Want Schism? Kiss Young People Good-Bye

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With just over 3 months until the General Conference Special Session, the possibility of a United Methodist schism seems more and more probable with each passing day. Despite the widespread calls for unity and the noble efforts by prominent church leaders to garner support for the Bishop endorsed One Church Plan, the majority of hardlined traditionalists and a minority of justice minded-progressives continue to tenaciously oppose any efforts to reach a compromise (like, an actual compromise) that would allow both parties to co-exist within the same institutional structure. Already, traditionalist leaders have begun to lay the foundation for a splinter denomination in the event that their demands are not met at the special session in February. Others within the UMC have begun conversations with their congregations about the sustainability of local autonomy in the event that they no longer have denominational support.

Interestingly, It would appear as if many United Methodists have simply accepted the supposed inevitable reality that the future of Wesleyan revival will happen outside of the United Methodist Church, not from within. Some groups have even embraced it, especially in regards to reaching the next generation. Organizations like Seedbed and The New Room Conference (both of which are unofficially aligned with the WCA) have already begun to create initiatives and resources for reaching young people, most likely in preparation to guide whatever traditionalist institution emerges from the ashes of the UMC.

At surface level, both of these groups definitely have the appearance of being well-equipped to effectively reach Millennials and Gen-Zers. They have trendy graphics, employ multimedia discipleship resources, regularly use social media to communicate, and market themselves as being a community of cool, skinny jean wearing, evangelical christians. The assumption seems to be that, so long as their ministry is modern and creative, splinter Methodist groups will be able to still effectively (if not better) reach young adults, the largest and fastest growing demographic of non-religious persons, should schism occur in the United Methodist Church. The problem with this approach is that it fails to consider a key aspect of young adults today: we’re sick and tired of petty, polarizing conflicts.

You see, young people like myself (Millennials and GenZers) have never known a world that wasn’t plagued by continuous conflict and intense polarization. We’ve grown up through 9/11, the War in Afghanistan & Iraq, the culture wars, mass shootings, the Great Recession, hateful partisan politics, and social media trolling, all of which have created in us an aversion to anything that may resemble these divisive, formative events. As a result, we tend to just dissociate ourselves from any institution (i.e. politics, religion, etc.) that takes part in the polarizing culture that we have observed all our lives.

The fact is, any denomination that emerges from a United Methodist schism will forever be defined, not by its unique Wesleyan beliefs or practices, but by the messy, polarizing debate over human sexuality that led to its creation, just as the Methodist Episcopal Church, South would always be identified by its opposition to abolition rather than its Wesleyan heritage. The WCA can spend millions on any number of young adult initiatives/resources but will still fail due to the core reason it even exists as an institution in the first place. The same goes for any progressive/centrist Methodist denomination that emerges. Even though it may have more inclusive beliefs and practices as a denomination, it will still be marked by the same history that the WCA shares. Young people will look at the remnants of the UMC and see just another example of the irrelevance and divisiveness of traditional American institutions. Just as most young people aren’t fooled by the facade of trendy, evangelical groups like Hillsong, so too will they see through any other attempt to mask the core identity of a splinter Methodist denomination, regardless how unique, young, and modern it presents itself to be.

Now, I do not say all of this simply to diminish our hopes should a schism occur. However, there does seem to be a growing belief amongst UMC dissenters that they will be able to continue with fruitful ministry as if nothing changed in the event of schism. I am here to tell you, as a millennial, that is not the case. Schism would be detrimental to our ability to reach out to young people. The current downward trend that the UMC currently sees with young adult participation would only intensify, potentially to a point where any surviving denominational body would become unsustainable after only a few years of existing. All of the many years of costly initiatives and revitalization efforts in the UMC would be all of for nothing as we would now have to struggle with the stain of schism while trying to reach out to a group that is especially aversive conflict and polarization, the very things our new denomination(s) would be built upon.

So please, be my guest: turn the UMC into a bunch of fragments.

Go start a new denomination centered around your inability to remain in communion with those you disagree with.

Just don’t expect young people to be apart of it.

Because we won’t.

United Methodist layman Trevor Warren serves as communications director at Dickinson First United Methodist Church in Dickinson, TX. This post is republished with permission from his blog, Add Theology.