Bands
Bands small societies instituted by Wesley to promote personal holiness and good works among the early Methodists. The first rules of the band societies," drawn up December 25, 1738, may be found in Emory, History of the Methodist Discipline, p. 200. These societies were more select than class- meetings (q.v.), and admitted only persons of the same sex, all married or all single, who were put in charge of a "band-leader." They have nearly gone out of use in America, the article relating to them in the Discipline having been struck out by the General Conference of 1856. They still may be found in England, though not very numerous. See Emory, History of the Discipline, p. 200 sq.; Grindrod, Compendium of Laws of Methodism, 174 sq.; Porter, Compendium of Methodism, 50, 460; Stevens, History of Methodism, 1:122; 2:455; Wesley, Works, v. 183.
