It has been heartbreaking to be a United Methodist this week. Among the reasons for traditional Methodists to be angry at what has taken place at General Conference is the overturning of doctrine central to Methodist social witness.
Also aggravating has been self-congratulatory and virtue signaling language used to masquerade deeply unchristian actions. While praising themselves for the passage of unbiblical legislation, delegates have papered their actions in a veneer of love and kindness. This is evil and it should be called out as such. It is also a violation of the Wesleyan principle to “do no harm”, which has been bandied about leading up to General Conference.
Delegates began by passing the regionalization plan, long opposed by conservative Methodists. Liberal delegates did this despite their majority making the plan unnecessary to achieve their desired changes to church teaching on sexuality. They praised themselves for “decolonizing” the church. They did so despite the objections of African churches and despite the sad reality that the African church has been continually underrepresented at General Conferences, and despite the fact that UMC has been notorious for not helping African Delegates receive necessary visas to attend Conference. This year more than 70 African Delegates were unable to obtain visas. They have disenfranchised the African churches’ ability to impact their fellow Methodists’ doctrinal beliefs while praising themselves for being “de-colonialists”.
The delegates also praised the regionalization plan for allowing the UMC to remain connectional while disagreeing on doctrine. But how can we be connectional when we cannot recognize something as fundamental as one another’s marriages and ordained clergy?
Jubilant celebration of changes to the church’s stance on traditional marriage and ordination requirements was a spectacle. Delegates sang Draw the Circle Wide. This “circle” is apparently not wide enough to include traditionalists, people with whom they have covenanted for years.
This perhaps is the most heartbreaking aspect of this week. Methodists do not just attend church together or, in popular parlance, “do life together”. We covenant with God and one another. At our baptism and renewed at confirmation, we enter into covenant, and we affirm these vows every time someone is brought into the life of the church and in services throughout the year. It was covenantal vows that the delegates carelessly tossed aside.
In doing so, they demonstrated that they care more for the deposed monarchs of Hawaii than for people who have loved them and prayed for them throughout their time in the church. The 75-year-old man, who taught them Sunday School, the 85-year-old woman who helped them pour glue on to some silly craft at VBS, the now retired pastor who baptized them, the people who threw their baby showers, prayed by their side in sickness, cried with them at funerals and so many moments in between, all tossed aside. The circle simply wasn’t wide enough to include them.
This Sunday, many Methodists, large percentages of which are elderly, will have difficult decisions to make. To lose one’s church is a kind of death. It is not because of the physical building but the community of faith that exists within it and who hold it as a central part of their lives. Fellowship has always been important to United Methodists, and much fellowshipping happens within the walls of our churches. Its loss will be particularly hard on the elderly, who will be robbed of the ability to finish out their lives serving Christ in the churches to which they have dedicated so much of their lives.
Delegates to General Conference celebrated the end of disaffiliations. Praising unity and instead, insultingly offered a path for reaffiliation for churches that have departed. In 2019, “gracious exits” were offered for churches who could not affirm the outcome of the conference, then it was liberal members of the church who lost at conference. But in 2024, those liberals, now in the majority, denied that mercy to those who might wish to exit, and they praised themselves for denying to others the grace that was shown to them.
But we should not lose hope. God does not promise us a denomination, but He does promise to preserve His Church. The church as C.S. Lewis described it “spread out through time and space, rooted in eternity.” Against this Church, Christ assures us the “gaits of hell will not prevail.” And by His grace, a traditional and biblical expression of Wesleyanism will still be part of this Church. Through the Global Methodist Church, independent Methodist churches, and those, who in the coming weeks and months make great sacrifices to leave the UMC, the Wesleyan witness will continue.
In some ways, it will be difficult to live out that witness because we must still live out our covenant. We must be like Christ, who wept when His covenant people rejected Him. By God’s grace we must forgive those who have done great harm to us. We must live out our covenantal promise to pray for them. Pray that their hearts are softened to the gospel, and they repent. If this happens, then someday, we may have a true unity with one another. Until then, we can take heart from the final words of Wesley himself, “The best of all is, God is with us!”
