Some of the most progressive leaders in the United Methodist Church (UMC) plan to remain in and influence the denomination after it’s impending schism through a new group called The Liberation Project.
The Liberation Project is one of two groups to come out of the progressive UM-Forward caucus. As Hacking Christianity blogger the Rev. Jeremy Smith has reported, since 2018, UM-Forward has hosted conversations about two options: staying in and fighting for change within The UMC, or starting a new expression outside of the UMC.
Along with The Liberation Project there is the Liberation Methodist Connexion (LMX), a new denomination launched November 29, ostensibly for those who do not wish to be part of the post-separation UMC (psUMC). Read Mark Tooley’s report here.
UM-Forward announced The Liberation Project in October:
While its work is expansive and moves beyond traditional denominational systems, in the context of an extraordinary global sea-change, The Liberation Project is called to a radical reformation of The United Methodist Church… The Liberation Project will resource and empower liberationist congregations as it joins with the divine in creating a more flourishing world.
In an interview with Hacking Christianity, The Liberation Project’s leaders emphasized that faith is a core value: “We are also deeply faith-based–we do not see this as ‘practicing secular social justice with a little bit of Jesus sprinkled on.’ Rather, we see faith as foundational and intrinsic to the work of any truly transformative justice.”
In the group’s online launch event on November 19, the Rev. Tyler Sit, church planter and pastor of New City Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, shared a commitment to not fall into common traps for progressive faith-based groups: “one of the values of The Liberation Project is not to recreate social justice purity culture where we’re going to out-woke each other.”
The content created by The Liberation Project will bring liberation theology to United Methodist congregations in a variety of mediums, including liturgies, music, visual art, essays, and podcasts.
Cameron Overton, lay worship pastor of Zao MKE Church in Milwaukee, one of six speakers at the launch event, asked: “What would it look like if we had liberation in mind when we did music, art on our walls, and recreating old things into something new and meaningful to us now?” Overton identifies as trans and queer.
Rev. Jonah Overton, another featured speaker, and Cameron’s spouse, will put out a podcast called Jonah and the Peacock, which will explore the Bible through lenses such as queerness, transness, or blackness. Jonah identifies as trans and genderqueer, not adhering to any one gender. Speakers at both The Liberation Project and the LMX launch were listed with their preferred pronouns.
For Victoria Sun Esparza of Dallas, Texas, who identifies as queer, liberation means being able to freely and naturally let the pronouns she wants to use for God. To the acclaim of the rest of the panel and the audience, she shared how in a recent letter to the families at her church she wrote “How amazing is it that God loved us so much, that she came to be with us on Earth?” because that is what felt right to her in the moment.
For both LMX and The Liberation Project, liberation may also include support for non-monogamous relationships. LMX on its homepage invites “the full participation” of those in non-monogamous relationships. Liberation Project Organizing Team member Rev. Austin Adkinson, a past jurisdictional alternate delegate for the Pacific Northwest Conference, has argued that the Gospel can support polyamory, and does not think that any sexual identity is in itself sinful.
Can Someone Be a Member of Both the UMC and LMX?
While it is clear that The Liberation Project is for “stayers,” leaders of the nascent LMX are vague about whether joining the new denomination truly constitutes leaving the UMC.
Emily McFarlan Miller of RNS reports that “members aren’t expected to leave their denominations or faiths to join the LMX. In fact, collaborators said Sunday, United Methodist members are encouraged to continue to partner with the United Methodist Church’s ethnic caucuses.”
What is not vague is United Methodist church law on membership. As John Lomperis has previously reported, “United Methodist church law is very clear: ‘a person cannot belong to another denomination and remain a member of The United Methodist Church.’ ¶241 of the Discipline provides for the removal of lay members from our membership rolls when it is discovered they have joined another denomination.” In the UMC, there is no wiggle room for either clergy or laity to be members of two denominations.
