May 12, 2022
Dear Church Family,
As you may know, our United Methodist denomination has been embroiled in a decades-long discussion and debate over issues of biblical authority and human sexuality. After the February 2019 called special session of General Conference in St. Louis passed the Traditional Plan as a way to move our denomination forward relative to these issues, several U.S. annual conferences and bishops refused to recognize and enforce this result and parts of our Book of Discipline.
Almost everyone who paid attention to these denominational issues felt as if we were stuck. Later in 2019 and into early 2020, a professional mediator helped the different interest groups to draw up a process of an amicable separation. This process is called the PROTOCOL OF RECONCILIATION & GRACE THROUGH SEPARATION. The Protocol received broad support and appeared to be on track to be passed at the next regular session of General Conference in May 2020.
Optimism was high that this proposed legislation to be voted on at General Conference in May 2020 would free churches, pastors, and annual conferences to choose the path that most reflected their respective convictions relative to the issues of biblical authority and human sexuality. We all had hope that the disagreements would end.
Then, COVID hit. General Conference was canceled for May 2020, and August 2021, and was recently again canceled for August 2022 until may May 2024. The last cancelation has proven to be extremely controversial because of (1) the reasons given for cancellation (availability of COVID vaccines to international delegates and access to visas given the pandemic have been questioned), (2) it being canceled for two years, and (3) the fact that a special provision (paragraph 2553 of the Book of Discipline) that would allow churches to exit the denomination with a much more limited impact on their assets is expiring at the end of 2023 before the next General Conference would meet.
As a result, the Trustees of the Northwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, of which our church is a part and amenable to, has stated, “There will be major decisions facing the delegates at the NWTX Annual Conference in June 2022 because of the fallout from the postponement of General Conference for another two years. Resolutions will be presented at annual conference with the intent of helping each local church discern where their future will be. These resolutions will create pathways for those who wish to remain with The United Methodist Church (UMC) and those who wish to exit to unite with the Global Methodist Church (GMC). If a local church desires neither of these paths, they may follow the process to become independent or to join another denomination. The hope is to do this in the healthiest possible way.”
Your pastors, our Executive Team, and Church Council are committed to keeping you informed and involved in this process as we navigate the choices facing our church. If you are interested in learning more about the Transition Pathways that are being proposed by our conference leadership for our Annual Conference meeting in June, click here for more information. I admit that this information is complicated and challenging to digest, so I want to encourage and even implore you to come to an informational meeting on Thursday, May 19th, at 6:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church here in Midland (3011 W. Kansas Ave.). This information-only meeting (no votes will be taken) will be the starting point that will orient us to the Transition Pathways that will be presented to us in the coming months.
As we navigate these challenging issues, it is my hope that we do so with much grace and understanding. If you have questions, we want to talk with you. Please do not hesitate to call, text, or email. I, along with pastors Kurt and Melissa, will be more than happy to connect with you.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Steve Brooks
432-559-0208 (mobile)
stevebrooks@firstmethodistmidland.com
