Posted on 01/03/2020 10:42:52 AM PST by xzins
United Methodism moved closer to formal schism with a new proposal released today negotiated with liberal and conservative groups, including bishops. The plan would divide the nearly 13 million member global denomination into separate conservative and liberal communions.
The mediator for these negotiations was Kenneth Feinberg, the Washington, D.C. attorney best known as Special Master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
Under this plan, conferences (Methodism’s version of dioceses or presbyteries) could vote by 2021 to join the conservative denomination by a 57% vote. Local churches by 2024 could vote by majority. The conservative denomination would get $25 million from current denominational assets.
If the quadrennial General Conference approves this plan in May, when it meets in Minneapolis, the two separate denominations would start there immediately, with separate General Conferences. The liberal church of course would delete United Methodism’s current affirmation of sex only within male/female marriage.
This denominational schism would be historic and largely the first of its kind since the 1840s when Methodists and Baptists divided regionally over slavery.
It’s likely the General Conference, even if it approves this plan, will amend it.
My prediction: General Conference will approve a version of this plan. During several subsequent years of sorting, United Methodism’s current 6.7 million members in the USA will drop to about 6 million. About 2.5 million will join the conservative church, and about 3.5 million will be in the liberal church. Nearly all the 5.5 million overseas members, mostly in Africa, will join conservative church, so the conservative denomination will have about 8 million members globally.
This process will be messy and often tragic. Many local congregations will divide and die. But United Methodism is already dying in America. This division will allow evangelistic-minded Methodism to plant new congregations and grow. American Christianity and society desperately need a theologically cohesive rejuvenated Methodism.
I’m looking forward to participating in a Methodist revival!
I would imagine the conservatives get to keep their churches, so lm all for it.
Better a division than having the Satanic Fag Party within the Methodist Church rule over the faithful Christians.
I hope you find your way back to a biblical church. Not good to be alone.
To be added to or dropped from this list, freepmail Albion Wilde
Sounds like Methodism struck out bad in your case. I’m truly sorry.
”The Long March” (Chinese Civil War, 1927-1937, paused for WWII, then resumed 1946-1949) was a series of retreats by Mao Zedong and elements of the Red Army of the Communist Party of China, the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1934-35 from Chiang Kai-shek and the pursuing Nationalist armies. The communists trekked 6,000 miles over 370 days. Only 8,000 made it to the stronghold out of the 100,000 people who started. However, because they had survived such a difficult trial together the survivors were very dedicated and created a more cohesive group. The Long March began the ascent to power of Mao Zedong, whose leadership during the retreat gained him the support of the members of the party. It came to represent a significant episode in the history of the Communist Party of China, and would seal the personal prestige of Mao Zedong and his supporters as the new leaders of the party in the following decades.
THE 45 COMMUNIST GOALS AS READ INTO THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, 1963
The 45 current communist goals were read into the Congressional Record–Appendix, pp. A34-A35 on Thursday, 1/10/1963, by U.S. Rep. A.S. Herlong Jr. (D-FL) at the encouragement of 1 of his constituents, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land, FL, 2+ months after the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis, 10/16-28/1962.
The Long March Through the Institutions
In any case, the faithful Christians in America will build a strong church from their 2.5 million and eventually be a major force for Christ in American life, joined with 5.5 million overseas (all the overseas churches).
Meanwhile the liberal church in America, even with 3.5 million, will wither away and die, just like the dummpkof liberal basket case known as the Episcopal Church.
I think it is about more than homosexuality. It is about accepting all of the sexual revolution - basically Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Philosophy with a bit of religious language thrown in. It is also a revolt against the idea that anything has a nature - instead everyone can do anything and identify as anything. One’s subjective feelings take precidence over reality - it is rather a moral imperative to deny reality.
He believes in the basic doctrines of original Methodism and thinks they are Godly.
Free Will
Holiness
Universal Atonement
They do, so it’s exciting
Amen
Free Will
Holiness
Universal Atonement
If Methodist numbers are already shrinking with that doctrine why will a schism cause that to change?
The plan has the shoe on the wrong foot.
Any plan would require the concurrence of the full existing general conference of the entire UMC. Conservatives - U.S. Conservatives with the non-U.S. conferences, have the upper hand there. The “UMC” should remain “theirs”, with Liberal conferences required to vote to agree to exit and form someother denomination. Assets of the UMC and its HQ offices & agencies should be divided by proportional representation in the current global UMC general conference, not that which is of the U.S. conferences alone.
Amen
Bingo.
Great questions.
Especially considering...as this article mentions....conservatives will hold a majority, globally.
Agree, Wuli!!
How do your ideas get approved??
All mainstream protestant churches are going to fall simply because they’ve all left their first love.
I have no idea, other than someone sharing the idea with UMC Conservatives who may have a role in the process in some way, which is not me, as I only know some (Liberal) UMC people but am not a member of the UMC.
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