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Articles about developments of alternatives for the future of The United Methodist Church: discussions of options, other expressions of the Methodist or Wesleyan Way, new alignments, petitions and resolutions approved in annual conferences, etc.

by Cynthia B. Astle, August 3, 2022 (from UM-Insight, republished by permission)

The messages via social media and email tug at heartstrings:

  • "I'm feeling ... like our beloved church got pushed off a cliff into the unknown."
  • "This separation has caused a rift in decades-old fellowships." 
  • "I feel abandoned by my church that voted to leave the UMC."
  • "My church will leave the UMC in August to join GMC. When or how or will UMC provide those without church wanting to remain in UMC with support of some kind?"

These and other social media messages document how the splintering of The United Methodist Church is wounding souls across the denomination. Fortunately, there's now a way station on the journey toward the UMC's future: a "metaverse movement" called UMsConnected.

Read more: 'UMsConnected' Offers a Way Station on the Journey toward a New UMC

A weekly podcast capturing ideas and perspectives on where the United Methodist Church is and where we should go from here. Rev. Molly Vetter, Southern California clergy, interviews guests in a series she started originally to help her church deal with the changes in the UMC. In addition to the video interviews, the site has transcripts, discussion questions, and resources for going deeper.

Visit the site to see the full list, and subscribe if you wish!

Links to initial podcasts... Where Do We Go From Here?

Protocol’s day has passed, some negotiators say

By Heather Hahn, June 8, 2022 -- UM News

Key Points:

  • More than a quarter of the leaders who negotiated the proposed Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation say they “can no longer, in good faith, support” the proposal.
  • The negotiators said they reached this conclusion after discussions with General Conference delegates and members of their constituencies who intend to remain United Methodist.
  • At least some theological conservatives still see the protocol as their best avenue for exiting the denomination. 

A much-trumpeted plan for amicable separation unveiled in early 2020 no longer offers a path forward for The United Methodist Church, say more than a quarter of the agreement’s negotiators.

Read more: The "Protocol" Dies

Recent Rulings Affect 2022 Annual Conference Agendas

By Heather Hahn, | UM News, May 26, 2022

As U.S. annual conferences start gathering this week, recent decisions by The United Methodist Church’s top court are influencing their agendas.

The Judicial Council has ruled that for now, individual churches — if they meet certain conditions — can leave the denomination while entire U.S. annual conferences cannot.

The recent church court decisions have left some United Methodists relieved and others frustrated.

Read more: Developments in Annual Conferences

  1. Highlights from David Scott's Blog
  2. Ruling opens door for bishop elections in 2022
  3. Judicial Council: Annual Conferences Can't Leave -- Yet
  4. UMC Update May, 2022
  5. General Conference Postponed a Third Time!
  6. Update, January 2022
  7. Catching Up With The UMC -- and Me
  8. Neocolonial Manipulations by Good News and WCA Are Resurfacing
  9. Delegates discuss mapping new church vision
  10. Wrestling with budget after GC2020 postponed
  11. Looking at financial impact of GC2020 plans
  12. New Website and Educational Materials Introduce the Revised Social Principles
  13. New Era Begins with Resistance, Warnings
  14. Greater New Jersey Creates New "Discipline"
  15. Church Future Under Negotiation Before GC2020
  16. Central Conferences Speak Up Against Dissolution of UMC
  17. Background and Update on UMC Debate
  18. Separation Outlook: It's All in the Details
  19. The WCA: How Did We Get Here?
  20. Western Jurisdiction's "Fresh" Summit Envisions Inclusive Church
  21. WCA looks toward new, traditionalist church
  22. WJ Bishops Promise Safe Harbor, Invite Others To Do Likewise
  23. Bishop Carter Suggests Moratorium on Trials
  24. Bishop Carter reflects on journey to GC2020
  25. Greater New Jersey Conference Chooses a Way Forward
  26. An Inspiring and Courageous Episcopal Address
  27. The Filipino UMC Link Between Revival, Unity, and Mission
  28. A Filipino Experience With Schism
  29. BIshop Announces "Guiding Coalition" For Future
  30. Background: Breaking up would be hard to do
  31. We're Not in Kansas Anymore
  32. Will Filipinos Resolve the UMC's Three-Way Standoff?
  33. Leadership Gathering Holds Conversations on UMC Future
  34. COR Leadership Institute Focuses on Future of UMC
  35. 'Reform & Renewal' Forces Acknowledge 20 Percent Delegate Drop
  36. Black Leaders Meet to Discuss Future of United Methodist Church
  37. The Current Three-Way Standoff in the UMC
  38. The winding road ahead for United Methodism
  39. The Bursting of the Methodist Wineskin
  40. Reflections on Where We Are
  41. Western Jurisdiction Holds "Fresh United Methodism Summit"
  42. African Pastor Calls For Honesty in Global Methodism
  43. Two Traditionalist Arguments that Fall Flat
  44. Global? Who You Calling 'Global'?
  45. Papers, Discussions, Research: UM-Insight.org
  46. Parody Humor; Venn Diagram; First African Reconciling Congregation
  47. GC2020: Pick Up a Pen, Start Writing
  48. The struggle for the perfect plan

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