Institute on Religion and Democracy Press Release | March 3, 2022
Contact: Jeff Walton o: 202-682-4131, c: 202-413-5639 e: jwalton@TheIRD.org
A divided Commission on General Conference acceded to an intense institutionalist pressure campaign by preventing the already repeatedly rescheduled United Methodist Church’s General Conference from meeting before 2024. This decision was extremely unwise and potentially destructive.
It is essentially an extraordinary filibuster of the entire General Conference even as United Methodists across the spectrum agree a negotiated denominational split is needed.
This rushed decision ignores how many other major denominational assemblies and international conferences are meeting in person in America this year, how at least half of American annual conferences are back to meeting largely in person, and how even Africa is on track to get Covid-19 under control this year.
The General Conference Commission and staff, as stewards of our apportionment dollars had one job: to make General Conference happen.
The Commission’s majority and those who pressured them into this destructive path will provoke confusion, more church division, and litigation in which there are no winners.
Our Council of Bishops can avoid this tragedy by calling a special General Conference to help our church move forward, which a majority of them may do at any time.
UMAction will work with any good-faith partners for the “Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation” proposal. Without this compromise, traditionalists may have to “go it alone” and push through a fairer settlement.
The United Methodist Church remains our church, and we will continue to defend its doctrine and moral standards.
We will have more to say and do in the coming days.
John Lomperis, UM Action Director, Indiana General Conference delegate
Mark Tooley, IRD President, UM Action founder, Virginia United Methodist
Rev. Martin Nicholas, UM Action Steering Committee Chair, Texas Annual Conference
Comment by Keith on March 3, 2022 at 8:44 pm
The result of this decision would be another two years of open hypocrisy by the UMC’s bureaucracy.
Enough.
It’s time for a decision. The Texas Conference is gone.
Comment by Reynolds on March 3, 2022 at 11:15 pm
I told you they would not allow a vote. I don’t understand the lack of intelligence at the WCA. They don’t ever plan on allowing a vote to happen. Y’all keep taking about the Protocol. A large UMC church in Alabama is leaving to join Free Methodist. This will be a slow bleed for mega churches to leave. The WCA did not have what it takes to fight so you lost. The UMC will end up like the TEC and PCUSA. Only the rich churches will be allowed to leave which will be about 2%. Can a whole AC leave is so then AC should go there own way. The WCA is/was a complete failure. You didn’t understand how hard the liberals were willing to fight.
Comment by Jeff on March 4, 2022 at 2:14 am
John, stop your pathetic whining. Pull your head out and wise up.
You, Boyette, and WCA have been played like a fiddle by the CGC.
Just like the leftist secular Jew Ken Feinberg played all of you. Like a fiddle!
Now what?
Comment by Chijohnnwankwo on March 4, 2022 at 4:49 am
Very great article. Thank you.
Comment by Paul on March 4, 2022 at 8:12 am
“Without this compromise, traditionalists may have to “go it alone” and push through a fairer settlement. ” Published same day as WCA announces May 1 launch of the GMC. Looks as if Lomperis is out of the loop — at least not on the “first to know” list.
Comment by Steve on March 4, 2022 at 10:03 am
What gets me about the WCA and GMC proponents is that the membership trends in the UMC point to more traditionalist votes as time goes on. Even the progressives at Hacking Christianity admit this “What is important to watch in 2024 is whether the depopulation of the United Methodists in the United States and the rising numbers of global United Methodists push anti-gay votes into the 66% percentile,… Should the ratio of traditionalist delegates rise to the 66% percentile, progressives would be highly unlikely to get any legislation passed.” – This is from the very progressive Rev Jeremy Smith.
As time passes, we, the traditionalists, are more likely to win. This is an odd situation where the victors are fleeing in the face of victory.
Comment by Reynolds on March 4, 2022 at 10:58 am
Steve,
You are correct. If the WCA was willing to fight, they would win. They need to fight like the SBC did in the 1980s. Conservative would take over by 2028. I do not know why they push a Protocol vote that wont happen till they take over. Rich churches are leaving now because they were lied to by the WCA. The WCA needs to come out and say we are going to take over the UMC. The liberals then would start to leave and we could let them and be gracious about it. I have never seen a dumber strategy in my life.
Comment by Marc on March 4, 2022 at 11:41 am
Time to renegotiate the monstrously one-sided separation agreement
Comment by td on March 4, 2022 at 11:49 am
The kindest way to describe the UMC is as a dysfunctional institution. Except for some notable pockets in the US, the UMC in the US is a “church” devoid of believers.
Comment by John Lomperis on March 4, 2022 at 11:51 am
We are well aware of the launch of the GMC. But the current terms and possibilities for separation remain inadequate and not fully accessible to all. The situation is a mess.
The anger is understandable, and I share in it. But if commenters are genuinely concerned for promoting traditionalist values in the UMC, it would be a more constructive use of their time if they would be willing to actually roll up their sleeves and themselves doing some of the hard work of fighting (filing complaints, etc.) rather than just throwing rocks at those of us who have been doing such hard work.
