December 3, 2024
By Rev. Dr. Scott Field
It happened in corporate worship just this last Sunday. You’ve probably experienced it, too, I imagine: a word or phrase of a hymn or worship song just resonates, sticks for a moment in your throat, maybe brings a tear to your eye or a smile to your face or extra volume to your singing. Well, a line from that old hymn rolled in on me Sunday and reminded me, again, of the “thing” that is going on.
It wasn’t even an Advent hymn, really. Some old but familiar words from the 1600’s(!) set to a tune from the 19th Century. But there it was:
“Let the Amen sound from his people again: gladly forever adore Him.”
(Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, Hymn # 3 in Our Great Redeemer’s Praise)
That AMEN! Sounding from God’s people AGAIN describes and celebrates what is going on in the vibe shift of emerging Methodism. Renewal; revival, reconnecting with the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit and the priorities of the Jesus Mission. No wonder the worship many of us experience when we are together is so passionate.
It’s happening again! Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, indeed!
The historic split of the United Methodist Church marks a “vibe shift” of Holy Spirit-given renewal carrying Emerging Methodism forward.
A year ago, as provisions for United Methodist local church disaffiliations were about to expire, Dr. Ryan Burge, Associate Professor of Political Science at Eastern Illinois University, described the exit of nearly 8,000 UM congregations to the New York Times as the “largest church schism in American history.” From the perspective of a year later, I would say it is much more than a “schism”, more than a reconfiguration of religious congregations; it’s a broader and deeper vibe shift. Some might call it a “faithquake.”
A “vibe shift” has to do with a not-too-clearly-defined sense that there is a cultural, political, or, to our concern here, spiritual transition underway. What had been happening slowly is now taking place rapidly. The United Methodist Church is grappling with the urgencies of accelerated decline: 40% reduction in budget, 25% reduction in congregations, re-organizing districts, annual conferences, and episcopal areas, all against the backdrop of continuing membership loss. The Global Methodist Church, conversely, is grappling with the urgencies of accelerated growth: standing up organizational, leadership, policy, and financial structures to meet extraordinary expansion. I sometimes say that we’re chasing the taillights of the Holy Spirit in attempting to keep up with what God is doing right now.
I’m attempting to describe developments that have, from my perspective, accelerated the departure of United Methodists. Some members and congregations are just walking away, disillusioned and disgusted with the chronic conflict of the UMC. But others – the ones I have in mind here — have left or are seeking to leave in the positive pursuit of a more faithful and fruitful, not to mention joyful, future.
In the WCA Outlook for the past two weeks, I pointed out two of these developments in the UMC:
The first dynamic is the suppression and dismissal of traditionalist/orthodox/evangelical African leaders on display for all to see. As a further example from last week, check out Liberia Burning. It is a brief update on the jaw-dropping actions of Bishop Quire against laity and clergy in Liberia who dissent from his push to “get in line” with the actions of the recent UMC General Conference. The Council of Bishops will, predictably, do nothing to hold their renegade colleague accountable since he is, after all, doing what most of them want him to do: achieve their political goals by whatever means necessary.
Bishop Quire running roughshod over the UMC Book of Discipline is another in a series of examples related to the second dynamic. This has become a widespread experience for many United Methodists: the collapse of integrity and accountable governance among denominational leaders. In the USA, UM bishops in some Annual Conferences areas promised local congregations a continuing option for separation if, in good conscience, the congregation could no longer remain associated with the UMC in light of decisions made by the UM General Conference last spring. Most of these bishops have reneged on their promise, justifying their duplicity by referring to the authority of the UM Judicial Council (Decision 1512).
These two dynamics are important, of course. But something bigger is going on. The collapsing governance and chronic internal conflict of the UMC might be reason enough for some to consider leaving. But God is calling, the Holy Spirit is igniting, something much deeper and soul-stirring. It is a spiritual awakening.