Comment by Dan W on May 3, 2024 at 5:08 pm
Sarah Stewart, Amen!
Comment by Mark Fincher on May 3, 2024 at 6:12 pm
This piece really describes the recent events. The only positive side of this outcome is that those of us Methodists who have disaffiliated with the UMC will never question their decisions. On a more positive note, I have seen many long-time, senior members who were basically forced out and are now loving attending new churches more than ever. Unity was a worthwhile goal and great while it lasted, but freedom and dedication to the Great Commission is wonderful as well.
Comment by George Gorman on May 3, 2024 at 6:27 pm
Homophobia is a “doctrine central to Methodist social witness”? It shouldn’t be surprising that young people are abandoning the church in droves. When bigotry is so central to your religious practice you can be confident that the future of Christianity in the developed world is bleak.
Comment by MikeB on May 3, 2024 at 9:24 pm
The dead flesh has been amputated from the living flesh.
This is a Good yet painful thing.
For decades the groups now in charge of the UM have churned out a generation of apostate ministers, they have sucked up the donations into bureaucracy like a tumor growing ever stronger.
It’s over, the true Methodists who are part of Christ’s Church are now free from those who held them hostage, who drained their assets, and corrupted their seminaries.
They can no longer drain the time and attention of the Free and Global Methodist churches.
Comment by David McGlocklin on May 3, 2024 at 11:30 pm
Shame on all the Bishops who lied to their conference’s and said just wait and see, nothing will change and if it does, there will still be a way out.
Comment by Diane on May 4, 2024 at 12:52 am
Let your stress go. This website has agonized long enough over the United Methodist Church. Please, take your energy and devote it to your Global Methodist church and make yourselves happy with what you have, a divorce. Sure, it’s painful. But mature folks move on from divorce and make a new path in life. Cease being critical of the other, you no longer have the relationship you once had. Sure, you may mourn. That’s natural. But just do yourselves and everyone else a favor – you are now free to move on. Get with it, no more bickering, no more criticisms of the other.
Comment by Mark on May 4, 2024 at 8:09 am
Amen to this article!
Yes, of course, mature folks move on, they don’t parade around like a 3 year-old who just stole a piece of candy from a younger sibling. Right.
Finally the divorce is over and the cheating spouse gets to keep the house…but at least it’s over.
Some difficult decisions lie ahead for traditional believers who have been whistling past the graveyard for too long…they now find themselves ensnared in a new faith centered on cultural accommodation.
Comment by Davids Friday Bambuka on May 4, 2024 at 8:23 am
The game plan was simple but the traditionalists did not see it coming.
It was a plan by the progressives to shut the American traditionalists out of Congress first by giving them the option of disaffiliation as a deliberate way of reducing their numbers in thr conference.
Once the American traditionalists are out of the game by way of disaffiliation, the African delegates can be denied visas, another win for the progressives.
This is why churches should not only have spiritual intelligence only but should also add common intelligence when dealing with suspicious group.
What if disaffiliation did not take place? Can the progressives have their way with ease?
Comment by Different Steve on May 4, 2024 at 8:56 am
So is Diane going to take her own advice and move on? Of course not! She’s never going to stop trolling here. Never, never, never.
Comment by April on May 4, 2024 at 10:13 am
Cut the life boats loose (Africans and Traditionalists) and let the mother ship sink on her own accord. She has been headed that way for years. So sad.
Comment by MikeB on May 4, 2024 at 10:47 am
Diane,
The UM is now a heretical organization.
What they once did sneakily they now do openly.
To Mark’s point, the cheating spouse is preventing any children still in the house from leaving.
