Dr. James Pedlar

Donald N. and Kathleen G. Bastian Chair of Wesley Studies, Professor of Theology

 Email: jpedlar [at] tyndale.ca

Academic Credentials

BA (Hons), Queen’s University, 2002
MDiv, Wycliffe College / University of Toronto, 2005
PhD, University of St. Michael’s College, 2013

Areas of Specialization

Wesleyan theology, ecclesiology, unity and diversity in the church, renewal and reform movements.

Biography

James Pedlar believes the study of Christian theology is a spiritual practice, because true knowledge of God is transformative and participatory, and never merely intellectual. His hope is that students will leave his classroom equipped to articulate the Christian faith for the building up of God’s people, so that they might more faithfully live out God’s mission.

Dr. Pedlar is a Wesleyan theologian whose work focuses on ecclesiology – especially questions involving renewal and reform movements. His first book, Division, Diversity, and Unity, explores the use of the Pauline concept of “charisms” as a way of thinking about the unique gifts that renewal movements bring to the life of the church. His articles have appeared journals such as Wesley and Methodist Studies, the Wesleyan Theological Journal, the Canadian Theological Review, and Ecumenical Trends. He is a Fellow at the Manchester Wesley Research Centre, and serves on the Canadian Roman Catholic-Evangelical dialogue. Dr. Pedlar convenes Tyndale’s annual Wesley Studies Symposium, an event that fosters Canadian scholarship on the Wesleyan tradition.

Dr. Pedlar is a pastor in the Free Methodist Church in Canada. He is part of the leadership team at Wesley Chapel in Scarborough, where he focuses primarily on worship ministry. He has previously served in various roles with The Salvation Army, and on the staff of the Canadian Council of Churches.

Dr. Pedlar is teaching a synchronous course on Theology of Church Renewal in the Spring Summer 2026 semester.