The founder of The Methodist Reclamation Project Rev. Chris Tiedeman is Rev. Dr. Brad Miller’s guest on Episode 019 of the United Methodist People Podcast.
The Methodist Reclamation Project is a facebook group presence founded to respond to the decision of the 2019 General Conference to advocate a progressive/centrist viewpoint on the matters facing the UMC.
Chris is the pastor or Christ UMC-Wabash, Indiana.
In this in-depth interview, Chris tells Brad about coming to the church when he was dating the daughter of a UMC pastor while they both were in a high school drama production of “The Beverly Hillbillies.” He described how the openness of the UMC spoke to him and nurtured his faith eventually leading him into pastoral ministry. He is known among other things as the “Ukulele Pastor” for playing and singing with his “Uke” in the community.
He and some colleagues created the Methodist Reclamation Project to speak to effect change to save what can be of the United Methodist Movement. He looks to affect the best future of the UMC moving forward.
He spoke to Brad about his role as a “Grandpa Millennial” and his concerns about how the UMC has struggled to meet the needs of millennial and how passionate he is about this. This includes his willingness to work through with others what Methodism will become in the aftermath of the 2019 General Conference decision to implement the Traditional Plan.
Chris spoke from the heart to Brad about the “gutted” feeling he had about the pain many people associated with the LGBTQ community are experiencing now and how his compelled to take action in response to that. This action included stepping up as a candidate for the General and Jurisdictional Conference. (Note: Chris was elected as a delegate to the North Central Jurisdictional Conference by the Indiana Annual Conference)
Chris describes his present attitude about the church as “fraught but hopeful” which he describes as being encouraged by the movement of centrist/progressive UMC people in an anxious time and a defining moment in the church.
His desire, he tells Brad, is to focus on Jesus and move beyond any distraction to this focus. He describes himself as a “Jesus Person” teaching others in the UMC that the need to be Jesus to others an outpost of the Gospel.
You will want to listen and learn from Chris Tiedeman the founder of The Methodist Reclamation Project on Episode 019 of the United Methodist People Podcast with Rev. Dr. Brad Miller.
The purpose of the United Methodist People Podcast is to strengthen the connection in the UMC through conversation and commentary.
Rev. Dr. Brad Miller
June 2019
https://www.facebook.com/groups/386132275301092/
