This past September, the Global Methodist Church held its historic Convening General Conference. Reflecting on the event over the past few months, I wanted to document some surprises that stood out to me. These moments captured the spirit of this pivotal gathering and left a lasting impression.
1. Worship That Sounded Heavenly
Watching the worship services during the conference, I was blown away by how incredible the music sounded—even through the livestream. Mixing live worship bands for an online audience is notoriously challenging, yet the result was stunning.
This is a testament to the hard work and talent of the worship team, including Rev. Sterling Allen and Rev. Tesia Lee Mallory. Their efforts helped bring a sense of connection and reverence to all who participated, whether in Costa Rica or tuning in from afar.
2. Outstanding Coverage by Christianity Today
I was pleasantly surprised by the exceptional coverage of the event by Christianity Today. Daniel Silliman’s on-the-ground reporting brought the heart of the conference to life, capturing both its historical significance and joyful spirit.
Silliman’s insights on social media and articles like:
- “It’s Okay to Say We’re Born Again”: Global Methodists Embrace Evangelical Identity
- Global Methodists Find Joy in Costa Rica
- Global Methodist Bishops to Dance
Silliman’s writing highlighted the distinctive ethos of the Global Methodist Church, including its focus on sanctification and renewal. In an age where Methodism often receives less-than-favorable media coverage, it was refreshing to see the vibrancy of our tradition celebrated so widely.
3. Jimmy Towson’s Brief Candidacy as Bishop
A touching surprise was seeing Jimmy Towson briefly considered as a candidate for bishop. Each delegation was asked to present someone as a nominee alongside the existing slate of candidates, and Jimmy’s name was offered.
Jimmy has been a vital leader in the South Georgia Conference of the Global Methodist Church, and I have no doubt he would have made an excellent bishop. True to his humble nature, he graciously withdrew his name early in the process to help streamline the voting. Even so, his brief nomination was a moment of pride for many of us in South Georgia.
4. Missing Out on the Experience
The biggest surprise for me personally was not being able to attend the conference in Costa Rica. My daughter, who was recovering from a broken tibia, had an unfortunate fall just 30 hours before my departure, breaking her femur. While my wife encouraged me to go, I felt it was best to stay home and care for her during such a challenging time.
Although I couldn’t be there in person, I am deeply grateful to our South Georgia delegation. Both clergy and laity represented us with grace and faithfulness, helping to pave the way for a bright future in the Global Methodist Church.
The Convening General Conference was a historic moment for our denomination, full of worship, joy, and vision for the future. Though I watched from afar, I continue to reflect on how these surprises reveal God’s faithfulness and the promise of renewal within our church.
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One Year in the Global Methodist Church
October 5, 2023
On September 25th, 2022 the Glennville United Methodist Church celebrated it’s re-establishment as the Glennville Methodist Church. It was our first Sunday in the Global Methodist Church (GMC). We are now just over a year in the GMC. Before we joined we were warned “it is just a website”, “they can not support you”, and “they have no structure”.
So what was the first year really like in a new denomination? Let me share a few highlights.
#1 A Huge Celebration
We started out with a very special Sunday. During worship we celebrated the recognition of my status as an elder (still to be ordained). My church read a liturgy for the celebration of my appointment in the GMC. We also read Tesia Mallory’s liturgy at the end of the service where we all re-committed our church membership. Following worship we had a delicious meal where plaques were presented to Dylan Mulligan, Sharon Durrence in place of Wendy Durrence, and myself.
#2 Support from Leadership
The South Georgia Conference of the Global Methodist Church (SGAGMC) offers amazing leadership. President Pro Tem Jay Hanson stopped by our Fall Festival. Our Area Presiding Elder Issac Salgado has offered quality leadership and assistance to us.
There also have been rich worship opportunities. Last October there was the Isaiah 43 conference at Epworth by the Sea. There was beautiful worship, amazing workshops, and fellowship. It was the first official gathering of the SGA GMC. Hundreds of Methodists from South Georgia and further attended this historic event.
Pastors were also given special opportunities to grow closer together and closer to God. In January there was a pastor’s day away retreat at Little Ocmulgee State Park. A corn hole tournament was won by Rev. Allen Cason and Rev. Haynes Martin. The pastors discussed Midnight Rider on the Morning Star. This was a book about early circuit riding hero Francis Asbury. The corn hole winners were presented with a trophy with Francis Asbury riding a horse.
In February we took laity to Harvest Church in Warner Robins, GA to the Grow Conference. We had an amazing time of worship. My church members were happy to see the facility and team at Harvest Church. I had a couple of highlights from this day. One was getting to eat lunch with Chief Executive Officer Keith Boyette. The other was seeing so many of our legacy ministry partners from the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Pastors were also invited to attend a preaching conference led by President Pro Tem Jay Hanson at Epworth by the Sea in May. Jay shared his best tips as well as a deep theology for preaching. There were great collaborative discussions about preaching among the pastors there.
#3 Less Anxiety in Myself and Church
The process to disaffiliate here has been one of the smoothest I know of. With that being said it was still extremely stressful. Yet after we left it was as if scales had fallen from our eyes. It was nice to talk to people and our first comments were not about what was happening in the wider denomination or how to get through the next hoop to jump through. I knew it was stressful at the time. It wasn’t until we got a few weeks past our final special session in the United Methodist Church that I realized how much stress I was carrying. I could breathe deeper, my shoulders felt looser, and my mood was brighter.
