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.
UM-Insight.net has a collection of articles you will want to see:
Methodist Slime, Scum, Sloths and Slugs by James C. Howell, senior pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, N.C. [Read his note, then take a look at some of these papers delivered last month in Dallas.]
Recommended Readings: Central and Southern Europe Study Group Process by David W. Scott, Director of Mission Theology at the General Board of Global Ministries
Principles and Particulars: "Casuistry" in the context of the UMC's "civil war." by Jack Shitama, executive director of Pecometh Camp & Retreat Ministries "If The UMC splits, every congregation and every pastor will have to decide which way they’re going to go. There will be a lot of talk about principles. I’m beginning to think it will be more helpful to focus on the particulars."
Stop calling it a choice: Biological factors drive homosexuality, by Bill Sullivan, Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University [for more from science, see the "Reason" section of this bibliography. Interestingly, articles on the study, published in Science, spin the results differently: Scientific American, for example.]
Cynthia Astle has written her take on where the UMC is right now. Here are excerpts:
A Parody Sprinkles Comic Relief into UMC Tensions
The Latest Steps Toward the UMC's Future
September 3, 2019
By Cynthia Astle, editor of UM-Insight
For those who've never heard The Beatles (or can't remember the tune), here's an original cut of "Revolution," on which Chris Weitzel based his parody of The United Methodist Church's struggle over its future. (YouTube Video)
OK, Baby Boomers, we’re starting the first “UMC Future” update of September with a blast from the past. Thanks to Chris Weitzel for this gem from his Facebook post. We’ve provided a YouTube video of the original version for those who’ve forgotten the music.
Read more: Parody Humor; Venn Diagram; First African Reconciling Congregation
[Rev. Jeremy Smith of Hacking Christianity urges centrist and progressive United Methodists to write their ideas for the future of the UMC: otherwise, the traditionalists will walk away with the store (or farm).]
by UMJeremy
August 30, 2019
...Progressive and Centrist United Methodists should be crowdsourcing, compiling, proofing and testing legislation to be considered for inclusion in the Book of Discipline 2020. Because otherwise, they’ll be giving away the farm....
...General Conferences’ delegates start with legislation submitted long beforehand. Legislation written and submitted by any United Methodist institution, clergy, lay member, annual conference, church conference, etc. And then General Conference is where those different proposals are compared, amended, voted on, and ultimately implemented or discarded.
So you can see that the content of the debate at General Conference is written by…well, anyone—including you! [Continue reading.]
Rev. Jeremy Smith of Hacking Christianity writes about "the struggle for the perfect plan," and warns against making the perfect the enemy of the good.
The struggle for the perfect plan for The United Methodist Church
by UMJeremy
August 27, 2019
The Impossible Task?
In Greek Mythology, Sisyphus was given a hopeless task: push a boulder up a hill, and no matter how hard he tried, it would always roll back down to where it began, and Sisyphus would have to start again.
It’s an appropriate image to use to describe The United Methodist Church as it struggles for its future: whatever “plan” that comes forward has to navigate so many considerations across so many cultural boundaries and overcome the power imbalance and colonialism baked into its polity that it is often seen as a hopeless task.
But is it? Let’s walk through the tensions and see what needs to happen in the last month for legitimate plans for The United Methodist Church....
Most of the plans have to do with one of four directions:
- Unity: a better form of unity for the Church (often consequential but incremental changes).
- Division: A “wheel and spokes” model whereby there are some shared structures and name, but division along ideological and geographic lines as far as governance goes.
- Dissolution: The UMC goes away and is replaced by two or more entities.
- Expulsion: one side packs it up and leaves, leaving the other half as the legal successor to United Methodism up to this point.
[Continue reading his excellent analysis and reflections.]
- State of the UMC: Bloggers weigh in
- The US & the Central Conferences at the UM Scholars Conference
- Speech: Four Words, Three Rules, Two Standards, One Grace
- Commission on General Conference added to confusion
- Bishop Richard Wilke: A plea to the United Methodist Church
- Diverse group of United Methodists explores separation
- Plans canceled for GC2024 in Philippines
- Connectional Table Approves Legislation Creating New U.S. Structure
- Mainstream UMC Survey Results Show Urgency
- Scholars gather to champion LGBTQ inclusion
- Petition Process Open for 2020 General Conference
- Judicial Council Docket - October, 2019
- Church leaders look at options for future of denomination
- Apportionment collection rates down after GC2019
- Conferences Mull Denomination's Future
- What does it mean to Dissolve The United Methodist Church?
- Where The Money (Doesn't) Come From
- Bishops Release Rulings of Law on Ordinations, Finances
- Two Bishops Offer Plan for UMC Future
- Arbitration: A Possible Help in the Coming Separation
- UMC Bishops pose five questions to Judicial Council on Traditional Plan
- A Letter to Centrists
- General Conference is Broken; Annual Conferences Are Not
- US elections see shift in GC2020 delegates
- 76% of US Annual Conferences Reject Traditional Plan
- How To Restructure The UMC
- "Where Do We Go From Here?"
- June 20 Marks Four Significant Elections
- Inclusive Methodists secure Jurisdictional Conference majorities
- Recommended candidates offer open letter to leaders and colleagues
- A Texas-Size Wakeup Call for WCA
- "Know When To Hold 'Em, Know When to Fold 'Em..."
- Mountain Sky Conference Report
- An Open Letter to the WCA
- How The West Can Help the Rest
- Annual Conference 2019 Petition Results
- A Primer on UM Apportionments
- UMC-Next: Reports and Docs
- Methodist Movement New England
- Loved and Liberated: Our Movement Forward Proclamation
- Summit Plans Inclusive Methodist Movement
- Creating a Future with Hope
- How will denominational divide affect mission?
- Petitions to the 2019 Annual Conferences
- Bishops Meet, Plan, and Ask Judicial Council For Ruling
- Journalist Cynthia Astle on Secret Meetings
- 'Does The UMC Have A Future?' Christy Thomas says No
- What's Next? Hamilton and Coyner