September 12, 2023
By Rev. Dr. Scott Field
Wow! Thank you for all the social media “likes” and “loves”. What an overload of affirmation! I am humbled and energized all at the same time.
Within four days of the announcement that I had been elected as the WCA’s Interim President by the Global Leadership Council of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, the various Facebook posts had received just short of one thousand “likes” and other positive emoji reactions. Woo-hoo!
But now, after the clicks and emojis, let’s get real…
I deeply appreciate the encouraging vibe of reactions. But frankly the challenges of this season of disaffiliation have really taken a toll on many of us. Smiley faces and thumbs up don’t begin to capture the underlying emotional, relational, spiritual, and financial costs.
Have you been involved in the disaffiliation drama of the United Methodist denomination and the intense organizing efforts of the Global Methodist Church?
Have you had to “negotiate” with your annual conference for “terms of disaffiliation”?
Did you/do you have to raise large amounts of money to pay the costs of leaving?
Have you had to swim in the rough waters of disillusioned, disappointed, sometimes angry, and hostile church members who want retribution rather than release?
And have you had to hike the unfamiliar trails of incorporating, reorganizing, and keeping your community of believers together without much of a map to follow?
Are you right now, today, part of a legal process awaiting the decision of a judge without certainty about the outcome either for you or the congregation that has been your spiritual home for years?
Are you feeling stuck in a congregation where many, maybe even the majority of members voting, wanted to disaffiliate, but you didn’t have quite enough votes to get over the 2/3 supermajority?
Have you made it through the disaffiliation process, flipped the switch, and are now 100% into the new Global Methodist Church with the UMC fading away in your rearview mirror?
Or maybe you are in a Central Conference of the UMC, watching congregations in the US take advantage of the disaffiliation provisions of the Book of Discipline, while those same provisions have been denied to you and your church?
No doubt all of this has cost many of us emotionally, spiritually, relationally, and financially. So, what now?
“Down-sizing” or …
You may have heard or read that the WCA is “down-sizing”. Perhaps that is one way to describe the way we are adapting to the current climate of denominational disaffiliation. But “downsizing” is often a euphemism for failing, phasing out, or shutting down. A more accurate descriptor for the WCA at this time is “dialed in”. Originally a military phrase referring to gunnery targets, when it comes to organizations, networks, or movements, “dialed in” means getting more closely focused on the remaining goals yet to achieve.
In May 2022, the WCA’s Global Legislative Assembly adopted a fresh four-part mission for the Wesleyan Covenant Association:
- To act as advocate and ally on behalf of churches and annual conferences which seek pathways out of The United Methodist Church and into the Global Methodist Church.
- To contend for fair, just, and amicable pathways out of The United Methodist Church for all, including progressives as well as traditionalists.
- To support efforts to maintain faithful adherence and accountability to the standards of doctrine and discipline embodied in The Book of Discipline as it now stands in The United Methodist Church.
- To continue to act as an advisor and contributor to the leaders of the Global Methodist Church, as they work to shape its doctrine, polity, and mission during this formative period, and in preparation for a convening General Conference.
The WCA has succeeded dramatically in this mission. Over 6,000 congregations have disaffiliated from the UMC as of this writing with more to complete the process by the end of the year. The Global Methodist Church now has 15 Provisional Annual Conferences, over 3,000 congregations, and, amazingly, has not yet even held its convening conference.
“Dialed in…”
The WCA Global Leadership Council, with the transition of my predecessor, Rev. Jay Therrell, to lead the Florida Provisional Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church, is “dialing in” our efforts not on what “was”, but on what “is”.
As the “disaffiliation window” in the US closes in a few months, and with the majority of UM annual conferences refusing to schedule additional opportunities for congregational disaffiliations, there is no longer a need for a WCA chapter in every annual conference. Instead, within the US, we have five larger regional resource leaders who remain ready to assist congregations still in the disaffiliation process as well as those involved in legal proceedings in several states.
In addition, with the upcoming General Conference of the UMC next spring, there is an opportunity for fair-minded delegates to adopt a continuing process, amicable, feasible, and just, that allows all congregations, including those in Central Conferences, to separate from the UMC if their discernment of a faithful future leads them in that direction. A universally applicable process, not susceptible to additional requirements added unilaterally by annual conferences, could help achieve our goal of providing pathways out of the UMC for all, progressives as well as traditionalists. To that end, we are “dialing in” our focus on preparations for General Conference in cooperation with our partners in renewal and reform.
Further, we are deepening our relationships with Central Conference leaders and influencers. Our goal is to support them in receiving the options of disaffiliation which, up to this point, they have been denied.
Moving Beyond the Emojis
Will you help us keep in step with the Holy Spirit as we move beyond what was and dial in now on what is? Here are the specific ways you can be part of the ongoing mission of the WCA:
Pray for the WCA network.
This is not a “top down” effort. The dramatic impact of the WCA and growth of the GMC is largely due to faithful individuals in their own congregations and communities who have prayerfully discerned the path out of the UMC into a faithful future and have taken action. Pray for the sisters and brothers who are continuing the ministry of informing, counseling, and leading in local communities and congregations.
Renew your WCA membership or become a member today.
As part of our “dialing in” focus, the WCA has trimmed the budget in the US, but is helping leverage increased spending for Central Conference networking initiatives. Your annual membership dues provide the resources needed for us all to move beyond emojis to effective action.
Share the weekly WCA Outlook through your social media platforms.
Passing along the information through your own network multiplies the impact of our efforts together.
Blessings to you today in the Matchless Name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer!
Rev. Dr. Scott Field
Interim President, Wesleyan Covenant Association