From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church logo Cross and flame
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Mainline[1] & Evangelical[2]
Polity	Episcopal (Connectionalism)
Origin	1968
Merge of	The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church
Associations	Churches Uniting in Christ, Christian Churches Together, National Council of Churches, World Council of Churches, World Methodist Council
Geographical Area	Worldwide: divided into 122 Annual/Central Conferences,[5] and 69 Episcopal Areas[5]
Statistics
Congregations	41,826[5]
Members	worldwide: 12 million (8.1 million in the United States; 3.5 million in Africa, Asia, and Europe)

The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination. It has both mainline and evangelical elements.^[2][6] In the United States, it ranks as the largest mainline church and second largest Protestant church (after the Southern Baptist Convention). In 2007 worldwide membership was about 12 million members: 8.1 million in the United States,^[7] 3.5 million in Africa, Asia and Europe.^[8]

The United Methodist Church traces its main root to the Methodist Movement of John Wesley in England in the 1700s. The first official organization in the United State occurred in Baltimore in 1784 with the formation of the Methodist Episcopal Church at the Christmas Conference by Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the leaders.

The early Methodist Episcopal Church grew rapidly in the young country as it employed Circuit riders, many of whom were laymen, to travel the mostly rural nation by horseback to preach the gospel and to establish churches until there was scarcely any village in the United States without a Methodist presence. The Methodist Episcopal Church rapidly became the largest Protestant demination in the country, with 4000 circuit riders by 1844.

In the more than 220 years since 1784, the Methodist Episcopal Church, like many other Protestant demoninations, has seen a number of divisions and mergers. In 1820, the Methodist Protestant Church split from the Methodist Episcopal Church over the issue of laity having a voice and vote in the administration of the church, insisting that clergy should not be the only ones to have any determination in how the church was to be operated. In 1844, the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church split into two conferences because of tensions over slavery and the power of bishops in the denomination. The two General Conferences, Methodist Episcopal Church (or northern section) and Methodist Episcopal Church, South remained separate until the 1939 merger of these two denominations plus a third, the Methodist Protestant Church, the resulting church being known as The Methodist Church. In 1968, The Methodist Church united with the Evangelical United Brethren, also a result of mergers, to become The United Methodist Church (UMC).

Combining the personal holiness emphasis of the evangelical influence in the church with the outreach emphasis from the social gospel proponents has created a combination of practices within the United Methodist Church.

Contents 1 Organization 2 Clergy 3 Laity 4 Beliefs 4.1 Distinctive Wesleyan emphases 4.2 Characterization of Wesleyan theology 4.3 Diversity within Methodist beliefs 4.4 Social issues 4.4.1 Abortion 4.4.2 Alcohol 4.4.3 Capital punishment 4.4.4 Gambling 4.4.5 Homosexuality 4.4.6 Military service 4.4.7 War 5 Ecumenical relations 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

Part of a series on United Methodism

John Wesley

Background Christianity · Protestantism Anglicanism · Methodism Evangelicalism · Pietism · Arminianism Reformed · Brethren · Mennonite

Doctrinal distinctives Articles of Religion Prevenient Grace Governmental Atonement Imparted righteousness Christian perfection

People Charles Wesley Francis Asbury Thomas Coke Jacob Albright Philip William Otterbein Martin Boehm Albert C. Outler Bishops · Theologians

Predecessor groups The Methodist Church Evangelical United Brethren Church Methodist Episcopal Church Methodist Episcopal Church, South Methodist Protestant Church Evangelical Association Church of the United Brethren in Christ

Related movements Holiness movement Salvation Army Personalism Pentecostalism This box: view • talk • edit

The United Methodist Church is organized into conferences. The highest level is called the General Conference and is the only organization which may speak officially for the church. The General Conference meets every four years (quadrennium). Legislative changes are recorded in The Book of Discipline which is revised after each General Conference. Non-legislative resolutions are recorded in the Book of Resolutions, which is published after each General Conference, and expire after eight years unless passed again by a subsequent session of General Conference. The last General Conference was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2004. The next General Conference is scheduled to be held in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2008. Bishops, Councils, Committees, Boards, Elders, etc., are not permitted to speak on behalf of The United Methodist Church as this authority is reserved solely for the General Conference in accordance with the Book of Discipline.

