Memorial University DAI: Eighteenth-century Newfoundland methodism as a revitalization movement

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Title	Eighteenth-century Newfoundland methodism as a revitalization movement
Author	Robinson, Mary Angela, 1957-
Description	Thesis (M.A.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1997. Religious Studies
Date	1996
Pagination	viii, 138 leaves
Subject	Methodist Church--Newfoundland and Labrador--History
Degree	M.A.
Degree Grantor	Memorial University of Newfoundland. Dept. of Religious Studies
Discipline	Religious Studies
Language	Eng
Spatial Coverage	Canada--Newfoundland and Labrador--Conception Bay
Notes	Bibliography: leaves [132]-138
Abstract	Because of the prevailing political and economic conditions, the internal problems inherited from Laurence Coughlan's ministry (1766-1773), and the inability of Methodist leaders to tend to the Conception Bay societies properly, the development of early Newfoundland Methodism proved to be rife with complications. Coughlan's departure from Newfoundland in 1773 left his followers under the care of his lay preachers, whose attempts to keep the societies intact were effective in the short term, but a steady decline in the membership was evidenced over time. The first official mission to Newfoundland (1785-1791), conducted by John McGeary, had its problems as well. McGeary's mission met with resistance from the Anglican church, and was further disadvantaged by personal and professional problems incurred by McGeary himself. As a result the progress of Methodism in Conception Bay in the late eighteenth-century was a formidable challenge for those who attempted to maintain and oversee it Anthony F. C. Wallace's Revitalization theory offers a useful methodology that enables one to study this period and how early Newfoundland Methodism was prone to decline and almost certain collapse. Wallace's model outlines a series of phases (processual structure) which determine how religious movements are initiated, developed and stabilized. According to Wallace, religious reform must complete the primary stages of mazeway reformulation, communication, organization and adaptation before success can be realized. The following study applies Wallace's theory to the events and circumstances of early Newfoundland Methodism, and in doing so identifies several recurrent problems within the movement which help to explain the volatile nature of its early development.
Type	Text
Resource Type	Electronic thesis or dissertation
Format	Image/jpeg; Application/pdf
Source	Paper copy kept in the Centre for Newfoundland Studies, Memorial University Libraries
Local Identifier	a1211853
Rights	The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission.
Collection	Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Scanning Status	Completed
PDF File	(17.56 MB) -- http://collections.mun.ca/PDFs/theses/Robinson_MaryA.pdf
CONTENTdm file name	11154.cpd