Therefore, if any United Methodist were to officially join the LMX and not simply work with it, then they will have surrendered their status as UM clergy or laity.
It is not clear if the LMX has any full-fledged lay members or individual clergy, let alone congregations. LMX’s website lists over 40 “collaborators,” the vast majority of whom are clergy. RNS also reported that speakers at the launch event declined to share how many churches or individuals have expressed interest in joining.
All this begs the question of whether LMX is a real denomination at present. If many of those involved with LMX decline to switch their membership, the group may instead function primarily in the same way that UM-Forward has for the past two years, just with a new name.
Regardless of the exact plans of LMX, it is clear that outspoken, committed LGBTQ liberationist voices will be present in the post-separation UMC and fighting hard to continue to liberalize the denomination’s doctrine on not only sexuality but the identity of God as presented in the Bible.
(An earlier version of this article reported that the Rev. Austin Adkinson was a past General Conference delegate. He actually was a member of the Pacific-Northwest Annual Conference’s 2016 delegation, but as a jurisdictional alternate rather than a General Conference delegate. We regret the error.)
Comment by Bill Baker on December 7, 2020 at 8:56 am
Sounds like First Church of Sodom and Gomorrah. In their own “rules” when someone self identifies as a particular gender, everyone must accept that and even change proper English grammar to accomdate that identity. Yet even though we know God is spirit, he has self identified as male, i.e. Father and Son. He could have easily identified as Mother and Daughter if He wished, but chose a different specific gender. So, why are they changing the rules, refusing to accept God’s own gender identification? Why does God not get to self identify? Why is it ok for a human to self identify but not God? Why do they continue to refer to God as “she” improperly addressing him by his preferred gender pronoun? And why would such progressive/liberal people refuse to accept his gender identity, when they demand that the rest of us must accept whatever they say? It’s just hypocrisy again and again. We need to wake up from wokeness. This is idiocy maskerading as intelligence. They freely break their own rules, because they don’t believe it either, it’s just a tool to gain power.
Comment by Al on December 7, 2020 at 9:12 am
Depart from the Word and that’s what happens. Always.
Comment by David on December 7, 2020 at 9:54 am
As someone who grew up in the Methodist Church, but is now Presbyterian, I continue to follow the UMC developments intently.
LMX sounds like it may follow the template for what happened in the PCUSA with The Fellowship. Specifically, the organization started out as a networking group for those who are on the more Evangelical-Orthodox end of the Reformed Tradition. Once the amendments regarding ordination and marriage passed, following the 2010 and 2014 General Assemblies, and the mass exodus began, which the current Stated Clerk continues to willfully refuse to accept why, the ECO denomination formed from Fellowship, and Fellowship under went a quasi-reorganization as a parachurch organization to provide continued connection between those who left and those who chose to remain for usually difficult, but practical reasons, such as individual clergy nearing retirement or the congregation couldn’t afford the exit payment. (Assuming that a recalcitrant Presbytery didn’t try to take the TEC approach, which both PCUSA and UMC have realized only leads to bitterness, anger, and a stain on the church as a whole.)
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Comment by Dan Moran on December 7, 2020 at 10:57 am
David, that’s an interesting point regarding The Fellowship, which despite my familiarity with ECO and the PCUSA split I hadn’t heard of.
There are so many parallels with what’s going on in the UMC with what happened with the PCUSA, TEC, and ELCA (which I’ve written about). What’s different and notable about the LMX is that they aren’t there for the mass exodus of traditionalists/evangelicals, but a potential mini exodus of super progressives, aka “liberationists.”
I’m curious to see whether there is a cohesive coalition of progressives willing and organized enough to leave the relative comfort of the post-separation UMC, which will be trending progressive, if a bit too slowly for their taste.
Comment by What about the poor and vulnerable on December 7, 2020 at 12:57 pm
I cannot understand how supposedly educated people can so positively sanction behavior and choices that destroy the lives of people. The nuclear family has been among the foundation stones of civilization for thousands of years now, and these folks and their fellow travelers are trying totally destroy and replace it with what?
