Future signs
Which way to the future? Being attentive and nimble will help churches discern their path. (GraphicStock Photo)
The United Methodist Church is moving toward a no-fault divorce based on irreconcilable differences. In time, the split may be seen, in its broadest context, as an evolutionary step taken by one branch of Protestant Christendom, in the context of cultural change.
The One Church and The Traditional Plans headed for discussion at a special called General Conference Feb. 23-26, 2019 represent the couple facing divorce. At this point, it appears some variation of the One Church Plan will be adopted by the UMC in 2019, or in 2020. It’s the plan supported by a majority of bishops, as well as the bureaucracy of the denomination; namely, its boards and agencies.
However, the divorce, a long time coming, is already here.
In what are still isolated cases, UMC congregations are claiming their independence from the general church and engaging the issue of property ownership. More than one law firm is prepared to help engage the dispute over ownership in what is, essentially, a business negotiation. Their client lists will likely grow.
Many longtime Methodist laypersons will be saddened when the schism becomes official. But none should be surprised. It has been a long time coming. Some will look for those to blame when the divorce is finalized. But at this point, fault-finding is a waste of time and energy. The UMC desperately needed leadership as the split began to surface decades ago, but that leadership was absent. Too late to fix it now.
Those taking the long view will see the divorce as an episode in the continuing evolution, or devolution – depending on your perspective – of a Protestant denomination caught in the turbulence of cultural crosswinds. If there’s any effort to reconfigure one of the separated parties into a newly designed, connectional relationship resembling the current UMC organizational chart, it could end up being the restructuring equivalent of putting new wine into old wineskins.
In any regard, the legacy era of the second-largest, mainline protestant denomination in America is ending.
The Southern Baptist Church – the largest protestant denomination – is holding steady. Early on they recognized that the mindset of the laity was moving away from lifelong devotion to denominational ecclesiolatry. In response, some Baptist churches altered the language on their street signage to downplay their denominational affiliation by putting the franchise label in small letters at the bottom.
Lest we think it is, Protestantism is not declining; it’s growing. And it’s growing because of a change in laity expectations that reflects a shift toward independent, entrepreneurial, church ventures that stand as self-reliant congregations.
Within a decade, former Methodist congregations may be among the self-sufficient churches aligned within a network of other like-minded congregations, not incorporated within a structural hierarchy of ecclesiastical authority. No more district superintendents, and no more bishops, because Wesleyan theology does not demand the hard structure of any table of organization.
And, the Bible supersedes the Book of Discipline.
Wesleyan congregations in the future may be led by clergy whose career goal is not to climb the appointment ladder into progressively larger churches, until, if chosen, they become a district superintendent. Or, for the few with acute political skill, who ascend to the ultimate goal of the episcopacy.
Had the thirteen colonies not declared their independence from Great Britain, there would have been no birth of freedom in America. Likewise, the Long Way Forward for Methodism may yet be ahead.
Lee Cary is a graduate of Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL (M.Div., ’74, Doctor of Theology, ’79). He served as pastor of churches in the Northern Illinois Conference and in the North Texas Conference (including St. Stephen UMC, Mesquite, TX, sponsor of United Methodist Insight). He was the Director of the Conference Council on Ministries of the North Texas Conference when he retired after twenty-five years of service. After retiring, Cary joined the faculty of a NYC-based management development firm and taught its curriculum throughout the United States. and in fourteen other countries. Today he lives in Texas.