Matt Lipan: Anything Goes in the UMC?

on July 10, 2014

Rev. Matt Lipan is a young pastor in the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church.  He is currently serving as associate pastor at Castleton UMC in Indianapolis, overseeing its Sunrise campus.  This commentary originally appeared a while ago as a three-part series on his “In the Neighborhood of Holy” blog.  It is re-posted here, with permission, due to its being no less relevant to current discussions about United Methodism’s fundamental crisis of identity, as well as to my own recent mention of Matt’s critique of the core elements of Adam Hamilton’s disconnectional proposal.  

There seems to be a common yet inaccurate perception that United Methodists don’t actually believe anything (or believe everything). That somehow, “Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.” became a statement of faith rather than a marketing campaign. Recent conversations on orthodoxy and the lack of a Wesleyan voice within church culture and broader culture in general, highlights this confusion.

To suggest United Methodists don’t actually have a core set of beliefs is unfair. One does not have to look far to find our Doctrinal Standards listed in The Book of Discipline to see that we hold certain and specific beliefs. Holding certain doctrinal beliefs does not, however, mean we are not open to lively conversation and theological exploration. The fact that we hold certain foundational beliefs is what gives us the freedom to engage in these conversations from various perspectives without becoming defensive, abrasive, or condescending (at least it should).

Being “open” is not the belief that anything goes but rather stresses an openness to hearing different opinions and perspectives and a willingness to walk with individuals on their faith journey wherever they might be coming from. It means we’re open to hearing your story, and will not pass judgment if you choose to share it. It also means we trust the spark of God’s grace present in every individual’s life and am open to seeing what He has in store for both you and me.

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I just recently finished a 3-week New Member Inquiry class in which I ask individuals and families what drew them to our local church; give the history of our local church; cover expectations they should have of our church; what the church expects of them; and the history, beliefs, and structure of The United Methodist Church. In our last meeting together I ask them for any questions they might have specifically regarding our beliefs or anything they have heard United Methodists “believe.” Almost without fail the perception that an individual can believe anything and still be a United Methodist gets addressed.

It is becoming increasingly obvious to me within my local setting that we are failing to communicate what it means to hold a Wesleyan perspective. Having a theology built on grace is not the same as having no accountability or lacking standard beliefs. Instead, grace creates the space for you and me to wrestle with faith, ask difficult questions, and keep from putting God, ourselves, and each other in a box. One of the other foundational blocks of Wesleyan theology is holiness, which when combined with grace, naturally creates a loving accountability.

Maybe some of this misconception comes from the space we give ourselves as United Methodists to wrestle and think. And while we certainly do value tradition, reason, and experience, we do not hold them as more important than scripture. We recognize that each individual brings these three things into his/her reading of scripture but it is the Living Word that serves as the primary and authoritative influencer in one’s pursuit of holiness.

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What started out as a marketing campaign morphed into something else, which could be part of the reason why the stereotype that United Methodists “believe anything” is still going strong. “Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.” is not a faith statement but was intended to be a “strategy” to get people into our churches, and yet for many it was taken as something more. There were some who viewed this statement on “openness” as the confirmation of this stereotype. While the effectiveness of this campaign is debatable, I think it worth unpacking a little more.

| Open Hearts |

As Wesleyan Christians we are open to the presence of God’s prevenient grace in every individual’s heart…

…our hearts are open to the activity of the Holy Spirit

…our hearts are open to being perfected in love

…our hearts are open to connecting with others so that we might “give thine hand”

| Open Minds |

As Wesleyan Christians we are open to being in conversation with individuals from all backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives…

…our minds are open to differing opinions while at the same time holding fast to Christianity’s foundational beliefs

…our minds are open to the truths that can be found in tradition, reason, and experience while at the same time holding scripture as authoritative

…our minds are open to being used as part of the faith journey, not disregarded, ignored, or “turned off”

| Open Doors |

As Wesleyan Christians we are open to God’s saving grace made freely available to all through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus…

…our doors are open to anyone and everyone

…our doors are open because of the grace that has been freely given which we, in turn, strive to freely give

…our doors are open to those seeking justice for the downtrodden, disenfranchised, and disregarded

…our doors are open to those seeking to spread a practical, scriptural holiness throughout our local communities and the world

Perhaps this is too long for a marketing campaign but it might help deal with a stereotype.

  1. Comment by Nick Porter on July 11, 2014 at 2:03 am

    The pro-pansexuality group has greatly distorted the “Open Hearts,Open Minds,Open Doors” phrase.

  2. Comment by fredx2 on July 12, 2014 at 10:41 am

    Isn’t it interesting that Methodists felt no need to be constantly “exploring ideas” until the 1980’s or so? In other words, they knew what they believed up until that point, then suddenly they decided that any subject was open for “exploration” which IS another word for anything goes..
    This article is not very convincing.
    A church that is “exploring” things all the time is a church that does not know what it believes. Isn’t it also interesting that the subjects getting “explored” all seem to be the left wing liberal subjects?
    Your experiment with “exploring” things has driven millions away from the church. Give it up. It is old left wing liberal hogwash. Don’t tell lies, don’t say that you just want to “explore ideas”. Tell the truth. Tell people what you really want – you want to completely change the church.

  3. Comment by Dennis Shaw on July 13, 2014 at 7:56 am

    Fred: Wesleyans have been exploring ideas for quite a while, from debates over TULIP acrostics, to the authority of an Asbury, to who can (and should) own slaves into our own time. The changes to the Book of Discipline that have generated so much conversation over the last forty-plus years started in 1972. That certainly pre-dates your 1980s or so remark below.

    My own experience has been when people enter into a conversation convinced they are not going to be convinced of anything, then the conversation is not going to be very convincing.

    I found the article thought provoking. I am not sure I find the Hamilton-Slaughter “disconnectional” but conversation is good, and I pray that I am open to the idea of conversation and am ready to be convinced. I signed it out of support for a conversation around ways out of our current schism conversations.

    Matt: well written. Thanks for spending the time thinking about this. I think your faith statement/marketing strategy remarks are particularly prescient.

    Peace be with you …

  4. Comment by DawnTrddr on July 13, 2014 at 8:50 pm

    You’re young. Was a Wesleyan 70 years ago. Went to Wesleyan. Don’t recognize the Methodist “church” at all, anymore. People need scriptural “meat” in their diet. To stay at the Methodist church today, tragically, is like trying to live off of a pure diet of Hostess Twinkies. It’s like watching your best friend get Alzheimer’s..

  5. Comment by John S. on July 14, 2014 at 6:08 pm

    Appealing to the BOD to prove the UMC has a standard of beliefs and doctrine seems to be flawed. So many Bishops and Elders state publicly that the BOD is not binding on them, their congregations, districts and conferences. So if the BOD is not binding how can it be used to prove the UMC holds to anything. Open hearts, Open doors, Empty minds is what the campaign really reflected.

  6. Comment by Byrom on July 16, 2014 at 8:32 pm

    Thoughtful article, Matt. But, I am also reminded of the admonition: “Do not be so open-minded that your brains fall out.”

  7. Comment by David Cousins on July 19, 2014 at 12:05 am

    In other words….Methodists no longer hold to a truth….

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