The Death of the United Methodist Church: Part 1 - Corporate Pluralism

A Son of Methodism

Before anyone judges me for blogging about the United Methodist Church, I must say that I have a legitimate ax to grind. My family belonged to the Methodist Church, long before the "United" replaced the "Episcopal" in the name in 1968. My great-grandparents raised their children in the Torrington Methodist Church. My grandparents did the same, as did my parents. There stands in the narthex of the Torrington Methodist Church a memorial to my grandfather Harold S. Patterson to this day.

I am a son of the UMC. I was born and raised in the Torrington UMC. I went to Sunday School, sang in the Junior Choir, attended worship, and was confirmed there. After we moved down the road to the Bakerville UMC, I went through the ordination process. I was married in the UMC to my first wife, as were two of my children. All of my babies were baptized in Methodist Churches. I attended Asbury Theological Seminary which was named after the Methodist minister Francis Asbury.

After seminary, I was ordained a deacon in the Northern Indian Conference and was ordained an elder in good standing in the Central Pennsylvania Conference. I served in over 11 different Methodist Churches throughout my tenure as an ordained pastor in the UMC. I eventually surrendered my ordination to the Central Pennsylvania Conference many years ago. I served in several pastoral positions in the UMC even after I left the denomination. My parents still belong to a UMC and my mother even pastored the Bakerville United Methodist Church in New Hartford, Connecticut for several years.

The Coming Split of the UMC

The United Methodist Church is on the verge of a split. The Liberals, Neo-Orthodox, Shamans, Wiccans, Gnostics, and Pagans are showing the "traditionalist" the door. While the Conservatives claim it is over same-sex disagreements, the divide goes deeper than that. The Conservative Traditionalists are starting their own denomination. Sadly for them, they are potentially taking with them destructive seeds from the UMC that will, if left unrecognized, bear the same ugly fruit.

There are two significant flaws in the UMC that is causing its demise and will result in the death of any offshoot denominations that spring from it. The first is what I call Franchise Churchianity, and the other is the Lack of Confessionalism and Church Discipline.

Franchise Churchianity

As a clergy member, I often criticized the United Methodist Church's business mentality. That it is a franchised business, there can be no argument. From the cross and flame logo to the 501(c)3 business not-for-profit incorporation status, the United Methodist Church is just another Brand.

A Bishop of the UMC gave a teaching to pastors and church leaders last year. He said that they must understand that the United Methodist Church is a franchise just like MacDonald. And just as you expect a Big Mac to taste like a Big Mac in whatever MacDonalds you go to, so you should be able to go into any United Methodist Church on any given Sunday and find what is offered is uniform throughout the denomination. This was not the first time I heard such talk. It was a common theme in district pastoral meetings, though they didn’t blatantly talk about MacDonalds.

I have often used this illustration to criticize the UMC. I was both vindicated and deeply saddened to hear a bishop of the church not only admit it but use it to help church leaders to understand the vision of Big MacMethodism. What is even sadder for me is that if and when the Church splits, those who leave, steeped in franchise Methodism, will go and repeat the same error yet once again by forming a new 501(c)3 nonprofit franchise. And so the madness continues.

Theological Pagan Pluralism

John Wesley’s Legacy

The second criticism I have of the United Methodist Church is perhaps more important than Big MacMethodism. The seeds of the destruction of the United Methodist Church were sown by John Wesley himself long ago. Few Methodist realize that John Wesley was a disobedient clergyman who often put pragmatism before sound theology. Few remember that the "holy club" of the original Methodists were thoroughly Reformed in theology. The current Calvinist Methodist Church bears witness to the roots of true Methodism.

John Wesley was the one who deviated from Methodism when he published his infamous sermon, "Free Grace." George Whitefield tried to call the rebellious Wesley back to the true faith. Sadly, Wesley spurned correction and continued to promote the pragmatism which eventually blossomed in the failing United Methodist Church. While I do not doubt that God used Wesley to bring many to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, I also believe Wesley planted the seeds for the dying UMC church.

What is Pluralism?

