The Global Methodist Church Is Newly Formed But Is Not Actually Operating At This Time
You may have the impression based on a well-designed website and mission statement that the Global Methodist Church is a real entity. It did officially form in May of 2022, but churches are still in the process of joining it. There are many unknowns about how the church may function when it actually begins operating. The GMC was founded as a new breakaway denomination envisioned by those who wished to secede from the United Methodist Church. They did not follow the normal discernment processes of General Conference, for they formed even though General Conference was delayed until 2024 and whether or not the proposed Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation ever passes.
WCA leader Chris Ritter has suggested that this will enable churches to leave with their property under Par. 2548.2 of the Book of Discipline, but the GMC is not currently a member of the Pan-Methodist Council nor is its status as another evangelical denomination able to enter into comity agreements assured under this provision. No, churches who choose to disaffiliate at this time must enter the 3-6 month discernment process required by our Annual Conference and settle their financial obligations.
What Are The Wider Implications
The Global Methodist Churchs temporary leadership body will now have to decide on whether to adopt the recommendations it received from the Wesleyan Covenant Association. If it does, it will be a significant development for the denomination.
But much else remains undetermined. Regional UMC conferences will determine this summer whether to approve requests by individual churches wanting to disaffiliate. Other major decisions await the approval of delegates at the UMC General Conference in 2024.
Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean. Reach him at [email protected] or on Twitter @liamsadams.
What Centrists Need To Know About The Proposed Global Methodist Church
Traditionalist United Methodists are making plans to launch the Global Methodist Church. This would be their new church home upon leaving The United Methodist Church . Heather Hahn, assistant editor of United Methodist News, has written a helpful background article. What do centrists need to know about this proposed denomination?
To answer this question, I have examined their Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline , which offers a glimpse of the kind of church imagined by members of the Wesleyan Covenant Association and their allies. This denominational blueprint provides a lot of detail, grist for debate, but there is also a lot unstated. One could easily get into the weeds of itinerancy, sacramental privilege of deacons, election and term of bishops, educational requirements for ordination, no trust clause, the definition of valid Christian baptism, exclusively masculine language for God, and of course the pages and pages of judicial administration. Steve West does a good job naming the most critical features of the Transitional Book in his open letter to Chris Ritter. I will focus on what I consider to be the most problematic issues: control, privilege, and patronage.
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How Did Deliberations Play Out
Each of the measures on Friday passed with more than 95% approval from the 235 delegates that comprise the Wesleyan Covenant Association’s legislative assembly. The consensus contrasts with the division between this group and others within the UMC in years prior over topics like sexuality and gender identity.
Related:Global Methodist Church announces May launch, split from United Methodist Church over LGBTQ rights
The vote on the sexual holiness resolution followed a presentation by a task force that studied the topic and developed the recommendations included in the approved resolution. The delegates approved an amendment adding a recommendations for the development of resources for church leadership and laity promoting the idea that “a committed marriage between one man and one woman as the optimal environment for nurturing and raising children.”
Previously:Methodists focus on Easter amid denominational schism and the tough decisions ahead
What Is The Significance Of The Event
The Global Methodist Church launched earlier than originally expected, casting it in a state of flux right as churches are already joining. The churches joining are those that have left the UMC.
The Wesleyan Covenant Association, an advocacy group, is meeting partly to recommend policies the Global Methodist Churchs leadership can adopt to establish a doctrinal foundation.
The Wesleyan Covenant Association issued its recommendations through a series of votes cast by the groups legislative assembly.
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Global Methodist Church Vs United Methodist Church
This team will consist of eleven Canterbury members, each of whom we believe has the gift of discernment, and me. Canterbury joins Trinity UMC, Asbury UMC, and Bluff Park UMC in following this model. Each has formed Discernment Teams, in part, to address concerns regarding the likelihood of division in the United Methodist Church.
Rns Passing The Gavel
New Council of Bishops President Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, left, receives the gavel from outgoing President Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey during the spring meeting, Friday, April 29, 2022.
The dividing conflict within the United Methodists Church mainly the question of LGBTQ inclusion and affirmation goes back to 1972, when the General Conference voted to add language to the denominations Book of Discipline declaring that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.
That language was revisited every four years at subsequent General Conference meetings until 2016, when delegates voted to hold a special session to finally settle the debate. At the 2019 special session, delegates narrowly voted to adopt what was known as the Traditional Plan, which upheld and strengthened language banning the ordination and marriage of LGBTQ United Methodists.
But the debate was hardly settled. Many LGBTQ United Methodists and their allies immediately vowed to resist and remain in the denomination.
Devastated by what he called the poor witness of the contentious special session, Bishop John Yambasu of Sierra Leone called a meeting of several bishops from outside the United States, as well as leaders from advocacy groups across traditionalist, centrist, and progressive views.
