Archive: ‘Seven Churches of Methodism’ Attacked, Defended

By James S. Robb

“We contend that the United Methodist Church is not one church, but seven.” With that bold assertion, two professors from Duke Divinity School put forward a new theory on regional tension in the church that has set off a blaze of media publicity—and church controversy.

The theory, released this fall in a study entitled “The Seven Churches of Methodism,” was formulated by Dr. Robert L. Wilson and Dr. William H. Willimon. The “seven churches” to which the professors refer describe the different styles and substance of United Methodism in different sections of the country, such a s the South and the Northeast.

The professors’ argument is simple enough. “Regional differences are rarely discussed openly because the church’s leaders want to maintain unity,” they wrote in the study. “The quadrennial General Conference maintains a facade of togetherness. National church leaders and bureaucrats tend to perceive regionalism as a threat to church-wide funds and programs.”

Continuing regionalism

Yet, despite the wish of many to the contrary, Wilson and Willimon state, “We believe that the evidences for continuing regionalism can be seen by anyone who is willing to probe beneath the surface.”

Viewing the denomination as a collection of unique regional “churches” instead of a giant unified body is a new idea. The theory has attracted impressive publicity. The Washington Post, for example, ran a half-page on the matter. Numerous other papers, such as The Los Angeles Times and The Cincinnati Inquirer, ran stories.

But not everyone is impressed. An official UM commission and an unofficial caucus are up in arms about the study.

Wilson’s and Willimon’s study contains “implicit and subtle racism and sexism,” according to the official Commission on the Status and Role of Women. The commission charged that the study was poorly done and is inaccurate. Further, the commission is planning to discuss the matter with Duke University.

Black Methodists for Church Renewal, the unofficial black caucus, also criticized the study. They said it “completely overlooks the uniqueness of the black church and the importance of race as an issue in United Methodism.” The caucus took the step of setting up a task force to respond to the study.

What the two groups are apparently reacting to is a section in the study that explains why regionalism needs to be looked at: “During the past quarter of a century Methodism has increasingly organized itself on the basis of racial, language, and sexual criteria as if these were the only significant differences within the denomination. … The failure to identify and to take account of our very real differences has resulted in an inability to mobilize to serve regional issues.”

In an interview with Good News, study co-author Robert Wilson said he was puzzled by the heated opposition from the two groups.

“We thought we were writing about regionalism, not racism and sexism,” Wilson said. While he said he doesn’t have any objection to the caucus and commission in general, “There are other things in the world besides issues based on gender and race. And that’s not to denigrate those two items.”

Wilson said, “By and large, the response has been positive.” Since the study’s publication he has gotten about five letters on it every day. One West Coast pastor who wrote agreeing with the study’s findings had transferred from the Midwest to the Far West, and he said United Methodism in the two areas is indeed very different.

Yet, many church officials evidently feel threatened by any mention of nonnational loyalties. One church-agency staff member told a secular newspaper reporter, “It’s clear the authors [of the study] are still fighting the Civil War.”

According to the study, the “seven churches of Methodism” and their major characteristics are as follows:

• The Yankee Church: New England Methodism, which has never been a strong area for the church. The church there is traditionally liberal, recently pessimistic, and rapidly shrinking.
• The Industrial Northeastern Church: New York and the mid-Atlantic area, where Methodism has lost 22 percent of its members and where it is in danger of extinction in the major cities. Gives much attention to social issues.
• The Church South: One of the areas where the church hasn’t lost strength. Conservative in theology and practice. But the church there is not keeping up with the rapidly expanding population.
• The Midwest Church: Heartland of Methodism, the church there is still strong despite a 10½ percent drop in membership. Tension is caused by the contrast between a conservative laity and a more liberal clergy.
• The Southwest Church: Optimism and growth prevail in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. The biggest churches are there, but failure in reaching the ever-growing Hispanic population is a problem.
• The Frontier Church: The church in the Rocky Mountains is declining, but is hardy and sometimes innovative.
• The Western Church: In America’s Far West, Methodism is fairly weak and sinking (23 percent membership loss in 12 years). Liberal leadership doesn’t reflect the views of the many conservative clergy and laypeople.

To the commission and caucus criticizing the study, co-author Wilson says, “Hey, friends, there’s another agenda in the world besides yours.”