Comment by MarkR on May 4, 2024 at 2:27 pm
All my life I had been a United Methodist. I served as a UM elder for nearly 30 years. My father and brother also had had a combined 90 years as United Methodist elders. Two years ago I became weary of what I don’t even recognize anymore: The United Methodist Church. I am thankful to be out of that now apostate denomination.
Comment by Diane on May 4, 2024 at 10:18 pm
Sneakily? LGBTQ Clergy have been serving forever in a church that always said to them “let’s just pretend everyone’s straight and you can stay, tell us that’s not so and you’ll have to go”. Very childish game.
Comment by MikeB on May 5, 2024 at 12:36 pm
Diane,
Our word is our bond before God, lying is a sin you know, it is very much sneaky to stay in something you hate just to undermine.
There was a belief that one would be honest and not lie. But they did not realize that those who justify their sin in homosexual acts will justify their sin in lying.
We are all sinners, that is why we need the death of Christ.
But if you justify your sin, you reject the sacrifice of Christ.
We come to Christ on HIS terms, not our own, there is no path to salvation that involved holding onto our sins, be it lying, gossip, deception, hatred, or homosexual acts.
Comment by Ted h on May 5, 2024 at 1:36 pm
Thanks Mike B….I was beginning to wonder if there were any sins left these days. How can a pastor teach the Truth of God and live a life that is a lie?
Comment by Rodney on May 5, 2024 at 4:46 pm
I am so grateful to be part of the UMC where all are now welcomed. No more harm to my gay brothers and sisters ! Thanks be to God!
Comment by Celeste Zappala on May 5, 2024 at 6:12 pm
Friend, I am one of the long time elderly, straight United Methodists who is rejoicing in the change that means people in my congregation, whom we have loved and defended, people who have great gifts for ministry, who have been denied and abused because of their sexual orientation, can finally stand as full human beings in the Denomination. I am a friend of one of the defrocked clergy- where her beautiful soul was tormented in a trial, a trial, for being who God created her to be- a brilliant, scholarly, warm, loving and talented woman who wanted only to be a minister in the United Methodist denomination- but she was tossed aside by the Church – in the name of what?
What damage has been done over these long years to the faith and soul of so many directly- and to those indirectly who take Jesus at his word to Love one another –
Great harm has been done to far too many people who came with their hearts open to serve a Church that condemned and vilified them. I am glad this day has finally come when we can get on with the work of serving, feeding, caring for and encouraging others in the faith that we are children of the Loving God and each of us has worth, can serve and grown in community. Remember when the Denomination would not allow women to be ordained, when clergy were forbidden to divorce, when segregation was institutionalized, or even when slavery was acceptable ? We are capable of change ,
peace be with you, I sincerely hope that someday your hearts will open to the beauty and potential of all of Gods children.
Comment by Joyce Axson on May 6, 2024 at 9:29 am
As a member of a church that has chosen to leave I pray for those who have chosen to stay. I don’t understand why they have decided that no other church can leave. It is a sad day for all believers.
Comment by Mark on May 6, 2024 at 9:41 am
At a townhall at my UMC here in Houston, our Senior Pastor (who was also a GC delegate) was greeted with loud applause Sunday by a room full of mixed ages, races, genders and orientations as he declared “the UMC has finally caught up with what this church has believed for years!” 200 people whooped and cheered that the UMC was finally “open heart, open mind and open doors.” No grace for traditionalists? What are you talking about? Ministers won’t be punished for performing same sex unions. But guess what? They won’t be punished for NOT performing them either (and UMC clergy have always had the option to NOT perform a marriage service).
You GMCers would do yourselves a lot of good to focus on the log in your own eye, quit attending UMC events (I’m not aware of any UMCer who will be attending the GMC conference this fall to agitate and act out; handing out useless leaflets of “how to vote.” Talk about paternalism!)
As to regionalization, the UMC has been a US based denomination that has tended to treat those outside the US as “second class.” This step allows churches worldwide to operate as they see fit (similar to the Anglican communion). That’s bad how?
