Nathan Bangs: An Itinerant Ministry In Canada

Nathan Bangs, an itinerant preacher with a limited education, had a profound impact on Methodism. Bangs, served as an itinerant preacher in Canada for many years. Serving in Canada was a position he volunteered for as Bishop Asbury would not assign priests to the region unless they volunteered for the position. Bangs eventually became the Senior Book Agent of the Methodist Book Concern. Furthermore, he served as the first editor of the Methodist Magazine and later as the editor of the Methodist Quarterly Review which replaced the Methodist Magazine. As the principal founder and secretary of the Methodist Missionary Society, he poured himself into its service. Bangs was an influential person of his time. As Methodism began to spread

The reclaiming of the “Wesley’s dual emphasis on knowledge and piety” was taking shape. Sunday School became a flat form for church piety, and education. As the improvements were being made to “improved materials, planning and organization, and clear formational goals” people were able to respond to the “caring instruction.” In 1827, t he MCE founded the first Sunday School Union of The Methodist Episcopal Church as a means to include the work of the “Calvinist-dominated American Sunday School Union.” Bangs was the head of the Methodist Book Concern at that time and is credited as turning “the Book Concern into an engine for the Sunday School

This was not a new concept, however, Bangs supported this concept along with Ezekiel Cooker and Jesse Lee. It is interesting to note that later Bangs became a critic of this concept. The Methodist governing system was being stressed. As Methodism became more spread out across the county, the enlarging American society “became more diverse economically, racially, linguistically and culturally.” Bangs still supported more education and better salaries for priests. As the Methodist movement grew, division was a key factor that was becoming prevalent. Slavery continued to be an issue for the church. Even though the division of the MEC of African American salves lost membership to the AME’s and AMEZ’s, the MEC membership remained significant. Bangs, along with several other church leaders threw their support to the colonization. Later at the 1840’s annual conferences it was stated that “there was no religious denomination more closely connected with colonization than the