This category collects commentaries on the various plans presented to the 2020 General Conference in Minneapolis, May, 2020.
by Albert Otshudi Longe, April 21, 2021 (Republished with permission from UM-Insight)
History is always bound to repeat itself unless we learn lessons from the past and take actions to avoid similar outcomes. The end of colonialism in its direct approach gave rise to neo-colonialism that seeks to attain the same objectives of suppressing and oppressing others through different means. Unfortunately, the church’s history of association with colonialists didn’t end with the wave of independence across Africa. Neo-colonialism has been sustained through systems and processes that continue to undermine the humanity and dignity of people of color across the world.
At the Congress of Berlin in 1884, 15 European powers divided Africa among them. By 1914, these imperial powers had fully colonized the continent, exploiting its people and resources.
Read more: Beware the ‘Berlin Conference’ Model of the Protocol for Separation
News Analysis from UM News Service
By Kathy L. Gilbert
Feb. 28, 2020 | UM News Story
Procedures for Disaffiliation Under Separation Plans
Delegates joined hands and sang “Blest Be the Tie That Binds,” overwhelmingly agreeing to stay together after a tumultuous 10 days of debates and demonstrations at the 2004 United Methodist General Conference.
Unity was the word at the end of the denomination’s top lawmaking assembly in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. But all the talk before the 2020 General Conference in Minneapolis May 5-15 is about dividing up the church.
By Kathy L. Gilbert
Jan. 10, 2020 | UM News article
It was love of The United Methodist Church that brought 16 — sometimes hostile — people to a point of agreement for a path forward for the worldwide church.
Even though the agreement is to split, participants still talked about loving each other in a livestreamed discussion Jan. 13 to explain how the Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation was formed.
Read more: Panel offers peek behind scenes of separation plan
What about Racism and Assets: "A Commentary on Ecclesial Divorce and Asset Division" by Rev. Dr. Vance P. Ross, senior pastor of Central United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Ga.
A Primer on UM Assets: Who Owns Them?
by David W. Scott, Director of Mission Theology at the General Board of Global Ministries (January 8, 2020)
There has been a lot of discussion about the “assets” of The United Methodist Church related to the possibility of a division within the church. What will happen to those assets has become a topic of debate, with varying proposals part of the different plans.
Yet before United Methodists make plans to divide their assets, it is important to come to a clearer understanding of just what those assets are and how they may (or may not) be disposed of in the future. Thus, this is the first post in an on-going series about UMC assets.
Reactions and commentaries related to the “Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation are cautiously hopeful, sometimes regretfully hopeful... The legislation was released February 6.
- A "Christmas Covenant" Offered by Central Conference Delegates
- Wesleyan Accountability Is Broken
- Bishops’ group backs US regional conference
- UM-Insight Reviews the Reviews
- The Plans and the General Agencies
- Two Plans Outlined at Leadership Institute
- This Deal Is Getting Worse: Why the WCA Supports the Indy Plan
- An Early FAQ about the Plain Grace Plan
- United Methodism in a Fuddling Dilemma
- The Indianapolis Plan vs. the Bard Jones Plan – a First Take
- Uniting Methodists Explains Support for UMC Next Proposal
- Three Cheers for the Indy Plan (or Some Variation of It)
- Cutting through the Spin on the Indianapolis Plan