Comment by Pastor Mike on May 6, 2024 at 11:43 am
Mark, as a former UMC traditionalist Pastor, I can tell you “Horror” stories about how our previous Bishop threatened her Pastors with expulsion for speaking the truths about disaffiliation, how the Word of God was set aside for societal desires, and how populist surveys were being used to justify changes in church polity.
So, please don’t come here and talk about grace towards traditionalists. I lived through the hatred directed to traditionalists like me. You see, the “Do no harm to others” should extend to all persons.
Comment by Travis on May 6, 2024 at 1:44 pm
Maybe you should look at goarch.org
Its practices and beliefs haven’t changed since the time of the Apostles.
Comment by David S. on May 6, 2024 at 2:44 pm
Diane, as someone whose youth was in the UMC, you ought to educate yourself on the tactics of a number of Methodist bishops, such as Sue Halpert-Johnson, who shut down the entire disaffiliation process in the North Georgia Conference, and her successor continued it. Three large churches entered into settlement agreements, and 180+ congregations essentially filed a class action lawsuit.
As a client of mine whose congregation is in the South Georgia Conference said, that woman is evil. She would send her lackey to make veiled threats against traditionalists. His brother’s pastor noted that his DS said, “Well, be keeping our eye on you.”.
But, if you wish to continue defending these wolves, may God have mercy on you and eventually open your eyes to what these people really are. Bishop Sue, FALSE Bishop Karen, and others like these daughters of spiritual adultery and Jezebel are NOT Christians.
Comment by Ed S on May 6, 2024 at 3:22 pm
Brothers and sisters, I am a 74 YO male, straight, married for 53 years, lifelong Methodist. I am a leader in a southern Traditional church, but we voted 83% NOT to disaffiliate, knowing the social principle language would surely change. I admit to you that thru God’s Sanctifying Grace, I have evolved from near homophobic to fully supporting the changes. A most important command was to love our neighbors, that’s everyone. If I had been born with a predisposition, or however I found my self drawn to the same sex person, and I accepted God’s Justifying Grace on the Cross, served with Works of Piety, and was drawn to a single same-sex relationship with lifetime commitment, how can that be outside God’s Grace? Why can’t I enter into a lifetime relationship with a loving partner, called marriage? Similarly, if I am that same person who also feels God’s call to minister to the flock, why can’t I be ordained to do so? Isn’t that what love is all about? Having studied the scriptures and taught them for decades, I find every mention of homosexuality as being an abusive circumstance, not a loving, faithful to God relationship. Only God the Father can judge a person’s heart and faith.
Regarding John Wesley, he taught, In essential of faith (theology, trinity, rebirth, Articles of Faith)-UNITY. In non-essentials (worship processes, circumcision, means of baptism, AND I BELIEVE THE TREATMENT OF FAITHFUL LOVING LGBTQ+ PERSONS)-LIBERTY. He said we would always disagree over interpretations of some things, but see # 1-UNITY. In all things-Mercy (love). As I read every word of the new social principles, I see room for choice (liberty), disagreement in love, and the requirement to retain the Essentials (core) of our faith. Nobody is being forced to do anything. We may all follow our conscience, and still remain networked so long as we maintain the essentials. As the Holy Spirit was turning my perceptions around, I kept hearing a voice ask if I wasn’t’ acting more like a Pharisee, than a loving, faithful follower of Christ? Guilty. The Rules are not as important, as how we implement the rules among ourselves. As Methodists, we got it wrong on slavery for centuries. We got it wrong on inclusion of women for decades. And we’ve had it wrong on the sexual issues for too long. We can’t lump all persons of the LGBTQ+ persuasion into one group. Some are faithful, loving followers of Christ and their active sexual realization is monogamous. They deserve every sacrament, consideration, service, fellowship, and love as any other Christian. If abusive, sinful relationships, absent Fruit of the Spirit, they deserve punishment and short of repentance, no part of Christ’s Church. Can’t we separate the two based on their behaviors and Works? That separation in the Book of Discipline is left to Clergy. I respect all who have disaffiliated on the basis of conscience. We should have been able to serve and minister together in unity, but I accept their right to disagree (LIBERTY). Free will separates Methodists from many other denominations. But Satan has won this battle. He separated us. What other Christian denomination has accomplished so much, worldwide, as the UMC. From UMCOR to support for education, healthcare, the poor, and many other ministries, we have a loving legacy of service to our Lord. It is made possible thru our networking. We don’t have to agree with everything the UMC does or even our local pastor, but we can accept our differences and minister for Christ. I will serve with any Christian, regardless of non-essential disagreement, as part of the Body of Christ. That should be our future. We must stop the arguing and indictment of others. Don’t continue to stoke the fires of Hell. Decisions have been made. Choices made. We have a world to witness to in love and to evangelize. Continued bickering and hateful language is not what Christ expects of us. It supports evil, not Good. May we all turn our attention and focus to His work!
