Jonathan LeMaster-Smith

This topic is about a month old, but I wanted to mull it over a bit before responding.

According to UMNews.org the Wesley Covenant Association and Good News Movement, among others, will be lobbying at General Conference in April. They will mostly be working to convince folks to join the Global Methodist Church (which formed in 2022).

Many folks, like Lovett Weems (a scholar who I respect deeply),suggest that the time for disaffiliations is over. I agree, and so does our polity as the disaffiliation legislation expired in December 2023. He believes we should move on in the spirit of Wesley. He writes: “They [the General Conference Delegates] have chosen to remain not because they all agree, but because they are willing to live together despite differences, knowing that disunity is incompatible with Christian teaching.” He also notes that they need to do only things that strengthen The United Methodist Church.

In many ways, I agree with Weems. I think the people who have remained want The United Methodist Church to thrive. I think we should be working toward things that strengthen our connection. I think the time for disaffiliations (at least so much as they were formulated in 2019) has past.

However, I think I want to the Wesleyan Covenant Association and Good News movement to be there. Not because I am an agent of chaos and discord, but because I think it is up to those who are remaining United Methodist to provide a convincing vision and plan for the future. If people are drawn to the plans of other denominations, let them go. Bid them well.

And, the reality is, while I love The United Methodist Church, I don’t think we have a convincing vision at this point. I don’t think we are unified on our goals. I don’t think we know what comes next. And, that is fine, but I think we need to be clear on it. We are in, as CGP Grey calls it, “the very messy time.”

We are a very complex and global denomination that is struggling with many things at once. We are also a denomination that has failed at teaching what Methodism really is to our members (and the world). We have people in our churches waiting to see what actually happens at General Conference, and whether we make decisions they can live with.

However, one thing that I’m not here for is a circling of the wagons by any party. I think the Global Methodists should be there, and if they have a better offer for some, let them leave. But, I also think we should work to have some expectations of respect and decorum that doesn’t end with us disintegrating into racist, homophobic, and colonialist slurs.

The responsibility is on us to raise our flag higher and work harder to create a denomination that is truly connectional, contextual, diverse, and unified in Christ. This is going to require prayer, discernment, and a trust that we can push past fear and judgment toward love and creativity.