May 14, 2024
By Rev. Dr. Scott Field
After the UMC General Conference…
In the aftermath of seismic changes approved at the recent United Methodist General Conference, our email inbox is overflowing. The phone calls, texts, and WhatsApp chats are surging. For the most part, these all seem to settle into four types of inquiries.
What happened at the United Methodist General Conference?
Secular and religious media have all reported that the UMC has lifted its ban on same-sex marriage, removed requirements of “celibacy in singleness and fidelity in marriage” for clergy, and will provide training for local churches who, in support of open itineracy for clergy, should anticipate that the bishop will appoint pastors without regard to gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation to lead their congregation. The denominational reorganization plan, called “regionalization”, shelters the declining and progressive US region of the UMC from the votes and voices of the growing and more traditionalists regions of the UMC outside the USA…all while the General Conference rightly denounced institutional racism. Though this just a small slice of the all the legislation approved at the 10-day international gathering in Charlotte, NC, these are the headlines. A search engine hunt for “United Methodist General Conference 2024” will provide resources for summaries, critique, and perspective. A summary piece from Religion News Service may be a good place to begin if you are just beginning to engage the news. Over the next several weeks the WCA Outlook will highlight some of the ways the General Conference decisions have an impact on local churches.
Now that the General Conference has approved such dramatic changes, do local churches have any option to leave the United Methodist Church in response?
You may be aware that over 25% of the United Methodist congregations in the USA have separated from the UMC. Most utilized a time-limited option (paragraph 2553 of The United Methodist Book of Discipline) which lapsed at the close of 2023. That pathway to disaffiliation is no longer available.
Some UM leaders who counseled local churches to “wait and see what the General Conference might do” are now, as a result, suggesting that they will offer a fair and simple process for congregations to leave the UMC and retain their property if certain requirements are met. The existing paragraph 2549 in The United Methodist Book fo Discipline provides for a local church to close and the annual conference to release the property.
If your congregation is deciding/has decided, after the changes approved at the UM General Conference, that it can no longer in good conscience remain within the United Methodist Church, a respectful letter of inquiry could be sent to your District Superintendent, Bishop, and Annual Conference Board of Trustees asking if a process for separation will now be available to you.
The General Conference rejected any further congregational exits in either the USA or the Central Conferences (Africa, the Philippines, and Europe) under paragraph 2553.
The options for separation in areas outside the USA are uncertain, but still developing.
What about congregations who have disaffiliated, are no longer part of the UMC, and are seeking their way forward?
I am glad to announce that WCA’s Revive Consultancy Series is launching this week. Our Revive initiative is intended to provide practical resources for congregations who have disaffiliated from the UMC engage with “where they are” on the journey to a faithful and fruitful future.
The challenge of the disaffiliation itself has been, for many congregations, completely exhausting. A time for healing and re-connecting relationships may be needed. A fresh experience of God’s calling and the Holy Spirit’s empowering is almost always needed. There are financial and legal matters. You might be left wondering, after leaving your former denomination, how, in reality, the Christian gospel intersects with the contemporary concerns about sexuality and gender identity. And then there is the expectation that now, set free to pursue a new future, your congregation needs to learn how to be and how to help others become fully devoted disciples of the Lord. Jesus.
The WCA’s Coordinator of Congregational Resources, Rev. Jan Dillard, has assembled a team of consultants. Each will make one or more Zoom presentations. You are welcome to watch LIVE or access them when they are uploaded to the WCA YouTube Channel. A link to the live Zoom presentation will be sent to out to our WCA email contact list several days before each consultant’s presentation. Each week in the WCA Outlook, you will find a link to our YouTube Channel for you to find the presentations which may be particularly pertinent to you and/or your congregation.
In addition, our Revive landing page, preparing to launch next week, will also include background documents that may be helpful to you in charting your course forward. Finally, if you would like to make personal contact with a WCA coordinator in your area, we’ll have a way to get connected.
