A Change of Circumstances

I'm staying at an airbnb about 20 minutes away from the Church of the Resurrection, and was surrounded this morning with reminders of God's love and grace: Did I say surrounded? I felt very loved as I headed out the door for a long day, filled with worship and discussion - lots and lots of discussion! Today, we worked to narrow down the approach that we want to take as we move forward. (Spoiler alert: we haven't chosen one, yet!) During our time, we are using Mentimeter to get immediate visual results as we weigh in on questions that are asked. This helps us gauge the room very quickly, which is valuable and necessary, as our time is short. As a preface to working on next steps, it was acknowledged that "the next expression of Methodism will fail if we do not address the elephant in the room: racism." Our table groups were asked to answer the following questions: How can we address the issues of systemic racism in your church and annual conference? H...

The first day of UMC Next was characterized by worship, testimonies, and discussion. I am so grateful to the congregation of the Church of the Resurrection for hosting this time together, and for those throughout our connection who serve on the convening team. With only weeks to prepare, volunteers have assembled nametags, provided documents, arranged for catering, designed worship, and organized our time together. Although participants paid a $50 fee to cover some of the expenses, I know COR has provided substantial funds to make this possible, and for this I am grateful. Just a constant reminder of the Holy Spirit present at COR! For those who are interested in getting a sense of what is going on through selected quotes from speakers, I invite you to follow #umcnext on Twitter . (For those who are new to Twitter, you can click "latest" on the top of the screen to get the latest tweets on top if you want to check it throughout the day.) Here are a few highlights fr...

What might the future of Methodism look like? This is the question before us this week; however, many have already given this much prayerful consideration. One proposal that I have seen comes as a joint effort from two Bishops who are reaching across theological lines to work together. Bishop Scott Jones from the Texas Conference and Bishop David Bard from the Michigan Episcopal Area have shared this plan, which I believe will be part of our consideration this week: A New Form of Unity A Way Forward Strategy 2019-2022 Bishops David A. Bard and Scott J. Jones April 28, 2019 Brief Analysis of Our Current Situation Responses to the passage of many petitions that comprised the Traditional Plan, and the subsequent Judicial Council rulings upholding approximately half the petitions passed, have been strong and diverse, from vigorous support for the legislation and a determination to strengthen it at the 2020 General Conference, along with a feeling that it is simply time for...

This week, I'll begin meeting with 616 leaders (bishops, denominational officers, pastors and laity) in Leawood, Kansas to discuss, pray and discern God's will for the future of the UMC.  Although a decision was made at the called session of General Conference in February to tighten the language and penalties concerning marriage, ordination and episcopal consecration of LGBTQ+ individuals, there has been considerable backlash against this decision. Conversations are taking place among some  United Methodists about disaffiliation. This includes: individual lay members, individual clergy, churches, conferences, the Western Jurisdiction, our 96 colleges and universities, our health care systems and other organizations currently affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Regardless of where one stands regarding the decisions made at GC2019, the potential for significant disaffiliation is a reality that needs to be addressed. I am honored to be included in this week of conver...

In 1746, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, published Vol. I of Sermons on Several Occasions . This was the first time his own sermons were made accessible in print, which made them available for a wider audience to both benefit from and criticize. In his Preface to this volume, Wesley wrote: But some may say, I have mistaken the way myself, although I take upon me to teach it to others. It is probable many will think this, and it is very possible that I have. But I trust, whereinsoever I have mistaken, my mind is open to conviction. I sincerely desire to be better informed. I say to God and man, “What I know not, teach thou me!” Are you persuaded you see more clearly than me? It is not unlikely that you may. Then treat me as you would desire to be treated yourself upon a change of circumstances. Point me out a better way than I have yet known....But be not displeased if I entreat you not to beat me down in order to quicken my pace: I can go but feebly and slowly at best; the...