2015 UM History Series #12: Methodist Mergers

The United Methodist Church as we know it today is the result of several mergers. 

First, in 1939, the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church South, which you will remember split over the issue of slavery, and the Methodist Protestant Church, which had split off in 1828 over issues of congregational autonomy and the authority of bishops, merged to form, simply, the Methodist Church.

Second, in 1946, the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and the Evangelical Church merged to form the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) Church.  (It is important to remember that “Brethren” and “Evangelical” are used in the names of many different churches.)

Finally, in 1968, the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged to form the United Methodist Church.  On April 23, 1968, at the uniting General Conference in Dallas, Texas, Bishop Reuben H. Mueller from Evangelical United Brethren Church and Bishop Lloyd Christ Wicke from The Methodist Church  joined hands and prayed, "Lord of the Church, we are united in Thee, in Thy Church and now in The United Methodist Church."

As we look to the future the greatest challenges that face us are our continued debate about human sexuality, the continued decline of the Church in America, and our exponential growth in Africa.  However, we have Christ’s promise that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the church. (Matthew 16:18)

2015 UM History Series #11: Methodism, Slavery, and the Civil War

Thomas Jefferson once said that slavery was like “holding a wolf by the ear.  We can neither hold him nor safely let him go.”  Slavery and the conflicts and issues surrounding it have been the darkest part of the American story, and these issues and conflicts have included American Methodism.

Methodism from its very beginning in England was anti-slavery.  In a letter of encouragement to the famous English abolitionist William Wilberforce John Wesley wrote, “Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.”

Early American Methodism had a mixed history with race and slavery.  From the very beginning members of the Methodist Episcopal Church were forbidden to own slaves.  However, this rule was largely ignored in the south where many members and clergy were slave owners.

Meanwhile, particularly in the north, there were black Methodist preachers, including Harry Hosier and Richard Allen.  However, they were not treated as equals.  This led Allen to form the Africa Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church which became independent of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1816.  Another black Methodist denomination, the African Methodist Episcopal Church Zion, was formed in 1821. Blacks who remained in the Methodist Episcopal Church, north and south, often worshiped in segregated churches and were not treated as equals.

The issue of slavery caused a great deal of tension for the church.  Northerners continued to tolerate slaveholding southerners’ violation of church law for the sake of keeping the church together.  Some anti-slavery Methodists, including those who went on to form the Wesleyan Church, left the church due to the church’s unwillingness to take a principled stand.

Both sides were convinced they were right and both sides attempted to tolerate each other for the sake of an uneasy unity.  This is very similar to our current situation with regard to human sexuality and many feel that we are heading for a church split over this issue.  As we will see tolerance over what both sides believe to be a core moral issue cannot last long. 

All of this came to a head in 1844 when a southern bishop named James O. Andrew acquired slaves through marriage.  Northerners would not tolerate a slave owning bishop and refused to acknowledge Bishop Andrew as long as he continued to hold slaves.  Bishop Andrew and the southern delegates walked out of General Conference and began the process of separating from the church.  A Plan of Separation was approved by both northern and southern delegates and the church separated into the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South.

This north-south spilt in the church continued throughout and well beyond the Civil War.  During the war southern slaves worshiped in segregated churches of the MECS.  After the war the MECS formed its segregated church into a new denomination called the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (CME) now call the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
            In 1939 the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church South and the Methodist Protestant Church (a small group that broke off in 1828 over the authority of bishops) united to form the Methodist Church.  However, one of the compromises that were made between the north and the south was the segregation of black churches and annual conferences into a separate structure known as the Central Conference. (Not to be confused with the current practice of calling regions outside of the United States Central Conferences.)  This practice of official segregation continued until 1968 when the Methodist Church united with the Evangelical United Brethren Church to form the United Methodist Church.  In fact, Iowa had one of the first African American bishops to serve a predominantly white annual conference in Bishop Thomas.

As you can see Methodists have been part of the unfortunate history of America.  We have come a long way and have a long way yet to go to be the people God calls us to be.

2015 UM History Series #10: History of the Evangelical United Brethren Church

            In 1752 a German Reformed pastor named Phillip William Otterbein came to America and served German-speaking German Reformed churches along the Pennsylvania- Maryland border.  In 1774 Otterbein settled in a church in Baltimore where he would remain pastor until his death in 1813.

            Upon arriving in Baltimore Otterbein met and befriended Frances Asbury and the two would remain life-long friends.  Otterbein assisted in Asbury’s consecration as a Methodist bishop as a guest at the Christmas Conference in 1784 and Asbury preached a memorial service for Otterbein.  Otterbein began to organize his church using the Wesleyan small group model which he learned from Asbury.

            In 1767 Otterbein attended a meeting at a barn near Lancaster, Pennsylvania where he heard a Mennonite preacher named Martin Boehm share his testimony of conversion.  When Boehm finished Otterbein rose from his seat and embraced him and said, “Wir Sen Brüder” (We are brethren.)  Boehm would later be expelled from the Mennonite church for his preaching of conversion and association with non-Mennonites.

