Dr. Ashley Boggan speaks at the 2026 Epiphany Gathering.

The energy in the room was palpable, with clergy sitting captivated as we listened to Dr. Ashley Boggan, General Secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History for The United Methodist Church. She clicked through slides sharing John Wesley's response to his bishop after being told to stop preaching in the fields in Bristol, England, and to "go hence." 

"My Lord, my business on earth is, to do what good I can. Wherever, therefore, I think I can do most good, there must I stay, so long as I think so. At present I think I can do most good here; therefore, here I stay." 

This cheeky reply was followed by story after story of our Methodist brothers and sisters doing bold, radical, sometimes rule-breaking things in the name of staying in step with the Holy Ghost. Over and over, they showed incredible courage in the face of opposition -- from the Church of England, from local municipalities, from society at large. We heard countless stories of those "pesky Methodists" up to all sorts of good trouble throughout our history. 

Over the five weeks prior to the Clergy Epiphany Gathering, I led a group of clergy and laity from both the Dakotas and Minnesota in the Radicle Methodism study produced by Dr. Boggan (along with Rev. Dr. Chris Heckert). In much the same spirit, we explored where Methodism began, and what happened as the movement made its way into the colonies and took root in America. We were confronted by surprising stories of the sheer audacity with which these early Methodists sought to love their neighbors. We felt the flame ignite within us, stirring up our own desire to embody that boldness today. 

Dr. Boggan shared about the roots of the Wesleyan movement.

Across the centuries, our movement was faced with crossroad moments, when Methodists were forced to choose: do we stay true to the teachings of Wesley, or do we cave to the pressure of becoming more respectable? John Wesley condemned slavery in no uncertain terms and forbade Methodists from being enslavers; American Methodists chose to look the other way and allow enslaving to go unaddressed. Racial segregation. Women's rights. All scales weighted in the direction of respectability, power, membership, and money. And yet, at every turn were the remnants of that "pesky" Methodist spirit -- individuals speaking out against the institution we had become, daring to choose the way of Wesley even when our church did not.

We are at another crossroads now, but it seems that fire of holy rebellion is sparking back to life in our clergy and laity. It's one thing to say we want to seek renewal in this church we love so much, but it's another to step into what that actually means. Are we just hoping for more bodies in our buildings and dollars in our coffers? Or are we chasing the will of God, ready to surrender our own comfort and privilege if that's what is asked of us? We must ask ourselves: are we willing to risk it all in the name of living out this faith we profess, this love we declare, this grace we don't deserve? 

I'm ready if you are. 

In the words of John Wesley, "O may you also be vile, exceedingly vile, for [God's] sake! God forbid that you should ever be other than generally scandalous."