In a matter of days delegates from all over the USA and the world will be arriving for the General Conference of the United Methodist Church. This gathering, occurring only once every four years, is intended to be a time of “holy conferencing” where the church focuses on theological, organizational, procedural and strategic matters so that the church might more faithfully serve Christ in the world. The last general conference which was characterized by a fresh wind of hope and optimism was the 1968 “uniting” conference held in Dallas, Texas which brought the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren to form the United Methodist Church. The eleven general conferences since then (1972 until 2012) have been characterized by an increasing sense of despair and doom. After all, 1968 was the last time the Methodist movement posted a net growth in membership.
We were once a powerful evangelistic movement. Now, we are forever searching for new ways to manage our decline. Endless studies and reports and commissions and re-structuring and new slogans (Open hearts, open minds, open doors) have ensued over the years. None of these well intentioned initiatives have halted – or even really understood – the nature of this decline
TONY DIGIROLAMO- MAINLINE DENOMS DON'T NEED TO DIG TO DEEP TO FIND OUT WHY THEIR CHURCHES ARE IN DECLINE.
How about your social justice policy that says the government should have compassion for the poor and have programs to feed the poor. That is the mission for the church.
The policy that goes against Israel.
Homosexuality and the churches verbal gymnastics of acceptence as biblical and Christ-like.
And some even have pro-choice policies as well.
These churches hardly resemble the church that Jesus raised up in 3 days in His death, burial and ressurrection.
Immoral behavior? What did Christ die for?!
The world is changing the church, and the slogan/logo that UMC has designed is more of the same. It still has a rainbow look in the colors and even the rainbow over the cross. Is that a stretch that the church is up to the same stuff of the past decades. Making deciples of Jesus Christ to Transform the World?
I don't think so.
These churches are not making deciples, they're raising up heretics.
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