The Years of Nagging Are Over!

It's Time to Do Missions to God’s Glory

by

Special to United Methodist Insight

LUANSHYA , Zambia, May 6, 2024 – It has been said that too much of anything is bad. Our beloved United Methodist Church was locked on nagging, confusion and divisiveness over human sexuality issues which falls under Social Principles for more than 50 years, quite a long time of unending debate. The nagging led to the formation of groupings in the United Methodist Church especially churches in the United States were terribly affected, groupings such as centrists, progressives, traditionalists etc. The Social Principles contained in both Book of Discipline and Book of Resolution are statements that reflect official United Methodist teachings on a wide range of topics, but they are not church laws.

It was against the information given above that prompted men and women of God who were inspired by the Holy Spirit on navigating how to end this horrible nagging lifestyle in the United Methodist Church. Hence the birth of the Christmas Covenant. The Christmas Covenant was the original initiator of regionalization. The proposal was later called Worldwide Regionalization after a rigorous and thoroughly insightful debate and contributions from Christmas Covenant, Connectional Table and Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters.

Regionalization petitions were the elephant in the room at General Conference. There’s no doubt that once regionalization is ratified by the constituents in the annual conferences it will be a game changer. Honestly, regionalization is a dream come true and marks a new era for how the people called United Methodists will do ministry in the future. Here are some benefits of Regionalization to the Worldwide United Methodist Church.

Regionalization aims to level the playing ground for all regions by making General Conference less

US-centric. There will be more an injustice of subjecting delegates from deepest remote regions of the Republic of Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo or from the United Republic of Tanzania to debates on U.S. clergy pensions while the clergy from some parts of Africa gets as low as $300 annually as pensions It's time to neutralize the US-centric General Conference.

The current Central Conferences and the U.S. would become Regional Conferences with the same authority to contextualize ministry and pass legislation for mission purposes. Therefore, it’s in order for me to tender my heartfelt congratulations to the delegates to the just ended 2020 postponed General conference held in 2024, for voting yes on regionalization with a sounding victory of 78%. Congratulations, Mwabombeni – well done!

Yes, the years of nagging with horrible debates are gone; now is the time to do ministry to God’s glory. As the Holy Bible says ‘‘everything has its time.’’ For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up." (Ecclesiastes 3:1 -3 NRSV – The Wesley Study Bible).

Indeed, now is the time to let new ministry and new ministry focus be born. Let it be time to evangelize like never before and plant more churches, more schools, clinics etc. Yes, let it be the time to heal. No one was a winner or victor at the just-ended General conference; we all and equally benefited.

In Paul’s epistle to the Philippians, he encouraged them to imitate Christ’s humility. ‘‘If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." Now is the time to put our personal interests and ego aside but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let consider interest of others and God above all.

Beloved in the Lord, the regionalization constitutional amendment will be sent to the annual conferences 30 days after the adjournment of General Conference for ratification. Bearing in mind that regionalization is a constitutional matter it has to undergo ratification. which requires at least two -thirds of the total votes cast across all annual conferences worldwide. For regionalization to take effect, I therefore humbly appeal to all the constituents to vote yes on regionalization. For my siblings in Africa, you all know how important regionalization is to our ministry in the continent of Africa. During the ratification process I am encouraging you all to close your ears from doomsayers who have nothing to offer but experts in causing confusion and division.

Voting no on regionalization during the ratification process is like shooting ourselves in the legs by denying ourselves the very much needed step into Canaan. We will deprive ourselves the rights to contextualize ministry as well as denying ourselves equal rights to vote at our top lawmaking assembly of the United Methodist Church, the General Conference, the only entity that speaks for the denomination.

Bye-bye to nagging, to horrible and unproductive debates. Brethren, I was overwhelmed by an exceptional, exemplary and sacrificial decision made by the association of the Korean United Methodists for adopting 140 missionaries. That is a more newsworth event than years of nagging and unproductive debates.

The UMC on the continent of Africa and the world at large should be looking out for some people masquerading as spokespersons for the faithful members in Africa. We know about those who wanted to divide us promoting division via the extension of disaffiliation paragraph 2553, which was defeated and deleted from the Book of Discipline. Their interest was to divide Africa and auction the church to the highest bidder. It’s simple logic that diminishers cannot be spokespersons for multipliers; in short, dividers cannot be spokespersons for unifiers. Let’s give room to those who are invested and passionate about staying UMC to continue doing so.

In conclusion, may I cite an epilogue and benediction from the Book of Revelation 22:11-13: "Let the evil doer still do evil and the filthy still be filthy and the righteous still do right and the holy still be holy. See I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

Glory be to God Almighty!

The Rev. Gabriel Banga Mususwa, a delegate to General Conference from the Zambia Annual Conference, serves as general secretary of United Methodist Africa Forum.