“Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it,” says a familiar adage. The longtime saying is getting a new, more urgent interpretation from United Methodists, who are acting to create more sustainable futures in the wake of…
Beyond the headlines, United Methodists muster new energy for doing good
Recent news headlines have screamed that The United Methodist Church in the United States has lost one-fifth of its congregations in a split over acceptance and inclusion of LGBTQ Christians. What the articles typically don’t tell are the ways in…
Grieving and glimmers of hope mark United Methodist breakup status
When tiny but energetic Bartlett United Methodist Church in central Texas began to talk about the denomination’s split, member Tami Baker said she felt “a sense of dread and then grief as talk of the pending split increased.” Further into…
Providing an alternative to toxic religion
It’s no secret that The United Methodist Church is fracturing, primarily over LGBTQ issues. Thousands of UMC churches already have disaffiliated from the denomination. Large numbers of others are considering doing so before the end of 2023. And many more…
A Methodist church leads an interfaith response to Texas outlet mall shooting
A United Methodist congregation in Allen, Texas, is leading an interfaith response to the May 6 mass shooting at a local outlet mall that ended with eight deaths and multiple injuries. Suncreek United Methodist Church kicked off its interfaith effort,…
A church trial will be better for suspended bishop and the UMC
The protracted investigation of church complaints against The United Methodist Church’s first Latina bishop appears headed to trial. The trial “appears” to proceed because an alternative remains available, a negotiated settlement known as “just resolution” still can be pursued by…
There’s now yet another option for churches leaving the UMC
There’s yet another new option for churches departing The United Methodist Church. But this new model is more complicated — and requires a new vocabulary — than even the UMC or its breakaway group. the Global Methodist Church. Launched by…
Two Mississippi UMC clergy face expulsion for officiating nonbinary wedding
Two United Methodist clergywomen face expulsion from ordained ministry for officating the wedding of a nonbinary couple. Elder Paige Swaim-Pressley and deacon Elizabeth Davidson performed the legal ceremony for Matty and Myles Cafiero because they ministered with them while chaplains…
Lighthouse Congregations guide individuals who want to ‘stay UMC’
Piercing the gloom of multiple churches leaving the United Methodist Church, a light emanating from North Carolina brightens the present and shines on a new future for church members who want to stay in the denomination when their congregations vote…