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Any Methodist Churches that don't allow....

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circuitrider

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Are there any Methodist denominations that don't allow homosexuality and women pastors? Right now I am attending a LCMS Church and it fits my beliefs in these areas but I am more Wesleyan in my theology.

I don't know of any Methodist denominations that don't have women pastors in the US.
 
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circuitrider

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Oh that's too bad, I guess I'll be sticking with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

Women have had full clergy rights since 1956 in Methodist Church and in the UMC since its founding in 1968. So we've had women clergy for a very long time. We elected our first woman Bishop in 1980.
 
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circuitrider

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I actually went to Calvary Chapel tonight. What a blessing! I think I am going to continue going there.

Might be the best move for you. The UMC is moving bit by bit to a full understanding of equality in all areas of ministry.
 
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GracetotheHumble

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Right now I am attending Calvary Chapel and Lutheran (LCMS) churches. There are things I like about each one. Calvary Chapel I like their worship and how they preach through the entire word but I don't agree with their eschatology or the fact that they don't partake of the sacrament regularly. The LCMS I like how they partake of the sacrament regularly and their preaching is pretty good but I don't especially care for their worship (singing) and they really don't emphasize Christian service. Everything in the LCMS is about what God has done for us, there seems to be no response required and need for us to do good works. You have to take the good with the bad I guess and follow your own theology and what you know to be true and not rely solely on the church to dictate your personal theology.
 
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circuitrider

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There are UMC churches that have communion more often but they are not always easy to find. The church I pastor has communion twice a month in our Sunday morning and Saturday service and every week at our Sunday evening service.
 
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GracetotheHumble

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There are UMC churches that have communion more often but they are not always easy to find. The church I pastor has communion twice a month in our Sunday morning and Saturday service and every week at our Sunday evening service.

That is basically the same as the LCMS church I attend, we take the sacrament on the 1st and 3rd Sundays. Calvary Chapel however rarely takes communion.
 
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circuitrider

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That is basically the same as the LCMS church I attend, we take the sacrament on the 1st and 3rd Sundays. Calvary Chapel however rarely takes communion.

Infrequent communion would be a deal breaker for me. Monthly is about as infrequent as I'm willing to accept. Less than once a month becomes spiritual starvation IMHO.
 
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FireDragon76

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You might want to check out a conservative ELCA parish. The ELCA has a broader interpretation of Lutheranism and includes some Pietist heritage. The LCMS mostly does not, it's history is tied more to conservative German Lutheranism, and many of them are anti-Pietist.

I've been attending an ELCA parish about a month now. The focus is definitely on God saving us, but I don't see anything discouraging people from doing something in response. I would say a great deal of the liturgy and preaching encourages people. But there's no moralism and judgmentalism. I'm not sure I will end up joining the parish after all (I am technically Methodist still), but it is a very nice place to worship, the people are friendly and the pastor is passionate about God.

You are not going to find many sacramental churches that don't ordain women, aside from Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, and the LCMS. Even many Anglicans that left the Episcopal Church ordain women. Some Continuing Anglican churches may be worth checking out (they do not ordain women), but you'll find many of them similar to the LCMS, very inward focused.

I think that is the real issue... you want to be involved in a church that is not so inwardly focused, that's welcoming of outsiders and isn't the "frozen chosen". However, many of those more outwardly focused churches do have the option of ordaining women and gay pastors. It's just part of the package. Many mainline churches are very much involved with service projects, the local Episcopalians once every few months have a guest speaker as part of worship encouraging people to get involved with homeless ministries.

I would recommend researching a little bit of theology about the denominations you are interested in, you will understand why it's so much of a "package deal" in so many cases, and why you aren't going to find a church that 100 percent fits all your preferences. A sacramental church is by nature, not as individualistic as something like Calvary Chapel or the Vineyard. And often times those communities see themselves as missional, which encourages them to take different stances on issues such as women's ordination or homosexuality, than churches that are more inwardly focused.
 
