Here is an important (IMHO) new piece on how the Western Jurisdiction can lead into a new, inclusive Wesleyan Methodist movement, from Hacking Christianity, the blog of Rev. Jeremy Smith, pastor of Seattle First UMC.
How Can the West Help the Rest Through Whatever is Next?
June 6, 2019 by UMJeremy
...there is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and support for the Western Jurisdiction to gather other churches in risky ministry areas in a new way. So many places need support, but also need to be rooted where they are, so just relocating pastors to the Western Jurisdiction isn’t viable for everyone. How can the West clear this pathway to help inclusive churches beyond our borders?
Most ideas about helping these type of churches come in the form of changing their relationship to their own annual conference. There have been two very good ideas that—sadly—are not currently viable.
...Given the lack of ability to determine a new relationship, the most viable option is that local churches can just plan to leave The United Methodist Church and then affiliate some other way after they have left.
However, leaving bears a significant financial roadblock that folks may not be aware of. [Read the whole article!]
...The naming of these roadblocks and clearing potential pathways around them is a small service we can do to the greater denomination to help all of us move forward.