“Connexion” (with an “x”) is a word John Wesley often used to refer to the Methodist movement he hepled found in eighteenth-century England. Even today, Methodists around the world consider themselves a “connectional church,” meaning that local congregations are connected to each other as they participate in the Mission of Jesus. So, “connexion” (no matter how you spell it) really means “the mission we do together.” Although it’s fashionable for churches to create their own mission statements, the church’s mission really arises out of God’s own mission to restore all of creation and humanity into God’s image. Re:connexion seeks to be an internet forum for what it might mean for Christians in the Wesleyan Tradition to reclaim the mission of Jesus in our time and place. Welcome!
I’m Mike Weaver, and I’m finishing up a Master of Theology (Th.M.) degree at Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC. My interests are focused on God’s mission in the world (missiology), and several main areas that intersect one another: Christian evangelism, Wesleyan theology and history, and World Christianity. My main focus is in exploring how churches can develop and sustain “missional communities” in an increasingly secular and “post-Christian” society. I have the honor of working at Virginia Tech in the Division of Student Affairs, where I help students in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets develop leadership skills that will benefit them in life and in their future military and civilian careers.