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ContraMundum

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Are there any Methodist denominations that don't allow homosexuality and women pastors? Right now I am attending a LCMS Church and it fits my beliefs in these areas but I am more Wesleyan in my theology.

The Southern Methodist Church. Their homepage is currently down but I think they would fit the bill.
 
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GracetotheHumble

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The Southern Methodist Church. Their homepage is currently down but I think they would fit the bill.

I read the wiki article and I didn't see anything concerning the issues I addressed of ordination of females and allowance of homosexual membership. Are you sure that this Methodist branch does not allow those things.
 
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GracetotheHumble

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You might want to check out a conservative ELCA parish. The ELCA has a broader interpretation of Lutheranism and includes some Pietist heritage. The LCMS mostly does not, it's history is tied more to conservative German Lutheranism, and many of them are anti-Pietist.

I've been attending an ELCA parish about a month now. The focus is definitely on God saving us, but I don't see anything discouraging people from doing something in response. I would say a great deal of the liturgy and preaching encourages people. But there's no moralism and judgmentalism. I'm not sure I will end up joining the parish after all (I am technically Methodist still), but it is a very nice place to worship, the people are friendly and the pastor is passionate about God.

You are not going to find many sacramental churches that don't ordain women, aside from Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, and the LCMS. Even many Anglicans that left the Episcopal Church ordain women. Some Continuing Anglican churches may be worth checking out (they do not ordain women), but you'll find many of them similar to the LCMS, very inward focused.

I think that is the real issue... you want to be involved in a church that is not so inwardly focused, that's welcoming of outsiders and isn't the "frozen chosen". However, many of those more outwardly focused churches do have the option of ordaining women and gay pastors. It's just part of the package. Many mainline churches are very much involved with service projects, the local Episcopalians once every few months have a guest speaker as part of worship encouraging people to get involved with homeless ministries.

I would recommend researching a little bit of theology about the denominations you are interested in, you will understand why it's so much of a "package deal" in so many cases, and why you aren't going to find a church that 100 percent fits all your preferences. A sacramental church is by nature, not as individualistic as something like Calvary Chapel or the Vineyard. And often times those communities see themselves as missional, which encourages them to take different stances on issues such as women's ordination or homosexuality, than churches that are more inwardly focused.


I am familiar with the ELCA, I don't believe they fit my qualifications as they allow homosexual members and ordain females. I am pretty happy at the LCMS I guess I just wish they had more contemporary worship and were a little more missionary minded. I guess I will never find the perfect Church.
 
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ContraMundum

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I read the wiki article and I didn't see anything concerning the issues I addressed of ordination of females and allowance of homosexual membership. Are you sure that this Methodist branch does not allow those things.

Last I checked, yes. They have a Facebook page too. You can get in touch with them yourself of course. The Wesleyans and Nazarenes also would not allow homosexual membership IIRC, but of course they ordain women.

The biggest experts I know on matters Methodist are the crowd over at the Fundamental Wesleyan Society. Drop them a line too, they should know who fits your bill, if anyone does.
 
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FireDragon76

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You should distinguish between homosexual members and clergy. A lot of LCMS churches have homosexual members.

Contemporary worship often is misleading spiritually because it fits in with a consumerist mentality - it definitely is not Lutheran. It often goes with a "decisional theology" that is not truly missional because it doesn't make disciples, it just makes religious consumers peddling a cheap grace.
 
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GracetotheHumble

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You should distinguish between homosexual members and clergy. A lot of LCMS churches have homosexual members.

No, I mean homosexual members. My LCMS Church does not allow members to be homosexual.

Contemporary worship often is misleading spiritually because it fits in with a consumerist mentality - it definitely is not Lutheran. It often goes with a "decisional theology" that is not truly missional because it doesn't make disciples, it just makes religious consumers peddling a cheap grace.

This I agree with.
 
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