DT Paper-Pros of Joining GMC

Pros of Joining the Global Methodist Church
The Discernment Team identified topics to educate our congregation into the current state of the
Methodist Church. One such topic is the pros of joining the Global Methodist Church if Wesley Memorial
United Methodist Church votes to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church denomination. There are
numerous resources available to educate each of us on the pros of joining the Global Methodist Church,
but the below article along with the Transitional Book of Doctrine and Disciplines of The Global
Methodist Church are excellent locations to learn more about this complex issue.
1. Orthodox Theology That Stands on Scriptural Authority
“It is a creedal church that proudly stands on the rich tradition and history of our church fathers and
mothers. Intentionally, the GMC includes as official doctrine the Nicene Creed (¶105.2), the
Apostles’ Creed (¶105.1), and the Definition of Chalcedon (¶105.3). The GMC has added the
Definition of Chalcedon adopted by the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. The Chalcedonian
Definition cements our understanding of who Jesus is. It ensures that the GMC’s Christology will be
orthodox and clear.” (Therrell, 2022)
2. A Leaner and Simpler Church with Less Top-Down Decisions

“GMC leaders have done their best to create a flatter, simpler, more decentralized church where the
local church will be empowered to make decisions that best enable it to carry out its mission. As a
result, local churches will have greater control and keep more money in their church treasuries. Less
bureaucracy and institution mean less apportionments. The Global Methodist Church will have no
more general agencies with their large budgets and many employees. Instead, it will have a few
connectional commissions primarily led by laity and clergy volunteers.” (Therrell, 2022)
3. An Emphasis on the Local Church as the Front Line of Ministry

“Presently, it can seem like one of the main reasons local churches exist is to pay apportionments
and complete forms to supply the upper levels of church bureaucracy. In the GMC, the districts,
annual conferences, and General Conference will do their best to ensure local churches are equipped
to lead people to Jesus. This shift is important because it means that extra agencies, commissions,
and institutions are no longer needed. Moreover, the funding for those entities will stay at the local
church to be used to further its mission.” (Therrell, 2022)
4. A Simpler, Fairer Ordination System

“Local churches will become the entity that certify candidates in the Global Methodist Church
(¶406.1).” (Therrell, 2022)
5. Greater Accountability for Bishops, Clergy, and Churches

“One of the mainstays of our current denominational drama is the extreme lack of accountability for
bishops, clergy, and churches. Bishops will be term-limited to ensure that once a person is elected
bishop, they no longer have a lifetime warranty on the office (¶501). Additionally, bishops will no
longer be accountable only to one another. During the transitional period of the GMC, bishops will
be held accountable by the Transitional Leadership Council (¶¶807, 809). Incoming clergy from the
UMC will have to pledge that they agree with and will uphold the Doctrines and Discipline (¶417.1-
2).” (Therrell, 2022)
6. A Less Expensive Church = More Money for Local Ministry

“The Global Methodist Church intentionally has a general level of the GMC that will take a small
fraction of that money (¶¶704-5). Additionally, annual conferences will be encouraged to downsize
and re-orient around empowering the local churches (¶¶610-13).” (Therrell, 2022)
7. No Trust Clause
“Almost three hundred years ago, John Wesley wrote the first trust clause to protect Methodist
meeting houses and buildings. Wesley’s intent was to ensure that those buildings (Tennett, 2021)–
key resources in the Methodist mission of making disciples – would be used for orthodox purposes.
There is no trust clause in the GMC (¶902). Local churches will own their assets for the glory and
service of God to do with as they discern.” (Therrell, 2022)
8. Greater Autonomy for Local Churches

“Churches will be able to structure themselves in a way that best enhances their mission (¶337).
Moreover, when it comes to the appointing of clergy, local churches will have greater say in who
their pastor will be (¶510). The bishop will still have the final say on appointing clergy guaranteeing
that female clergy and clergy of color will not be discriminated against.” (Therrell, 2022)
9. More Freedom and Less Duplication

“The Global Methodist Church encourages local churches to partner with ministries that already
exist and that they choose because they fit the local church’s process for making disciples. The
result is less duplication of kingdom efforts and greater ability for local churches to align with
organizations that represent who they feel God is leading them to be.” (Therrell, 2022)
10. The New Church is Global in Nature

“The Global Methodist Church is presently active on four different continents: North America,
Africa, Asia, and Europe. Already the Transitional Leadership Council is a diverse group of global
traditionalists including Americans, Russians, Africans, Filipinos, and Koreans.” (Therrell, 2022)
Jessica Nelson
Bibliography
Global Methodist Church. (2022, April 12). Retrieved from The Transitional Book of Doctrines and
Discipline The Global Methodist Church: https://globalmethodist.org/wp-
content/uploads/2022/08/Transitional-Discipline.2022041271.pdf
Tennett, D. T. (2021, April 27). Timothy Tennett. Retrieved from timothytennett.com:
https://timothytennent.com/the-trust-clause-in-the-united-methodist-church/
Therrell, J. (2022, July 8). Wesleyan Covenant Association. Retrieved from wesleyancovenant.org:
https://wesleyancovenant.org/2022/07/06/ten-reasons-why-ill-join-the-global-methodist-church/
(All paragraph references are to the Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline)

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Pros of Joining the Global Methodist Church

2. A Leaner and Simpler Church with Less Top-Down Decisions

3. An Emphasis on the Local Church as the Front Line of Ministry

4. A Simpler, Fairer Ordination System

5. Greater Accountability for Bishops, Clergy, and Churches

6. A Less Expensive Church = More Money for Local Ministry

8. Greater Autonomy for Local Churches

9. More Freedom and Less Duplication

10. The New Church is Global in Nature

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