July 18, 2024
By Rev. Dr. Scott Field
Every week this summer, typically the “slow season” for local churches, I hear from newly-activated United Methodist laity. Many are just becoming aware of the major changes authorized by the recent UMC General Conference. They are finding themselves now in a denomination boldly moving forward on an unquestionably progressive trajectory that traditionalist, orthodox, evangelical, Wesleyan folks find unacceptable.
What’s Going On?
There is a dawning recognition among laity in most of these situations that, at best, their pastor or District Superintendent or Bishop has “misrepresented” the decisions of the General Conference and their impact on local churches. They’ve been told that there is “nothing to worry about” and “the changes in the UMC won’t affect you here in this church” and “we’ll protect you so that your church can just go on as you have in the past.”
Others have concluded that it is much worse than that: they believe they have been lied to by the spiritual leaders whom they have trusted with their most important, foundational convictions. People whom they have counted on to tell the truth about life and death, heaven and hell, wrath and mercy, forgiveness, justice, atonement, salvation…it turns out that perhaps those same people cannot really be trusted after all. Reminds us of Big Daddy in Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, doesn’t it?
“What’s that smell in this room? Didn’t you notice it, Brick? Didn’t you notice a powerful and obnoxious odor of mendacity in this room? There ain’t nothin’ more powerful than the odor of mendacity.
(For those unfamiliar with the word, mendacity means lying, deceit, fraudulence, dishonesty).
Even more, these United Methodists, who have faithfully fulfilled their membership vows to support the church by their prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness, are now awakening to the possibility that they and their local church can no longer support the denomination of which they have been part for so long.
As one local church leader put it to me, “The UMC Cross and Flame symbol are prominently displayed on the outside of our church building. We used to think that symbol expressed our commitment to Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, but now it has become no more than the symbol of a political agenda.”
You may or may not agree with that assessment, but one thing which is common in all of these situations is a desire for access to information, resources, and alternatives. Official United Methodist information sources are viewed now with some suspicion; do they provide accurate information or denominational propaganda? It’s hard to sort it out.
I spoke with a Korean pastor recently. He had been told by his bishop and district superintendent that he should not be involved in any social media groups like Facebook, Instagram, X, or WhatsApp, related to the Wesleyan Covenant Association or the Global Methodist Church. The disillusionment was palpable when he told me, “My parents warned me about North Korean efforts to control anything people would hear or see. I never imagined my own church would use the same threats and intimidation as the North Koreans to warn me that I should only see and hear what comes from official UMC sources…or it would be bad for my future as a pastor.”
So, What to Do?
The most common question raised from those in touch with the WCA is, “What are my/our options?”
Since there is no “one size fits all” recommendation, and since most of the people in touch with us are making contact on behalf of a congregation or a group of congregations, the first step is to discover appropriate resources that answer the questions being asked in the local congregation.
Our Congregational Renewal Coordinator, Rev. Jan Dillard, has, along with her team, produced a series of video presentations by expert consultants and an extensive list of resources available to help individuals, both laity and clergy, get the information they need. Click here to connect with the variety of resources: Revive: A Resource Collective Assisting Congregations Restore, Renew, and Re-Launch.
A second step is making contact so we can speak directly about concerns and sort through some options. In some areas, UM Annual Conferences are extending an option for local church discernment and, if chosen, departure. In other areas where litigation has been ongoing, some recent court rulings are allowing suits against Annual Conferences to go forward and may end up providing relief to congregations whose pathway of exit has been obstructed by bishops or annual conference officials. Additionally, some laity are discovering that there is a Global Methodist congregation not far away geographically. They are leaving their current church to become part of a congregation more in line with their priorities and commitments. (You can check out whether a GMC congregation is near you through the GMC “church finder” feature on the GMC website or just click here.) And, finally, in many places groups of laity as well as clergy are leaving the UMC behind and starting a new GMC congregation. You can find excellent video presentations in our consultancy series on planting a new church. (Check it out at wesleyancovenant.org/revive).
Americans will recall that sometimes oppressive authorities must be resisted and, if necessary, the difficult path to independence must be chosen. American history is testimony to the ongoing pursuit of liberty. On a much smaller scale and with much more limited scope, the same passion fuels laity and clergy who have come to a new and unwelcome realization: theological progressives seem also to become oppressive toward any and all that are not aligned with their political priorities. For the time being traditionalist, orthodox, evangelical, Wesleyan Methodists may be tolerated, but it is clear that in the longer term traditionalists are not and will not be welcome.
Recently, as we celebrated Independence Day in America, an increasing number of UM laity are reflecting on how they can embark on their own pathways to liberty for themselves and their local churches.