by Jay Therrell
December 27, 2022
As 2022 draws to a close, the Wesleyan Covenant Association wants to take a moment to reflect on everything that has happened over the last 12 months. This has been a dramatic year– both positively and negatively – in the ongoing denominational drama surrounding disaffiliation from The United Methodist Church.
January, 2022
The year began with hope as many expected General Conference to take place beginning August 29. Expectations included the passage of the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace. Through Separation allowing an amicable separation for theologically conservative churches and pastors. It didn’t take long before rumors began to swirl that the Commission on General Conference may decide to postpone the General Conference once again, further perpetuating the unhealthy drama related to disaffiliation. One of the alleged reasons for the rumors were that non-U.S. delegates would have a difficult time getting vaccinated for COVID-19 and not be able to enter the United States. The WCA announced its COVID Vaccination Program in January sharing that it had raised enough money so that any non-U.S. General Conference delegate that wished to be vaccinated – regardless of theological persuasion – could receive one. The WCA also invited centrist and progressive organizations to join in this effort. (They declined.)
February, 2022
On February 24, the Commission on the General Conference voted to postpone the General Conference until 2024. The vote was 14 yeas and 9 nos. All the African members of the commission voted to have the General Conference in 2022. The stated reason for again delaying the event was that non-U.S. delegates would not be able to get visas in time to get into the United States for the meeting. Commission member, and WCA Global Council member, Rev. Joe DiPaolo, resigned from the commission while pulling the curtain back on the details of what happened in this article. Among the many stunning details was that the Commission on the General Conference staff had never sent invitation letters to non-U.S. delegates allowing them to get appointments for visa interviews.
March, 2022
After the dubious actions of the Commission on General Conference, the Transitional Leadership Council of the Global Methodist Church announced it was formally launching the GMC on May 1. The Wesleyan Covenant Association Global Council endorsed the decision.
May, 2022
On May 1, the Global Methodist Church launched. A few days later on May 6-7, the Wesleyan Covenant Association Global Legislative Assembly and Global Gathering occurred near Indianapolis, Indiana. During the Global Legislative Assembly, the Rev. Keith Boyette, president of the WCA, announced he would be departing to become the Transitional Connectional Officer for the Global Methodist Church. The Assembly elected the Rev. Jay Therrell, president of the WCA-Florida regional chapter, as its next global president to start on June 1. The Assembly also revised the WCA’s mission statement to have four focuses related to disaffiliation, accountability, and supporting the launch of the GMC. Later in the month, leaders of the Reform and Renewal Coalition (WCA, Good News, IRD/UMAction, and the Confessing Movement) met with leaders of the Africa Initiative in Nairobi, Kenya to discuss implications of all that had transpired earlier in 2022. The Judicial Council of The United Methodist Church ruled in decision 1444 that entire annual conferences could not disaffiliate from the UMC. The Judicial Council also ruled in decision 1445 that Jurisdictional Conferences to elect new bishops could take place despite the General Conference not meeting.
June, 2022
On June 7, 2022, the progressive and centrist signatories to the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation announced they were withdrawing their support from it. This decision effectively killed any chance of the Protocol passing General Conference and made clear that local churches needed to complete the disaffiliation process under paragraph 2553 of the United Methodist Book of Discipline (including annual conference approval) prior to the end of 2023 or risk being trapped in the UMC.
July, 2022
In July, WCA President, Jay Therrell, traveled across the United States hosting training sessions for WCA regional chapters. These chapters focused on empowering local WCA leaders to assist churches in disaffiliating from the UMC and joining the Global Methodist Church. Local churches that need assistance can contact their regional leader. A complete list of regional leaders and their contact information can be found here. The WCA also announced the formation of the No Church Left Behind fund. This fund assists WCA regional chapters and GMC Transitional Conference Advisory Teams (“TCATS”) in their efforts to help local churches disaffiliate and to form a new provisional conference in the GMC. (Please note this fund does not provide grants to local churches. Sadly, the amount of money that would have to be raised would be more than the WCA could accomplish.) Wespath, the UMC pension agency, announced it had reduced the premium it was charging disaffiliating churches from 10% to 5%. It also released new market-based, unfunded pension liability figures showing the denominational liability had reduced from $2.6 billion to $1.35 billion primarily because of rising interest rates.
