Be wholly for God
Francis Asbury's watchword and cry. His 18th-century life and ministry is our model.
Newsletter SignupFrancis Asbury's watchword and cry. His 18th-century life and ministry is our model.
Newsletter SignupTo understand the Francis Asbury Society, you have to understand the tradition it was built to carry. This is a story that begins in 18th-century America, runs through a small Kentucky town, and continues today.
The Roots:
Late 1700s–Early 1800s
Francis Asbury arrived from England as a young Methodist missionary and proceeded to reshape the spiritual landscape of a nation.
President Calvin Coolidge once remarked that Bishop Asbury knew more Americans face-to-face than any other person in the history of the Republic.
He traveled by horse for more than a quarter of a million miles–through mountains, swamps, and frontier wilderness–bringing the Wesleyan message of scriptural holiness to anyone who would hear it.
He authored and presented the first anti-slavery legislation in United States history. And through it all, one conviction drove him forward: “Be Wholly for God.”
In Wilmore, Kentucky, two men shared a conviction: that the Wesleyan-Holiness message needed a dedicated vehicle to carry it forward. Dr. Dennis F. Kinlaw–theologian, college president, preacher, and author–and Dr. Harold Burgess began with publishing.
In May 1980, they joined with Richard Edwards to organize the Francis Asbury Press. Pentecostal Grace by Laurence Wood was the first book to bear the imprint.
On May 24, 1983, the Francis Asbury Society was formally incorporated in Kentucky two hundred and forty-five years to the day from John Wesley’s Aldersgate experience–the moment Wesley described as the spiritual turning point of the Methodist movement.
The founders set the Society’s purpose in plain terms: “to spread the message of Scriptural holiness to the ends of the earth in accordance with the Great Commission.”
The Founding:
1980 – 1983
The Growing Ministry:
1983–present
Francis Asbury Press has published more than 50 theological and devotional titles, with authors including Drs. Kinlaw and Burgess, Robert E. Coleman, John N. Oswalt, and Stan Key. Several titles have been translated into multiple languages and used as textbooks by seminaries worldwide. Thousands of books and pamphlets have been given away annually. The High Calling, a free bi-monthly print newsletter, extends that publishing mission into the everyday lives of readers seeking to live wholly devoted to God. Audio and video recordings of retreats and Bible studies have also been made available throughout FAS’s history, with a growing library now accessible through our YouTube and Vimeo channels.
A team of itinerant evangelists conducts revivals, retreats, and pastors’ conferences. They carry a consistent call to the church, both laity and leadership, into deeper commitment to Christian holiness.
FAS has given sustained attention to Bible studies, mentoring, and retreat ministry for pastors, lay leaders, and educators. The annual gathering at The Hemlock Inn in North Carolina has become a beloved touchstone for Society members. At the heart of FAS’s discipleship life is the Covenant Fellowship–a network of members who fully subscribe to the discipleship essentials the Society promotes.
Through the Institute, FAS bridges serious theological scholarship and the life of the local church–sponsoring conferences for theological educators and carrying the message of a pure heart into colleges and seminaries across North America and internationally.
FAS’s most recent initiative trains international leaders to start reproducing covenant discipleship groups among their own nations, so that more lives are transformed by the self-giving love of God to be wholly devoted to Him.
The same conviction that drove Francis Asbury across a young nation and brought Kinlaw and Burgess to a desk in Wilmore is still the heartbeat of FAS today.
