Reflections on General Conference of GMC in South Africa

I recently returned from South Africa where I had the privilege of serving as a delegate for the MidSouth Conference of the Global Methodist Church.   Here are some of my own impressions about this historic event.  I will begin with what I consider the most praiseworthy aspects of the Conference and then I will share some of my concerns about the future of the GMC.

First, I rejoice that a truly evangelical, gospel-oriented atmosphere pervaded the entire event.  The GMC has clearly moved past the conflicted days where we were struggling for our evangelical and even Christian identity within the United Methodist Church.  There was a real sense of unity about the gospel, the centrality of Christ, and the urgency for the church to “spread scriptural holiness” throughout the world.

Second, I am thrilled with the eight full-time bishops who were elected.   There were 24 candidates standing for election, but the following eight were elected:   Luther Oconer, Jonathan Lee, Mark Webb, Lyndol Loyd, Jerry Kulah, Eduard Khegay, Carolyn Moore, and Paul Lawler. They are all fine leaders, fully embedded in evangelical faith and wesleyan teachings and with the kind of missional vision to lead our church forward.  They also reflect the global reach of the Global Methodist Church.

Third, I am delighted with the Articles of Faith, including the statement about Scripture which emerged from the Conference.  Perhaps the most significant change is that in our former denomination the Articles of Religion (inherited from Wesley) were separated from the Confession of Faith, the former being an historically fixed document and the latter amended over the years.  The Global Methodist Church wisely decided to bring these two documents together and make a single, living document which can address a range of new challenges. The previous Articles of Religion (which were fixed from Wesley’s time) had articles condemning purgatory, or using Latin in church, etc..  Over time the document stood more like a relic of history than a living document speaking to the church today.

The statement regarding Scripture was, of course, vital, since the loss of biblical authority was the fundamental reason the United Methodist Church imploded and caused the catastrophic rift which ultimately led to the formation of the Global Methodist Church.  Historically, in order for a statement of faith to be solid it must make four affirmations which protect four aspects of the witness of Scripture.  First, it must endorse “divine inspiration.”  This is the church’s declaration that Scripture is God-breathed and its source is in God’s self-disclosure, not merely human wisdom.  Second, it much endorse “authority.”  It is not enough to simply say that God has spoken unless you also acknowledge that the Scriptures are authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.  Third, it must endorse “absolute truthfulness.”  We must trust the integrity of the received text, including the transmission process which has led to our scriptures today.  John Wesley famously declared, “nay, will not the allowing there is any error in Scripture shake the authority of the whole?”   In another place Wesley declares, “If there be one falsehood in the Bible, there may be a thousand; neither can it proceed from the God of truth.”  Fourth, the Scriptures must be declared “infallible.”  This is a reference to the power and capacity of Scripture to achieve, without fail, God’s intended saving purposes.  In short, the Bible must come from God, be authoritative over the church, be without error in all that it affirms, and it must be able to achieve everything which God intended to redeem and save us from “the wrath to come.”

The GMC statement opens with the first two affirmations… “We believe in the divine inspiration and authority of the Old and New Testaments…”  It goes on to affirm the third by saying “Scripture is true and entirely trustworthy in all that it affirms.”  Finally, it affirms the fourth criteria by affirming that Holy Scripture is “the only infallible rule of faith and practice.  It contains all things necessary to salvation.”

Another place of celebration regarding the Articles of Faith is that our sacramental language was strengthened to re-establish us within the wesleyan tradition.  Many of our churches had drifted into non-sacramental practices or viewing Communion as a mere memorial meal, etc.  These Articles invite us back into our “real presence” view of the sacraments.

The Articles also draw up back into a proper understanding of sanctification.  We live in a dumbed down quasi-Christian populistic environment where “becoming” a Christian has become the entire Christian enterprise.  Wesley was, of course, as evangelistic as anyone, but he knew that the real meat of the Christian faith was not in “becoming” a Christian, but “being” a Christian. This means a commitment to the re-directed heart.  This means the transformation of holiness both as a free act of God’s grace, and a joyful human response through growing in perfect love.

There are, of course, a few places throughout the Articles of Faith where I (and perhaps you) would have liked to have seen slightly different language, or tweaked something to bring out a particular emphasis.  However, it must be remembered that Articles of Faith represent a conciliar document which is intended to draw everyone together.  This is not the place to win an argument by 55%.  The fact that the Articles passed 370-1 is testimony that we landed right where we needed to so we can focus on the mission God has called us to.

What are my greatest concerns going forward?  I have two main concerns.  First, the Global Methodist Church still talks as if we are an evangelical caucus within the mainline churches fighting for renewal.  This was our mode for fifty years, so it is hard to break out of it.  We must emerge into the warm sunshine of the full vibrancy of the global church.  We must become vibrant participants with new global collaborative voices such as the Lausanne movement, the International Council of Evangelical Theological Education and the Global Church Planting Network.  The global church has been patiently waiting to hear our wesleyan message and we have been focused on ourselves and our own internal struggle over the last several decades.  We have about fifty years to make up.  So, let’s get out there and begin to meet new Christians around the world who are not part of our tribe and join hands for the transformation of the world.

Second, I remain concerned about the lowering of the standards for ordination.  I fully understand that we need different pathways for different regions of the world.  But, where it is available, we must encourage the robust training of our clergy.   Wesley famously wrote, “What has exceedingly hurt you in times past, and does so still, is want of reading.  I advise you to meddle with no more than you can read, say five hours in twenty-four.”  “But, I have no taste for reading” you say.  I say, “Contract a taste for it by use, or return to your trade.”  I have spent most of my adult life working with young men and women in their twenties.  If we challenge them and raise the bar, they will eagerly embrace it and rise to it.  If we don’t, they will slink down to the lowest denominator and fill our new denomination with poor thinking, laziness, and a whole new round of our being influenced by the latest cultural waves.  The last message we want to send to new clergy-in-training is that “we don’t expect much from you” or “we want to make it cheap and easy.”  No, all of us must be prepared to sacrifice everything for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

These two concerns represent, in my mind, the two most determinative factors for whether the Global Methodist Church will be thriving twenty or thirty years from now.  But, I remain hopeful about both of these concerns.  We are still trying to fully grasp what it means to be a global church and this is going to more firmly emerge between now and the new General Conference in six years.

Brother and sisters, this is a great time to be a Global Methodist.  We have the rare opportunity to re-introduce the vibrancy of our glorious message of scriptural holiness into a world at precisely the time they need it the most. May God bless us in these remarkable days.

Feedback

Please fill out the form below if you would like to provide feedback to Dr. Tennent concerning this blog entry.