The heart of United Methodism is Theological Pluralism. Pluralism is a fancy name for relativism. In other words, the United Methodist Church has no backbone. It has no foundation other than human opinion and the whims of church democracy. The opposite of Theological Pluralism is what is called Confessionalism.

Confessionalism is an agreed-upon statement of faith that one must adhere to be a pastor and a member. There are many famous Confessions of the Church, such as the Westminster Confession, the Savoy Declaration, and the Heidelberg Catechism.

To take a stand on nothing means you open the door for anything. While a Confession of Faith does not have equal status with the Scripture, it is a way to unify the Church around theological standards that are Biblically based. The alternative is the relativism of Theological Pluralism.

The United Methodist Church sowed the seeds of destruction when it adopted Theological Pluralism. I will say it more forcefully; the UMC adopted a Neo-Pagan Confession of Faith, ultimately holding that there are no ultimate theological absolutes. The United Methodist Church has ordained shamans, Sophia worshippers, self-proclaimed pagans, freemasons, and people who openly endorsed sexuality that is condemned by the Discipline of the United Methodist Church.

The lack of Confessionalism has made it impossible for the UMC to carry out Church Discipline. While there is a procedure for Church Discipline in the United Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline, it has no real value or power. Because of this, there is no way to rid the pastoral ranks or the people in the pews of unrepentant heretics or sinners. The key word in that last sentence is “unrepentant.” There is no way to keep the church pure from the leaven that spoils the whole lump. (1 Corinthians 5)

The irony of the Church split is that the Progressives, or whatever you want to call them, are practicing a form of Church Discipline by cleaning the ranks of those who they consider to be out of line with their faith and practice. They are even willing to pay twenty-five million dollars to be rid of them.

Having a Church that is not a 501(c)3 not for profit corporation is no guarantee that it won't fall into the trap of a business mentality. Being a Confessional Church that practices Biblical Church discipline will not ensure the Church will remain faithful to Jesus Christ. However, both of these go a long way to help a Church not deteriorate to the point that the United Methodist Church has presently declined.

Teach Sound Doctrine

Paul wrote to Titus in chapter 2 verse 1, saying

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

The Bible is clear; there is a true gospel and sound theology that must be proclaimed in the Church and by the Church. The Scriptures contain sound doctrine that can and should be part of the Church. It outlines the reason, the need, and the procedure for Church Discipline. The United Methodist Church has ignored the Bible in favor of Pagan Theological Pluralism. It has been hijacked by men and women who no longer hold to even John Wesley's theology. And it has no way to test and discipline those who have left the true faith.

My Personal Experience as a UMC Pastor

When I write these things, I am speaking from personal observation and experience. I had to leave the United Methodist Church because of the growing hostility to sound teaching. Seminarians holding to sound Biblical doctrine have systematically been weeded out. In every church I pastored, I battled against liberalism, paganism, corporatism, and neo-orthodoxy both with my District Superintendents and fellow clergy. In every church besides Bakerville UMC, I was pressured by the freemasons to join or be harassed. I was subject to hostility and hate by influential pastors of large churches. I was even denied ordination by the New York Annual Conference in 1987, though I had no problem being ordained in two different Conferences. So, I know what I am talking about.

The Church Victorious

I have complete hope in Jesus Christ, the great Bridegroom of the Victorious Bride, His Church. The gates of Hell will not hold back the power and dynamism of the True Church. The United Methodist Church is quickly leaving the True Church if it hasn’t already. Sadly, too many people in the pews either don’t care, don’t know how bad it is, or just refuse to leave a church that they attended for most, if not all of their life. I don’t blame the last group. For these people, my heart is truly sad. Your church has been stolen right from under your nose.

Until or unless the UMC rejects Theological Pluralism and becomes a Confessional Church that practices Biblical Church discipline, there is little hope that this denomination will revive. And if the offshoots from the split don’t learn the mistakes of the UMC, they will suffer the consequences of repeating the cycle yet again.

What will happen with the church split remains to be seen. I remain eager to see how it plays out.