Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Like I imagine many of you were, last Friday I found myself stunned when I realized that multiple news outlets had dropped a headline concerning the United Methodist Church. Many of the articles and headlines read as though the UMC had just decided to split along with some other misinformation. My purpose in writing this is to inform you of how our denomination’s governing structure works and, hopefully, answer some of your questions as well as some possible implications.
First: Did the UMC agree to split?
Simply put: No! I can understand how some news outlets got this wrong – our governing structure is different from most governing structures in that we do not have a standing administration that can make changes to our Book of Discipline (our “law and rule book”). The Book of Discipline also includes how the church structure is set up. For a massive thing like a denominational split to occur, is has to go through the decision-making body at a General Conference. General Conference is a meeting where representatives from every Annual Conference worldwide gathers every 4 years. Rarely is there a special called General Conference that meets in between these 4 year periods, and we experienced one of these special called General Conferences in February of 2019. The next regularly scheduled General Conference is happening this coming May 5-15 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Second: What actually happened?
There was a group of 16 individuals, well respected individuals within their various “camps,” that met with a professional mediator to put together a proposal for the UMC to move forward. This proposal that was put together by this diverse group was called “The Protocol.” The Protocol is simply that – a proposal.
The Protocol suggests that the UMC proceed as two or more denominations. Simply put: a conservative denomination would form outside of the United Methodist Church, allowed to take their church property with them, along with $25 million. Whoever chooses not to leave with this newly formed conservative denomination would remain in a more progressive (comparatively) or moderate United Methodist Church. The denomination that keeps the name would also retain the various boards and agencies (Such as the United Methodist Committee on Relief, Board of Higher Education, etc…)
This proposal will have to be voted through at General Conference before it can be enacted.
Third: Who was a part of this group?
This group of 16 was comprised of clergy, bishops, and lay people. They were representatives of conservative, moderate, and progressive groups. Was every viewpoint covered? With only 16 people, this would have been an impossibility. There are some people who criticize this fact, as well – but the truth is, if you get too many “cooks in the kitchen” then things would not be able to be accomplished. This group chose to form themselves in this manner. It was not a formally appointed group, but it was certainly a group of leaders from the various “camps” they represented.
Fourth: Are conservatives being kicked out / paid off? Why are they the ones leaving in The Protocol? Why should they get $25 million?
This series of questions certainly reads as personal and possibly offensive to some… if that’s how you read them, that is not the intent. Let me reassure you, however, that nobody is being “kicked out.” This proposal was written with leading conservative voices in agreement.
The Protocol is an attempt at an amicable separation. Ultimately, progressives have proven unwilling to leave the UMC, whereas the conservatives, primarily through the Wesleyan Covenant Association, has already been in process for multiple years of planning their exit if they deemed necessary.
The idea behind splitting in this manner instead of staying and fighting further is to avoid as a denomination the lawsuits that we witnessed in other denominations that have split primarily over the debate of how inclusive should they be of the LGBTQ+ community. I believe that we can all agree that these were messy and did nothing good for the overall witness of the church in bringing forth the Kingdom of God.
Concerning the $25 million, it’s relatively 1/24th of the budget that General Conference passed in 2016 – so, not nothing, but certainly not everything. Regardless of which side you may feel more in alignment with, it’s really not about the money and more about moving forward in peace so that we might get down to the business of discipleship.
Fifth: What is going to happen at the May 2020 General Conference?
Honestly, who knows. You could do all the polling you want, collect all of the thoughts and opinions you can gather, and you can still find yourself surprised by the outcome. Honestly, General Conference rarely votes something in without making changes to the proposal.
With that thought in mind, The Protocol is not the first proposal that has been written calling for some kind of amicable separation to be presented at General Conference (It might be the one that has garnered the most media attention, however). General Conference will have several options to choose from before it, assuming they even vote to move towards separation. Until May 5-15 comes, we will not know how our church as a denomination has voted to move forward.
Sixth: What now?
The best course of action that I have seen and heard suggested is to pray. Pray for those involved in the decision-making process coming up in May in Minneapolis. Pray for those who are wondering what is going to happen to their local church. Pray for those who are hurting, worrying, and heartbroken over this long and drawn-out fight in our denomination.
None of this is easy – I recognize this. I wish I had all the answers. I am open to talking with you if you have any questions concerning process or The Protocol, but please don’t be surprised when I say, “I don’t know” because, well… none of us have all the answers. In some ways, it may feel like a bull-ride and you begin to wonder when you’ll be bucked off; but let me encourage you to hang on! I can’t promise that any person’s preferred outcome will happen, but I do know that as long as we stick together and remain in faithful fellowship with one another – even in spite some of our differences – we can continue doing what we were tasked with and supersedes this conflict: Making Disciples of Jesus Christ.
My mother once shared with me this thought: that there is beauty in the tension. Tension isn’t comfortable, but when we’re willing to put our differences aside for the sake of the mission of the church – when we are willing to embrace and be in relationship with one another even though we don’t think alike – that’s where the Kingdom is at work and Heaven breaks forth here on Earth. Conflict (tension), dealt with in a healthy way, allows us to grow and sharpen one another. I know that there are people of both persuasions here at OUMC. May we learn to navigate our differences so that we can grow in love together instead of allowing our differences tear us apart and tearing one another down.
Let us put into practice the greatest commandment, to love God and love one another, as we do what Christ commissioned us to do and the mission of the church: To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
God Bless—
Rev. Benjamin Cassiday
Here are links that can help better inform you of what is happening around this conversation at the denominational level. If the links are not highlighted on your screen, then copy and paste the web address into your web browser.
A link to an article at umnews.org about what is happening as well as various groups’ reactions: https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.umnews.org%2Fen%2Fnews%2Freaction-aplenty-to-separation-plan%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1uiMsr5DEBwydjMerSj9t-Dyhqxc6groBCeUCBP5eBm8XuFAXZ9fA9xUQ&h=AT2UbckFU5dN22YRgG_1hTe-iuQ00WmDKhQ17fZjaoWfIFEU11sK_Zs5h1TDTI1oR3qL0OuCQdXVLfK92b8DUe8Ct28ShHOH1_EOWTWBJdtY3XLuB3qt1qLBydH7PmH04z3gwGzTvIlQ-OKuSq-SsYEhN5bKn54
A link to The Protocol’s actual document:
Thank you to Rev. Melissa Englehart for allowing me to use her format and her questions to put this letter together.
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