Comment by Trish on March 4, 2022 at 3:15 pm
I agree with John. Jeff, Reynolds, you are venting your frustration to the wrong people. The WCA has been working tirelessly to be Christlike in its proposals. Theirs has been to work out the church legalities to benefit all concerned–and to us in majority far left annual conferences, to give us hope and support.
Comment by Gary Bebop on March 4, 2022 at 4:06 pm
John, I agree with you that these commenters throwing rocks from the sidelines have no clue what the hard work entails. I know you are personally engaged to the utmost, “speaking truth to power” and contending for the faith. The separation debate has been transformed by announcement of a new GC delay and formation of the GMC. It would now be cruel, unethical, and immoral for vengeful bishops and annual conferences to obstruct local churches from separating to new affiliations. “Set the bar low and let them go!”
Comment by Pudentiana on March 4, 2022 at 4:47 pm
Laity may as well abandon their outdated churches to the corrupt denomination and begin to rent or build so they can worship in peace according to the Word of God and not live with the curse of Romans Chapter One.
Comment by Reynolds on March 4, 2022 at 6:38 pm
Trish,
You are wrong. GMC is playing the worst possible hand. This will not allow many churches to leave the UMC. The best hand would be to stay and fight. The SBC did this on the eighties and won and now look at it. The GMC will have very few churches follow since most churches will not be able to pay their way out. If you read the judicial council, any AC can put on whatever restrictions they want for a church to leave. Certain states like TX and MN have allowed churches to leave the denomination without having to pay for anything. John complains that I don’t give advice but I did. The numbers are on our side just stay and fight but they decide to fold a winning hand and picked up the worst hand possible. This is beyond a level a stupid I am not use to. I attend a church in a conservative AC so it will be interesting to see if it goes. I feel for the churches in North Georgia conference who are held hostage and now left for dead by the WCA
Comment by John Smith on March 5, 2022 at 5:21 pm
The two year delay will serve the same purpose as the CoVid delay, to purge conservative leaders and influence. I see little chance for a special GC. Most pewsitters have no idea of what is going on and when the time comes for a vote will decide to stay with the tried and true and follow their appointed leaders.
Perception means a lot in this kind of thing and it appears that the progressives are shouting “Roll Tide!” and everybody believes the tide has turned to the progressives.
Comment by Anthony on March 10, 2022 at 9:39 am
The Global Methodist Church will launch. It is taking a first step in FAITH. Forgoing the $25 million liberals accused it of trying to obtain, it is doing what it promised. It has said all along that if the Protocol is not adopted at the 2022 General Conference, it will launch anyway. The leaders of the GMC have ALWAYS kept their word from the get go, something the leaders of the UMC just don’t understand. The leaders of the GMC launch could not have been more honest and transparent as is humanly possible.
Staying and fighting these rogues in the UMC — even with some sort of another “win” — traditionalists have won every vote at General Conference since 1972, — would so damage an orthodox restoration effort as to make it impossible as these liberals would continue sabotaging this latest “win”. Besides, these people relish conflict and bringing misery on others. The only realistic hope of restoring orthodox Wesleyan Methodism and actually continuing the ON PAPER Methodist denomination in this 21st century is leaving these people to continue fighting among themselves and go to the GMC for a fresh start.
Comment by Steve on March 11, 2022 at 10:29 am
Honesty is important. Pretending that the GMC is the only orthodox Wesleyan Methodist denomination (even though it doesn’t exist yet) is not being honest. There are traditional Wesleyan denominations that have a proven track record, such as the Free Methodist Church and others. The GMC does not need to exist. Traditionalists who do not want to be in the UMC already have a home.
And what is the GMC going to do with the progressive pastors who are at traditional churches that will join the GMC? They will be coming with their churches or have to find another job. The GMC doesn’t have a plan to get rid of them that is any more enforceable than the UMC has. The GMC will eventually have to deal with the same problem the UMC is dealing with right now.
The best option for traditionalists is to either pass enforcible plans that will get rid of violators of the BOD from the UMC or go to a traditional Methodist denomination that has a proven track record. The GMC is not the answer. Just a delay in addressing the UMC’s current problems.
Comment by td on March 16, 2022 at 1:38 pm
Steve- the UMC has an appointed clergy- the clergy are appointed by the bishop to serve a local church in the annual conference to which the pastor belongs. (they are not attached to or chosen by the local UMC church). When a local church leaves the UMC, they lose their UMC pastor, and that pastor is reassigned by the bishop to another post in the annual conference.
Comment by Dr. T on March 17, 2022 at 11:32 am
The laity may not be currently aware of the situation, but seem to be coming up to speed much more quickly than I expected.
If the “progressives” are truly progressive then they understand that the Great Commission is being harmed by this infighting.
The Methodist episcopal church split into the the MEC, and the MEC South over slavery.
Would anyone argue that slavery is right and biblical now?
If we are moving to a church that has a bishop that has said that we have to be careful worshiping Jesus because of His “sins” and “bigotry”, then why are we even discussing this?
A split, or a church collapse (such as the United Church of Christ is inevitable.
Don’t forget. God is still in control. No matter what the name says on the sign.