Page 2
Newsletter
Pastor’s
Letter
Many say the Christian Church overall is in a liminal space (a
place of transition or the initial stage of change). The UMC
definitely is occupying liminal space right now. The tension and
angst that has been present in the denominational and annual
conference meetings is starting to trickle down to local churches,
including us.
I know there are questions that many have as well as a whole lot
of misinformation and fear that is starting to spread, so I thought I
would address some of the questions.
The United Methodist Church is not splitting. There are churches
disaffiliating from the UMC to either join another or new
denomination or to be independent. The United Methodist Church will
continue as the United Methodist Church. Churches do not need to vote
to remain UMC.
There are some who are saying there will be major changes to the
Discipline in 2024. The Book of Discipline is how we United
Methodists agree to live together. The Discipline has various
sections. Most are saying the changes will come in the sections
about human sexuality. If you have ever attended an annual
conference, you might realize that making changes is not a Methodist
strong suit. There are no guarantees any resolution or changes will
be made at any of our conferences. No one can say for certain what
will happen.
And still there are rumors going around there will be changes
around the basic beliefs of our faith, such as the Divinity of Jesus
and the Trinity. Our history and statement of faith or, as we call
it, our Articles of Religion, can be found in the beginning section
of the Book of Discipline. We hold these doctrines as sacred and have
set from the very inception of our denomination, safeguards to our
articles of religion. These will not change. We will continue to
believe that Jesus is God in flesh and in the Trinity. There is no
movement within the church to change our beliefs (articles of
religion). As Methodists, we have a big tent and in this big tent—we
have people who understand our articles of religion along a spectrum.
But that doesn’t mean we are changing our doctrines. Please know, I
would be the first one out the door if we were changing our Articles
of Religion. I am including the Articles of Religion in this
newsletter so you can see what we believe as United Methodists.
Another rumor that seems to be going around is two-fold: people
are saying pastors are going to be forced to preside at same sex
weddings, and secondly, churches are going to be forced to receive
pastors with a different theological perspective. First—I cannot be
forced to preside over any wedding. I can refuse to do any wedding no
matter what. Secondly, Bishop Burgos has stated that he is working
with the Cabinet to match churches with pastors who are part of the
same theological stance.
I know some people are going online and finding information on
Face Book and websites. The only websites that gives you official
United Methodist information will be The United Methodist
Church—www.umc.org. For our Annual Conference, the only official
information will come from www.unyumc.org.
You may find individual church websites with information—but no
single local church speaks for the conference or the denomination.
If you have any questions, please contact me so we can discuss
them and find the best information possible.
Thank you,
Pastor Leanne