Laity Get a Wake-Up Call
Since 2016, United Methodist progressives, in collusion with some of the UM administrative and episcopal leadership, determined they would no longer follow the will of the UM General Conference. Instead, they adopted the plan of dissent, disrupt, and disobey to force their will upon the United Methodism. Consequently, the tempo of conflict increased dramatically. When the Traditional Plan prevailed at the 2019 Special General Conference and, in reaction, some UM bishops and annual conferences openly and vocally defied the General Conference decision, local United Methodists, caught in the crossfire of battling coalitions, started with the question: “What’s all the fuss about?”
The preferred narrative of the defiant bishops and annual conferences was simply that homophobic traditionalists were holding the UMC back from its Progressive Promised Land. The dissent, disrupt, and defy agenda prompted large numbers of some of the rank-and-file UM sisters and brothers to being asking:
- What do I believe?
- Why do I believe what I believe?
- Is this what United Methodists believe?
- Have Christians everywhere and always believed these things?
- What is the authority which determines what is authentic Christianity and what is not?
- What does the Bible say?
And then, when these UM brothers and sisters asked their pastor or joined a study group at their church, many received an unsatisfying, equivocating, shilly-shallying, noncommittal buffet of words that didn’t scratch the soul-itch they were beginning to experience. Their heart and soul wanted more than the patronizing party line which didn’t take their questions seriously enough to answer directly and honestly.
They found, however, that through social media and informal networking there was a wealth of soul-satisfying resources which, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, began to trim their sails to the freshening winds of renewal. The various renewal groups, including Good News and the Wesleyan Covenant Association, became their go-to life-lines.
And yet, something deeper underlies all of this denominational dyspepsia.
Dr. David Watson, Academic Dean and Professor of New Testament at United Theological Seminary (Dayton, Ohio) wrote in a recent blog post:
…like so many others, I cannot stomach a thin version of Christianity that does not take its own truth claims seriously. A religious tradition that is only vaguely defined, that makes no real claims on my life, is of no interest to me whatsoever. I want to know God in the deepest way I can. I want—and need—to be changed. I want my thoughts, words, and deeds to reflect the change that comes from an encounter with God. And I need other believers—the Communion of Saints—to show me the way. I want an industrial-strength vision of the Christian faith that can teach me the truth about God, other people, and myself. I need a faith that can save me. Turns out, quite a few other people do, too.
(You can, and should, read the entire post here: David Watson Farewell to Milquetoast)
The “Schism” will continue
Sadly, at present the United Methodist Church finds itself in a box canyon. The only way out is to turn around. Doing a 180 seems unlikely, however. The United Methodist administrative and academic establishments have, for the most part, focused on demythologizing, deconstructing, and dismissing the “faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3,4). Mainline Protestantism seems to find Christianity useful primarily as a tool to promote other social or political agendas…not to mention helpful to provide economic security for “religious professionals”.
The departures from the UMC will continue, by congregations and individuals, because, finally, this attenuated version of Christian faith fails to meet the soul-searching, spiritual needs of people here and now. And, if they have even a passing acquaintance with the gospel, they will likely realize this “Christianity” of the Mainlines”, instead a leading edge of the Christianity’s future, is a decrepit and fading shadow of the real thing.
C.S. Lewis, as so frequently, put the matter memorably:
Christ said, “Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work. I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.”
The “schism” will continue, because an awakening is underway. Those who are done fussing and fighting and legislating over subsidiary issues are heading for a more vibrant, engaging, missional, impactful, connection to Jesus Christ.
So, let the AMEN! sound from God’s people again. Gladly, joyfully, forever adore Him!
(And if you want the latest exit of a local UM church APPROVED by the Annual Conference, check out the action by the Dakotas UMs and the expected action next spring by the Judicial Council after it reviews the Bishop’s support of the exit plan.)
Though the Wesleyan Covenant Association is winding down (more about that next week), we would appreciate your financial support so that we may finish well.