Comment by MikeB on May 6, 2024 at 7:40 pm
Celeste,
Instead of lovingly encouraging a friend to Christ, to be able to take in the grace and Mercy of Christ, to encourage her to grow in spite of her sins, you singled out one of her sins and told her not to repent.
By putting one sin on a pedestal, you encouraged her pride and rebellion against Christ.
It is never about God not loving us, it is about us not loving God. You have damaged her soul beyond compare. We all sin, we all fall short of the glory of God. Sin is being outside of the will of God, thus in repentance we pick ourselves up and follow his path.
You have encouraged her to reject the word and will of God, you have encouraged rebellion, you have told her that she does not need God’s forgiveness for all sins. You deny the justice of God’s will, rejecting his word as subservient to your desires.
So likewise are your words so full of self pride that I must tell you that you as well must realize that placing ones self above the word of God is the foundation of heresy.
Comment by MikeB on May 6, 2024 at 8:33 pm
Ed S,
When someone starts off by giving their pedigree, they are about to try to sell you on something, it’s a natural human behavior when dishonesty is present.
Lets get to some facts, science has shown again and again that there is no such thing as a homosexual “predisposition”, for decades they have tried to prove one, but they haven’t been able to. That means that people who you refer to as Homosexual are really the same as you or I, no different. Homosexual acts are a normal sin, like greed, or envy, but again, you place this one on a pedestal, I do not see you pushing for gambling addicts or murderers to be in the ministry, no, you have carved out an exemption for one specific sin.
Secondly you have a warped sense of Love, to Love ones neighbor does not mean to give a heroin addict more heroin, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, we in Christ would not want to continue sinning against He who died for us, to throw his love and sacrifice into the mud, know that I sin as much as any man, and I do require correction in love. For I love Christ so much that to not help me stop from stumbling is to not love me.
All of your follow on points show nothing but a man who sees anything other than enabling as a form of hatred. It is sad, but you do not know the Lord, you seem alien to the actual joy of the Lord. You speak of Grace, yet claim that non monogamous sexual acts are a sin but monogamous ones are not. What absurd pretentiousness, what disdain for God to take it upon yourself to declare a new morality.
Your words are of sounding brass, they are a semblance of words that are void of meaning. You repeat talking points that someone has assembled for you but not to your merit. Know that we all fall short of the Glory of God, that his death is enough to pay the price, but do not decide yourself that “sin” is what you make of it.
Comment by Mark S. on May 6, 2024 at 11:18 pm
Even if you knew nothing else about the situation you’d have to be very concerned about a denomination that: 1) has clergy who lied at their ordination, and 2) has congregants whose self-identity revolves mainly around their sexual predilections. I could be wrong but this doesn’t seem like a good recipe for an effective Christian witness.
Comment by JoeR on May 7, 2024 at 2:14 pm
George Gorman,
I would rather be the last Methodist standing for Jesus than any number dancing to the tune of the latest flavor of the month poll.