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Three Rings To Rule Them All
Beginning in 2016, the Wesleyan Covenant Association emerged as a new effort to organize Traditionalists inside and outside The United Methodist Church. As I write this, we are one week away from the official launch of the Global Methodist Church as an actual denomination, which is owned that same Wesleyan Covenant Association. Whereas the Southern Methodist Church began out of opposition to African-Americans, the Global Methodist Church began out of opposition to LGBTQ+ inclusion, though both denominations fall over themselves trying to say otherwise.
When we look at our history, weve seen these efforts before. Weve seen the same claims of persecution as the basis for separation. Weve seen the same denigrating of minorities. Weve even seen the same regions of the South in leadership then as now.
The Global Methodist Church has worked hard to avoid past mistakes. The Protocol would have allowed them to leave with money and property that the Southern Methodist Church lackedbut there are other efforts underway to achieve the same goal. The already-established social media channels and publishing arm of Seedbed reach further than even Charles Keysors Good News email list. And it is only a matter of time before the Global Methodist Church incorporates that shadow denominational structure into its own structure.
Global Methodist Church Launches Separates From United Methodist Church
Posted by Jeff Johnston | May 4, 2022 | Culture
The Global Methodist Church , a new, international denomination, launched on May 1st, providing a home for churches who want to leave the United Methodist Church .
The separation comes after years of contention in the UMC over the authority of Scripture, the sanctity of life, and Gods design for marriage and sexuality. The denomination has been in conflict over ministers, bishops and institutions that do not follow Scripture or The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church.
GMC pointed to delays in the UMC holding its General Conference, where a proposal for separating was to have been voted on, and said the group would begin without conference approval:
United Methodist Church leaders have failed to make timely arrangements for holding a General Conference in 2022, and so have postponed it for a third time. Therefore, the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation, a plan that would have resulted in an amicable and orderly separation will not be adopted until at least 2024.
The UMCs Council of Bishops acknowledged the breakup last week, after a five-day meeting.
In 2019, delegates from around the world met at a Special General Conference and voted to affirm Gods plan for marriage between a husband and wife. Delegates rejected a plan that would have allowed homosexual unions and gay-identified clergy members.
No longer willing to wait, GMC announced it was forging ahead.
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After Years Of Debate Conservatives Split From United Methodist Church
It was a very special Sunday, the Rev. JJ Mannschreck explained to his congregation during the traditional service streamed online from the United Methodist Church in Flushing, Mich.
The congregation shared prayer requests and celebrated what the pastor called Gods victories namely the churchs community garden, which its youths were planning to ready for spring that day.
Flushings United Women of Faith threw a baby shower between services for Mannschrecks fourth and youngest son, Asher.
And what made it special a member of the churchs preaching team delivered her first sermon, about Moses and forgiveness, as part of the sermon series There and Back Again, a reference to J.R.R. Tolkiens classic novel The Hobbit.
What no one mentioned was that May 1 was also the launch of the Global Methodist Church, a new theologically conservative denomination splintering from the United Methodist Church that Mannschreck plans to join.
After decades of rancorous debate over the ordination and marriage of LGBTQ United Methodists, a special session of the United Methodist Churchs General Conference and three postponements of a vote to formally split the denomination, the schism finally came without fanfare, but full of hope, faith, and perseverance.
That debate came to a head in 2016, when bishops announced a special session of the General Conference devoted to the topic.
So has Boyette.
Some may wait to see what the General Conference decides in 2024.
Dual Membership Or Duplicity: African United Methodists And The Global Methodist Church
2:31 PM
Special to United Methodist Insight
A brilliant lawyer from the Democratic Republic of Congo made the news a few years ago as they developed their thesis on neutrality as an expression of cowardice. Jacques Mukonga Sefu at the 33rd Congress of the International Conference of Bars of Common Legal Tradition in Lausanne, 2019, notes that Yes I know! We have been touted a thousand virtues of neutrality. It has been rumoured that neutrality would be the wisdom of prudence or the prudence of wisdom that neutrality would preserve revenge, confrontation that it would guarantee republican peace it has even been argued that neutrality would be a guarantee of credibility No, that’s just a thunderous peroration. To tell the truth, God knows that all neutrality hides a cowardice which is ashamed to confess. Yes, neutrality is cowardice.
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Our Path Forward Information Sessions & Mumc Faqs
Information Sessions concerning the Protocol/Postponement of the 2022 UMC General Conference and the UMC/MUMC Path Forward are being held at MUMC in 2022.Our Path Forward Session 1: April 4, 2022– Watch here& view information packet here.Our Path Forward Session 2 with Rev. Amy Coles: June 5, 2022 – Watch here and info packet here. Our Path Forward Session 3 with Rev. Kim Ingram: August 28, 2022 – Watch here, view PowerPoint presentation here and info packet here.Matthews UMC Frequently Asked Questions – updated 6/30/22 to include questions from our June 5Our Path Forward Session & other recent info from The UMC.
