March 2, 2021 By Keith Boyette The battle against the Covid-19 pandemic rages on. Virtually every area of our lives has been impacted no matter where we live or how we occupy our time. Pandemic weariness has set in. Generally speaking, humanity is impatient. Jason Gay, writing in The Wall Street Journal on February 25, … Continue Reading
February 12, 2021 By Keith Boyette Life is complicated. A pandemic makes life more complicated. Ministry is hard. Ministry during a pandemic is harder. Decision-making is often difficult. Decision-making during a pandemic is even more difficult. The United Methodist Church is confronting this reality just as countless other communities are when established practices have been … Continue Reading
By Walter Fenton January 29, 2021 The United Methodist Church’s next General Conference will meet in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 29 – September 7, 2021. Or will it? Postponed once already due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is possible the quadrennial conference could be postponed again. The Commission on General Conference, the body responsible for planning … Continue Reading
By Keith Boyette January 7, 2021 I planned to write a different article for this first Outlook of 2021. Although 2020 was a difficult year in so many ways, we have much to celebrate in what God has done in and through us, and what He will do in 2021. I will touch on our … Continue Reading
by Walter Fenton November 20, 2020 A recent press release issued by The United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops on behalf of African episcopal leaders has stirred speculation about the viability of the Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace through Separation. The Protocol is the widely known plan calling for the amicable separation of The United … Continue Reading
by Walter Fenton November 6, 2020 “If the 2021 General Conference adopts the implementing legislation for the Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace through Separation, how many local churches would there be in the new traditionalist Methodist church?” It is an interesting and important question, and for strategic and planning purposes, it would be very helpful … Continue Reading
October 30, 2020 by Keith Boyette Demographers tell us that approximately 3.22 billion people globally have no access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The current world population is estimated to be 7.75 billion people. Over forty percent of the world’s people groups have no indigenous community of believing Christians able to reach the rest … Continue Reading
By Keith Boyette Clergy rightly have a number of questions about the implications of an amicable separation in The United Methodist Church when the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Amicable Separation is adopted. “I am retired. What will happen to my pension benefits?” “I am an active clergyperson. What will happen to the benefits … Continue Reading
By Walter Fenton Last November the Wesleyan Covenant Association’s 226 member Global Legislative Assembly could not have known just how important its authorization of a taskforce to focus on Church Revitalization would become. But now, in the wake of a pandemic and a worldwide recession that have shuttered local churches, strained their budgets, and isolated … Continue Reading
Earlier this year, when a group of United Methodist leaders shared a proposal for an amicable separation of the UM Church, it seems fair to say most United Methodists greeted the news with a mix of sadness and relief. Led by the late Bishop John Yambasu, the 16 member mediation team produced the now widely known … Continue Reading
“…keep watch with me for one hour…watch and pray…” God has called the WCA International Intercessory Prayer Network to cover every hour of the next year in prayer as we prepare for season of separation and a time transition to a new global Methodist church. We are confident the Lord will work through the prayers … Continue Reading
By Bob Kaylor My first full-time ministry gig was as a lay youth director at a United Methodist Church in central Pennsylvania. Having grown up a Presbyterian, I knew little about Methodism, yet I’ll never forget the day the senior pastor slid the confirmation materials across his desk to me and asked me to teach … Continue Reading
By Walter Fenton Photo by Leslie Cross on Unsplash Local United Methodist churches have plenty of challenges to contend with right now. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic many are finding ways to reopen sanctuaries so members can worship God together while still allowing for social distancing. Where possible, pastors and lay ministers are … Continue Reading
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