August, 2022
As a response to progressive and centrist signatories to the Protocol withdrawing their support, the WCA announced it was calling on laity to lead their churches to begin withholding/escrowing their apportionments. The WCA provided a guide to laity to accomplish this task. Approximately 700-800 churches across the United States requested the guide. The WCA also began publishing a list of annual conferences that do not have “clean” disaffiliation processes. At the outset, 19 annual conferences were on the list for charging excessive and punitive amounts of money. The WCA further announced that it no longer considered the Protocol’s moratorium on church trials related to LGBT matters to be in effect. The WCA made clear that it was not interested in bringing charges against LGBT clergy. Instead, the WCA encourages people to hold bishops and other leaders accountable for violating the Book of Discipline. Lastly, the WCA announced the formation of the Young Adult Methodist Connection to help theologically conservative laity and clergy under age 40 to connect. At the end of the month, the UMC Judicial Council ruled in decision 1449 that paragraph 2548.2 was not an option for local churches to use for disaffiliation. This decision made paragraph 2553 the only pathway for exiting the UMC.
September, 2022
The WCA’s International Intercessory Prayer Network took on new leadership with the Rev. Dale Shunk taking up the mantle. This dedicated group of prayer warriors intercedes for laity, clergy, and local churches working hard to complete the disaffiliation process. All are invited to join in its ministry. A group of African bishops (not all) gathered to issue a statement condemning the work of the Africa Initiative and the Wesleyan Covenant Association. The Africa Initiative and WCA quickly set the record straight on the misleading statement. As God works all things for good, the result was to help African laity to understand that they must begin disaffiliation work quickly. On September 28, Hurricane Ian, a strong category 4 storm, hit the southwest coast of Florida causing devastating damage. The Wesleyan Covenant Association worked to help raise approximately $200,000 through its Florida regional chapter to assist churches and laity across the region – regardless of their theological persuasion.
October, 2022
The WCA shared that their call on laity to withhold/escrow apportionments was working and that several annual conferences had done away with their punitive, additional disaffiliation requirements moving to a “clean” 2553 process. Special-called annual conferences began to occur with increasing numbers of U.S. churches completing the disaffiliation process.
November, 2022
All five Jurisdictional Conferences in the U.S. met during the first week electing new bishops. Not one traditionalist bishop was elected ensuring the new Council of Bishops is the most liberal in the history of Methodism. Among those bishops elected was one who stated we don’t all have to agree on who Jesus is and that the incarnation of Christ didn’t take place in a particular person. Another new bishop, in the biography on the website of the church she served, called on heretics to lead the church. On November 19, the Arkansas Annual Conference, in a special-called meeting, prevented three churches from disaffiliating. This is the first and only time this has happened. WCA President Jay Therrell and centrist/progressive leader, Lonnie Brooks, joined together in an open letter asking annual conferences not to repeat such egregious action again. More annual conferences that had added punitive, additional requirements to their disaffiliation process dropped them making the original list of 19 reduce to 14.
December, 2022
The final special-called annual conferences in 2022 completed their work. This brought the total number of churches completing disaffiliation to approximately 2,000. WCA Global Council Vice-Chairman, the Rev. Dr. Jeff Greenway, announced he was stepping down from his position to begin focusing more on the Global Methodist Church. The Rev. Tom Lambrecht will step into that role on January 1. In a conversation with the WCA President, a senior Wespath official shared that because of continued rising interest rates that market-based pension liabilities have continued to decline. Denominationally at the beginning of the year, they were at $2.6 billion. At present, they have reduced to somewhere in the $900 million range. The WCA announced the formation of the Pathways Task Force to provide resources to churches that failed to disaffiliate and clergy who feel stuck in the UMC.
One of my favorite quotations that I share from time-to-time comes from a former United Nations Secretary General: Dag Hammarskjold, “For all that has been, Thanks. For all that shall be, Yes.” This past year has truly been a proverbial roller coaster, but God has been faithful – as He always is. Thank You, God! The coming year will be fast paced as most annual conferences complete their disaffiliation work by June and the Wesleyan Covenant Association is ready to see that work through. Yes!
The Rev. Jay Therrell is the president of the Wesleyan Covenant Association and an ordained elder in the Global Methodist Church.