The purpose of the United Methodist people podcast is to strengthen the connection in the United Methodist Church through conversation and commentary as a means to achieve the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ of the transformation of the world.

In Episode 014 of the United Methodist People Podcast with Rev. Dr. Brad Miller conversation and commentary were at hand as Brad hosted a lively discussion with three other elders on the topic of The Way Forward, particularly The One Church Plan which will be presented to the 2019 General Conference.   Brad was joined by Rev. Jerry Rairdon, Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Noblesville Indiana and founder of Uniting Methodist Indiana, Rev. Jill Moffat Howard, Pastor of Rosedale Hills United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana who is an alternate delegate to the 2019 General Conference from the Indiana Annual Conference and Rev. Dr. Mark Holland Executive Director of MainstreamUMC.com from Kansas City, Kansas.

The focus of the roundtable conversation was the impasse in the United Methodist Church over matters of human sexuality which led to the creation of The Commission on the Way Forward who will bring three proposals to the floor of the February 2019  General Conference.   Mark and Jerry lead groups which are strong advocates of The One Church Plan over the other two proposals which are the Traditional Plan and the Conference Plan.

The conversation began by lifting up what is joyful and good about United Methodist Church which included comments about missions, creative outreach and innovative worship and a renewed openness to try new approaches to ministry.  The conversation then shifted to what breaks the heart of the panelist which included grave concerns about a breakup in the church, animosity even hatred among folks on different sides of the issues at hand and missed opportunities for mission and ministry in a church bogged down by dissent.

An overriding question for the panel was "what kind of church do we want to be moving forward?" That is if this splits church what’s next for the UMC?

There was a conversation on the how part of the conflict in the UMC centers on how some see the UMC as a descriptive church and others see the UMC as a prescriptive church.

It was generally agreed that a strength of the UMC is our diversity and that a schism in the church would be exclusionary of many and is not the best way for the UNC to be a witness to the world.

The panel was generally in agreement that The One Church Plan provides the best opportunity for the UMC to move forward as one church not divided by schism. Great concern was expressed about the complexities of the “Conference Plan" and the harsh restrictive nature of many aspects of the “Traditional Plan.”

The One Church Plan presented the church as a Big Tent which has room under its roof for many different expressions of faith based on grace, tolerance, and love of one another within the body of the UMC.   The panel was in agreement that the mission of the church is at stake and that The One Church Plan gives the UMC the best opportunity to reach present and younger generations of people far from God and far from the church. The One Church Plan is best suited for the UMC to live out our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

The conversation concluded with the statement the gospel is bigger than the church on these matters and it is felt that there is momentum for The One Church Plan as the time of General Conference approaches.

This was an important conversation between those deeply engaged in the process of understanding The Way Forward and coming to terms with the implications that the decisions made at General Conference will have on the very nature of the United Methodist Church.   Those who are likewise invested will find great value in the roundtable conversation in Episode 014 of the United Methodist People Podcast with Rev. Dr. Brad Miller.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller is a long time Elder in the Indiana Conference UMC with experience in radio broadcasting and podcasting who believes deeply in the power of conversation and commentary to strengthen the connection in the United Methodist Church.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller

October 2018