Follow-Up to Below Post

Wesley Putnam (link)has looked at the issue of a schism in our church because of a straying from our true biblical doctrines. He offers the following suggestions that are so good, I wanted to share them with you.

In the meantime, what can we do?

Be committed to earnest prayer for God's Spirit to lead us. As the Psalmist declared, “Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is useless.” (Psalm 127:1) God is our hope for the miracle of revival. Paul prayed, “Now to the one who can do infinitely more than all we can ask or imagine according to the power that is working among us—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21) Pray that the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit will blow again across the United Methodist Church.

Be intentional in ministry to the sexually broken. Evangelical Christians need to be the ones reaching out to those dealing with AIDS and help them find the grace of a loving, forgiving God. It is not enough to simply condemn the sin. We are called to offer the transforming love of Christ to all who need it. They need to know there is a way out of this destructive lifestyle. Homosexual and heterosexual brokenness is a problem in the life of the church. There are wonderful tools available to help in outreach to all who need to experience His cleansing and freedom. Many are surprised to know that the success rate for those who seek help with sexual addictions is higher than that for treating alcoholism. There are dozens of wonderful organizations like Exodus International, Pure Life Ministries, and Transforming Congregations that are committed to this ministry and are anxious to partner with churches.

Work within the local church to inform the laity who are totally unaware of how serious the situation has become. If anything is going to change in the church, the laity must first become informed and then empowered to do something. One of the greatest enemies to renewal is ignorance. Although this is not the kind of information you splash across the entire congregation, it is vital that the leaders know what is happening. The people in key positions in the church need to be educated regarding the issues that face us.

Become more involved in the political processes in the church. Make sure your church's delegates to Annual Conference understand what is at stake as they represent your congregation. Work hard to elect delegates to Jurisdictional or General Conference whose votes will be faithful to Scripture. Pray that God will give us bishops who will not be mouthpieces of a misdirected culture, but defenders of the "faith once delivered to the saints." This year there will be over 20 new bishops elected. If most of these are evangelical, it could mean a positive shift in the council of bishops.

Get involved in the appointment process. The Staff Parish Relations Committee does have a say in who comes to your congregation. This may mean sitting down with the District Superintendent and a prospective pastor and asking some very pointed questions. It can no longer be assumed that just because a pastor is ordained, s/he can be trusted with the spiritual needs of your congregation.

If persons in your church are called into ministry, steer them toward a seminary like Asbury or Fuller, where they will be trained from a biblical, orthodox perspective. If they choose to go to one of our United Methodist seminaries, direct them to the evangelical professors who can help ground them in the faith.

Be responsible in your stewardship. This may mean taking a closer look at the way your apportionment monies are spent. Much of the agenda of the radical left is supported by the gifts from more conservative churches and conferences. The money is generally collected using the call to “denominational loyalty,” and “connectionalism.” Most United Methodists simply trust the system. Many an evangelical pastor pays apportionments even though some of the money goes to causes that are morally objectionable. H/She is intimidated into paying for fear of retribution by his/her bishop. Apportionments become the necessary fee for staying in an appointment. However, some churches have chosen to redirect their money to programs and missions that are more closely aligned with their beliefs. This has been a hard step taken by concerned laity in these churches. It has been an informed act of conscience, approached prayerfully and out of conviction, not out of spite or anger.

Get involved with and pray for the organizations working for renewal and reform, such as the Confessing Movement, Mission Society for United Methodists, Aldersgate Renewal Ministries, and Good News.
Pray that those who have chosen to take stands in opposition to Scripture and our Discipline will have the grace to change or to leave. Why would anyone want to stay in a denomination where they disagree on the basic statements of identity and purpose? Those who have pushed for over 30 years to shove this church off of her historic foundations should acknowledge they have failed to accomplish their goals and move on to a place where their beliefs are embraced.