            Otterbein and Boehm would begin working together to form and oversee a loosely organized evangelical movement, not unlike the Methodist movement, among German-speaking churches in the area.

            In 1798 Otterbein called together a conference of the preachers of the movement and began the process of organizing a new church.  In 1800 the next conference officially organized the Church of the United Brethren in Christ which would later be renamed the United Brethren Church.

            In our own community the former Iowa Juvenile Home was originally Leander-Clark College, a United Brethren College and the recently sold Education Center of Christ UMC was originally Otterbein United Brethren Church.

            Around the same time that Otterbein and Boehm were doing their work, a German-Lutheran pastor, Jacob Albright, had begun another Methodist-like movement among German speakers in Pennsylvania.  This movement would become known as the Evangelical Association and later the Evangelical Church.

            Brethrens, Evangelicals, and Methodists would continue to grow separately, have their own internal struggles and separations, and each become great churches throughout the 19^th century. 

In 1946 the United Brethren Church and the Evangelical Church merged to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church.  And, in 1968 the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged with the Methodist Church to form the United Methodist Church.  That is why it is very important to remember to say “United” when we say Methodist, because it reminds us of a very important part of our history.

Next time we will pick back up with the history of the Methodist Episcopal Church up to and after the Civil War. 

2015 UM History Series #9: “Early Methodism in America and Wesley's Death”

            As we saw in a previous article the history of Methodism in America began with Wesley's own lack-luster ministry in Georgia.  However, as English migration to the Colonies increased, many Methodists were among them.

            In the late 1760s Methodist lay preachers began Methodist societies.  Phillip Embury began a society in New York, Thomas Webb, also a British Army Captain, began one in Philadelphia, and Robert Strawbridge started one in Maryland.  Soon, Wesley found that the Methodist work in America was not as organized and regulated as he might have liked and so in 1770 he sent some his English preachers, including Francis Asbury, to put things in better order. 

            The Methodist work in America continued to grow until the Revolution.  The Revolution, and American independence which followed it, was a huge challenge for Methodism.  First of all, Wesley was opposed to American independence and wrote to American Methodists encouraging them to remain loyal to England, thankfully, they did not listen and yet remained Methodists.

            After the Revolution most of the Anglican ministers fled America leaving the Methodists, who, if you will remember, attended the Anglican Church to receive the sacraments, without sacramental ministry.  This prompted Wesley to take to the bold step of ordaining Thomas Coke as a "superintendent" of the Methodist work in America and send him with instructions to ordain Asbury as a superintendent.  Coke and Asbury (this is where the name Cokesbury comes from) were to organize a separate Methodist Church in America and to ordain other elders for sacramental ministry. (Methodists in England remained part of the Church of England until after Wesley's death.)

            On December 24th 1784 Coke and Asbury called the Methodist preachers to Baltimore for what has become known as the "Christmas Conference."  At the Christmas Conference a new independent church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was formed.  Asbury insisted that he and Coke be elected by the Conference and they took the title bishop, rather than superintendent.

            Meanwhile, back in England, Wesley was growing old.  On March 2nd 1791, John Wesley died.  His last words were, "Best of all God is with us, farewell."  When he died, John Wesley had only six pounds to his name, he had always lived simply and generously.  Per his instructions, they were given to the poor men who served as his pall bearers.

            Methodism in America and England continued to grow as separate churches after Wesley's death.  We will continue the story of the Methodist Episcopal Church in two months.  But next month we need to pick up with the story of some other folks who make up the history of the United Methodist Church.  Next month we will tell the story of the Evangelical United Brethren Church.

2015 UM History Series #8: “Wesley’s Ministry”

            As we saw last time, John Wesley’s first open air sermon was preached in 1739.  Over the next 50 years John Wesley would ride over 250,000 miles all over England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland and preach over 40,000 sermons, usually preaching at least twice a day.  Wesley preached in churches, (when he was allowed) market squares, open fields, meeting halls, private homes, and later, in Methodist meeting houses.

            But Wesley did more than just preach, he was also a prolific writer.  He compiled a “Christian Library” from the writings of the early church and the devotional classics of his time which runs 30 volumes in the most recent edition.  He published his sermons, excerpts from his journal, a set of notes on the New Testament, and a magazine called The Arminian.  He even published a natural health book entitled The Primitive Physick.  You can access almost everything Wesley ever wrote, in addition to much more about Wesleyan theology, for free online at The Wesley Center Online at http://wesley.nnu.edu/.

            In addition to preaching and writing, Wesley had a gift as an organizer.  Everywhere Wesley preached he would organize those who responded to his message into societies.  Originally, these societies were not churches.  Members of the society were expected to attend church on Sunday morning and meet with the society for preaching, singing, and prayer during the week.  Wesley never intended to found a separate church and the Methodists in Britain did not separate from the Church of England until after Wesley’s death.