Subordinate to the General Conference are Jurisdictional and Central Conferences which also meet every four years. The United States is divided into five jurisdictions: Northeastern, Southeastern, North Central, South Central and Western. Outside the United States the church is divided into seven central conferences: Africa, Congo, West Africa, Central & Southern Europe, Germany, Northern Europe and Philippines. The main purpose of the jurisdictions and central conferences is to elect and appoint bishops, the chief administrators of the church. Bishops thus elected serve Episcopal Areas, which consist of one or more Annual Conferences.

The Annual Conference, roughly the equivalent of a diocese in the Episcopal Church and the Roman Catholic Church or a synod in some Lutheran denominations such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is the basic unit of organization within the UMC. The term Annual Conference is often used to refer to the geographical area it covers as well as the frequency of meeting. Clergy are members of their Annual Conference rather than of any local congregation, and are appointed to a local church or other charge annually by the conference's Resident Bishop at the meeting of the Annual Conference. In many ways, the United Methodist Church operates as a confederation of the Annual Conferences, and interpretations of the Book of Discipline by one conference are not binding upon another.

Annual conferences are further divided into Districts, each served by a District Superintendent. The district superintendents are also appointed annually from the ordained elders of the Annual Conference by the bishop. District superintendents, upon completion of their service as superintendent, routinely return to serving local congregations. The Annual Conference cabinet is composed of the resident bishop and the district superintendents.

While the General Conference is the only organization that can officially speak for The United Methodist Church as a whole, there are several councils, boards, commissions, and agencies that the church operates on the denominational level. These organizations address specific topic areas of denomination-wide concern.

• General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA)
• General Boards of Pension and Health Benefits (GBOPHB)
• General Board of Church and Society (GBCS)
• General Board of Discipleship (GBOD)
• General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM)
• General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM)
• General Commission on Archives and History (GCAH)
• General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns (GCCUIC)
• General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR)
• General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (GCSRW)
• General Commission on United Methodist Men (GCUMM)
• United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH)
• United Methodist Communications (UMCom)
• United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)
• United Methodist Campus Ministers Association (UMCMA)

The first Methodist clergy were ordained by John Wesley, a minister in the Church of England, because of the crisis caused by the American Revolution which isolated the Methodists in the States from the Church of England and its sacraments. Today, the clergy includes men and women who are ordained by Bishops as Elders and Deacons and are appointed to various ministries. Elders in the United Methodist Church (UMC) are part of what is called the itinerating ministry and are subject to the authority and appointment of their bishops. They generally serve as pastors at local congregations. Deacons make up a serving ministry and may serve as musicians, liturgists, educators, business administrators, and a number of other ministries. Elders and deacons are generally required to obtain master's degrees (M.Div. or Th.M.), or other appropriate degrees that are at a minimum at the baccalaureate level, before commissioning and then ultimately ordination. Elders in full connection are each a member of their Annual Conference Order of Elders. Likewise each Deacon in full connection is a member of their Annual Conference Order of Deacons (abbr. OD, for Ordinarium Diaconates, lat.).

The main difference between elders and deacons is that elders, in a priestly function, connect the people to God, while deacons, in a servant leadership function, connect the people of God to service in the world. In the priestly function, the elder has the authority to preside over the two United Methodist sacraments of baptism and holy communion, while deacons are to assist in the leadership of these sacraments. Elders itinerate: they are amenable to appointed to a place of leadership at the decision of their bishop. Deacons are also appointed to a place of service by the bishop, but they do not itinerate. They choose a place of service and request appointment from the bishop. Deacons whose primary appointment is beyond the local church also have a secondary appointment to a worshiping congregation. (The United Methodist Book of Discipline spells out these distinctions.)

The Methodist church has allowed ordination of women with full rights since 1956, the first U.S. mainstream Christian denomination to do so.

At the 1996 General Conference the ordination order of transitional deacon was abolished. This created a new order known as the "commissioned elder." The commissioned elder is a recent seminary graduate who serves three years in a full-time appointment. During this three-year probationary period, the commissioned elder is granted sacramental ministry in their local appointment. This was a change in its theology of ministry for the United Methodist Church in the ordering of its ministry. For the first time in its history non-ordained pastors became a normal expectation, rather than an extraordinary provision for ministry.