Ten Reasons Why Ill Join The Global Methodist Church
As more and more congregations are discerning where their future lies, I offer some of the things I considered as I made my decision to join the Global Methodist Church. I was humbled to be one of the initial drafters of the GMCs Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline. I invite you to focus on the future as I share ten reasons why I joined the Global Methodist Church when it launched.
1. Orthodox Theology That Stands on Scriptural Authority
The Global Methodist Church has a strong, orthodox doctrine squarely in the center of the 2,000-year tradition of the greater church: Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox. It is a creedal church that proudly stands on the rich tradition and history of our church fathers and mothers. Intentionally, the GMC includes as official doctrine the Nicene Creed , the Apostles Creed , and the Definition of Chalcedon . It may surprise you to know that the Nicene and Apostles Creeds are not official doctrine of The United Methodist Church. Theyre in The United Methodist Hymnal, but not the Book of Discipline.
Moreover, the GMC has added the Definition of Chalcedon adopted by the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. The Chalcedonian Definition cements our understanding of who Jesus is. It ensures that the GMCs Christology will be orthodox and clear. To me these items are foundational. They signal that the GMC is deliberately aligning itself with the wider, ecumenical, historical authority of the greater church. I give thanks for this.
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The United Methodist Church Is Already Global
There are a number of Wesleyan and Methodist denominations in the world, numbering some 80 million members. The UMC is the largest of these bodies world-wide , and the total has grown slightly in recent years. It is the largest mainline denomination in the United States, the second largest Protestant denomination in the US , and the third largest Christian denomination in the US . While there are over 7 million United Methodists in the US, there are over 5 million members in other parts of the world. The UMC is already a global church, though it is largely funded by the churches in the United States. The proposed new Global Methodist Church is being fueled by a minority of United Methodists in the United States who are hoping to recruit members from other countries to form a new denomination. The UMC will continue its work around the globe long after the GMC secedes from the UMC.
Young People Might Have A Hard Time With A New So
We believe that no matter what we might disagree on regarding matters that are important , the essence of what it means to be a Christian is to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. This is what Jesus said, and this what John Wesley said, too. We believe the very definition of Gods Church is that we are diverse and beautiful children of God, called to worship together and speak the truth in love to one another, at times agreeing to disagree but always with love. We are called to do this by remaining at the table together. We believe we must do this by loving, accepting, and affirming everyone who comes through our doors. Young people, especially, understand this and many will not participate in a church that they perceive as judgmental towards LGBTQ+ persons.
We have a passion for evangelism and for the revitalization of the church. Like those who plan to leave our denomination, we dont want to remain caught up in issues that divide us. We believe the Holy Spirit will empower the post-separation UMC to move forward freely in history, plant many new churches, bring people to Jesus Christ, and follow the will of God.
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Two Methodisms: A Comparison Chart
I am often approached by people seeking information on the options that will become available once the Separation Protocol is approved. No one can say with 100% clarity what the future might hold because so many decisions are yet to be made. There will be splintering, for sure. On the traditional side, some large congregations are seeking an independent future. On the Progressive side, there is a tiny Liberation Methodist Connexion that may or may not become a separate denomination. For most rank-and-file United Methodists, however, the options will be two: The post-separation United Methodist Church or the Global Methodist Church.
So far, there are two competing visions for the future of the post-separation UMC. The first is an effort on the part of Progressives to shape the remaining institution around the concepts of intersectional justice. This is the “Out of Chaos… Creation Group.” The other vision is captured in a working documentshared by a group of bishops that calls for a regionalized, theological “big tent.” This more recent proposal seems to be aimed at keeping Centrists and Traditionalists in the UMC.
The Transitional Leadership Council Wields Much Power In The Proposed Gmc
A group called the Transitional Leadership Council within the proposed GMC has endowed itself with broad powers. According to the Transitional Book of Doctrines and Disciplines, the Transitional Leadership Council shall have the power to:
We understand the Transitional Leadership Council is intended to be temporary. However, many statements in the proposed Transitional Book of Doctrine and Disciplines refer to the Transitional Leadership Council or its successor. See Par. 354. Likewise, this group has considerable power over the Convening General Conference . In any organization, the structures and norms that are operative at initial stages of development tend to become the default. Thus, it could be a mistake to assume these powers will be limited, necessary, and temporary. It may be better to understand these powers as indicative of the direction of the GMC.
Of additional concern is that in its April 12, 2022 update to the Transitional Book of Doctrine and Disciplines, it the creation of a Transitional Connectional Operating Officer giving him or her many of the functions of the entire committee, making the office something like a single point of control for the new denomination.
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