Leaving the UMC?

Dearly beloved,

we are gathered together here in the sight of God,

and in the presence of these witnesses,

to join together this man and this woman

in holy matrimony,

which is an honorable estate, instituted of God,

and signifying unto us

the mystical union that exists between Christ and his Church;

which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified

with his presence in Cana of Galilee.

It is therefore not to be entered into unadvisedly,

but reverently, discreetly, and in the fear of God.

Into this holy estate these two persons come now to be joined.

(UMC Service of Christian Marriage as of 1964 and 1992)

I've come to appreciate and treasure the beauty of our liturgy in the UMC. I've attended countless weddings in my life and officiated dozens in which the husband and wife were united in Christian marriage. I have vivid memories of waking up on a Saturday morning to the sound of a doorbell in the parsonage in Vernon, AL. Inevitably a couple was at the front door of the house looking for my dad, the pastor of the UMC which was within eyesight of the County Courthouse building. The living room would soon become a sanctuary in which the couple recited their vows before God right next to our family room piano. I was greatly blessed by the ceremony of my own wedding in which Laney, my wife and I declared our vows openly in the presence of family and friends. I remember being struck by the connection of that moment to the "cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1) as we similarly agreed to vows of Christian marriage in the "sight of God". Marriage is and always has been larger than any denomination.

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number..." Genesis 1:26-28 (NIV)

Most UMC pastors I know have been discerning their views regarding marriage since at least 2015 though most would say their views were well-established prior to that timeframe. The debates concerning marriage have been in our news headlines for at least 26 years though open debates within the UMC have ensued since the time of the denomination's inception in the late 1960s. So while many of our UMC congregations across my home state of Alabama are in the established process of "discernment" regarding disaffiliation from the UMC, most UMC pastors have known for years where they stand on this core Christian teaching. News agencies have tracked the change in public opinion regarding marriage in the U.S. and have noted that from 1988 to 2009, views regarding marriage began to change in favor of same-sex marriages at the rate of roughly 1 to 1.5% per year. According to the Gallup organization, support for same-sex marriage broke the 50% mark for the first time in 2011, and many U.S. politicians which were previously opposed to same-sex marriages now support them. From 1996 to 2016, the Defense of Marriage Act previously defined marriage at the Federal level as being between one man and one woman. After years of debate, same-sex marriages were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 as being Constitutional.

In spite of the changes in U.S. public opinion and legal changes, the overwhelming number of Christian denominations worldwide continue to uphold and support the Biblical teachings of marriage being a covenant before God of one man and one woman and a testimony to the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church. Only a dozen or so Christian denominations of the more than 40,000+ worldwide (depending on how experts define a denomination) have modified their views related to marriage and have allowed their churches and clergy to conduct same-sex wedding ceremonies. 99% of Christian denominations retain the Biblical view of marriage. As noted in a previous article on this site, the UMC now stands as the 5th major Protestant denomination undergoing a major split related to this key issue of marriage (article here: https://methodistrevivalno.wixsite.com/methodistrevivalnow/post/six-years-of-stormy-seas)

I write this article realizing the current UM Book of Discipline and my own personal views regarding marriage are in the minority of U.S. public opinion. Even so, I believe the Biblical witness and the teachings of Jesus remain in support of the long-standing, historic Christian view that marriage is between one man and one woman. There is now a rapid exodus of UMC congregations and pastors which continue to hold the "traditional" or Classic Christian view of marriage. The primary reason these congregations and pastors are opting to leave the UMC now while remaining Methodist and Wesleyan in their theology is the realization that the definition of marriage within the UMC will be changing in the near future. Few UMC clergy who hold the "traditional" view of marriage would dispute this point though those in favor of same-sex marriages may call into question the degree of certainty of this change in the UM Book of Discipline.

4 “Haven’t you read,” he (Jesus) replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Matthew 19:4-6 (NIV)

Repentance and revival are closely linked in the Holy Scriptures. Repentance for the forgiveness of sins was the early and frequently recurring message of Jesus and the early Church apostles as well as the prophets of old. The UMC is in desperate need of revival (rebirth, regeneration, new life, a comeback), but it will not come without heavy doses of repentance. Although I'm a current UMC pastor, I don't intend to continue in the UMC long-term due to its sure and certain direction. I've grown up in the UMC and have been a baptized follower of Christ for 40 years now, yet it no longer feels like home to me. I'm extremely grateful for the many faithful disciples with whom I've met, ministered to, and shared some of life's most sacred moments such as births, weddings, baptisms, and Celebrations of Life as part of a local UMC. I have no regrets, yet I firmly believe the historic UMC wedding liturgy will soon be replaced by a newer version, and the Biblical wording of marriage found in the UM Book of Discipline today will be replaced or removed altogether.

As difficult of a time as this is for so many within the UMC family, I pray you'll find these words of Jesus an encouragement no matter where you stand on the issues facing the UMC.

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” -Revelation 21:5 (NIV)

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you, shining His face upon you,

Wes