A Pro-United Methodist group of clergy and laity from the North Carolina Conference has launched United Methodist Forward NC to provide information and support for churches and persons who desire to remain United Methodist and to provide resources to counter misinformation that has emerged as churches have conversations about whether to remain United Methodist or disaffiliate (move out of the denomination.)
While dissension around how LGBTQA individuals are received and how they can participate in the whole ministry of The United Methodist Church has brewed for decades, the idea of disaffiliation has jumped to the forefront since the launch of The Global Methodist Church in May 2022. The GMC identifies itself as a new theologically-conservative denomination and an alternative to what they see as a centrist or progressive movement within The United Methodist Church.
With many churches in the midst of discussions about whether to remain United Methodist or to disaffiliate in accordance with ¶2553 (Disaffiliation of a Local Church Over Issues Related to Human Sexuality) in the denomination’s Book of Discipline, a goal of United Methodist Forward is to make sure churches receive and hear accurate information from a pro-United Methodist perspective before making hard and life-changing decisions.
Christine Dodson, chair of the NC Conference Delegation to General Conference, explains United Methodist Forward NC as a diverse group of progressive, centrist, and traditional United Methodists in the North Carolina Conference who “believe we are better together as we move into God’s great future for The United Methodist Church. We believe that we can and should be united in our service to make disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world.”
The Rev. Edgar De Jesus describes the goal of the group as offering a narrative of unity and hope as well as countering the messaging of pro-disaffiliation groups such as Good News and the Wesleyan Covenant Association. The movement seeks to share NC Conference resources, sponsor gatherings and create spaces for conversations (both online and in-person) to help fellow United Methodists in the NC Conference to strongly affirm Wesleyan core beliefs and values and to advocate for staying in the “big tent” called The United Methodist Church.
The United Methodist Forward NC website, https://umforwardnc.org/, includes an open letter about the future of the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church and an opportunity for clergy and laity within the conference and other “friends” of the North Carolina Conference to sign on in agreement. A Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/umforwardnc will be sourced with current information. Another resource is “You May Have Heard,” an official document from the NC Conference that provides accurate information on the ideas, misconceptions, and misinformation about disaffiliation and The United Methodist Church.
Bishop Leonard Fairley, episcopal leader of the North Carolina Annual Conference, has called a Special Session of Annual Conference for Nov. 19 at Methodist University in Fayetteville. The purpose of this special session is to receive and ratify requests from churches wishing to disaffiliate who have met the procedural and financial requirements. Under ¶2553, churches wishing to disaffiliate have until December 2023 to complete the process.
“We recognize that our denomination is not perfect, and that we have a deep need for reparation, reform, and renewal. We mourn that some among us feel compelled to leave our denomination,” the open letter states. “We affirm that our work as United Methodist People is to offer and embody the saving, justifying, and sanctifying love of God. We affirm our commitment to lives of holiness, centered in the life of Christ. Although we may not always think alike, we affirm that together with God’s help, we will love alike – on earth as it is in heaven.”