Reaction to the Fallout of the 2012 UMC General Conference

First of all, let me make it clear that I WAS NOT at General Conference.  I only nominally followed General Conference on the web (and I emphasize "nominally"). While General Conference was happening, I was at my home church ministering to my congregation.  I was finishing up Seminary coursework for the semester.  I was also busy working on a Human Rights project which had fallout of its own.  But all of that is not to brag, nor is it to offer excuses.  Point Blank - I knew what would happen from the rhetoric going into the conference, and I wanted no part of it!

Many have come away fearful about the fate of the United Methodist Church as a whole.  If we put our hopes in money and world-defined success, then yes, our fate is dire!  But, if we put our hope in the reality of God, the salvation of Jesus, and the presence of the Holy Spirit, we have nothing to fear.

Christians seem surprised when we are persecuted (either by worldly forces or by division amongst ourselves).  But, didn't Jesus say this would happen?  Hasn't it happened before?  And, if the past speaks to the future, it will happen again.  It will happen from outside forces as well as forces from within.  But, Christ is clear - We are not to fear! 1 John 4:18:  "There is no fear in love.  But perfect love casts out fear..."

While I was not at General Conference, I would guess that many people who were elected to be delegates came with personal agendas, and those agendas were not always in the best interest of the Body of Christ.  That is not to say there weren't good and faithful people as delegates.  I'm sure there were.

I can barely stand to open another news article about General Conference.  I'm ashamed by the way some people acted.  I'm even more ashamed that some people left more divided than when they arrived (See 1 Corinthians 1:10 about division in the church).

For the next General Conference in 2016, I think it's important to remember a few VERY IMPORTANT truths:
1. The Church does not belong to us...it belongs to Christ.
2. We are mere stewards of the Church, and we should NEVER overestimate our roles.
3. When we can't agree, we need to do so in love.  Even the worst sinner deserves Christian Love.  That is not saying we love the sin, but we love the sinner.  Why can't we love our fellow Christians?
4. The goals and legislative items need to be publicized in a way that is not based on fear, not based on humans taking over the role of God, and should be widely available and understandable to the average reader.
5. If as Methodists, we believe in "Holy Conversation," then we must act like it.  Name calling, blaming, finger pointing, gossiping and so forth is NOT Holy Conversation.  Holy Conversation takes the individual God-Given sanctity of each person and treats every person as a son or daughter of God.

We should expect dissent.  Disagreement is good because it can lead to compromise.  Some things should not be compromised - the basis of our Faith, Christ, the role of the Church in the world, and so forth, but other disagreements (how to structure the Church, how pastors are appointed, etc.) should have disagreement.  But this disagreement should not be mean spirited.  It should be done in Christian love.

Maybe we should take a lesson from our Quaker Brothers and Sisters.  Is voting the best option?  Or, should we rather allow the Holy Spirit to work and bring us to consensus?  Yes, this will take longer, but why are we in a rush?  All good things take time.  The Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Churches have existed since Apostolic times.  Change ins VERY SLOW in those Churches. But is that a bad thing?  Does God work on our time?  Is God our servant?

I refuse to look at General Conference as a success or failure.  I think we tested the waters, but did so in a spirit of fear and panic that things had to be changed NOW.  Can we approach 2016 in hope rather than fear?  Can we leave our personal agendas behind and work towards the common good?  Can we let the Holy Spirit lead us?