Are most UMC churches like this?

[Midlifestart]

I converted to Christianity from Judaism a few years ago and was baptized in the Episcopal church, where I happily worshipped for 4 years. When I moved to a new community, I discovered a lovely Methodist church that was closer to home than the Episcopal churches in the county. A few of my friends went there, and I liked the general vibe of the congregation, so I stayed.

I am still getting used to the differences between the Episcopal and UMC churches. I have noticed that when very tragic events strike on a national or international level, the pastor does not acknowledge it during the service or sermon. The sermons simply focus on God's love and there is no mention of anything else. This happened a few months back when something major occurred and more recently, it happened this past Sunday right after the acts of terror abroad.

Is it just this particular UMC church? Or, is it typical of UMC churches to veer away from addressing events that are tragic and heartbreaking for many people (meaning, is it not in keeping with the philosophy of the UMC denomination or is it just my church)? I found this sort of thing was handled very differently in the 4 or 5 Episcopal churches I've worshipped at and an Episcopal priest friend told me that many clergy found they had to tear up their sermons just prior to Sunday in order to write new ones that addressed coping with last week's events.

Thanks in advance for any insights.

 

[Grafted In]

I think the pastor is doing the right thing by not letting the problems of the world take persistence over the things of The Spirit.

 

[food4thought]

My church doesn't usually address these things in the sermon, but they are mentioned during the prayer time and, occasionally, during the pastor's intro.

I think you will find quite a bit of variety expressed from one UMC to another.

 

[Midlifestart]

Thank you for the responses. In most cases, these things are not mentioned during prayer time or the pastor's intro either. I guess I'm struggling with that if it's part of the denomination's philosophy. Looking forward to more responses. If it seems that this is the general philosophy, I may have to visit an Episcopal church on occasion to get what I'm seeking.

Thank you.

 

[JCFantasy23]

I'd say it depends more on the pastor's style.

 

[circuitrider]

I discussed the most recent tragedy in Paris in my sermon on Sunday and I am a UMC pastor. It is pastoral preference. We believe strongly in freedom of the pulpit.

 

[RomansFiveEight]

Yes. And some of it is context. Some issues are divisive, some aren't.

For the record, I addressed Paris on Sunday.

 

[Midlifestart]

Thank you, Pastors, for sharing your practices here. I actually like the fact that there is variety within the UMC (each church is different) and I particularly like that pastors are assigned and not hired by individual churches (not sure if I'm explaining it correctly, but that's my understanding). I adore my pastor, but my sense is he has a "don't worry, be happy" philosophy, and while it can be a comfort, sometimes I need more.

 

[RomansFiveEight]

Thank you, Pastors, for sharing your practices here. I actually like the fact that there is variety within the UMC (each church is different) and I particularly like that pastors are assigned and not hired by individual churches (not sure if I'm explaining it correctly, but that's my understanding). I adore my pastor, but my sense is he has a "don't worry, be happy" philosophy, and while it can be a comfort, sometimes I need more.

I don't know any Pastors who wouldn't welcome questions and one-on-one discussions about faith. Personally, I'd much rather have a conversation about a parishioners faith, or the Doctrine and Polity of the UMC (if you haven't figured it out, it's one of my favorite things to talk about!) than yet another "meeting that should've been an e-mail" or discussion about fundraisers or budgets. (Not that those things aren't important; they are just way less 'fun' than being able to chat about faith with someone!) I suspect, if you asked, you could have fruitful conversations with your Pastor.

Okay, now to be really really pedantic (and no, it doesn't actually matter). Lay people are occasionally assigned to a church, usually in short-term, unusual need circumstances. For example, I was assigned, as a lay person, to my first appointment a couple of months before I was officially credentialed, so the short term lay-assignment was in anticipating of it turning into a clergy appointment. The expectation is that anyone who is going to be Pastoring a church should be vetted through our processes and credentialed by the denomination. Clergy are appointed to Churches by the Bishop. So yes, you're right, we're sent to our churches by the Bishops and not hired, locally, by them. If you really want to impress the Methodist nerds around the world, the correct term is "appointed".