Obviously the LGBTQ people involved here are sure enough of themselves to live this kind of life now. But what happens to the mentally ill, abused, and those who regret their decision to try a different lifestyle because of their experience? Where do they find help to change? These folks won’t be around to help, just like the secular people who they enable will not be around to help.
What happens to these people when one day they grow old, and there is no family to help them or love them or care for them? What happens when they desperately need the intimacy of a real permanent relationship and there is no one for them? If they are truly committed Christians who asked forgiveness for their sins God will be with them, but He also set up a social need for people to have close personal relationships with each other. It seems pretty clear the lifestyle they espouse usually ends up in a dead end of sadness and misery for many who try it.
What a tragedy.
Comment by GERRY MCDANIEL on December 7, 2020 at 3:42 pm
Once Traditionalists leave should be very easy pickings for “The Liberation Project”. Life is dynamic so decisions are not static, they have a trajectory and the Liberation Project will speed the psUMC quickly to the most radical expressions of their agenda.
Too bad for “centrists” and “moderates” but they should have been more careful in what they wished for.
Comment by Jeff on December 7, 2020 at 4:26 pm
Of course the Alphabet Heretics will stay in the United Nicolaitan Church rather than starting their own House of Apostasy. Marxists don’t like to fund themselves — they need the centrists as useful tools to pay their way.
Comment by MJ on December 8, 2020 at 8:17 am
“Therefore, if any United Methodist were to officially join the LMX and not simply work with it, then they will have surrendered their status as UM clergy or laity.”
Dan, Dan, Dan…if we have learned anything from the experience of the other mainline churches it’s that the rules don’t apply to the woke. Just trying to keep it real.
Comment by William on December 8, 2020 at 10:50 am
A former real Methodist preacher used to pause at points in his sermons with this question, “are you listening?” He would also often ask, “are you ready?” He’s now with God, but I can imagine him now asking regarding our schism, “are you paying attention?”.
How many United Methodist are paying attention to our denomination as it unravels ? How many United Methodists know the differences between the emerging denominations — specifically the differences between these two emerging liberal denominations and the emerging traditional-orthodox-Wesleyan-Methodist denomination?
Comment by senecagriggs on December 9, 2020 at 5:33 am
LMX; I predict they will be “all hat, no cattle.”
Comment by Dan Moran on December 9, 2020 at 10:16 am
William,
Your points are well taken. This is exactly why IRD and UM Action organize United Methodists and write about what’s going on in the denomination – to get more people aware and informed.
Comment by William on December 13, 2020 at 11:45 am
Dan,
You do not realize how much you, IRD, and UM Action are appreciated by traditional, Bible believing Methodists. THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
You mention, “organize United Methodists”. Correct me if I’m wrong, but my greatest concern, along with that of many others I suspect, will be the time following separation when there will be a monumental battle “organizing United Methodists” prior to the affiliation voting. I foresee the present UMC (which will become a new liberal post schism UMC) as being the major challenge in penetrating and truthfully disseminating accurate information regarding all the NEW denominations emerging, especially the new Traditional Methodist denomination, prior to the affiliation voting. There is no historic evidence that the liberal bishops will fully allow this. In fact, they will likely do everything in their power to block the free flow of information in order to retain as many churches as possible — starting with the FALSE NARRATIVE that all theological perspectives — traditional, centrist, and progressive — will be welcome and respected in this new liberal psUMC. This will be one tough reality to deal with and overcome, — again, certainly for the new Traditional Methodist denomination.
Comment by William on December 15, 2020 at 8:47 pm
Just interested — if there’s a liberation Methodist is on here, how do you read this Scripture?
1 Corinthians 6:18-20
18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
Comment by Mike on December 21, 2020 at 1:59 pm
How is this different than United Methodists who are members of the Wesleyan Covenant Association?