October 31, 2022,
CENTENNIAL, Colo. – United Methodists will be considering in 2024 a plan in for reorganizing the United Methodist Church along global regional lines. At a recent meeting, the United Methodist Association of Retired Clergy has endorsed the plan, which was developed by representatives from United Methodist Conferences outside the United States.
The Christmas Covenant features a regionalization plan which will establish the US United Methodist Church as one of five regions, and will grant more autonomy for each region. This will allow greater flexibility in adapting the ministries of the church to the unique and specific context of the region of the world in which the church find itself.
UMARC affirms the Christmas Covenant because it seeks to decolonize our church structure, allowing for regions of the church around to world to engage in effective and vital contextual ministries, as we continue to build missional connectional relationships worldwide. Rev. Dr. Donald E. Messer, Chair of UMARC, Centennial, Colorado, noted that “UMARC members have always embraced a post-colonial global partnership that affirms God’s mission and ministry that shares God’s inclusive love in Jesus Christ for all people.” For more information on the Christmas Covenant, visit www.ChristmasCovenant.com.
UMARC has offered a series of events on the importance of inclusiveness in The United Methodist Church, some in person and some webinar, and which have featured Karen Oliveto, the first openly lesbian bishop in the denomination, and other bishops and laity from around the world. The upcoming November 19, 2022, event is a webinar, entitled “A New Beginning: An Inclusive United Methodism, featuring Bishops Karen Oliveto, Thomas Bickerton, and Julius Trimble, as well as Rev. Matt Mofsky of The Gathering, St. Louis. More information and registration at UMARC.org.
For more information and to register for the 2022 Inclusiveness VI Webinar, visit www.UMARC.org.
The Christmas Covenant and legislation is here: https://www.christmascovenant.com/