From the Cal-Nev website: "After the conclusion of our Annual Conference Session, the California-Nevada Conference Cabinet went into a retreat to review the actions and the discussions that took place during our conference session and to initiate the appropriate follow-up actions that were required. The Cabinet, fulfilling its disciplinary responsibility that “it is expected to speak to the conference and for the conference to the spiritual and temporal issues that exist within the region encompassed by the conference.” (2016 Book of Discipline, ¶424.2), found it was necessary to issue a statement about disaffiliation and general apportionments."
Here are highlights [Read the entire statement] (UMNS Story)
- Does disaffiliation from The United Methodist Church fulfill the promise of the Wesleyan Spirit and Methodist Ethos? Our belief is that it does not and if we are to embrace our General Rules and plant a stake in our connectional system, we must remain on the side of unity. Wesley, himself, found affinity with others whose theological opinions were opposite his own.
- How does disaffiliation fulfill our calling to leadership as a jurisdiction within the denomination? Some members of the Wesley Covenant Association, Institute for Religion and Democracy, and others have been planning this deconstruction of the connection for almost 40 years. The schismatic endgame of this strategy is apparent. Yet many of their movement are no longer represented in General and Jurisdictional delegations. This does not mean the tide is turning; the numbers bear witness that they are not. However, facilitating THEIR exit should be the primary goal rather than having us waste valuable time and energy planning what is ultimately the will of the WCA and IRD.
- Disaffiliation erodes the integrity of the West as a leader.
- Is disaffiliation by the Western Jurisdiction a lifeboat to save the church? Here the answer is a resounding No. As the weakest of all the jurisdictions, the West has been dependent on the connectional church for its survival. Loss of the connectional relationship will accelerate its decline. The primary issues facing the West in its disciple-making capacities and congregational vitality will remain whether we disaffiliate or not. We believe that full inclusion is a necessary, but not the sole component of healthy evangelism and growth.
- Is non-payment of General and Jurisdictional Apportionments an effective strategy for change? Whether intended or not, non-payment inflicts financial and other forms of punishment on the Central Conferences, the entire connection, and those beyond ourselves whom we are called to serve. It is a clear violation of our first General Rule of “Do no harm.” This action is a misdirection of our pain
- Does the withholding of General and Jurisdictional apportionments create new expressions of justice across the life of the church? To function under the assumption that the Central Conferences are completely beholden to the US church is a de facto admission of a neo-colonial posture. In addition, attempting to control Central Conferences through withholding funds is manipulative and coercive.