Bishops of the United Methodist Church
- Perry Hall, MarylandPerry Hall, MarylandPerry Hall is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 28,705 at the 2000 census...
Sources
Resources for further study
"Midnight Rider for the Morning Star," an historical novel (ISBN 978-0-915143-10-8) by Mark Alan Leslie, available at bookstores or through http://www.francisasburysociety.com/midnightrider.htm- The official Francis Asbury web site. Contains an A-Z index of places and people mentioned in his journals.
- Trailblazin' Bishop: The Francis Asbury Story. A one-man play on the life of Francis Asbury.
- Facebook page of Bishop Francis Asbury.Quotes from Asbury's journal, portraits and more
- Bishop Asbury Cottage. Story on the BBC website about Francis Asbury's former home
- Francis Asbury biographical sketch on Find-A-Grave
- Journal and Letters of Francis Asbury (1958) by Francis Asbury (ISBN 0-687-20581-6)
- American Saint: Francis Asbury and the Methodists (Oxford University Press, 2009) by John H. Wigger (ISBN 0-195-38780-5)
- Taking Heaven by Storm: Methodism and the Rise of Popular Christianity in America, 1770-1820 (Oxford University Press, 1998) by John H. Wigger (ISBN 0-195-10452-8)
- America's Bishop: The Life of Francis Asbury (2003) by Darius Salter (ISBN 1-928915-39-6)
- The Story of American Methodism: A History of the United Methodists and Their Relations (1974) by Frederick Abbott Norwood (ISBN 0-687-39641-7)
- The Heritage of American Methodism (1999) by Kenneth Cain Kinghorn (ISBN 0-687-05500-8)
- From Wesley to Asbury: Studies in Early American Methodism (1976) by Frank Baker (ISBN 0-8223-0359-0)
- Eliza Asbury - her cottage and her son by David HallamDavid HallamDavid Hallam is a British Labour Party politician. He was Member of the European Parliament for the Herefordshire and Shropshire constituency in England, in the 1994-1999 European Parliament....
(ISBN 1858582350