In these important essays, a distinguished group of interpreters of the Wesleyan tradition, identify the central convictions and practices of the Methodist movement. Their purpose in making this identification is twofold. First, they insist that these convictions and practices lie at the heart of what the Wesleyan/Methodist family is, and has been. Second, and more important, they claim that in these distinctive beliefs lies the future of the 'people called Methodist.' If renewal and growth in witness and mission is to occur, the authors argue, it will come through a reclamation and reinterpretation of such central beliefs as salvation by grace through faith, the authority of Scripture, disciple-making within community, the vocation of Christian holiness, and the church's mission to the world.