There is also another clerical classification called the Fellowship of Local Pastors. Elders may minister and celebrate the sacraments in any church or any other setting (where invited), while local pastors may only serve in ministry and administer the sacraments in the specific church to which they are appointed by their bishop; as such, their ministry is often understood as a direct extension of the ministry of the bishop, for its authority is directly and inseparably linked to it. Local pastors are not required to have advanced degrees but are required to pass licensing courses and examinations before the District Committee on Ministry, and are further required to take yearly classes, which if completed before retirement may also lead to ordination as an Elder. Local Pastors are not ordained. Local Pastors preside over the sacraments in their local appointments.

All clergy appointments are made and fixed annually by the Resident Bishop on the advice of the Annual Conference Cabinet, which is composed of the Area Provost/Dean (if one is appointed) and the several District Superintendents of the Districts of the Annual Conference. Until the Bishop has read the appointments at the session of the Annual Conference, no appointments are officially fixed. Many Annual Conferences try to avoid making appointment changes between sessions of Annual Conference. While an appointment is made one year at a time, it is most common for an appointment to be continued for multiple years. One recent survey concluded that small church appointments currently average three to four years, while large church appointments average seven to nine years. Appointment tenures in extension ministries, such as Campus Ministry, Missions, Higher Education and other ministries beyond the local church are often even longer. Across the denomination, longer tenures are becoming more common.

Another position in the United Methodist Church is that of the lay speaker. Although not considered clergy, lay speakers often preach during services of worship when an ordained elder or deacon is unavailable.^[9][10] There are two categories of lay speakers: local church lay speakers,^[11] who serve in and through their local churches, and certified lay speakers, who serve in their own churches, in other churches, and through district or conference projects and programs.^[11] To be recognized as local church lay speakers, they must be recommended by their pastor and Church Council or Charge Conference, and complete the basic course for lay speaking. Each year they must reapply, reporting how they have served and continued to learn during that year.^[11] To be recognized as certified lay speakers, they must be recommended by their pastor and Church Council or Charge Conference, complete the basic course and one advanced lay speaking course, and be interviewed by the District or Conference Committee on Lay Speaking. They must report and reapply annually; and they must complete at least one advanced course every three years.^[11]

There are two classes of lay membership in the UMC: Baptized Members and Professing Members.

The United Methodist Church (UMC) practices infant and adult baptism. Baptized Members are those who have been baptized as an infant or child, but who have not subsequently professed their own faith. These Baptized Members become Professing Members through confirmation and sometimes the profession of faith. Individuals who were not previously baptized are baptized as part of their profession of faith and thus become Professing Members in this manner.

Baptism is a sacrament in the UMC, but confirmation and profession of faith are not. The profession of faith is used mainly for individuals transferring from another body of the Christian Church or those who have not been baptized whereas confirmation is used mainly for youth who have been baptized as infants. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church directs the local church to offer confirmation preparation classes to all people, including adults. Classes are usually offered to youth. The Book of Discipline normally allows any youth at least completing sixth grade to participate, although the pastor has discretionary authority to allow a younger person to participate. In confirmation class students learn about Church and the Methodist-Christian theological tradition in order to profess their ultimate faith in Christ.

The lay members of the church are extremely important in the UMC. The Professing Members are part of all major decisions in the church. General, Jurisdictional, Central, and Annual Conferences are all required to have an equal number of laity and clergy.

In a local church, all decisions are made by an administrative board or council. This council is made up of laity representing various other organizations within the local church. The elder or local pastor sits on the council but only as a non-voting member.

The United Methodist Church is a Protestant denomination which seeks to create disciples for Christ through outreach, evangelism, and through seeking holiness through the process of sanctification. With a focus on triune worship, United Methodists seek to bring honor to God by following the model of Jesus Christ, which is made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. The flame in the church logo represents the work of the Holy Spirit in the world, which is seen in believers through spiritual gifts. The two parts of the flame represent the predecessor denominations, the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren, and are united at the base symbolizing the 1968 merger.

