Nothing Has Changed--a Pastoral Letter from Michael on the State of the Church before General Conference 2020

Apparently our United Methodist Church is in the news alot lately. That's not unusual. When disaster strikes an area in the forms of hurricanes, tornadoes, or flooding it is UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) that is one of the first responders on the ground to be offering help and hope to those affected. When there is a crisis in a small town or a big city it is United Methodist pastors and laity who are among the first to reach out and offer support. When there are tough issues to be addressed with love and compassion, it is the members of United Methodist Churches around the world who step and do what needs to be done.

I love my church.

But our latest stints on national and local news channels are not for any of these wonderful things. It is not for our unity, it is our division. I would like to thank my youngest daughter's boyfriend for letting me know about this CNN article:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/03/us/united-methodist-church-split-proposal/index.html
And there are more like this, just Google "UMC split".

Since there has been a resurgance lately on this topic of the UMC splitting up, or dissolving completely, all because of our seeming dis-unity on this one topic, I felt the need to offer my input on this as your pastor.

Nothing has changed.
Let me say that again, nothing has changed.

Yes, our General Conference meets this coming May (for more info on what "General Conference" is read this: https://www.umc.org/en/content/general-conference). And in that meeting the delegates from around the world will once again discuss and vote on the United Methodist Church stance on homosexuality, same sex weddings in UM church buildings, and the ordination of gay clergy candidates, just as has been topics of General Conference every 4 years since 1972.

Our current stance is that same sex weddings can not be conducted in our churches or officiated by UM clergy, and that gay persons can not be appointed as UM pastors. For a full statement on the United Methodist Church doctrinal position from our Book of Discipline read this: https://www.umc.org/en/content/what-is-the-denominations-position-on-homosexuality

There are several different petitions that will be presented to the delgates of General Conference to vote on this May, and most of them involve some sort of split in the church. While this breaks my heart, I am beginning to understand. I know pastors and laity whom I love who support the full inclusion of all LGBTQ+ peoples in the life of the church. I know these people love Jesus and love the Church. And I know pastors and laity who I love and believe that homosexuality is not God's plan for his creation and believe that tehe current doctrinal statement of the church in this regard is accurate and biblical truth. I know these people love Jesus and love the Church.

And yet there is a divide among us. I have been OK with this for years. There are plenty of things we all don't completly agree on as United Methodist Christians.
What happens at the moment of death? I know some UM's who believe that immediately at death you are either in heaven or hell. I know some UM's who believe that you sleep until Jesus returns.
Or what about the "rapture"? I know some UM's who believe that one day some people will vanish from this earth, being taken on to heaven while there will be others who will be "left behind". I know other UM's who believe that to be "taken" is a bad thing, and to be "left" is actually good, since the context of this passage is Jesus talking about the flood in the days of Noah.
My point is that there are many important things that we disagree on, yet we have remained "United".

In May at General Conference is it possible that the decision of the voting delegates will be to seperate in some way. And at this point maybe that wouldn't be so awful. Months ago I would have said we should stay together at all cost. But if the cost is our Christian witness, if the cost is that we are spending millions of dollars on this one topic at the expense of being the Church in the world offering hope and reconciliation to those in need, then the cost might be too high.

But here's what I know for sure today:
Nothing has changed.
Let me say that again, nothing has changed!

We are still the United Methodist Church. Sure, there might be a vote to split in May. There might be a vote to dissolve in May. There might be a vote to remain the same in May. Jesus might even come back before May 2020 and all this won't even matter!!

But if He doesn't, and if we come into General Conference 2020 and votes are imminent, then my prayer is that we vote in love, and that we vote in truth. And if we must part ways (and even Paul and Barnabus felt they could reach more people if they split up--https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+15%3A36-41&version=NIV) then we do so graciously and know that we will be spending eternity together.

If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.- Romans 10:9

Telford United Methodist Church and Asbury United Methodist Church will have meetings scheduled after General Conference takes place, and before our Holston Annual Conference in June. I will help keep you up to date on what is happening, and offer space for you to share your thoughts as well. 

But until then I would like to remind you of one thing:

Nothing has changed.

Let me say that again, nothing has changed!

And let me leave you with this, one of my favorite passages of Scripture:

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Michael