John Wesley was born in Lincolnshire England in 1703. His father was a member of the clergy of the Church of England. This religious upbringing greatly influenced his life. As a young man he became a strong preacher in the Anglican faith. Early in his career he was influenced by the Evangelist George Whitefield who reached people in his preaching who were excluded from attending a traditional church. Following Whitefield's example he began preaching outdoor sermons going from place to place. His focus was to reach those who were not being exposed to the gospel by the traditional churches. Wesley spent much of his life traveling and preaching the gospel. He wrote, "I look at all the world as my parish".
Wesley believed, "love is the fulfillment of the law. It is not only the first and great command but all the commandments in one". He believed that anyone could directly experience Gods love through a personal relationship with Him. He also firmly believed God loved everyone and wanted everyone to be saved. Because of this he opposed the Calvinist doctrine of predestination. During his travels Wesley build many small chapels and ordained ministers to preach in them. He believed scripture gave him this authority. He established a strong body of believers over a large geographic area. In doing so John Wesley established Methodism. His teachings greatly influenced the protestant evangelical movement.