While many United Methodist congregations operate in the evangelical tradition, others are similar to many mainline Protestant denominations. Although United Methodist beliefs have evolved over time, these beliefs can be traced to the writings of the church's founders, John Wesley and Charles Wesley (Methodist), Philip William Otterbein and Martin Boehm (United Brethren), and Jacob Albright (Evangelical). With the formation of The United Methodist Church in 1968, theologian Albert C. Outler led the team which systematized denominational doctrine. Outler's work proved pivotal in the work of union, and he is largely considered the first United Methodist theologian.

The officially established Doctrinal Standards of United Methodism are:

• the Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church;^[12]
• the Confession of Faith (United Methodist) of the Evangelical United Brethren Church;^[12]
• the General Rules of the Methodist Societies;^[13]
• the Standard Sermons of John Wesley;^[12]
• and John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the New Testament.^[12]

These Doctrinal Standards are constitutionally protected and nearly impossible to change or remove.^[12] Other doctrines of the United Methodist Church are found in the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church.

The basic beliefs of The United Methodist Church include:

• Triune God. God is one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost).^[14]
• Scripture. The writings in the Old Testament and New Testament are the inspired word of God.
• Sacraments. The UMC recognizes two sacraments: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. The Church believes that "Baptism is not only a sign of profession and mark of difference whereby Christians are distinguished from others that are not baptized; but it is also a sign of regeneration or the new birth. ^[15] It believes that Baptism is a sacrament in which God initiates a covenant with individuals,^[16] people become a part of the Church,^[16] is not to be repeated,^[16] and is a means of grace.^[17] The United Methodist Church generally practices Baptism by sprinkling, pouring, or immersion^[18] and recognizes Trinitarian formula^[19] baptisms from other Christian denominations in good standing.^[20] The United Methodist Church affirms the real presence of Christ in Holy Communion,^[21] believes that it is a time to remember Jesus’ death^[22] (with the bread symbolizing His body crucified on the cross and the cup symbolizing His blood shed for humanity),^[23] states that it is a means of grace,^[24] and practices open communion.^[25]

• Inclusivity. The UMC includes and welcomes people of all races, cultures, and ages.
• Free will. The UMC believes that people, while corrupted by sin, are free to make their own choices because of God's divine grace.
• Grace. The UMC believes that God gives unmerited favor freely to all people, though it may be resisted.

The United Methodist Church recognizes the historic ecumenical creeds,^[26] the Apostle's Creed^[27] and the Nicene Creed;^[28]they are used frequently in services of worship.^[29] The Book of Discipline also recognizes the importance of the Chalcedonian Creed of the Council of Chalcedon.

The key emphasis of Wesley's theology relates to how Divine grace operates within the individual. Wesley defined the Way of Salvation as the operation of grace in three parts: Prevenient Grace, Justifying Grace, and Sanctifying Grace.

Prevenient grace, given to all people, is that power which enables us to love and that which motivates us to seek a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.^[30] This grace effects a partial restoring of our sin-corrupted human will so that we might sense both our sinfulness before God and God’s offer of salvation. Prevenient grace allows those tainted by sin to nevertheless make a truly free choice to accept or reject God's salvation in Christ.^[30]

Justifying Grace or Accepting Grace^[30] is that grace, offered by God to all people, that we receive by faith and trust in Christ, through which God pardons the believer of sin. It is justifying grace that enables God to receive us, in spite of our sin, and to forgive us through the life, and especially the death on the cross, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The justifying grace cancels our guilt and empowers us to resist the power of sin and to fully love God and neighbor. Today, justifying grace is also known as conversion, "accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior," or being "born again." ^[30][31] John Wesley originally called this experience the New Birth.^[32] This experience can occur in different ways; it can be one transforming moment, such as an altar call experience,^[33] or it may involve a series of decisions across a period of time.^[34]

Sanctifying Grace is that grace which sustains the believers in the journey toward "perfection of love": a genuine love of God with heart, soul, mind, and strength, and a genuine love of our neighbors as ourselves. Sanctifying grace enables us, once justified, to respond to God by leading a Spirit-filled and Christ-like life aimed toward love. Wesleyan theology maintains that salvation is the act of God's grace entirely, from invitation, to pardon, to growth in holiness.