Based upon past splits from other denominations and seeing which side is shrinking rapidly I don’t think I will have to turn out the lights and lock the door.
Comment by Ted on May 7, 2024 at 2:51 pm
To Mike B. …….. AMEN, AMEN, AMEN !!!!
Too many so-called Christians, such as Ed & Celeste have wandered so far away from Biblical teaching and are now advocating for what society wants. How they can advocate for “societal correctness” over God’s dictates simply indicates the shallowness of their soul.
Comment by Wayne on May 7, 2024 at 3:43 pm
To quote the great Bible teacher David Pawson
“the church follows society downhill….15 years later”
Comment by Carl on May 7, 2024 at 4:33 pm
As a pastor of a disaffiliated church I can testify to the love and grace of the UMC. Immediately after our vote 80% for disaffiliation, my DS fired me. The reason? I was invited to speak at a Baptist church, four months prior to the meeting. where I asked them to pray for the UMC. A fellow pastor, at a district meeting stated there were other ways to heaven than Jesus Christ and was not called out. I asked them to pray about this. How dare me.
After reading about the GC and how father and mother would no longer be used in the UMC I would be interested in knowing how they intend to say the Lord’s Prayer. Will they now pray to “The Boly Queer One” as the seminary students did? I wonder how they read Romans chapter one. If we truly love, then we will indeed invited our homosexual neighbors to church, along with the thieves and liars along with those that cheat on their spouses. Not to celebrate their sins but to preach Romans 3:23, to preach that it is through the blood of Jesus that we are saved. It is that blood that covers our sins and separates those sins from God’s eyes as far as the East is from the West. Marriage is between a man and a woman, not man and man, woman and woman, man and three women.
The Word of God does not change. It is those that don’t want to give up an apostate life that try’s to change it. I am praying for the bishops, the pastors and the leaders. For as James said, Brothers we should not all be teachers, for they are held to a higher standard. Or as Jesus said about the children, and we are all his children, it is better for a millstone to be wrapped around your neck and casted into the sea than lead one astray.
God have mercy on these people, may the Holy Spirit wake them so they can see the error of their ways before that great and notable day of the Lord. I pray they change and not hear God tell them, depart from me you workers of enquiry, I never knew you.
Comment by Carol Tatum on May 8, 2024 at 9:58 am
I and my grandparents all worked at HPUMC. I saw this coming for many years. It’s been like death by slow torture. I am no longer a Methodist, global or otherwise. The UMC was hijacked by sin(ners). I’m just glad my grandparents aren’t around to witness this horrific apostolic abomination. My estate goes elsewhere.
Comment by Carol Tatum on May 8, 2024 at 9:59 am
I and my grandparents all worked at HPUMC. I saw this coming for many years. It’s been like death by slow torture. I am no longer a Methodist, global or otherwise. The UMC was hijacked by sin(ners). I’m just glad my grandparents aren’t around to witness this horrific apostolic abomination. My estate goes elsewhere.
Comment by Thomas on May 9, 2024 at 10:01 pm
To accept all people means to reject sinful behaviour. If there are people with same-sex attraction these people are called to chastity and living according with the Christian faith. So simple as that. There are plenty of people with same-sex attraction who are able to live that way and there are ministries like Living Out and Courage International that help them. If there are people like that we decide to live otherwise, they also deserve our respect and prayers, but don`t except we will change Christian doctrine only to include sinful and immoral behaviour. Its these people who need to change, not Christianity.
Comment by Roy H on May 13, 2024 at 8:39 pm
In the past bishops openly defied the rules about ordaining homosexual pastors and performing same-sex marriages.
Now that the rules have been changed, they want you to believe that pastors who refuse to perform same-sex marriages will not be punished.
I believe these zealots for whom the rules meant nothing before will have no problem violating this one as well, and these refusing pastors will indeed be punished, and severely.