Rob Renfroe Responds to General Conference Postponement. The correct email address for attorney Lloyd Lunceford is lloyd.lunceford@taylorporter.com. The phone number is 225.337.9852.
trust is the first casualty in this conflict. It died because of heavy handed tactics of progressive leadership. While purposely dragging their heals in holding GC they work in the background to undermine and destroy conservative pastors and replace them with pastors more friendly to their agenda. It was necessary to limit attendance to this meeting to those who would not create an enemy list for The bishop and cabinet. Seriously, the conservatives have been betrayed by the progressives over and over again. Why should anyone be surprised by a lack of trust? I’ve been to most general conferences since 1996. Without exception, the primary tool that has been used to kill conservative legislation has been the tactic of stalling. They simply used the creation of amendment after amendment to take the conference to the deadline. This was most evident in 2012. So now they are using these same tactics to delay the possibility of the protocol being enacted. Delay and win by default. Again, trust is the first casualty.
I want to get back into music ministry as well. Covid shut downs erased all my opportunities to serve in music ministry. The UMC decided to transfer my minister to another county during a pandemic when we were all isolated at home. I was in music ministry with that pastor. I thought it was dirty. The UMC was business as usual during a pandemic. All the umc pastors in our zip code were transferred during the pandemic. One of the pastors I liked said he'd had enough of it. He quit and moved to TN to teach English and resume his role as a youth pastor in a Baptist church. The UMC Jerked the rug out from under their congregations at a time when we all needed consistency. It was hateful hurtful and hypocritical.
I was a church musician and worship leader in my local UMC for 3 years. When covid hit, I decided not to go back. I no longer wanted to waste my talent time and money on a church that was in a contentious power battle. If anyone knows of a global Methodist church or free Methodist church that will organize in or near the Randolph County NC area, I'm a displaced church musician who is eager to serve. I play piano, guitar, autoharp and dejembe. I sing well. I completed Music Production courses at Berklee college of music during the pandemic. I write my own songs and music scores. I'm very good at what I do
Methodists, at one time, was a spiritual force for good, renewal, restoration, new life in JesusChrist. But now have you deteriorated in just another organization lacking a spark of the Holy Spirit that gives life. Where is the witness once delivered to the Methodists?
I appreciate the words on letting go of bitterness, for that is not the spirit needed to form a new work of God. Forgiveness is vital, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those that sin against us."
It just means more ppl will leave and join the Wesleyan or Baptist or non denominational evangelical church plants. Church membership and giving were on the decline before covid ever hit. 20% of ppl polled during covid by Christianity today said they do not plan to return to any church.
This unfortunate current split in the UMC reminds me of a similar split in southern Methodists in the 1960s -1970s.. When I was growing up in the 1960's South, many churches left the UMC because they opposed racial integration, believing the Bible called for continued segretation of blacks and white. My wife and I were both sad and excited as we recently transferred from a church leaving the UMC. We have joined a UMC church that is staying the course until the next annual conference. We would have preferred to see our old church support, and the UMC approve, one of the other options than the Traditional Plan. We hate to see the church divided over this one issue of acceptance of gay marriage/clergy. We have gay relatives, and it appears to us they were made by God and nature this way, and deserve full acceptance and support in the church. We suppose the broader issue is how literally we interpret the Bible. We think our society's understanding of homosexuality has improved over the last many centuries.
I hope ppl are happy in the umc and now the southern Baptist churches seeing their tithe money being used to pay legal fees. I'm not donating another dime to another church until I see 100% being used for local mission projects. No more blank checks. Designate on your check how you want it spent and ask for an accounting of such.
UMC church services looking more and more like a Duke U frat party, complete with free beer and prostitutes. There hasn't been a Holy ghost revival praise and worship service in a UMC since before covid hit.
Talking about lawyers and Grace in the same breath is sad, ironic and dishonest. I have no problem with suspending the trust clause, but churches should be willing to pay their fair share. Not a punitive amount, but a fair share. Too many have been withholding apportionment payments, hampering the ministry of the Church.
I would agree that BACK payments of apportionments are entirely fair. I believe that potentially adding 5x or 6x a congregation's annual apportionments as a payment to "unfunded pension liabilities" would be exploitative. The word "shakedown" comes to mind. So, yes to apportionments, but that's not what a lot of annual conferences are talking about.
I am angry that you are trying to split our beautiful denomination over human sexuality. Arrogant bigotry is repulsive. Pay your pastor's pensions. Shame on you!
The pensions are already fully funded. "Unfunded pension liability" is a category created by a "worst case scenario" projection concerning investments and to make the "worst case scenario" the basis for allowing a congregation to leave is an absolute shakedown. And Darlene, please, please be fair about the spread of responsibility for "trying to split our beautiful denomination over human sexuality." It's quite disingenuous when progressive UMs (I'm not saying this fits you) who have moved forward with same-sex unions and have declared themselves sexually active as gay or lesbian clergy (or bishops!) in flagrant contempt for our Book of Discipline, consequences for unity be damned, now hold out "unity, unity" as an inviolable value.