For Wesley, good works were the fruit of one's salvation, not the way in which that salvation was earned. Faith and good works go hand in hand in Methodist theology: a living tree naturally and inevitably bears fruit. Wesleyan theology rejects the doctrine of eternal security, believing that salvation can possibly, in extreme cases, be lost. Wesley emphasized that believers must continue in their relationship with Christ, preferably improving this relationship, throughout their lifetime in order to remain in grace with God.

A key outgrowth of this theology is the United Methodist dedication not only to the Evangelical Gospel of repentance and a personal relationship with God, but also to the Social Gospel and a commitment to social justice issues that have included abolition, women's suffrage, labor rights, civil rights, and others. Thus, Wesleyan theology is sometimes characterized as "progressive evangelical."

Wesleyan theology stands at a unique cross-roads between evangelical and sacramental, between liturgical and charismatic, and between Anglo-Catholic and Reformed theology and practice. It has been characterized by Arminian theology with an emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit to bring holiness into the life of the participating believer. The United Methodist Church believes in prima scriptura, seeing the Holy Bible as the primary authority in the Church and using tradition, reason, and experience to interpret it, with the aid of the Holy Spirit (see Wesleyan Quadrilateral).^[35] Today, the UMC is generally considered one of the more moderate and tolerant denominations with respect to race, gender, and ideology though the denomination itself actually includes a very wide spectrum of attitudes.

In making an appeal to a toleration of diversity of theological opinion, John Wesley said, "Though we may not think alike, may we not all love alike?" The phrase "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity" has also become a maxim among Methodists, who have always maintained a great diversity of opinion on many matters within the Church.

The United Methodist Church allows for a wide range of theological and political beliefs. For example, both Republican President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are practicing United Methodists as are Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton and former Senator John Edwards. Many practicing United Methodists believe this flexibility is one of the UMC's strongest qualities.

At the 2004 General Conference, one of the speakers at a Good News movement (a conservative caucus) breakfast floated the notion of an "amicable" separation due to the divisive theological issues that have occurred among Methodists. Later, a proposed resolution unrelated to the speaker ^[36] was circulated that suggested a Task Force of 21 persons to be set up to come up with a proposal for an “amicable separation” within the UMC to be presented at a special session of General Conference in 2006. On Friday morning a delegate from Eastern Pennsylvania was recognized and presented a resolution for unity. The resolution passed overwhelmingly as delegates confirmed their desire to remain united in ministry.

Part of a series on Methodism
John Wesley	George Whitefield
Background Christianity Protestantism Pietism Anglicanism Arminianism Calvinism	Doctrinal distinctives Articles of Religion Prevenient Grace Governmental Atonement Imparted righteousness Christian perfection
People Richard Allen Francis Asbury Thomas Coke Albert C. Outler James Varick Charles Wesley Bishops Theologians	Largest groups World Methodist Council United Methodist Church AME Church AME Zion Church Church of the Nazarene British Methodist Church CME Church Uniting church, Australia
Related movements Holiness movement Salvation Army Personalism Pentecostalism	Christianity Portal This box: view • talk • edit

The United Methodist Church upholds the sanctity of unborn human life and condemns abortion as morally wrong except in cases where the well being of the mother's life is threatened.^[37] However, it believes in the civil right of the mother to choose whether to have an abortion and is thus often regarded as pro-choice.^[38]

Historically, the Methodist Church has supported the temperance movement.^[39] John Wesley warned against the dangers of drinking in his famous sermon "The Use of Money"^[40] and in his letter to an alcoholic.^[41] At one time, Methodist ministers had to take a pledge not to drink and encouraged their congregations to do the same.^[42] Today, the United Methodist Church states that it "affirms our long-standing support of abstinence from alcohol as a faithful witness to God's liberating and redeeming love for persons."^[43] In fact, the United Methodist Church uses unfermented grape juice in the sacrament of Holy Communion, thus "expressing pastoral concern for recovering alcoholics, enabling the participation of children and youth, and supporting the church's witness of abstinence."^[44]

The United Methodist Church, along with other Methodist churches, also condemns capital punishment, saying that it cannot accept retribution or social vengeance as a reason for taking human life.^[45] The Church also holds that the death penalty falls unfairly and unequally upon marginalized persons including the poor, the uneducated, ethnic and religious minorities, and persons with mental and emotional illnesses.^[46] The United Methodist Church also cites the fact that Jesus explicitly repudiated the lex talionis in Matthew 5:38-39 and abolished the death penalty in John 8:31.^[45] The General Conference of the United Methodist Church calls for its bishops to uphold opposition to capital punishment and for governments to enact an immediate moratorium on carrying out the death penalty sentence.

