I have previously recommended Gareth Lloyd’s Charles Wesley and the Struggle for Methodist Identity. When I reread the book during my research trip at the special collections of the John Rylands University Library in Manchester, England, I was struck by a couple of references that Lloyd made to the area of Charles Wesley life that he is best known for – his hymns and poems.
Lloyd writes, “The lasting value of Charles’ poetry is well recognized, but it is worth remembering that most people during the early years would have known Charles better as a preacher, pastor, and leader.” (39-40)
Later Lloyd also notes that the Church of England was much slower to accept the use of hymns in worship than was Methodism, not fully embracing hymns until the end of the nineteenth century (see p. 74).
The thought I had as I read these passages was that Charles Wesley may not have realized the extent of the impact that his hymn-writing would have on the Church. Perhaps Wesley wrote each of the thousands of hymns he wrote, not because he knew they would be popular, but because it was one of the ways he praised God. And yet, many of the hymns he wrote have become classics, not just in Methodism, but throughout Protestantism.
Kevin M. Watson 
Given that the during his life hymns were not widely used in the Church, I suspect Charles did not write them with the Church in mind. Rather, his hymns were written for the people called Methodists. They were to be sung during society meetings, class meetings, and Love Feasts. They were also intended to be read and contemplated as devotional material.
Methodists today are depriving themselves of a wealth of devotional and theological resources by neglecting Charles’ hymns and poetry in favor of “contemporary” songs and praise choruses.
Thanks, Kevin, for consistently sharing this information from your research along with your insights. Having annotated bibliographies from reliable sources helps when we make decisions about which of many books available.
I began piano lessons when I was 8 and a new hymn was part of the weekly assignment. That and so many years of worship twice on Sundays resulted in my knowing more hymn texts than Bible passages. They played a key role in forming faith and internalizing doctrinal truths. Perhaps as Steve says, they had a similar purpose with newly churched Methodists in Wesley’s time.
Regarding contemporary choruses, however, I have also come to appreciate their contribution to comtemplative worship. We are fortunate to have many resources available!