By Walter Fenton August 6, 2021 “Wait a second,” said a United Methodist layperson at a church where I was making a presentation. “Did you just say the people who attend my church don’t own the property and building?” “Yes, that’s right,” I had to answer. “According to the UM Church’s trust clause, local congregations …
By Walter Fenton July 30, 2021 “Pastor, when those Jehovah’s Witness people come to my door, I pretend not to be home,” said Barb, a church member at a church I served. “But it’s not just that I don’t want to talk to them; I’m embarrassed that I can’t explain my faith as well they …
By Keith Boyette July 23, 2021 Since the January 2020 announcement of the Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace through Separation United Methodists, whether they identify as centrist, progressive, or traditionalist, have tried hard to honor a spirit of peace among one another. People have largely refrained from provocative acts that would plunge the church back …
By Walter Fenton July 16, 2021 CORRECTION: After the posting of this article it was brought to our attention that on July 7, 2021, the North Georgia Annual Conference announced that the Rev. Brian Tillman had been appointed to be the conference’s first Director of Inclusion and Advocacy.” We have removed from the article the paragraph …
By Walter Fenton July 9, 2021 The Wesleyan Covenant Association is pleased to announce that the Rev. Angela Pleasants has joined its leadership team. She will serve as its Vice President for Clergy and Church Relations, assisting clergy and local churches that seek to align with the Global Methodist Church. “I have rarely met a …
By Keith Boyette July 2, 2021 When John and Charles Wesley gathered with others at Oxford College to encourage and strengthen one another in the Christian faith, their detractors referred to them as “methodists,” a term of derision making fun of their intense commitment to a disciplined and organized walk with Jesus. Undeterred by those …
By Walter Fenton June 25, 2021 Delegates from around the world participated in an online virtual meeting on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, to conclude the Wesleyan Covenant Association’s Third Global Legislative Assembly. “We had an intense and productive day [April 30, 2021] when we met at Frazer Church in Montgomery, Alabama, several weeks ago,” said …
WCA Wraps Up Legislation with Virtual Online Global Assembly Read More »
By Keith Boyette June 18, 2021 I recently read American Saint: Francis Asbury & The Methodists, John Wigger’s 2009 biography of Methodism’s primary leader during the early decades of the United States. As I read this compelling biography, I was impressed with two observations. First, Asbury was influential because of God’s anointing and his servant’s …
By Walter Fenton June 11, 2021 The succinct quote, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity,” is an aphorism variously attributed to St. Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430), John Wesley (1703 – 1791), and to a number of theologians in between them. It is often cited as Christians attempt to reach …
By Keith Boyette June 4, 2021 A frequently asked question by those considering affiliation with the Global Methodist Church relates to how clergy deployment decisions will be made in the new church. At this time, we can only address deployment decisions that will be made between the legal formation of the GM Church and its …