The United Methodist Church opposes gambling, believing that it feeds on human greed and invites people to place their trust in possessions, rather than in God, who Christians should "love ... with all your heart" (Mark 12:29-30).^[47] It quotes the Apostle Paul who states that:

“

9But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. (1 Timothy 6:9-10a NRSV)[48]

”

The United Methodist Church therefore holds that:

• Gambling is a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic, and spiritual life, and destructive of good government. As an act of faith and concern, Christians should abstain from gambling and should strive to minister to those victimized by the practice.^[47]
• Where gambling has become addictive, the Church will encourage such individuals to receive therapeutic assistance so that the individual's energies may be redirected into positive and constructive ends.^[47]
• The Church should promote standards and personal lifestyles that would make unnecessary and undesirable the resort to commercial gambling — including public lotteries — as a recreation, as an escape, or as a means of producing public revenue or funds for support of charities or government.^[47]

Main article: List of Christian denominational positions on homosexuality#Methodism

The United Methodist Church's stance on homosexuality is conflicted. On the one hand, the denomination maintains that "Homosexual persons no less than heterosexual persons are individuals of sacred worth...," ^[49] and encourages United Methodists to be in ministry with and for all people.^[50], affirms the basic human and civil rights of gay and lesbian persons (Par. 161H), implores families and churches not to discriminate against their homosexual neighbors (Par. 161G), and asserts that "persons may be fully human only when that gift is acknowledged and affirmed by themselves, the church, and society." (Par. 161G)^[51]

However, on the other hand the Book of Discipline states "the practice of homosexuality (to be) incompatible with Christian teaching." It states that "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" cannot be ordained as ministers, and supports "…laws in civil society that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman."^[49].^[50] In addition, the United Methodist Church prohibits the celebration of same-sex unions^[50] and forbids any United Methodist board, agency, committee, commission, or council to give United Methodist funds to any gay organization or group, or otherwise use such funds to promote the acceptance of homosexuality.^[50]

These contradictory statements reflect the diversity of opinion within the denomination. As a Church that values theological diversity, there is a wide range of belief in the denomination regarding many differet social issues.

The United Methodist Church has not always opposed the practice of homosexuality. In fact, the first statement on the matter came to the 1972 General Conference by a committee under the leadership of Bishop James Thomas, charged with crafting a new set of Social Principles for the newly merged United Methodist Church. The committee sought to include a statement affirming homosexual persons as persons of sacred worth. It was only on the floor of General Conference that an amendment proposed by a lay member was adopted adding to the original statement the phrase that the Church does not "condone the practice of homosexuality and consider[s] the practice incompatible with Christian teaching."^[52]

Gay and lesbian persons continued to be ordained in the United Methodist Church until 1984. Prior to the 1984 General Conference the Judicial Council ruled repeatedly that there was nothing in the Book of Discipline that prohibited gay and lesbian persons from ordination.^[53]

Prior to the General Conference in February of 1983, three United Methodist bishops and an executive from the Division of Ordained Ministry gathered at the Albuquerque airport to prepare legislation for the coming General Conference. While the meeting focused on general issues related to ordained ministry, one issue surfaced of particular concern: "How do[es] [the church] screen out homosexual persons from becoming ordained ministers?" To address that concern Bishop Jack M. Tuell suggested a small seemingly innocuous phrase to the requirements for ordained ministry: “fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness.” This phrase had the advantage of being applicable to all candidates for ministry. However, since gay and lesbian persons were at that time ineligible for marriage rights/rites both from the state and the church, it effectively “screened out” partnered gay and lesbian persons. Tuell claims the group came to this decision not based on Wesley's guidelines of discernment, but by two words: "Institutional protection.^[54] To the proposed legislation Tuell and his colleagues crafted, the General Conference added an additional prohibition that explicitly excludeded gay and lesbian persons from ordained ministry: “Since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.”^[55]

