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Status of United Methodist Church

HarryCHHarryCH Shipmate
in Ecclesiantics
I have heard very little recently about the upheaval in the UMC over the issues of gay marriage and gay clergy. Can anyone bring me up to date? I have heard of at least one congregation that is leaving the UMC, but I had expected a lot more, one way or the other.

Comments

  • PigwidgeonPigwidgeon Shipmate
    Thanks for bringing that up, HarryCH. I was just recently wondering the same thing.
  • Amanda B ReckondwythAmanda B Reckondwyth 8th Day Host, Mystery Worship Editor
    Our Mystery Worshippers could do a little investigative exploring, I should think.
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    If the UMC splits, they may have to find a different name...

    I don't think we have any UMC here in Brexit Island - is it a US denomination?
  • stetsonstetson Shipmate
    Bishops Finger wrote: »
    If the UMC splits, they may have to find a different name...

    I don't think we have any UMC here in Brexit Island - is it a US denomination?

    Yes. It is the denomination of George W. Bush.

  • Amanda B ReckondwythAmanda B Reckondwyth 8th Day Host, Mystery Worship Editor
    Their Wikipedia entry is instructive. The United Methodist Church was formed in 1968 by a merger of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. It is predominantly US based.

    The Wikipedia entry goes on to say that there was to be a vote in May of this year on a plan to split the denomination, but the vote has been postponed to next year due to the pandemic.
  • stonespringstonespring Shipmate
    edited September 2020
    The UMC is the second biggest Protestant denomination in the US after the Southern Baptist Convention. Outside the black church, it is almost synonymous with the word “Methodist” in this country. Predominantly African-American Methodist denominations in the US include the AME, AME Zion, and CME churches.

    The UMC has a big presence in some other countries, including in Africa. A lot of the opposition to changes regarding sexuality and marriage comes parts of the UMC in more socially conservative countries, although there is opposition in the US as well.

    The UMC is also the denomination of Hillary Clinton. Bill Clinton grew up Baptist but started attending a UMC church with Hillary, although I don’t know what either of them do now. Isn’t Elizabeth Warren Methodist too?
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    Thank you, all, for the interesting information - I wondered if there might be an African connection (some African Anglican churches are quite conservative, too).

    Postponing the vote until next year sounds like a sensible move, if I may say so, given the situation. Churches of all shades have perhaps more important priorities just now...
  • Foaming DraughtFoaming Draught Shipmate
    That would be the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Which is African American, not African African. As it were.
    Bishops Finger wrote: »
    I wondered if there might be an African connection

  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Bishops Finger wrote: »
    Thank you, all, for the interesting information - I wondered if there might be an African connection (some African Anglican churches are quite conservative, too).

    IIRC, many of the Anglican African churches belong to GAFCON, Peter Jensen's little invention. They don't align with Jensen's churchmanship, but with his opinions on gays, ordination of women and so forth
  • ArethosemyfeetArethosemyfeet Shipmate
    Gee D wrote: »
    Bishops Finger wrote: »
    Thank you, all, for the interesting information - I wondered if there might be an African connection (some African Anglican churches are quite conservative, too).

    IIRC, many of the Anglican African churches belong to GAFCON, Peter Jensen's little invention. They don't align with Jensen's churchmanship, but with his opinions on gays, ordination of women and so forth

    Not all align on the ordination of women. Hating the gays is the only universal point of agreement as I understand it.
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    edited October 2020
    Thanks - I'd not picked that up. Certainly CESA is against the ordination of women, and I thought that Nigeria and others where the national Anglican church was a GAFCON member* were also.

    ie, not Australia or Canada, for example, where there are some GAFCON affiliated diocese, but no national affiliation.
  • ArethosemyfeetArethosemyfeet Shipmate
    Gee D wrote: »
    Thanks - I'd not picked that up. Certainly CESA is against the ordination of women, and I thought that Nigeria and others where the national Anglican church was a GAFCON member* were also.

    Some but not all. Kenya has ordained women, for example, as have Uganda.
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    I'll go through the site tomorrow when I get some time
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    Foaming Draught wrote: »
    That would be the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Which is African American, not African African. As it were.
    Bishops Finger wrote: »
    I wondered if there might be an African connection
    For historically African American Methodist churches, there are also the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.

    But yes, the United Methodist Church has conferences (jurisdictions) outside the US, including in Africa. It also has historically African American congregations in the US.

  • Jengie JonJengie Jon Shipmate
    I believe there are two African Anglican Churches that go against type. One is the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (it covers more than South Africa including Angola, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mocambique, Namibia and on the island of St. Helena). I can not recall the other.
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