United Methodist Church
These UMC deacons are more like doulas than circuit riders
How Sacred Stones Ministries is bringing new ministry models to birth
Three United Methodist pastors and their delight in ministry
A visit to three congregations around Austin, Texas
The United Methodist meeting offered no clear way forward. What now?
The UMC, a global church, prides itself on its democratic and decentralized polity. All this shapes its response to LGBTQ couples and clergy.
The Methodist mess in St. Louis
The UMC's response to declining membership is to spend millions deciding who else we can exclude.
Methodists weigh options for staying united
A 32-member commission is seeking a way forward for a denomination with a lesbian bishop—and a policy barring ordained LGBTQ people.
Can John Wesley's theology keep the Methodists united?
David Field's question is spiritual: How do we hold ourselves in right relation to those with whom we disagree?
The Spirit's work, denied after the fact
United Methodists have been down this road before. What's different this time is that Karen Oliveto is already a bishop.
The Methodists aren't united. Can they still be a church?
A global denomination, a clash of principles, and the coming reckoning
A word of thanks to those 111 clergy
As I work today, my mind travels to the United Methodist clergy who came out as LGBTQ before the General Conference, to challenge the denomination’s policy which bans the ordination of “practicing homosexuals.” While the number is stunning, I keep thinking of each individual person who has risked their livelihood and calling, for this historic moment.
A time to split? Covenant and schism in the UMC
A growing number of UMC clergy are performing same-sex weddings in open defiance of the Book of Discipline. What happens next?
Structure and power
The General Conference of the United Methodist Church convened in Tampa last week. I’m not one of the 988 delegates who have descended on Florida to do the work of our church, nor of the 4,000 hosts, bishops, pages, translators and myriad lobbyists there to help. My participation is limited to following the proceedings from 1,000 miles away.
Still, my emotions have been all over the place. And judging from Twitter and Facebook, this roller coaster of highs and lows is almost universal among those who are there. The stakes feel high this year, higher than usual.
A global identity: Can United Methodism restructure itself?
Is the United Methodist Church an American denomination with extensions overseas? Or is it a worldwide communion?
"Living my truth" United Methodist pastor Amy DeLong: United Methodist pastor Amy DeLong
"If the bishop admits to knowing that I was gay, then she gets in trouble. The system is set up so that truth will not be told."