John Wesley

The Reverend John Wesley
Portrait by George Romney (1789), National Portrait Gallery, London
Pronunciation	/ˈdʒɒn ˈwɛsli/ or /ˈdʒɒn ˈwɛzli/
Born	28 June [O.S. 17 June] 1703 Epworth, Lincolnshire, England
Died	2 March 1791(1791-03-02) (aged 87) London, Great Britain
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford
Occupation	Cleric Theologian Author
Spouse(s)	Mary Vazeille
Parent(s)	Samuel and Susanna Wesley
Relatives	Samuel Wesley (brother) Mehetabel Wesley Wright (sister) Charles Wesley (brother)
Church	Church of England
Ordained	1725
Offices held	President of the Methodist Conference
Signature

John Wesley (/ˈdʒɒn ˈwɛsli/ or /ˈdʒɒn ˈwɛzli/; 28 June [O.S. 17 June] 1703 – 2 March 1791) was an Anglican cleric and theologian who, with his brother Charles and fellow cleric George Whitefield, founded Methodism.

Educated at Charterhouse School and Christ Church, Oxford, Wesley was elected a fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford in 1726 and ordained a priest two years later. He led the "Holy Club", a society formed for the purpose of study and the pursuit of a devout Christian life; it had been founded by his brother Charles, and counted George Whitefield among its members. After an unsuccessful ministry of two years at Savannah in the Georgia Colony, Wesley returned to London and joined a religious society led by Moravian Christians. On 24 May 1738 he experienced what has come to be called his evangelical conversion, when he felt his "heart strangely warmed". He subsequently departed from the Moravians, beginning his own ministry.