On the Way from Dr. Clayton Oliphint

January 9, 2020

Today I want to take a moment to express a few thoughts about the recent media coverage regarding the United Methodist Church. Some of the media reports made it sound like the church has already decided to split. In fact 16 persons representing a variety of theological perspectives (and aided by Kenneth Feinburg, special mediator for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund) released a proposal for helping the church move beyond an impasse on issues regarding human sexuality. The proposal will not be voted upon until May when the General Conference meets. It provides for the retention of the United Methodist Church as we know it, but also provides generous and gracious pathways for some United Methodists, both liberal and conservative on the theological spectrum, to form new denominations. Rather than view this as a split, I think a healthy way to look at this is as a mediated plan for amicable separation, which allows all parties to go forward into ministry and mission. I want to share with you some of the aspects of the plan, as well as reflect on what this means for us at FUMCR.

First, some aspects of the plan:

This plan is not a final decision. Only General Conference, which meets in May, can speak for the United Methodist Church.
There are no decisions or votes to be made at this time. The nature of the agreement is such that many, if not most, local churches will never need to vote at all.
This plan would allow for the continuation of the United Methodist Church, while allowing a gracious exit (churches may take their properties) to unite with a newly formed denomination in the Wesleyan tradition. There could be more than one new denomination formed.

Secondly, what this means for us:

FUMCR will continue to be a “big tent” church, and I would anticipate us remaining a part of the United Methodist Church, along with the vast majority of United Methodist Churches in the North Texas area and in the United States. Our "big tent" allows for people of differing opinions about a number of issues to join together in a common mission guided by our common faith in Christ. This is the church I believe the New Testament envisions when it says, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Our Church Council, our elected leaders for the church, will continue to guide our church through the season. We have trusted our leaders to make wide and faithful decisions regarding our church in the past, and I believe they are capable of doing so now and in the future.
My prayer is that our church will continue to stay focused on our God-given mission. How will we love God and our neighbor, and help make disciples of Jesus Christ? We have answered, “With open hearts and minds, we will welcome people for Christ, grow people in Christ, and serve people with Christ.”

Later, as more details regarding this proposal are made available (most of the legislation to support this plan has not yet been written), we will have some information sessions to give you updates. In the meantime, you can find more information here. I hope we can all take a deep breath, lower any anxiety this causes, and trust that God is God and will lead us through this process. We will continue to be a church that believes God’s grace is available to all, and we will continue to minister to our community and surrounding area in Jesus’ name.

As we move forward into 2020, I hope you will get excited about how our church is engaged in serving our community and world. In this Year of Service, let’s stay focused on the main thing, which, as Jesus told us, is loving God and serving our neighbor. I hope to see you in worship this Sunday!

In Christ,

Clayton Oliphint