A Time of Discernment

Munholland is in a Time of Discernment.

Munholland will always be Munholland - a joyful, loving, accepting, discipling, mission-oriented congregation. That is the heart of who we are, and that will not change. We just celebrated 85 years of Metairie ministry that has reached around the world. We carry the torch of those amazing men and women who set out to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invite people into our life-giving community of faith. Munholland remains a beautiful, vibrant community of faith because of who you are.

All churches face challenges throughout their lifetimes. It is how they meet those challenges that defines who they are. Nearly 2000 years ago, Paul gave this profound and eternal bit of wisdom to the Christians in Philippi, “No matter what happens, conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” (Phil 1:27). “No matter what” was happening to the early church, struggles within and persecution without. It will never do to idealize the early church. They faced their challenges just like we do today. Paul gave one guideline for all parties involved no matter their stance on one issue or another, no matter if they liked each other or understood each other: conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ! This is our call today. In the midst of strife within the United Methodist Church and the stress it puts on our congregation, we must as always strive to live worthy of the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

Another passage that can inform our commitment to one another is John 1:14. Jesus “came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Jn 1:14) We hold those two fundamental principles together. Everything we say and do must be surrounded by grace and filled with truth. They must not be separated. The United Methodist Church is going through a disruptive divide over the next couple years which will test our character. Each one of us needs to intentionally embody the character of Jesus so we can conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of His Gospel.

The United Methodist Church has been a great force for ministry and mission since 1968. Its ministry and mission have been broad-reaching so much so that now more than half of the UMC members live overseas! Lives, families, communities, and nations have changed because of the faithfulness of the people called United Methodist. So why are some congregations contemplating leaving the denomination?

While talk of separation may seem sudden, the division has been happening over several decades. The situation has reached a tipping point, but our church has time to process and decide our path forward as Munholland. During that time, we will pray for each other and Munholland. We will pray. And we will pray some more. We will have very intentional informational and discussion sessions so that everyone understands what the issues are, different ways to look at the issues, and a process to discern our future. When the meetings are set, they will be well publicized in advance so everyone can write them in their calendars. I do hope everyone will be able to come to several of these meetings. All United Methodist churches around the globe must consider their path forward. Our church will have to decide its own future. We need to be well-informed and full of grace as we have sensitive discussions about our life together.

Here is a little history to understand why this discussion has begun.

The UMC has become more and more polarized over the last several decades over issues of doctrine, practice, theology, the authority and interpretation of Scripture, and human sexuality. The process of formal separation began at the 2016 General Conference (GC). The GC is the highest decision-making body in the UMC which sets our doctrine (what we believe), practice (how we live out those beliefs), and polity (governance in the UMC). The GC decided to have a special Called Conference in 2019 to decide how to move forward and solve the division. GC 2019 voted to move forward as a denomination with the doctrine and polity it has maintained since the UMC’s founding in 1968. It made two other important decisions. First, it voted to create strong accountability for bishops and other clergy who were disobeying the Book of Discipline (BoD). The purpose was to regain stability and cohesion within the denomination. Secondly, it voted to add a new paragraph to the BoD, Paragraph 2553, which outlines a process for congregations to disaffiliate from the UMC for two possible reasons. Reason 1: Congregations are unwilling to abide by the BoD. Reason 2: Congregations do not want to be in a denomination in which the Bishops are acting contrary to the BoD. Those churches may leave the UMC with their property and assets after certain requirements of the Annual Conference are fulfilled. Par. 2553 has a sunset date of Dec. 31, 2023.

The reason Munholland is discussing the possibility of disaffiliation is because Par. 2553 expires before the next General Conference in 2024. Another disaffiliation paragraph, the Protocol, was prepared to pass in 2020 but was postponed to 2021, then 2022, then 2024. A significant portion of those who created and supported the Protocol have since withdrawn their support which diminishes the possibility of it passing. As some traditional churches leave the UMC in 2022 and 2023, the likelihood of the Protocol passing diminishes even more. This puts churches in an awkward position. When the window of disaffiliation under Par 2553 ends in 2023, no protocol for separation will be in place, neither can one be expected in the future. Par 2553 is the most amicable protocol UMC churches have. It limits financial requirements and gives title of properties and ownership of assets to the disaffiliating congregation. A church wishing to disaffiliate is only guaranteed ownership of their property and assets under Par 2553. That opportunity closes in 2023 and may never be provided again. These factors created a short timeline for churches to discern their way forward with the UMC, with another Methodist denomination, or as an independent church. That is why Munholland has begun a time of discernment of whether their future ministry will continue in the UMC or not.

Here is a quick overview of the process laid out in Par. 2553:

1. The Church Council must vote on whether or not it wants to open up the possibility of a congregation to discuss and vote on their ministry staying affiliated with the UMC or not. This takes a simple majority vote. If the Church Council votes to allow a congregational vote, the District Superintendent would be notified so she can set a date for the church’s vote.

2. The church then enters into a 2-3 month time of discernment. Through prayer, informational meetings, discussion roundtables, and other meetings, a congregation is prepared to make a prayerful, informed vote.

3. The Church Conference is held to vote on disaffiliation under Par 2553. A Church Conference is a special decision making body of all Professing Members of the congregation. The threshold to disaffiliate is a supermajority of two thirds, (66%) of the Professing Members who are present and voting.

