Something is troubling me in the UMC

com7fy8

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I think it is good to know who are the real Jesus people where you are . . . in your church and elsewhere . . . so you can share with one another and pray for others . . . with hope for any and all of them > love "hopes all things" (in 1 Corinthians 13:7). And make sure you spend time with such people, wherever this has you sharing and serving.

We do need our example pastors >

"nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:3)

We should be with leaders who are qualified according to the standards our Apostle Paul has given us in 1 Timothy 3:1-10.
 
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SWIll

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My wife and I saw this a while back. Born born and raised Umc. After fifty plus years we left the Umc. We are now very happy in a small local southern Baptist church. We could no longer justify belonging to a denomination that didn't preach Christ as Lord and Saviour.
 
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Rawtheran

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My wife and I saw this a while back. Born born and raised Umc. After fifty plus years we left the Umc. We are now very happy in a small local southern Baptist church. We could no longer justify belonging to a denomination that didn't preach Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Looking at all of these responses I have to say that I'm honestly shocked that there are Pastors who are not proclaiming the gospel from the pulpit or teaching how it is only through the sanctifying grace of Christ that our lives can truly become transformed because that's Methodism 101. Plus as part of someone's Ordination examination, they are point-blank asked if they agree with the UMC Articles of Religion which proclaim that the Gospels are historically true and that there really was a man named Jesus Christ who died for our sins and was bodily resurrected. If Pastors these days are treating the pulpit as more of a self-help guide then how Jesus is the only one that can help us then the UMC is indeed in serious trouble or at least the Annual Conferences that tolerate extreme liberal views vertainly are.
 
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Shane R

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18 years ago I stayed in the home of some elderly people who had agreed to host some students to a 2 week seminar. They had left the UMC and we were discussing that one evening over some baked goods. The man said he had wearied of hearing book reviews of anything other than the Bible from the pulpit.
 
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Methodized

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Right now I am just wanting to know if the UMC is encouraging clergy to not talk about Jesus’ death and resurrection in ways that might be offensive to people, and if there is a relationship focus/strange spiritual practices that are being pushed in the denomination.

I am trying to make a determination in the general state of the denomination on these non LBGTQ issues, and also want to know if the moderate denomination would likely continue to go in that direction.

I'm an Elder in Full Connection in the UMC. In my conference in no way is the denomination encouraging pastors to not talk about Jesus' death and resurrection. Nor do I see any trend to focus on "strange spiritual practices."

It is certainly possible that the pastor is just more progressive than you are and isn't using the terminology you are most used to or more comfortable with. And it is also possible that this pastor is just an exception to the usual and is not preaching in ways that are very Methodist.
 
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The Liturgist

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I'm an Elder in Full Connection in the UMC. In my conference in no way is the denomination encouraging pastors to not talk about Jesus' death and resurrection. Nor do I see any trend to focus on "strange spiritual practices."

It is certainly possible that the pastor is just more progressive than you are and isn't using the terminology you are most used to or more comfortable with. And it is also possible that this pastor is just an exception to the usual and is not preaching in ways that are very Methodist.

That means you’re a full Presbyter, right, the equivalent office to what Anglicans call a Priest?
 
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Methodized

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That means you’re a full Presbyter, right, the equivalent office to what Anglicans call a Priest?

Correct, an Elder in the UMC is equivalent to a priest in the Anglican communion.
 
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