Why We Do What We Do
Why We Do What We Do -- By Tammie Grimm (March/April 2025) -- I require students in my Christian formation classes to read John Wesley’s Character of a Methodist as their first assignment. I want them to hear from Mr. Wesley himself that though early Methodists of the...
Body Language
Body Language -- By Jessica LaGrone (March/April 2025) -- The first paying job I ever held was as a Health Aide in a doctor’s office that primarily treated patients and families who were unable to pay for medical care. I wasn’t qualified to do much in the way of real...
African United Methodists reSpond in Charlotte
African United Methodists respond in Charlotte What follows is a statement released during the second week of the United Methodist General Conference after the delagates dramatically rewrote the denomination’s definition of marriage. My dear brothers and sisters,...
Tale of a New Church
Tale of a New Church By Thomas Lambrecht The story of the 2024 General Conference meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the story of a new church being born. Two years ago this month, the Global Methodist Church was born, and it is growing and maturing quickly....
United Methodism re-envisions marriage and ordination
United Methodism re-envisions marriage and ordination By Heather Hahn July/August 2024 Without debate, General Conference removed The United Methodist Church’s ban on the ordination of clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” — a prohibition that dates to...
Bishop: “You Might Be in the Wrong Place”
Bishop: "You Might Be in the Wrong Place" July/August 2024 Just days before the opening of the COVID-delayed General Conference, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton told his fellow bishops that he saw the possibility for big changes coming out of The United Methodist Church’s...
Missing questions In charlotte
Editorial: Missing questions In Charlotte By Rob Renfroe July/August 2024 During the recent General Conference of The United Methodist Church, I was interviewed by the Associated Press, The New York Times, and other news outlets. The most intriguing question a...
A Promise Kept and a Promise Spurned
A Promise Kept and a Promise Spurned By Thomas Lambrecht As United Methodists continue to become aware of the actions taken by the 2024 General Conference, responses range from celebration to confusion to disagreement to disenchantment. Many are asking the question:...
