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<\/source><\/picture>United Methodist Church bishops have expressed optimism over the direction of their denomination after more than 6,400 congregations have voted to leave, with some saying the aftermath of the separation within their conferences has felt like a “revival.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, a UMC megachurch headed by the Rev. Adam Hamilton, held a panel of three bishops at its Leadership Institute late last month.<\/p>\n
Moderated by Hamilton, the panel<\/a> included East Ohio Bishop Tracy Smith Malone, Florida Bishop Tom Berlin and Bishop Mande Muyombo of the Congo Central Conference.<\/p>\n The event comes as thousands of UMC congregations have disaffiliated<\/a> in the past couple of years amid the ongoing debate within the denomination over whether to change its rules to allow for the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals. Although efforts to change the UMC Book of Discipline’s stance on these issues have failed, many theological liberal leaders in the denomination have either refused to follow or enforce the denomination’s rules.<\/p>\n Hamilton, known for his support for changing the UMC Book of Discipline, began by noting that he had heard from people whose conferences had lost between 20% and 30% of their churches, yet they were \u201cjoyful\u201d and said \u201cit felt like a revival.\u201d<\/p>\n Malone, whose conference had 36% of its member churches (237 congregations<\/a>) leave, said \u201cit did truly feel like a revival\u201d after they left the regional body\u2019s annual meeting earlier this year.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a different spirit in the place,\u201d Malone recounted. \u201cIt felt like everyone could breathe. There was a renewed sense of hope and excitement, and really believing that we are ready to forge ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe were tired of the fighting, tired of all of the conversations being dominated by separation, disaffiliation. \u2026 People were tired, and the conference was ready and is ready and has already forged ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n Malone believes \u201cGod is doing a new thing in the East Ohio Conference,\u201d saying that she is \u201chearing the same things from colleagues that there is a renewed sense of hope\u201d about the UMC.<\/p>\n Berlin, who recently became bishop of the Florida Conference, began his remarks by quoting an elder in his regional body who told him, \u201cwe\u2019re going to be smaller and we\u2019re going to be better.\u201d<\/p>\n Berlin, whose conference saw more than 100 churches leave since 2019 and is battling a lawsuit<\/a> from another 71 churches over the disaffiliation,” said, \u201cwe finally have people who love being United Methodists all together in one place.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been able to release people who just weren\u2019t aligned to what we desire to be,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe are not in tatters, but we do have some tattered edges.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHealing can come if we will focus on what made Methodism a wonderful movement to begin with, and that is that our strength is that we taught people how to love God, how to love neighbor, and how to love themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Berlin believes that the UMC has \u201ca future with hope.”<\/p>\n “Being in a complicated church doesn\u2019t bother me,” he said.<\/p>\n Muyombo was asked about the situation in Africa, where the UMC is growing quickly. The Congolese bishop predicted that 80% of those in his province \u201care going to stay United Methodist.\u201d<\/p>\n Describing his recent conference meeting as a \u201crevival,\u201d Muyombo saw the changes of the UMC in the United States as an \u201copportunity\u201d for the global denomination \u201cto be decolonized.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are individuals who think that they are entitled to speak on behalf of Africans,\u201d he said. \u201cAfricans have brains, Africans are educated, and Africans believe in Jesus and they read the Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is easier to write on social media, to write articles, but it is very difficult live reality. \u2026 What you have seen today is, it is not about biblical orthodoxy, it is about colonialism. It’s about demeaning people. You know, the same thing you write about an African bishop, I\u2019m not sure if you can write about an American bishop.\u201d<\/p>\n The panelists also spoke in support of regionalizing the global UMC, pointing to such things as the Christmas Covenant<\/a>, which seeks to advance legislation at UMC General Conference that would, among other things, allow different regions to hold different standards on LGBT issues.<\/p>\n There was also a general rejection of the claim that if the UMC changes its rules on LGBT issues, theologically conservative clergy would be forced to bless same-sex unions.<\/p>\n Malone saw the likely future removal of the rules as advancing \u201cfreedom\u201d and \u201creason of conscience and choice\u201d and that \u201cno one will be forced\u201d to do anything.<\/p>\n Berlin also rejected the notion that changing the rules would result in pastors being forced to celebrate gay marriages, stating that \u201cwe don\u2019t require anybody to do any wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, do we really want to micromanage weddings?\u201d he said, getting a few laughs from the audience. \u201cI\u2019d quit before that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n According to numbers compiled by UM News, as of Wednesday, 6,410 congregations have disaffiliated<\/a> from the UMC, representing about 20% of the U.S. membership of the denomination.\u00a0<\/p>\n Of the congregations that have left, around 3,000 of them have opted to affiliate with the Global Methodist Church<\/a>, a recently launched theologically conservative denomination.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.christianpost.com\/images\/cache\/image\/15\/06\/150634_w_400_231.webp\")
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