Out of Chaos Black
UPDATED July 1, 2020 with names of additional supporters
The global coronavirus pandemic has spawned many ills in addition to its infectious disease, but it has also caused one good thing – breathing space for United Methodists to step back and look critically at the direction in which the worldwide denomination is headed. Now an unofficial group of United Methodist leaders is inviting the entire church to join in new conversations in hopes of discerning collectively where God’s Holy Spirit may point toward a different future than one filled with previously anticipated painful divisions.
“Out of Chaos – Creation” is the name for a movement led by nine General Conference delegates who’ve been talking with one another in the aftermath of the disastrous 2019 special called General Conference that was supposed to resolve the denomination’s division over the acceptance of LGBTQ persons. Its leaders say they came together not only because of the harsh results of GC2019 in penalties for LGBTQ-friendly actions, but because of the brutal way in which the business of GC2019 was conducted.
United Methodists will have the opportunity to join “Out of Chaos” in new conversations about the church’s future via two webinars on July 7. The webinars have been scheduled at times that account for time zone differences and are more convenient for United Methodists in Europe, Africa, and Asia. One is set for 8 a.m. EDT which translates to 8 p.m. in the Philippines, and 1 p.m. EDT which translates to 6 p.m. in West Africa.
Among those who initiated the group as listed on the website are
- Rev. Kennetha Bigham-Tsai, Michigan Conference, USA;
- Rev. Anne-Marie Detjen, Germany North Conference, Germany;
- Christine Schneider, Switzerland-France-North Africa Conference, Switzerland;
- Rev. Paul Perez, Michigan Conference, USA; and
- Rev. Betty Kazadi Musau, North Katanga Conference, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Also on the leadership team are
- Lonnie Chafin, Northern Illinois Conference;
- Rev. Cristine Carnate-Atrero, Middle Philippines Conference, Philippines
- Rev. Dee Stickley-Miner, West Ohio Conference, USA; and
- Rev. Jay Williams, Ph.D., New England Conference, USA
Additional signers on the group's vision statement are:
- Emily Allen, California-Nevada Conference, USA
- Jay Brim, Rio Texas Conference, USA
- Jefferson Boye Knight, Liberia Conference, Liberia
- Molly McEntire, Florida Conference, USA;
- Rev. Israel M. Painit, East Mindanao Philippines Conference, Philippines; and
- Derrick Scott, Florida Conference, USA
The leaders have drafted a statement “Out of Chaos, Creation: Seeds of a Vision for a Renewed United Methodism” that will serve as a framework for the discussions.
The “Out of Chaos” approach isn’t business-as-usual for United Methodists, because it advocates no stance or General Conference legislation, said the Rev. Kennetha Bigham-Tsai, a General Conference delegate from the Michigan Annual Conference.
“We are an unofficial group, doing this on behalf of The United Methodist Church that we love,” Rev. Bigham-Tsai told United Methodist Insight in a telephone interview. “We’re not imagining something other than the United Methodist Church; we’re doing this on behalf of a worldwide church that we intend to be part of.”
Rev. Bigham-Tsai also is the coordinating officer for the United Methodist Connectional Table, an agency that “stewarding the mission, ministries, and resources as determined by General Conference and in consultation with the Council of Bishops,” according to a description on the official website, UMC.org. However, she stressed that her involvement with “Out of Chaos” isn’t part of her official duties, but a volunteer effort on her part.
In fact, the entire group is a volunteer effort that has no support from the UMC or any caucus or organization. “We have no budget,” Rev. Bigham-Tsai chuckled during the telephone interview. “We had help with the website, and we’ll have help with the webinars, but we have no money. We’ve all kicked into the kitty.”
What “Out of Chaos” may lack in resources it makes up for in aspirations.
The worldwide pause caused by the coronavirus has bestowed the opportunity to “breathe and think,” Rev. Bigham-Tsai said. “It’s not something any of us would have asked for, especially not in these circumstances.” Nonetheless, “Out of Chaos” leaders have seized the moment to engage the UMC in pondering “how we might have different conversations all over the connection about the future of the church,” she said.
The group’s statement, crafted by its lead writer Rev. Jay Williams, Ph.D., offers a set of aspirations for the conversations that will start on July 7. Its framework rests on two key themes:
- “Imagining a New Way of Conferencing: Testing the Spirits in Love”
- “Inspired and Incarnate Good News: Towards a Mission of Human Flourishing”
The statement goes on:
“This movement invites us to surrender to God’s ordering of life and mission and ministry. We are emptying ourselves of our own designs and opening ourselves in new ways to God’s propulsion in the Spirit. We are opening ourselves to the invitation to wonder:
- What might it look like to confer with the Spirit and each other differently and enter collectively into discernment?
- How might we agree now about ways to “test the spirits” and reshape the culture of our conferencing toward deeper discernment?
- How do we lead delegates to enter a process now that opens our global connection to the Spirit’s leading?
- How do we listen for the vision that will shape a re-newed and re-imagined United Methodism inspired by God’s mission?
Delegates from countries other than the United States will lead conversations that may come after the July 7 webinars, said Rev. Bigham-Tsai. She said the group worked hard to avoid the "U.S.-centrism" for which General Conference actions are often criticized.
“This is not a one-time thing,” Rev. Bigham-Tsai stressed. “We’ve created a study guide for those who attend the webinars if they want to repeat conversations in their contexts. We’re hopeful that conversations will happen across the whole United Methodist connection, in central conferences, among General Conference delegates and in local congregations.”
“Out of Chaos” leaders have no idea where the conversations they hope to foster will end up, including whether any General Conference legislation will emerge, Rev. Bigham-Tsai said. [Editor’s note: General Conference organizers are considering whether to re-open submission of additional legislative petitions].
“We’re not in competition with anything else, not any General Conference legislation, not the bishops’ initiative on racism or anything,” Rev. Bigham-Tsai said. “But we know that the Spirit is moving all over the church and we’ve just got to discern where the Spirit is moving.”
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.