Analysts: Scrutinize Rule Book Before Deciding to Join New Denomination

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United Methodist Insight Exclusive

United Methodist churches and individuals considering joining the proposed Global Methodist Church would do well to read its rule book carefully before deciding, say three Western Pennsylvania Conference churchmen who’ve analyzed the document.

The Rev. Dr. David Morse, the Rev. William (B. T.) Gilligan, and layman Tracy Merrick issued their 18-page analysis in early July and released an updated version Aug. 11. Their document has a title worthy of a pamphlet from John Wesley’s time – “Some Notes and Reflections on The Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline of the Global Methodist Church Comparing and Contrasting with The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church (2016).”

Beyond the lengthy title, however, lie serious concerns about how annual conferences and local churches could be affected by the rules of the proposed Global Methodist Church, say the three authors. Their credentials for analyzing the GMC’s rule book include Dr. Morse’s tenure as the former coordinator of Wesleyan Studies for Pittsburgh Theological Seminary; Mr. Merrick’s longtime service as a layman involved from local congregations through the General Conference; and Rev. Gilligan’s experience as an LGBTQ-friendly pastor in a theologically conservative local church.

All three men belong to Reconciling Ministries Network, the unofficial caucus that advocates for full inclusion of LGBTQ persons in The United Methodist Church. However, their analysis is a personal project, not an official RMN study. Their personal stances put them at odds with the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference, a theologically conservative region that is home to several leaders of the UMC’s Traditionalist movement.

“We’re not afraid to swim against the current,” chuckled Dr. Morse, who leads a Reconciling Sunday School class at Monroeville UMC outside Pittsburgh.

During an interview via Zoom, the analysts said they were motivated to scrutinize the proposed GMC’s transitional rule book because they found that not many Western Pennsylvania United Methodists had detailed information about what GMC membership would entail. Dr. Morse, Rev. Gilligan and Mr. Merrick said they believe it’s urgent for pastors, congregations, conferences, and laypeople to understand clearly what a commitment to the Global Methodist Church means.

The Rev. Walter Fenton, vice president of strategic engagement for the Wesleyan Covenant Association, said his organization had no comment on the analysis from Western Pennsylvania. The WCA has been promoting the Global Methodist Church through blog posts from its leaders, most often from Fenton and WCA president Keith Boyette, a retired pastor in Virginia.

‘Polity geeks’

“Tracy and I are both polity geeks,” said Dr. Morse, whom Mr. Merrick described as a “highly respected” church expert with “incredible knowledge of the Book of Discipline and our tradition.” Among other duties, Dr. Morse served as chair of the Western Pennsylvania Board of Ordained Ministry for many years, Mr. Merrick added.

Rev. Gilligan said that Dr. Morse and Mr. Merrick performed most of the work in analyzing the text of the GMC’s rule book, while he provided technical assistance in formatting the report. He said his main contribution was to review the transitional book through his experience as the senior pastor of Nixon UMC, a smaller, rural congregation in Butler, Pa., about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh.

In additional to details that mostly interest church professionals, the three analysts identified some major themes in the GMC rule book that they want United Methodists to understand. Those themes are:

  • Its Traditionalist theology based on an unexamined embrace of “classic” Christian doctrines;
  • Provisions intended to ensure strict adherence to the Traditionalist theology, policies, and practices “as defined within the document;” and
  • A narrow view of inclusion, beginning with its definition of inclusiveness in Paragraph 306: “Inclusiveness denies every semblance of discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or gender…”.

Overall theme: Control

Overall, said Mr. Merrick, the Transitional Book of Doctrines and Disciplines of the Global Methodist Church focuses on one theme: control.

“There are efforts in the book to make sure everyone adheres to GMC doctrine and practices,” he said. “There are swift action steps described for removing a church, pastor, layperson, or bishop that doesn’t conform to GMC doctrines. And there’s no appeal to the removal.

“That doesn’t leave a lot of room for conversations of differing positions on marriage, human sexuality and so forth,” said Mr. Merrick. “There are a number of provisions that relate to LGBTQIA+ folks. It’s not explicit in exclusion, but also it doesn’t explicitly include. You have to weave around various provisions to get what they’re really saying. When you read into the details you realize they’re not going to be as fully welcoming as [president of the Wesleyan Covenant Association forming the Global Methodist Church] Keith Boyette claims.

