Happenings Around the Church

      Every four years the General Conference of The United Methodist Church meets to approve legislation that will revise the church’s Discipline, accept a four-year budget for the general church, consider the church’s position on various issues, and set programs and visions for the quadrennium (the coming four years).  The conference will be meeting inTampa,Florida, [...]

The question has often been asked, at least by those who seek renewal in the church, whether the church believes that its educational institutions, and particularly its theological schools, should reflect the values, the beliefs, and the mission of The United Methodist Church.  Or to put the matter another way, do the leaders of the [...]

    How is it that The United Methodist Church has lost members for 42 consecutive years and the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), a denomination that shares a lot of similarities with The United Methodist Church, has a record of 42 years of continual growth?  What are they doing that we aren’t?      TheEvangelicalCovenantChurchwas originally a [...]

     Not long ago The Confessing Movement sent out an e-blast inviting clergy and lay persons to sign a petition sent to United Methodist bishops asking them to make a clear statement in support for the denomination’s position regarding marriage and homosexuality.  The petition letter was initiated by 59 pastors of significant churches.  Forty of [...]

By Dr. Riley Case   Along with its many other inadequacies, theological liberalism never has had much of a doctrine of the Church.   Not that there is an orthodox doctrine of the Church, but the various evangelical and catholic theologies at least hold in common that the people of God are gathered into the body [...]

There was a good feeling at the 2011 Indiana Annual Conference.  There was not the wrangling one sees at some annual conferences.  An outstanding class of twenty persons was ordained elder, promising a hopeful future for the conference.  Of the twenty, nineteen did not graduate from an official United Methodist seminary.  Almost all graduated either [...]

By Dr. Riley Case Well, United Methodists are in the news again.  It is not because of the good UMs are doing in flood-ravaged areas, or for the numbers of mission teams serving in various places, or for spectacular evangelistic efforts, but for internal conflicts over issues related to marriage and homosexuality.  Major articles have [...]

As of this writing the recommendation will go to General Conference that the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns (GCCUIC) cease to exist as a general agency and that its responsibilities be handled by the Council of Bishops. A commendable idea.  We have too many unnecessary agencies in the church.  Furthermore,  ecumenical matters, [...]

How goes the church in the United States? It is an appropriate question to ask in the light of the recent study by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement that reported that Christianity is dying and headed for extinction in nine western countries and is in trouble in other western countries.

A recent study by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement reports that Christianity is dying and is headed for extinction in nine western countries. Christianity is in trouble in other western countries not mentioned in the nine. Of those countries identified with Western civilization only in the United States—to the chagrin of progressive analysts—does Christianity seem to be alive and (relatively speaking) well.

Christianity is dying in the following countries–Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland—and is headed for extinction.

Hell is in the news these days, especially in the evangelical world.

In the early 1970s Charles Keysor, founder of the Good News movement, sounded an alarm about the future of the newly formed United Methodist Church.

Well, the word is out. Thirty-six retired UM bishops have released a statement, “A Statement of Counsel to the Church” (link to United Methodist News Service for the full text with the names of the bishops) saying it is time to change the church’s stand in regard to homosexuality. It appears that on the issue [...]

In 2009 Boston School of Theology received $863,235 dollars from the Ministerial Education Fund (MEF).  For this investment a grand total of seven students in 2008 received United Methodist ordination at the cost of $123,319 per student.  The School of Theology at Claremont did a bit better; ten students from Claremont were in the newly [...]

In 1929 Abingdon Press published a book, The Religious Beliefs of 700 Ministers by George Betts of Northwestern University.   The book was based on a study by Betts in which he surveyed in detail the beliefs of 500 active ministers (mostly from the Chicago area) and 200 seminary students (from 5 mainline seminaries).  His purpose [...]

The most recent Happenings article addressed the matter of supernaturalism and world Christianity. It quoted Methodist Bishop Hwa Yung from Malaysia who argues (Christianity Today, 9-11-10) that church renewal will never take place if the church does not deal with the supernatural world that exists quite apart from the secular understandings of science and naturalism [...]

Some of our good evangelical folk are not happy that we use the word progressive from time to time to refer to those who are liberals in the church. The word progressive implies forward-looking, up-to-date, and willing to try new ideas, In other words progressive is a good word and the evangelical brothers and sisters [...]

One big surprise of the 20th century has been the dramatic growth of churches in the non-Western world. A bigger surprise, at least for a few people, is that the fastest-growing churches are strongly supernaturally oriented. In this thought world, prophecy is an everyday reality, while faith healing, exorcism, and dream visions are all basic [...]

