There are plenty of stories that prove how out of touch the leadership of the UMC has become. I saw it several years ago and spent a while trying to decide whether I should leave the denomination or stay and fight. After all, the Methodist Church is the church that America built and its the church that took us across the frontier once we got out of sight of the Atlantic Ocean. I’m not ready to let it die from the cancer of liberalism.
I prayed on it a lot and God told me to stay and fight. He has set things in front of me since then to strengthen me and I’m going to keep working. He has taught me much and given me knowledge to help me fight.
At the heart of the UMC are its people. Most of them don’t know the bishop’s name and couldn’t pick the DS out of a line-up. They follow their local leaders and pastors. They don’t follow General Conference politics and they barely know when Annual Conference is happening. They just worship, eat, study, fellowship, and serve as followers of Christ should do.
Many people on FR who aren’t UM claim that we are apostates for various things that we almost did but didn’t and the reason we didn’t do it was the people.
Now, I will tell you that there are extemely liberal districts, pastors, and even congregations. But most Methodists and congregations are slightly right of center since they not only believe in God, freedom, country and family; but they also care for the poor and oppressed. On FR, that makes you a liberal at worst or RINO at best. I’ll take that. After all, I only VOTE republican, but I AM a Christian.
I too have chosen to stay and fight for my church. There are too many decent people there to just abandon them. I’ve found that if you speak up there are others who didn’t have the courage to speak up and will be glad you did.