(But again, it doesn't really matter. And no, you won't hurt anyones feelings calling them 'assigned'. HOWEVER, it is worth noting that we do actually have two classifications; assigned and appointed; lay people cannot be appointed and Clergy are not typically assigned (Though they can be, okay, it's kind of complicated. Sometimes retired Clergy are "assigned" by the DS for short-term need, just like a lay person can be, instead of formally "appointed" by the Bishop) but I'd suspect few people, even amongst the Clergy, are even really aware of that, as the former is pretty rare in most parts of the country.)

 

[rockytopva]

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[rockytopva]

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[rockytopva]

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[RomansFiveEight]

That was an interesting read, thanks for sharing. But I'm curious; what does that have to do with the original post or any of the comments in this thread? I'm also not sure what women and men on separate sides of the church have to do with much of anything.

The question wasn't really about structure but about not addressing social issues and addressing "the world". i.e., the OP's belief (and I share it) that the church should be addressing things like the Paris and Bairut attacks.

 

[rockytopva]

That was an interesting read, thanks for sharing. But I'm curious; what does that have to do with the original post or any of the comments in this thread? I'm also not sure what women and men on separate sides of the church have to do with much of anything.

The question wasn't really about structure but about not addressing social issues and addressing "the world". i.e., the OP's belief (and I share it) that the church should be addressing things like the Paris and Bairut attacks.

Posts edited with apologies.

 

[RomansFiveEight]

Posts edited with apologies.

You didn't need to edit it out or apologize, I was just curious. I was being genuine with my question. I was "missing your point" and asking you to clarify it.

 

[rockytopva]

You didn't need to edit it out or apologize, I was just curious. I was being genuine with my question. I was "missing your point" and asking you to clarify it.

I do not understand modern day Methodism. It's probably a good idea to bail out of this one!

 

[gtmyers]

Maybe it depends on the pastor.

 

[Midlifestart]

Romans, I really appreciate the explanation about "assigned" vs "appointed." I have such a huge learning curve. Having come to Christianity late and having spent most of my time as a Christian in the Episcopal church, there is SO much I don't know. In a perfect world, I would go back to school and learn everything I can about every denomination and perhaps even other faiths, just because I get a huge kick out learning about religion in general and understanding our similarities and differences.

Thanks for the insights.

 

[actionsub]

Thank you for the responses. In most cases, these things are not mentioned during prayer time or the pastor's intro either. I guess I'm struggling with that if it's part of the denomination's philosophy. Looking forward to more responses. If it seems that this is the general philosophy, I may have to visit an Episcopal church on occasion to get what I'm seeking.

Thank you.

Generally not. Most Methodist churches are fairly tuned to world and national events, particularly tragedies and natural disasters.

 

[actionsub]

Okay, now to be really really pedantic (and no, it doesn't actually matter). Lay people are occasionally assigned to a church, usually in short-term, unusual need circumstances. For example, I was assigned, as a lay person, to my first appointment a couple of months before I was officially credentialed, so the short term lay-assignment was in anticipating of it turning into a clergy appointment. The expectation is that anyone who is going to be Pastoring a church should be vetted through our processes and credentialed by the denomination. Clergy are appointed to Churches by the Bishop. So yes, you're right, we're sent to our churches by the Bishops and not hired, locally, by them. If you really want to impress the Methodist nerds around the world, the correct term is "appointed".

(But again, it doesn't really matter. And no, you won't hurt anyones feelings calling them 'assigned'. HOWEVER, it is worth noting that we do actually have two classifications; assigned and appointed; lay people cannot be appointed and Clergy are not typically assigned (Though they can be, okay, it's kind of complicated. Sometimes retired Clergy are "assigned" by the DS for short-term need, just like a lay person can be, instead of formally "appointed" by the Bishop) but I'd suspect few people, even amongst the Clergy, are even really aware of that, as the former is pretty rare in most parts of the country.)

Not in the Midwest! Here in Indiana about half our district is served by "supply pastors" and retired ministers. Where I attend, we have a retired minister as pastor and another one as a member. The one who is a member told me, "When I retired, I got a call from the DS and he asked me if I'd go to this small charge for a bit. That turned out to be 19 years."

Other conferences are moving to a new category called "Certified Lay Minister" for these small congregations. They're basically pulpit supply, but they are assigned to a charge for long-term situations. The need is not that unusual any more.