Many of you know that our denomination has struggled for years with the issue of local congregations being able to withdraw or separate from the United Methodist Church and that Christ Church has been actively engaged in this process. We want to inform you, if you are not already aware, that the United Methodist Church announced last week to postpone General Conference from 2022 to 2024. This decision prevents a vote this year on what is known as the Protocol, a proposal that, had it passed at General Conference, would allow each local United Methodist congregation to decide whether to separate from the United Methodist Denomination, with their property and buildings, in order to align with a New Methodist Denomination. With the postponement of General Conference, this vote will not take place until at the earliest, 2024.

Your Church leadership is currently seeking a meeting with our Bishop to discuss what this means for Christ Church. After our leadership becomes more fully informed as to our options, it will make a recommendation to our congregation with any final decision to be determined by a congregational vote. Our newly formed Joshua Committee, led by Don Bourland, is planning opportunities and programs to keep the congregation informed on this issue. At this juncture our posture is to be deliberate but proactive, understanding that this process could take a while!

For now, let’s remain steadfast living our vision “to glorify God as we make, mature, and mobilize disciples of Jesus Christ by loving Jesus – and loving like Jesus – in the world.”

And let’s pray fervently for patience, wisdom, and courage!