Mt. Bethel 2
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The new Foundry Network of former large-membership United Methodist churches isn't the favored choice after all of one of the most prominent disaffiliated congregations listed as a founder of the association.
Mt. Bethel Church in Marietta, Ga., was listed originally among six organizing congregations of The Foundry Network by the Rev. Eric Huffman, senior pastor of The Story Church in Houston, Texas.
Mt. Bethel is a longtime supporter of the Wesleyan Covenant Association and has been the site of some of the WCA's "global gatherings." The church attempted for more than a year to disaffiliate unilaterally from the North Georgia Annual Conference, and finally settled a lawsuit against the conference in June, paying North Georgia $13.1 million to retain its church property.
Rev. Huffman posted an announcement of the new association on his Facebook page, which was shared with United Methodist Insight by a reader. Insight confirmed the new association via a podcast interview with the pastor of another founding congregation, the Rev. Dr. Bryan Collier of The Orchard, a multi-site church in Mississippi that disaffiliate from the UMC in 2017.
Insight reached out to both Rev. Huffman and Mt. Bethel Church for comment on the announcement, but Rev. Huffman declined to be interviewed. Mt. Bethel also did not respond to Insight's email inquiry by the requested deadline.
After the original story was published Aug. 26, Samantha Black, an outside media consultant for Mt. Bethel Church, notified Insight that Mt. Bethel is not a part of the new association. She said that the church's failure to respond to Insight's inquiry was a staff oversight.
"No, Mt. Bethel is not joining The Foundry," Ms. Black stated in an email. "In fact, the Church was not aware of this document, nor did it give permission to list Mt. Bethel or use its logo."
The consultant said that Mt. Bethel "is currently in a period of quiet and discernment, and is not actively considering any formal associations with other groups or denominations at this time.
"We still support the WCA and have church members who serve on the WCA Board," Ms. Black said.
In his announcement, Rev. Huffman described The Foundry Network as an association of congregations that "seeks to forge a network of like-minded pastors and churches who are aligned theologically and work together to reawaken the movement for Jesus in our communities."
In the "Changing Churches" podcast interview, Dr. Collier said the new network's appeal was its accountability and "nimbleness" to make ministry decisions independent of denominational structures. "Changing Churches" podcast is produced by Christ United Methodist Church in Mobile, Ala. Dr. Collier was interviewed by Christ's senior pastor, the Rev. Rob Couch.
"Denominations typically are just not nimble," Dr. Collier explained. "They cannot make decisions in a quick way. When you're in a network you can be very Kingdom-focused. A network does not have employees, it doesn't manage funds, it doesn't require a lot of attention. It's more about connection and Kingdom resourcing. If we want to plant a church, we don't have to have multiple meetings, we don't have to ask for funding, we just do it."
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011. To reproduce this content elsewhere, please email Insight for permission.