Another activity I began doing was writing more. I felt the freedom to use my gift of writing and communicating that I had not felt before. As a provisional elder so much of my mindset was on getting ordained and not creating content that could be used against me. Now I feel like I can say what I believe without reprisal. Was this threat perceived more than a reality? Maybe. All I know is it is gone.
Also, our new found freedom gave us time to devote to more mission and ministry. Our membership has grown. I have sat front seat to see members make radical next steps in their journey with Christ. We also hosted a prayer conference called Deeper in Prayer. Methodist from across Georgia gathered to hear ways to grow closer to Christ through prayer. It is hard to imagine our church having the bandwidth to take on hosting a conference in the midst of disaffiliation.
#4 Ordination, Convening Annual Conference, and Hosting Bishop Jones
I was ordained at Epworth by the Sea during the Convening Annual Conference in July. Methodists gathered from all over. I was blessed to have family, UMC, and GMC clergy there for my ordination. One of my highlights was serving Holy Communion as part of worship. I had not been keeping up with everyone making the jump into our conference. To be surprised to see all the familiar faces that I had known for decades come forward was beautiful and emotional.
While Bishop Jones was in the area he came and preached at Glennville Methodist Church. It was one of the highlights of my ministry career. We of course showed him southern hospitality with a church wide meal. The highlight of the day was of course Mrs. Mary Lou Jones. We sang Love, Mercy, and Grace out of the Cokesbury hymnals. Mrs. Mary Lou enjoyed that hymn so much. I also enjoyed getting to pepper Bishop Jones with questions.
Of course this only covers a small portion of the benefits we have enjoyed from being in the GMC. The real bread and butter of our ministry is the worship of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We still have many challenges as a church. Yet, by God’s grace we do not face those challenges by ourselves. I am grateful to have a ministry partner in the GMC who helps us achieve our shared goals of making disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.
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For the past several months I have had the opportunity to share with individuals and groups about the Global Methodist Church. This is the talk I give formatted for my blog.
#1 To Stay Connected to our True Wesleyan/Methodist Heritage
“Since its inception, God’s Spirit has enlivened the Methodist movement. In the 1720s John and Charles Wesley and friends at Oxford University met together to deepen their Christian faith through daily, practical spiritual disciplines. Derided by others as a ‘new sect of Methodists’ for their ‘methodical’ ways of practicing the faith and holding one another accountable to it, the small group embraced the insult and persevered in their fellowship. And so they and the millions who followed after them have ever since been known as ‘the people called Methodists.’”1
The term Methodist still has deep meaning to me personally. I believe Wesleyan theology is a gift to the entire Body of Christ with its emphasis on God’s Grace, freed will, and His call on His people to make a difference in this world.
#2 To Provide Structure for Our Local Church to Better Serve the Community
The Global Methodist Church (GMC) will have a light touch on how you structure your church. Our Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline says “The basic organizational plan for the local church may be designed by each congregation in such a manner that it provides for a comprehensive program of nurture, outreach and witness to all.”2
If you like, you can still have the same structure you used in the prior denomination. However, we offer flexibility as long as you have a governing board. There is the familiar charge conference and nominations to help you approve your leadership, budget, and pastor compensation.
#3 To Have Our Preacher Held Accountable and Encouraged
The pastor is “responsible for ensuring that members are cared for by implementing a discipleship process focused on helping members to ‘go on to perfection’ by loving God with all of their heart, mind, soul, and strength, and by loving their neighbor as themselves. [You] are charged with equipping all the members of a congregation to be in ministry by meeting people at their point of need and offering them Jesus.”3
Pastor’s will have the support of their fellow clergy as well as a board of ordained ministry.
#4 You Keep Control of Your Church Property
“God owns all of creation (Psalm 50:9-10); we are but stewards of it for a period of time. Property (real, personal, tangible, and intangible) deeded or titled in the name of the Global Methodist Church and its entities (including its local churches) is to be used for the glory of God and to carry out the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ and to spread scriptural holiness across the land
There is no trust clause for property held by local churches, annual conferences, regional conferences, connectional commissions, the Transitional Leadership Council, or any of their entities.”4
#5 High Standards and High Openness to Input
“A leader’s job—whether at the top of an organization or somewhere in the middle—is to create a safe space for people to speak up, make mistakes, and bring their full selves to work.” – Amy Edmondson, Harvard Business School
My hope, and for many in the GMC, is for us to have a grassroots led church. The days of believing God’s Spirit only blows from the top down are over.
Evidence of this is there is no required connectional giving for the first two years. Connectional giving will be capped at 6.5% (1.5% for wider church, 5.0% at the annual conference).
#6 The Future of the Church is Global
The past years in the United States have made many weary of globalism. We have seen how supply chain issues during the pandemic have pointed out the fragility of our global infrastructure. We have seen jobs shipped overseas and the detrimental effect it has had on industries like steel production as tens of thousands of workers are displaced.
Yet, our legitimate worries about globalism should not make us weary of the global nature and mission of the church.
In Genesis 22:18 (CEB) God tells Abraham, “All the nations of the earth will be blessed because of your descendants, because you obeyed me.”David F. Watson says, “There is great need for both theological education and academic theological discourse in places outside of the Global West, and we need to be involved…We would do well intentionally to collaborate with people from the majority world.”5
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1 The Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline preface page 3
2 The Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline paragraph 337 page 33
3 The Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline paragraph 322 p. 29 (Ephesians 4:11-13).
4 The Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline Selections from paragraphs 901 and 902 p. 100
5 https://daviddonnan.com/2022/06/10/the-global-nature-of-the-future-methodism/
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