4. If the vote is for disaffiliation, the congregation must be current on apportionments and pay another two years apportionments before disaffiliating. It must also pay its pro rata share of unfunded pension liabilities and all fees for change of title, etc.

5. Once all legalities are settled and monies paid, the Louisiana Annual Conference would vote for the congregation to disaffiliate. The next Annual Conference will be held the first week in June, 2023.

There are several key intertwining issues that have been driving the UMC division, and that must be considered together:

1. The United Methodist Church structure and leadership. The relationships between the General Conference, the Bishops, and the Judicial Council have broken down significantly. Even with new legislation in 2019 to make Bishops and clergy more accountable, many Bishops and clergy continue to disobey the BoD without consequence.

2. The issue of human sexuality. The BoD under the heading “Human Sexuality” beautifully reads, “We affirm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth, created in the image of God.” The disagreement is over a different passage. “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.”, and “ ‘Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.’” Many Bishops and Annual Conferences that disagree with the BoD on this matter have expanded the issue of human sexuality to include lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual/transvestite, queer, intersex, and asexual known by the acronym LGBTQIA+.

3. Ownership of property and assets for churches choosing to leave the UMC. The 'Trust Clause' in the UMC Book of Discipline states that all property used by congregations is, in fact, owned by the Annual Conference. Under Par 2553, a window was created to allow a congregation to regain legal ownership of its property should it leave the UMC before Dec. 31, 2023. The only Annual Conference for Louisiana is scheduled for June, 2023. The process must be completed by then.

What options does a congregation have?

Each church must choose a discernment pathway that best reflects its theological beliefs, core values and Christian mission in the world. Two questions must be considered but do not have to be decided at the same time.

The first decision is whether or not to stay in connection with The United Methodist denomination. A congregation needs to take time to consider if staying in the UMC is the right fit for continuing ministry. After prayerful discernment and opportunities for congregational learning, the Church Council may decide to move forward with a congregational vote on staying with or disaffiliating from the UMC. Taking a “wait and see” approach and remaining associated with the UMC follows conventional wisdom for maintaining the status quo, but, in fact, this pathway may lead to a very different version of the UMC compared to the present. The continuing United Methodist Church will not maintain the status quo. The Council of Bishops, Annual Conferences, Boards of Ordained Ministry, and other clergy have moved and will continue to move to adopt different beliefs and practices. The discernment to stay with or disaffiliate from the UMC will culminate with professing members present and voting at a Church Conference. If the decision is to stay with the UMC, then no other decisions need to be made. However, if the decision is to leave the UMC, then there are a couple of options available.

A second decision is to formally join another Methodist denomination or become independent. A congregation may choose the opportunity for ministry and renewal in another Methodist denomination. Most Methodists desire to retain the classic Wesleyan model of congregational connectionalism — that is, moving together in the direction of ministry, mission, and renewal as a network of churches that are theologically and socially aligned. Currently there are two Methodist denominations that offer viable opportunities for connection, renewal, and revival in the future - the Global Methodist Church and the Free Methodist USA.

A congregation may decide to become independent for a time. Congregations may want to do ministry as independent churches in informal relationships with other churches. Congregations may want to take the time to research other denominations so their decision to affiliate with another denomination is the right fit in theology, values, and mission.

What does this all mean for Munholland?

Munholland is in a time of discernment. Paragraph 2553 and the delay of General Conference to 2024 has suddenly created a relatively short time for Munholland to discern its future. Munholland’s core elected leadership is working to understand the issues that have brought the UMC to this point, the requirements of Par. 2553, and how the congregation may learn and discern together. Other leaders and the Church Council have been part of this initial process. Despite the 2022 Louisiana Annual Conference in June, there is still a lack of clarity from the Annual Conference’s Board of Trustees concerning process and financial impacts should Munholland vote to disaffiliate. Munholland’s leaders are working to gather as much information as possible so we can make an informed decision. They are also working to create and schedule a discernment path over the next couple of months. That will be published next week.

There is a lot going on, and you need to be a part of Munholland’s discernment path. Here are ways you can participate:

1. Enter into a 40-day prayer and fasting period to seek God’s guidance. We will begin this on Aug. 1. Jesus entered into his formal ministry time only after a period of prayer and fasting that lasted 40 days. We will do the same seeking God’s wisdom and Spirit to guide us. There are two ways to participate in this. First, you can mark a time each day to pray for Munholland’s loving care for each other and the decision we must make together. Second, you can fast one of the 40 days. You can sign up by calling the office or through Sign Up Genius. You can decide what kind of fast you will do whether it is not eating meat, skipping a meal, or more.

2. Participate in the Reconciliation and Healing Service every Tuesday at Noon. Rev. Janet Davis leads this time of reading Scripture and prayer. It lasts for 30 minutes so you can come on your lunch break from work.

3. Come to a corporate prayer time each Sunday in the sanctuary from 10:30 - 10:50 AM. Pray for Munholland, her leadership, for discernment, for grace and truth, and that, no matter what happens, we will conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

Munholland is in a time of discernment and decision, not division. We are the body of Christ together. God has gifted each one of us to play our part in God’s ministry here at Munholland. We will hold each other up in prayer as we seek God’s will.