top of page

Reimagining the Passion of a Global Wesleyan Movement

by Kristin Cole, the Wesleyan Covenant Association

Reimagining the Passion of a

Global Wesleyan Movement

“I look upon all the world as my parish.”

God calls us to embrace a new day as the people called Methodists. Established in the faith entrusted to us by our forbearers, we discern the Holy Spirit reviving the Methodist movement in a new work. We are committed to God’s vision given to our predecessors “to reform the continent(s) and spread scriptural holiness over the lands.” A group of bishops, clergy, and laity, men and women, African-American, Asian, Caribbean, Caucasian, and Hispanic persons from every U.S. jurisdiction, and three central conferences met to expand and clarify the vision for a future traditional expression of Methodism. In addition to bishops, laity and clergy from the Wesleyan Covenant Association, Good News, the Confessing Movement, the Institute of Religion and Democracy/UM Action, as well as other traditional voices not associated with the renewal groups were present.

In a spirit of cooperation with the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation, we join the many conversations occurring as we move toward General Conference 2020. If the 2020 General Conference adopts the Protocol legislation, with one voice and a spirit of humility we intend to form a global Wesleyan movement committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the authority and inspiration of the Scriptures, and the work of the Holy Spirit in conveying God’s truth, grace, renewal, and sanctification to all people who repent and believe.

We are committed to being a people who covenant together around time honored core doctrines, ethics, and mission. God has always been faithful to us, but we have not always been faithful to him. We desire to repent and return to him. We aspire to be a covenant community, watching over each other in love. We long to reclaim the Wesleyan genius of mutual accountability throughout our connection. We are committed to holding one another accountable to the high calling of our identity in Jesus Christ.

We will be a church that is truly global in nature, fully welcomes people of various ethnicities and women into every level of ordination and leadership, and is characterized by joy. We will be committed to the Christian faith as expressed for 2,000 years, the four-fold movement of grace, compassion, and a passionate desire for people to experience a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We will inspire growth in discipleship, holiness, and a commitment to service, mercy, and seeking God’s justice.

Our unfolding vision includes:

The Church’s Culture and Mission

  • Being so in love with Jesus that we boldly share his love with all people because we can do nothing else

  • Welcoming and embracing all who respond to God’s love into the Body of Christ

  • Engaging people in lifelong, intentional formation as disciples

  • Renewed by Spirit-filled worship that brings people into the presence of God

  • Deeply committed to prayer and dependence upon the Holy Spirit

  • Instilling holiness of heart and life that leads to a balanced Wesleyan character of personal holiness through the spiritual disciplines and social holiness through experiencing communion and accountability with one another in the Body of Christ

  • Reaching out to the world at its points of deepest need through ministries of mercy and justice, especially involving the sins of racism, tribalism, economic injustice, the oppression of women, and addiction

  • Developing Christ-following leaders, called by God for fostering vital local churches

  • Connecting together vital and vibrant local congregations of every size for mutual support and shared ministry

  • Equipping the local church in partnering with God to make disciples of Jesus Christ with a high value on evangelism, reaching youth and young adults, and developing global missional partnerships

  • Passionate about planting new churches, revitalizing existing churches, and apostolic ministry

  • Becoming a nimble and less bureaucratic institution, continuously led by the Holy Spirit

  • More movement than institution

  • Embodying our global nature in every aspect of doctrine, relationships, structure, and church culture

  • Forging deeper unity with other Methodist and Christian expressions around the world

  • Exuding joy, offering hope, and moving confidently into the future

Essential Doctrinal Beliefs

  • The primacy of Scripture, leading to a biblical worldview

  • Christology that boldly proclaims the deity of Christ and his salvific work as Lord and Savior

  • All persons are of sacred worth, created in the image of God, unconditionally loved by God, and in need of redemption from sin through Christ

  • The historic creeds (especially the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed) are reliable summaries of the Christian faith

  • Molded by, proclaiming, and exhibiting the Wesleyan four-fold movement of grace: prevenient, convincing, justifying, and sanctifying

  • The powerful work of the good and life-giving Holy Spirit in the lives of people and the ministry of the Church today

  • The traditional understanding of Christian marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman as God’s intended setting for human sexual expression

  • The accountability of clergy and bishops to the doctrine, mission, and discipline of the Church

  • Adherence to the Wesleyan doctrinal standards: Articles of Religion, Confession of Faith, Standards Sermons, and Notes on the New Testament

Organization

Global connectional polity

A General Conference that cares for:

  • Accountability to Doctrinal Standards, Social Witness, and shared life and order of the Church

  • Coordinating global mission

  • Standards for clergy qualifications, education, and credentialing

  • Sharing resources and best practices

  • The few general agencies that will be minimally staffed, focusing on facilitating ministry partnerships, coordinating mission, channeling resources globally, and resourcing local churches for vital ministry

  • Relying upon local church, district, and annual conference partnerships across the globe, enabling two-way sharing of people, gifts, and resources, with a goal of sustaining existing commitments and expanding ministry

  • Where appropriate, engaging services from agencies of the post-separation United Methodist Church to sustain ongoing mission

  • An interim structure needs to be put in place to care for sustaining ongoing programs globally during the transition

  • Providing ultimate accountability for bishops

  • Determining the number and shape of regional structures


Regional bodies that care for:

  • Applying, not adapting, the Discipline of the Church

  • Electing and deploying bishops

  • Providing the first step in episcopal accountability

  • Coordinating regional mission

  • Sharing resources and best practices


Annual Conferences that care for:

