African Regionalization Support Not Unanimous
African Regionalization Support Not Unanimous By Forbes Matonga (This week, UM News ran two commentaries from United Methodists from Africa dealing with pivotal issues that will be before the upcoming General Conference in Charlotte. We encourage United Methodists to...
Why We Will Be in Charlotte
Why We Will Be in Charlotte By Thomas Lambrecht Two recent stories from United Methodist News deserve a response. The first was a news article about the announced intention of Good News and the Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA) to participate in the upcoming General...
Colorful Faith in a World of Chaos
By Jessica LaGrone -- My friend Ryanne is a colorful Christian. Her home is colorful. She often paints a wall or ceiling or the whole front porch on a whim, based on some color that has drawn her fancy. Her family is colorful. Her children’s skin colors are a glorious...
The Scandal of the Incarnation
By David F. Watson -- In Nazareth, there is a large church built over the traditional site of Mary’s house. It is called the Church of the Annunciation. Tradition holds that the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary here: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with...
New Hymnal for a New Day
By Andrew Miller -- For generations, hymnals were the primary tool of worship for churches across denominations. Every few decades, denominational leaders would undertake the task of updating their tradition’s hymnal, containing in it not just hymns to be sung during...
Alpha Leader’s New Role
Alpha Leader's New Role Since 2005, the Rev. Nicky Gumbel has been the vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton church in London – the largest congregation in the Church of England. He is also the popular leader of the Alpha course currently being utilized in 30,000 churches of...
Jumpstarting a New Methodism
By Jeff Greenway and Mike Lowry -- In our recently published book Multiplying Methodism, we discuss in detail why we separated from our present denomination and helped form the Global Methodist Church. The weight and history of this moment is not lost on us. We’re...
The Forgotten Commission
By JJ Mannschreck -- As a millennial clergy in The United Methodist Church, I have joined several Facebook groups designed for ministers. Some of the groups are for a specific area or region. There’s even one for each side of the theological spectrum (a progressive...
Is Leaving United Methodism Wrong?
By Norwood N. Hingle III -- William Willimon has been a noteworthy figure for the last half-century in United Methodism. Not only has he served the denomination as a bishop who is now in retired status, but he has also influenced scores of students and pastors to this...
Depending on Hope
By Jenifer Jones -- September first was my one-year anniversary working with TMS Global. My job is to interview cross-cultural witnesses (CCWs, or missionaries) and write their stories. You’d think this job has the potential to be depressing. After all, the world kind...
Smelling Heaven
By B.J. Funk -- In the past few years, I have had a sweet, calming, and beautiful surprise happening in my life. I have smelled heaven. I first recognized this indescribable occurrence when I sat in the lounge chair in my living room. Suddenly, from out of nowhere...
Young Adult Methodist Connection
By Elizabeth Fink -- Would you believe me if I told you that from the age of 18 to the present, I have had at least 13 different addresses and attended eight different churches? I think it is safe to say that I had good reason to refer to myself as a nomad during my...
