The Death of the UMC: Part 8 - Help for Local Churches

The Facts

Let's be clear about the facts. The United Methodist Church is splitting or perhaps dissolving because a disgruntled section of the denomination disagrees over the 2019 General Conference's Decision No. 1378. The General Conference voted and decreed the following concerning same-sex matters:

Petition 90032 - Qualifications for Ministry - ¶ 304.3 Expands the definition of "self-avowed practicing homosexual" to include those "living in a same-sex marriage, domestic partnership or civil union, or is a person who publicly states she or he is a practicing homosexual." 

Petition 90036 - Episcopal Responsibilities - ¶ 415.6 Prohibits bishops from consecrating, commissioning or ordaining self-avowed homosexuals. (The text does not include the word "practicing.") 

Petition 90042 - Minimum Penalty - ¶ 2711.3 Mandates penalties for clergy convicted of performing same-sex wedding ceremonies. Those penalties are a one year suspension without pay for the first offense and termination of conference membership and church credentials for a second offense. 

Petition 90043 - Qualifications for Ministry - ¶ 304.5 Prohibits conference boards of ordained ministry from approving candidates not meeting ordination standards regarding sexuality.

Instead of remaining and reclaiming the denomination, the "traditionalists" are flying the coop. Those who oppose the resolutions mentioned above have agreed to an ecclesiastical no-fault divorce. 

The Local Church Suffers

As the ecclesiastical titans battle in the heavenlies, the local churches in the UMC are the ones who will suffer the fallout. As the split moves forward, each local church is going to have to make a decision. I believe the decision should be made independent of the UMC and any potential denomination. If the local flock vote that they want someone from the Conference or another denomination to talk to them, then and only then should any of the "pastors" or "wolves" (depending on your point of view) be allowed to interfere. 

Counsel for Local Churches

I offer local churches the following counsel:

1. Hold a Congregational Meeting without any pastor, district superintendent, bishop, or a clergy member from the UMC or from a potential new denomination.

2. Vote on a committee to research and provide sound information for the congregation.

3. Establish lines of communication for all the members, such as an email list or invitation-only website, so that people can get information.

4. Vote whether to remain with the UMC, join another Methodist denomination, join a different denomination, or become an independent church.

What are the Pros and Cons of Each Decision?

1. Remaining with the UMC

Pros:

• You can continue with the status quo.

• You can keep your church and property without added legal fees.

• You can keep your pastor.

• If you are an LGBTQ affirming congregation, your church will have the opportunity to have a pastor who supports same-sex marriages and maybe is married to a same-sex partner.

Cons:

• If you are not an LGBTQ-affirming congregation, your church will have to submit to church leaders who support and perform same-sex marriages and you may have a pastor married to a same-sex partner.

• If you think the UMC was theologically colorful before, you ain't seen nothing yet.

• You may not have another opportunity to leave the denomination again in your life-time.

2. Joining with a Methodist Adapted Denomination

Pros:

• The polity and structure will be very much like the United Methodist Church so that it will be familiar.

• You may be able to keep your church buildings and property at little or no legal cost.

• You may be able to keep your pastor.

• The new denomination will have much of the same Methodist theological emphases.

• From what I can see, potential denominations such as The Wesleyan Covenantal Association have a proposed Book of Doctrine and Discipline similar to the United Methodists Book of Discipline. This means, if you like all the UMC structure, you will fit right in with proposed denominations like this.

• They will have a strong stance against same-sex marriage and ordination since this is the reason the conflict came to a head in the first place.

Cons:

• Since potential denominations such as The Wesleyan Covenantal Association have a proposed Book of Doctrine and Discipline, the local church will immediately be ensconced in Methodist bureaucracy. The new apple will not fall far from the UMC tree in that regard.

• Potential Methodist denominations appear to be more concerned with perpetuating Methodism than Biblical Theology. For example, in the proposed Book of Doctrine and Discipline, states in ¶ 103. PRINCIPLES OF OUR LIFE TOGETHER

  Our longing and hope is that our church may: 1. Remain rooted and grounded in the scriptures and in the historic teachings of the Christian church as defined in our Articles of Religion and Confession of Faith, and understood through the Wesleyan lens of faith. (emphasis mine)

• As soon as a person, church or denomination is committed to the scriptures "AND" something else, they are off to a bad start. They are set to perpetuate the "primacy of the Scripture" fiasco of the UMC rather than the soul authority of the Bible encapsulated in Sola Scriptura of the Reformation.

3. Becoming Independent

Pros:

• The local church decides what they will do rather than a denomination.

• With legal help, it may be possible to keep the buildings and properties that the congregation worked hard to purchase and maintain.

• While every church has to administrate, you potentially could be released from the "death of a thousand meetings," Methodist clergy love to inflict.

• No more apportionments.

• The local church can put off joining a denomination until the dust settles.

Cons:

• Potentially there will be more legal costs to maneuver the intricacies of keeping your buildings and properties.

• If there are no strong leaders in the congregation, the decision can potentially split the congregation.

• Potential confusion, conflict, and division.

4. Join another denomination

• I will not take time to Pro/Con this option, but I want local churches to be aware that there are over 30,000 denominations in the United States that would love to have you join. 

That’s All Folks

This is the end of my series on the Death of the United Methodist Church. Please share this series with other United Methodist parishioners. Please fact-check my blogs, both with the Bible and with other resources. My desire is not to be right. It is to help and inform members of local churches.

Solo Gloria Deo