Dr. Morse said he found the GMC’s rule book sets up a closed theological system.

“I characterize theologies from open to closed,” he explained. “The GMC is a more closed process. The assumption is that if you just read the classic doctrines you’ve got [Christianity]. In the United Methodist Church, we have a theological process outlined in our Book of Discipline that’s rooted in John Wesley’s method of scripture, tradition, reason, and experience interacting in a conversation.”

The analysts said they also were wary of the mindset represented in the GMC rule book.

“Tracy analyzed the transitional team,” said Dr. Morse. “With the exception of a few tokens, the team is composed of straight white men from North America who seek to control Wesleyan orthodoxy as they define it. That seems strange for something that calls itself a Global Methodist Church.”

Rev. Gilligan and Mr. Merrick said the team recognized the same flaw in their analysis – “we’re three middle-class white men,” Rev. Gilligan said. Consequently, the group asked women and people of color to review their analysis before it was released to add more diverse values.

Local church implications worrying

While academics and other “polity geeks” find such details interesting, the implications for local congregations captured Rev. Gilligan’s greatest concern.

““Our congregation knows where I stand as a Reconciling United Methodist, and I know where they stand,” said Rev. Gilligan, who has been Nixon UMC’s pastor for five years. “Under normal circumstances pre-COVID we’d have gone with the GMC. If they would go with GMC, I’m convinced they’d end up closing because they wouldn’t get the kind of support for ministry that the UMC provides. That’s the scariest piece to me.”

“Within the Global Methodist Church, if not appointed, pastors will need to seek their own positions and churches will get a larger say in receiving pastoral appointments,” Rev. Gilligan continued.

“In the GMC, churches can say they don’t want a woman, a Black, a Korean; they only want a straight white male with a wife and children. Gifted pastors won’t get appointed and churches that need and should get good leadership aren’t going to get it. Then a downward spiral starts, and if a church doesn’t perform to the level the GMC wants, it’s out.”

Rev. Gilligan cited his own appointment as an example of how diligent bishops and cabinets can assign pastors that benefit both clergy and churches. “I would not have chosen to come to Nixon, but I came, and it has been beautiful,” he said.

Dr. Morse concurred with Rev. Gilligan’s assessment. “There’s no guaranteed appointment in the Global Methodist Church. Its modification of itinerancy favors large self-sufficient churches; UMC polity supports smaller rural churches as more inclusive.

“Clearly in the GMC prophetic ministry has been removed,” Dr. Morse said. “In the GMC, I wouldn’t have been able to serve the churches I’ve served because of my outspoken views. In the UMC I have the freedom to create the point-counterpoint, to have that ‘otherness’ harks back to Wesley’s concept of growth and sanctification.”

Scrutinize the polity

Whatever disputes the three analysts have with the Global Methodist Church’s concepts, they said, they come back to their original motivation: United Methodists should scrutinize the proposed GMC’s polity and doctrine fully and decide how they would apply to their local church, annual conference, and clergy.

Rev. Gilligan said he and his colleagues are still figuring out recommendations for how to use their analysis. For Nixon UMC, he said, he’ll probably begin by having conversations with church leaders in January and then move on to larger groups in advance of General Conference, now scheduled to begin in late August 2022. At that time delegates will take up legislation that has been proposed either to divide the denomination or to remake it in such a way that allows for more regionalized governance, which would include decisions on LGBTQIA+ inclusion.

No matter what, there’s a lot more to the proposed organization of the Global Methodist Church than simply rejecting LGBTQIA+ persons, said Mr. Merrick.

He added that it is important to recognize that, in its current form, the Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline represents a proposed plan for the GMC which presumably will be presented for amendment and approval during the GMC's organizing conference. “As a result, some provisions we have cited in our analysis could be changed,” Mr. Merrick said.  

“It’s important for annual conferences and district leaders to make sure churches are informed,” Mr. Merrick said. “Bishops should be getting information out to annual conferences before they start to make decisions.”

Dr. Morse agreed. “We hope this document spurs those conversations.”

Cynthia B. Astle serves as editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.