We had a strong early commitment against the great evil of American slavery. We saw some early moral decline in Methodism with the sins of slavery and racism, and NOT just in the South. There are all kinds of examples of lay people facing temporary but serious consequences for sins ranging from getting drunk to wife beating.īut over the course of the 19 th century, we saw a decline in really expecting too much of our laypeople, and then our ministers. What really set us apart was the degree to which we practiced sometimes rather demanding levels of church discipline, for not just our leaders and clergy but also our lay members. It dramatically highlights how when Methodism first began, we were a really high-commitment movement, that really demanded a lot of sacrifice and forsaking of worldly comforts for the sake of the Gospel.

Many of us have seen that famous picture of the hard-working, circuit-riding preacher of early Methodism. When you think about it, any Protestant, by definition, believes that there are some issues worth splitting the church over. Unless the person saying it is in the process of becoming Roman Catholic. And these two things really get to the heart of what this schism is all about.īy the way, if you hear any United Methodist claim they are absolutely against EVER splitting the church, that is NOT a serious idea. We have a history, going back about two centuries now, of breakdown in our discipline, and breakdown in our doctrine.

The impending split is the result of an extensive history which dates back long before the present debates over sexual morality. The reality is that our division has been a long time coming. There is some truth to that, but that is really a misleading way to view things. You may have heard that our division is because of homosexuality. Why is the United Methodist Church splitting? Hopefully, by now, you’ve all heard that our denomination is headed for a major division, and that the need for this is widely agreed upon by the leaders of all major factions. I delivered this speech for the Missouri chapter of the Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA) as part of their monthly Speaker Series.Ī video of my remarks and PowerPoint presentation can be found here. (Note: Beyond the historical background below, if you are seeking documentation for major issues other than gay weddings on which the United Methodist Church is becoming increasingly different from both the Global Methodist Church and the UMC as we have previously known it, you can find such documentation at Why is the United Methodist Church splitting? The following is an adapted and slightly abridged version of remarks I shared on January 13 giving a bird’s-eye-view of the long history that has led the United Methodist Church to its present point of division.

Roger taylor converse