To date the debate over the full participation of gay and lesbian persons continues within the denomination. The [Reconciling Ministries Network][3], a national grassroots organization that exists to enable full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the life of the United Methodist Church, both in policy and practice, continues to lobby for change within the denomination. The ambiguous and contradictory policies of the denomination that simultaneously affirm the sacred worth and rights of gay and lesbian persons and prohibit their full participation create room for lively and heated debates.

While gay and lesbian persons are prohibited from ordained ministry, the denomintaion currently allows transgender persons to minister as ordained clergy. Recently, the Baltimore Washington Annual Conference affirmed the ministry of transgender pastor, Rev. Drew Phoenix. His appointment and ordination were upheld by the Judicial Council.^[56]

According to The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church,

“

"The United Methodist Church calls upon all who choose to take up arms or who order others to do so to evaluate their actions in accordance with historic church teaching limiting resort to war, including questions of proportionality, legal authority, discrimination between combatants and noncombatants, just cause, and probability of success....[57]

”

The United Methodist Church opposes conscription as incompatible with the Gospel message.^[58] Therefore, the Church supports and extends its ministry to those persons who conscientiously oppose all war, or any particular war, and who therefore refuse to serve in the armed forces or to cooperate with systems of military conscription. However, the United Methodist Church also supports and extends its ministry to those persons who conscientiously choose to serve in the armed forces or to accept alternative service. This is because as Christians they are aware that neither the way of military action, nor the way of inaction is always righteous before God.^[58]

The United Methodist Church believes war is incompatible with the teachings of Christ. Therefore, the Church rejects war as an instrument of national foreign policy, to be employed only as a last resort in the prevention of such evils as genocide, brutal suppression of human rights, and unprovoked international aggression.^[59] It insists that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them; that human values must outweigh military claims as governments determine their priorities; that the militarization of society must be challenged and stopped; that the manufacture, sale, and deployment of armaments must be reduced and controlled; and that the production, possession, or use of nuclear weapons be condemned. Consequently, The United Methodist Church endorses general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.^[59]

According to the United Methodist Book of Discipline, The United Methodist Church is just one branch of the universal Christian church. Therefore, The United Methodist Church is active in ecumenical relations with other denominations, such as the Roman Catholic Church. It is a member of both the National Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches, Churches Uniting in Christ, and Christian Churches Together.

In April 2005, the United Methodist Council of Bishops approved "A Proposal for Interim Eucharistic Sharing." This document is the first step toward full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which the UMC bishops hope will happen by 2008. The ELCA approved this same document in August 2005.^[60]

The Church is also in dialogue with the Episcopal Church for full communion by 2012.^[61] The two denominations are working on a document called "Confessing Our Faith Together."

The United Methodist Church has since 1985 been exploring a possible merger with three historically African-American Methodist denominations: the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.^[5] A Commission on Pan Methodist Cooperation and Union formed in 2000 to carry out work on such a merger.^[62]

There are also a number of churches such as the Methodist Church in India (MCI), that are "autonomous affiliated" churches in relation to the United Methodist Church.^[63][64]

The United Methodist Church (UMC) is also active in the World Methodist Council, an interdenominational group comprised of various churches in the tradition of John Wesley to promote the Gospel throughout the world.

On July 18, 2006, delegates to the World Methodist Council voted unanimously to adopt the "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification," which was approved in 1999 by the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation.^[65][66]

• Campus Ministry
• Conferences of the United Methodist Church
• Confessing Movement within the United Methodist Church
• Connectionalism
• Cross and Flame
• General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns
• International council of the United Methodist Church in Germany
• Lay speaker
• List of Bishops of the United Methodist Church
• List of Methodist theologians
• Methodist Federation for Social Action
• Order of St. Luke
• Reconciling Ministries Network
• Social Creed
• The Upper Room
• United Methodist Committee on Relief
• Universities and colleges affiliated with the United Methodist Church