  • Teaching, worship, and inspiration

  • Recruiting, developing, credentialing, and deploying lay and clergy leaders to equip the Church

  • Ensuring that those who are currently Licensed Local Pastors are equal partners in ministry, with a pathway to ordination as elders and with voice and vote on all clergy matters within their order

  • Resourcing local churches for effective mission

  • Sharing resources and best practices

  • Coordinating area mission

  • Providing for pensions and other benefits globally


Local Congregations that care for:

  • Acting as the primary vehicle by which the mission of the Church is accomplished

  • Contextualizing organizational structure with minimal requirements

  • Fulfilling the expectation that every local church will have an intentional way of helping people grow as joyful and obedient disciples


Superintendency characterized by:

  • Bishops elected for one 12-year term, rather than lifetime service

  • A global Council of Bishops consisting only of active bishops

  • Bishops elected, assigned, and accountable regionally, with clearly established means of global accountability

  • Episcopal appointment of clergy that practices true open itinerancy with enhanced models of consultation with congregations and clergy, ensuring equity in pastoral appointments for women and persons of varying ethnicities

Our covenant with God and each other will be renewed as we claim, teach, and live into a life-affirming confession of faith rooted in Scripture and our doctrinal standards. We worship God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are sent to be disciples and to make disciples of Jesus Christ. And we are called to be the Body of Christ in the world, bearing witness to the transforming power of the Good News as we humbly, but boldly, strive to serve others in Christ’s name.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, this new traditional Methodist denomination is dedicated to fulfilling this mission. May we be a people of integrity, living out what we believe as the Church. May God grant us the grace and wisdom to grow into this Church so conceived!

Signed,

Rev. Keith D. Boyette, Co-convener

President, Wesleyan Covenant Association, Spotsylvania, VA

Virginia Annual Conference

Bishop Scott Jones, Co-convener

Resident Bishop

Houston Episcopal Area, Houston, TX

Patricia Miller, Co-convener

Executive Director, The Confessing Movement, Indianapolis, IN

Indiana Annual Conference

Bishop Young Jin Cho

Retired

Southeast Jurisdiction, Centreville, VA

Bishop Eduard Khegay

Resident Bishop

Eurasia Episcopal Area, Moscow, Russia

Bishop J. Michael Lowry

Resident Bishop

Fort Worth Episcopal Area, Fort Worth, TX

Bishop James Swanson

Resident Bishop

Mississippi Episcopal Area, Jackson, MS

Bishop Pedro M. Torio Jr.

Resident Bishop

Baguio Episcopal Area, Baguio City, Philippines

Bishop Mark Webb

Resident Bishop

Upper New York Episcopal Area, Liverpool, NY

Bishop John Wesley Yohanna

Resident Bishop

Nigeria Episcopal Area, Jalingo, Nigeria

Rev. David Alexander

Senior Pastor, First UMC, Mansfield, TX

Central Texas Annual Conference

Rev. Nola M. Anderson

District Superintendent, Crossroads District, Liverpool, New York

Upper New York Annual Conference

Rev. Dr. Joe Connelly, J.D., D.Min., M.Div.

Pastor, Bethany UMC, New Orleans, LA.

Louisiana Annual Conference

Rev. Dr. Jan Davis

Senior Pastor, Central UMC, Fayetteville, AR

Arkansas Annual Conference

Rev. Dr. Maxie D. Dunnam

Minister at Large, Christ UMC, Memphis, TN

Kentucky Annual Conference

Rev. Walter B. Fenton

Vice-President for Strategic Engagement

Wesleyan Covenant Association, Spring, TX

New Jersey Annual Conference

Rev. Dr. Jeffrey E. Greenway

Pastor, Reynoldsburg UMC, Reynoldsburg, OH

Chair, WCA Global Council

West Ohio Annual Conference

Rev. Jay Hanson

Pastor, The Chapel UMC, Brunswick, GA

South Georgia Annual Conference

Rev. Eric Huffman

Lead Pastor, The Story, Houston, TX

Texas Annual Conference

Rev. Thomas A. Lambrecht

Vice President, Good News, Spring, TX

Wisconsin Annual Conference

Rev. Jae Duk Lew

Senior Pastor, Valley Korean UMC, Granada Hills, CA

California-Pacific Annual Conference

John Lomperis

Director of UM Action, Portland, OR

Indiana Annual Conference

Rev. Dr. Ken Loyer

Lead Pastor, Spry Church, York, PA

Susquehanna Annual Conference

Rev. Dr. Carolyn Moore

Lead Pastor, Mosaic Church, Evans, GA

North Georgia Annual Conference

Rev. Martin Nicholas

Lead Pastor, First UMC, Sugarland, TX

President, UMAction

Texas Annual Conference

Rev. Rob Renfroe

Pastor of Discipleship, The Woodlands UMC, The Woodlands, TX

President, Good News

Texas Annual Conference

Rev. Steven Taylor

Pastor, Panama, UMC, Panama, NY

Upper New York Annual Conference

Mark Tooley

President, Institute on Religion and Democracy, Washington, DC

Virginia Annual Conference

 

Please know that any text in blue are links to the information source or greater detail. Also, we ask that you share, comment and like any and all posts to continue to help spread the word. We find that most UMC members know little to nothing about the current and future of the UMC. Please decide now to be heard before it is too late! Join the Weselyan Covenant Association NOW! EOWCA values your comments and support. Thank you!

20 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

September 26, 2023 The Wesleyan Covenant Association of East Ohio: Praising God for the marvelous movement of the Holy Spirit in establishing the Allegheny West Provisional Conference. You have done a

bottom of page