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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More From David
One of the consistent and false attacks about the Global Methodist Church is that it’s not a real denomination or church. This has taken place in many easily refuted forms. There has been the repeated mantra “it’s only a website.” You can go to the South Georgia Conference of the Global Methodist Church and see we have an awesome website. We also have many churches representing thousands of faithful Methodists in South Georgia. You can also see our recent Isaiah 43 conference where we hosted hundreds of Methodist at Epworth by the Sea (a Methodist campground on St. Simons). There is also the false narrative we just want churches to join because of the money. Yet, churches can opt out of connectional giving for the first two years.
I’ve heard a new argument recently from multiple sources. It goes like this: the Global Methodist Church has not ratified their discipline. Let me be clear, the Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline has as much authority today as the book of Doctrine and Discipline will have after the convening conference. How? Because it has been ratified (given formal consent, made valid) by the Transitional Leadership Council. This can be easily seen on page three of the Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline:
“This Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline will only be effective once the Global Methodist Church is legally formed [this happened in May of 2022] and will provide governance until the time specified by the Global Methodist Church’s convening General Conference.”
One more definition for clarity’s sake. What is the Transitional Leadership Council? Here, again, from the Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline page 81.
“During the period of transition between the legal formation of the Global Methodist Church and the effective date of actions taken by the convening General Conference, the Transitional Leadership Council shall serve as the primary leadership body
of the church. As the most representative body other than the General Conference, it is charged with making all necessary decisions related to the forming of the Global Methodist Church.”
The Book of Doctrine and Discipline is in place and has authority. We have pensions with Wespath. We have health insurance. We have pastors getting credentialed. Most importantly, we have churches making disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.
We are a website and so much more.
An Order for Recognition of Ordination and Celebration of an Appointment in the Global Methodist Church
September 24, 2022
This Sunday will be my first Sunday as an elder in the Global Methodist Church. My church will also be celebrating their first Sunday in the Global Methodist Church. This is an unofficial order I made for the occasion. At the conclusion of our service we will read through a Litany of New Beginnings/Renewal of Baptism and Membership by Rev. Dr. Tesia Mallory.
Friends and Family of ___________ Church, today we are happy to recognize that our pastor, ____________, has been appointed by the Global Methodist church to serve as our pastor.
_________ , you have been sent to live in our community as a shepherd for God’s Kingdom to help us hear the voice of God through the scriptures, our church tradition, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
As our pastor you are “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.”1
Pastor __________, do you reaffirm your commitment to ministry to follow God and lead the _______________ Church?
Pastor: Today, I affirm my commitment to serve ____________ Church by God’s grace and to the best of my ability.
Church, do you affirm your commitment to support Pastor _________ as he/she guides us, by God’s grace, “to make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.”2
If you do say we will.
Congregation: We will.
Church, today we are also happy to announce that Pastor _________ has been recognized as an elder in full connection with the Global Methodist Church.
“Elders are clergy members in full connection of the annual conference with full voice and vote on all matters.”3
“Elders are ordained to oversee the Sacramental life of the church and thus have full authority to preside at celebrations of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.”4
“Those called to the ministry of elder bear authority and responsibility to proclaim God’s Word fearlessly, to teach God’s people faithfully, to administer the sacraments, and to order the life of the church so that it may be both faithful and fruitful.”5
__________ , we thank you for submitting your life to this calling in the Global Methodist Church.
Church, we are going to ask pastor __________ to kneel at the altar and we ask those who wish to come forward, lay hands on _________ , and pray with us.
Father of grace, power, and calling, we thank you for all of the servant leaders we have had at Glen_____________ and the calling you have on his/her life.
God, would you pour out your blessing on him/her, Father, so that he/she may preach the good news to all people. Would you sustain him/her in the process of ministering to those in our community. Would you protect him/her, guide him/her, and lead him/her into a deeper relationship with you. May all of his/her ministry be an overflow of his/her ever deepening relationship with you. May we, as his community, support, encourage, correct, and guide him/her by your grace also, in Jesus name, Amen.
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1 The Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline paragraph 322 p. 29 (Ephesians 4:11-13).
2The Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline preface page 2
3The Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline paragraph 410 page 57
4The Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline paragraph 313 page 26
5The Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline Paragraph 403 page 51
David Donnan 