By Rev. Jay Therrell May 2, 2023 For those wondering what The United Methodist Church will look like after the disaffiliation window closes, the Minnesota Annual Conference has given us a glimpse. Recently, the conference issued a document on its website called: FAQs: Living and Leading Together. I encourage you to read the entire document …
By Simon Mafunda April 25, 2023 One thing that really gave me serious trouble growing up was the idea of waiting. I don’t think I have quite grown out of it even now. I grew up in deep rural Zimbabwe and visiting the city those days was a pipe dream. I recall one of the best …
Waiting for General Conference 2024: What I see as an African Read More »
By Rev. Jay Therrell April 18, 2023 One of the questions that we get asked most is about various ongoing lawsuits across the United States. While the Wesleyan Covenant Association is not a party to any of these suits, we do try to keep abreast of how they are moving through the courts. Sadly, none …
By Rev. Jay Therrell April 11, 2023 Imagine arriving at your church on a Sunday evening expecting to meet with the district superintendent, a required step in the disaffiliation process, so you could hold your church conference…only to learn your church had been closed and your property seized. That’s exactly what happened to Fifth Avenue …
Chaos in Carolina: Seizing Assets and Closing a Church Read More »
By Rev. Jay Therrell April 4, 2023 On an ordinary winter day in 1961 a man named Edward Lorenz, a meteorologist from MIT, was running some routine experiments when he came across some interesting results. Lorenz discovered that seemingly tiny and insignificant changes in his data could produce huge differences in the result of the …
By Rev. Jay Therrell March 28, 2023 In a message to the United States Congress in August of 1950, President Harry S. Truman warned leaders against passing laws that, on their face battled communism, but in reality eroded the “basic liberties” on which America was founded. In his message he included these important words: “Once …
By Rev. Jay Therrell March 21, 2023 During this season of Lent, I’ve had the humbling privilege of leading a Bible study on the Book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the King of Persia and after hearing about the deplorable condition of Jerusalem (which was still under occupation), he boldly asked the king …
By Jay Therrell March 14, 2023 Last week, I wrote an article about trends the WCA has noticed since the beginning of this year. In that article, I mentioned that at an increasing rate, retired traditionalist clergy are being targeted if they fill a pulpit or worship at a Global Methodist Church (or an independent …
By Rev. Jay Therrell March 7, 2023 Often when something is “trending” on social media, it’s a good thing. It means the event or cause is gaining enough attention that people all over the country are learning about it. Since January 1, I’ve been noticing some growing trends in The United Methodist Church. This is …
By Jay Therrell February 28, 2023 On Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 1pm, attorneys representing the 70+ Florida United Methodist churches that have filed suit against the Florida Annual Conference appeared before Circuit Judge George Wright at the Bradford County Courthouse to argue multiple motions. Representing the churches were David C. Gibbs, III, Esq. of …