The United Methodist Church doesn’t have too many more chances as a denomination. It has experienced 43 straight years of membership decline. It has a membership that is growing older. It is uncertain about its mission, about its values, and about its doctrine. There is increasing polarization among various factions in the church. There are [...]

Those who knew the great Methodist missionary E. Stanley Jones will remember that he seldom gave a presentation without at some point lifting three fingers in the air and proclaiming, “Jesus Is Lord.” E. Stanley Jones labored in India and was a friend of Mahatma Gandhi. He had many Hindu and Muslim friends. But he [...]

The United Methodist Church seems obsessed with the issue of homosexuality. Actually, it is a minority in the church that seems obsessed with homosexuality. Unfortunately, that minority includes persons and groups with some visibility and authority in the church: liberal caucus groups, some agency staff, conference leadership in some conferences, some bishops, and some seminary [...]

A report entitled “Operational Assessment of the Connectional Church,” prepared by an independent group (Apex Healthcare Group) under the direction of the Call to Action Steering Team, has made some sobering assessments of the present state of The United Methodist Church. This report is in the hands of the Call to Action Steering Committee which [...]

A report, “Operational Assessment of the Connectional Church,” conducted by an independent group Apex Healthcare Group under the direction of the Call to Action Steering Team, has been released. The Call to Action Steering Team has been given the responsibility for making recommendations for a major redirection of The United Methodist Church. The Team will [...]

More Christians were martyred in the 20th Century than in the previous nineteen centuries combined. As the persecution of Christians continues and even increases, the 21st Century may exceed the 20th in total martyrdoms. Consider the following tragedies: Two young Iranian women have spent the past year in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison. MARYAM ROSTAMPOUR AND [...]

I was speaking with a fellow pastor several years ago and inquired whether he and his church might be interested in the Good News magazine. He replied no, because they were upset enough with the denomination as it was without hearing more stuff. He went on to explain that the denominational papers were bad enough [...]

Study committees! Study committees! Study committees! The United Methodist Church seems to have no end of study committees. The overall assessment of the study committees of the last 40 years is that they have contributed little to the renewal of the church, and, in some cases, have made things worse rather than better. An example [...]

Any serious renewal in the United Methodist Church will have to deal with the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM). This is the task that faces the Call to Action Steering Committee that will be making recommendations to the Connectional Table and the Council of Bishops as the church seeks to deal with the 42-year [...]

One of the significant issues that came before the 2008 General Conference was the proposal on the World Wide Nature of the Church. Twenty-three constitutional amendments would be required to make possible a new structure that would divide the church into regional conferences. Details as to how the new plan would operate were to be [...]

It is, at this point, impossible to predict what the Steering Committee for Action will be recommending to the Connectional Table and the Council of Bishops on how the United Methodist Church can be re-formed, restructured, and renewed. The decision is being driven not only by a 45-year decline in membership, but by financial pressures [...]

Through the Steering Committee for Action, a special task force put in place by the Connectional Table upon recommendation of the Council of Bishops, the United Methodist Church has a wonderful opportunity to re-align, restructure, and refocus itself for the coming years. The Steering Committee is working toward a new way of doing church, and [...]

The question, “Can UMC break out of its institutional mold?” is the headline affixed to Donald Haynes’ current article in the United Methodist Reporter. Haynes, who was quoted extensively in the last Happenings article, continues his discussion of renewal in The United Methodist Church in the March 5 issue of the Reporter. As the headline [...]

For 225 years, or for as long as the United States has officially been the United States, Methodism has been part of the American religious scene. Organized in America at almost the same time the United States was birthed, Methodism has been a major force in helping to fashion the religious, social and political life [...]

United Methodism is presently celebrating its 225th anniversary as an American Church. The occasion offers opportunity not only to rejoice for the way God has used United Methodist Church in the past, but also to consider what lessons can be learned for the days ahead. When 60 preachers gathered in Baltimore at the Christmas Conference, [...]

In 1955 Roy L. Smith, author, once pastor of Methodism’s largest church (Los Angeles First), former editor of The Christian Advocate, and known as “Mr. Methodist,” wrote a well-received book, Why I Am a Methodist. Methodism at the time seemed at the height of its influence. Smith reiterated the many missional and institutional accomplishments of [...]

225 years ago the first preachers of the newly formed Methodist Episcopal Church were riding out of Baltimore to win America for Jesus Christ. John Wesley had understood that the Americans needed to be independent of British oversight. To achieve this he did the following: 1) Appointed two leaders, Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury, to [...]