            The members of the societies were divided into small groups of 12 people, called classes, for Bible study, prayer, support, and accountability.  Those who wished to go deeper could join even smaller groups called bands.  Each society was overseen by stewards.  Occasionally, Methodists in a community would build a meeting house, which was cared for by trustees.

            As the number of societies grew Wesley could not provide for all of the preaching needs by himself.  Wesley did have a few ordained clergy among the Methodist, but they were still not enough.  Finally, Wesley had to make a bold move.  He began to assign lay persons as preachers to the societies, he even eventually allowed women to be “exhorters.”  These preachers would serve a society, or a circuit of societies, or preaching stations, and reported directly to Wesley.  Preachers would also meet together with Wesley in “conferences.”

            Methodist preachers were held to a very high standard.  Not everyone was allowed to preach and preachers who did not hold the doctrine and discipline were dismissed quickly.  Of one preacher Wesley said, “He is a tailor who has made himself a preacher.  I intend to make him a tailor again.”

            Discipline also extend to the members of the societies as well as the preachers.  Members who continued in sin, disobeyed the preacher, stewards, and class leaders, or disrupted the society would be encouraged to amend their ways, but if they did not they would be expelled from the society.  Many times when Wesley would visit a society he found that he would have to expel some of the members.  After one such trip someone asked Wesley if there were any additions to the societies.  Wesley replied, “No, but there were some blessed subtractions.”

            Under Wesley’s direction Methodist built and funded Kingswood school for children of coal miners in Bristol, operated medial dispensaries, clothes closets, food pantries, and a micro loan program, (before anyone else knew what that was) and otherwise provided for those who were poor, sick, and in prison.

            Next time we will talk about Methodism in America and the end of Wesley’s life.

Pastor Brian's Response to the Supreme Court Same-Sex Marriage Decision

This is a statement I read in church on Sunday, June 28th in response to the Supreme Court same-sex marriage decision.

I have prepared the following statement in response to the recent Supreme Court decision about same-sex marriage.  I usually do not comment on issues like this from the pulpit because I know and love many of you who are on both sides of this issue, I want to serve you as your pastor, and I want to focus us on more important, more pressing, and less divisive issues. My purpose in this statement is only to clarify how the Supreme Court decision bears on our life as a church and let you know a little bit about how this issue is unfolding in the United Methodist Church.  I have no desire to debate this issue, especially not from the pulpit in worship.  However, if you will express a desire to have a time to have this discussion, I will make myself available for that.  I will also be posting this statement on my blog and it will be printed in the August newsletter.

Let me begin by stating the official positions of the United Methodist Church.

161B on marriage: We affirm the sanctity of the marriage covenant that is expressed in love, mutual support, personal commitment, and shared fidelity between a man and a woman... We support laws in civil society that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

161F on sexuality: ... The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching. We affirm that God’s grace is available to all. We will seek to live together in Christian community, welcoming, forgiving, and loving one another, as Christ has loved and accepted us. We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons.

304.3 ... The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self- avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.

341.6: Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.

To the relief of some, and to the disappointment of others, I am compelled to inform you that the recent Supreme Court decision does not, indeed cannot, have any bearing whatsoever on the positions, policies, and practices of the United Methodist Church.

These official positions can only be changed by the action of General Conference which will next meet in May of 2016 in Portland, Oregon.

There are many in the United Methodist Church that support the current position and many who support changing it.  Many have even chosen to directly disobey the policies of the church and this has resulted various disciplinary action for some.

The most recent efforts to change our position have taken the form of what is called "Third Way" or "Agree to Disagree."  This proposal would basically say that United Methodists do not agree about this issue and would allow individual annual conferences to ordain homosexuals, if the so choose, and would allow pastors and local churches to choose wether or not they would allow same-sex weddings.  The Iowa Annual Conference passed a resolution to General Conference, by a slim majority, endorsing the "Third Way."  Remember, however, this only means that the Iowa Annual Conference as officially endorsed the proposal; only General Conference can make these changes.

There is also much talk of splitting the United Methodist Church into two denominations, one "liberal" and one "conservative."

Personally, I am among those who agree with the current official position of the United Methodist Church and I oppose any change in that position.  I, and the churches I serve as pastor, will remain obedient the policy of the United Methodist Church, and, as I said before, the Supreme Court decision has not, and cannot, change that.

In closing, let me say that I know that there are many persons on both sides for whom it is my pleasure and privilege to be your pastor.  I am committed, and I invite you all to be committed, to being in ministry with all persons.  I will continue to love and serve all of you.  These are very difficult times for our society and for the church. I ask all of you, regardless of your position, to be loving and patient, both in person and online, with me, with others, and with the United Methodist Church until God shows us what the future will hold and his will for each of us and for his church.

Apologies for not posting

Dear Readers,
I am sorry for not keeping up with posting on my Methodist History series.  Below you will find parts 5, 6, and 7 of the series which correspond to May, June, and July issues of our church newsletters.  Again, sorry for not keeping up.  Brian.