Here’s are the presenters, topics, and schedule for the WCA Consultancy Series:
Friday, May 17, 10 am Central (USA)
Rev. Jan Dillard, WCA Congregational Resource Coordinator
Introducing the Consultancy Series: Resources for Restoration, Renewal, and Re-launching Your Congregation
Tuesday, May 21, 10 am Central (USA)
Rev. Dale Shunk, Director of the WCA International Intercessory Prayer Network
The Foundation of Prayer for the Future of Your Congregation: Why, How, and with Whom
Tuesday, May 28, 2 pm Central (USA)
Rev. Dr. Tesia Mallory, Dean of the Chapel, United Theological Seminary
Worship and Worship Resources for your New Congregational Journey
Wednesday, May 29, 10 am Central (USA)
Dr. Zawdie Abiade, a Christian counseling consultant under pastoral appointment with the Global Methodist Church, is president of Abiade & Abiade Associates, Inc., and founder of Bridge Talk, a nonprofit family counseling ministry. He is a Marriage and Family Christian Therapist and consultant.
Session 1: Re-establishing Our Identity in Christ – A Traumatic Reality
Monday, June 3, 10 am Central (USA)
Session 2 with Dr. Abiade: Clarification Through Identification
Tuesday, June 4, 2 pm Central (USA)
Debra (Dee) Baty, Chair of the WCA’s Sexuality Task Force, is dedicated to equipping the church regarding the stewardship of creation along with sexuality and gender. She is the author of the Resources4Redemption newsletter, established in May of 2016, (available on Substack since June of 2020) serving to equip followers of Jesus to speak the gospel fluently, truthfully, and kindly on issues related to sexuality. Along with Mark Ongley and Garry Ingraham, she is a speaker for the 3 C Seminars on Sexualtiy and Gender.
Session 1: Sexual Holiness and Relational Apologetics
Tuesday, June 11, 2 pm Central (USA)
Session 2: Sexual Redemption – Ministry Approaches
Wednesday, June 5, 10 am Central (USA)
Greg Brooks, VP of Business Development, Wesleyan Investment Foundation
Financing the Future of Your Congregation’s Ministry
Mr. Brooks writes: “It’s been our honor to come alongside the WCA and the GMC in this season. So far, we’ve been able to help more than 50 churches by providing more than $8M in disaffiliation fund loans. We’ve heard so many stories of how the Lord is working in this season of transition and we’re grateful to play a small role in this endeavor.” We look forward to sharing with you the ways in which you might partner with the WIF in expanding your church ministries to meet the challenges of transitioning to your new church pathways.
Monday, June 10, 2 pm Central (USA)
Attorneys David Gibbs and Jonathan Bailie, National Center for Life and Liberty (NCLL)
Many disaffiliated churches have been represented by the NCLL attorneys in legal matters with various Annual Conferences. Now that the paragraph 2553 option for disaffiliation has passed, Attorneys Gibbs and Bailie will address not only other possible options for disaffiliation but also comment on legal matters for congregations entering a new chapter of their corporate life.
Thursday, June 13, 2 pm Central (USA)
Dr. David Watson, Academic Dean and Professor of New Testament at United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio. Elder in the Global Methodist Church. Dr. Watson is Lead Editor at Firebrand (www.firebrandmag.com), blogs at www.davidfwatson.me, and is one of the hosts of “Plain Truth: A Holy-Spirited Podcast.”
Topic: Recovering Scriptural Integrity and Wesleyan Wisdom
Monday, June 17
Tuesday, June 18
Monday, June 24
Dr. Steve Cordle, Executive Director of The River Network
Three Sessions:
Session 1: Your Church Can Multiply; why and how any size church can
help launch a new church.
Session 2: Disciple-making Made Simple (not easy); how disciples
make disciples.
Session 3: Planting a church without a pastor: how to start a micro-
church in your home
Thursday, June 20, 2pm Central (USA)
The Rev. Jill Jackson-Sears is the pastor of the First Global Methodist Church Dallas. Two years ago the Revitalization Task Force of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Leah Hidde-Gregory, created the Nehemiah Journey, a program for local churches seeking revitalization. The goal was and is to help pastors get healed up, churches prayed up, and congregations revitalized. The creators of the program have seen God create a wonderful community within the first 30 minutes of the initial gatherings, with pastors expressing their surprise as they realized they were in a safe space to express their hopes and fears, frustrations, and hurts.
The initial pilot program and the Nehemiah Journey is now a ministry of the Global Methodist Church.
Nehemiah Journey 2.0: Renew, Revitalize, Refresh!
Wednesday, June 26, 10 am Central (USA)
Rev. Dr. Scott Field, President of the Wesleyan Covenant Association
Leading from the Second Chair: What if you are a traditionalist remaining in the United Methodist Church? (and other questions about the future of the Wesleyan Covenant Association).
Keep an eye on your email inbox for the link to our Consultancy Series. We’re starting this Friday, May 17.