What Does an Anchor Church Look Like in the UMC?

The dust has mostly settled, and many congregations are now healing from rifts which began years ago. The aim now is to return to the real work of the church, which is making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Staying connected to The United Methodist Church holds profound significance for many individuals, offering a sense of community, spiritual growth, and a platform to enact positive change. Amidst the evolving landscape of beliefs and values, remaining within the UMC can be a deeply personal and impactful choice.

One group of grassroots organizers - a mostly-millennial group of 25 clergy and laity - came up with a radical plan to help heal the hurt of those who suffered loss with the decision to remain with the UMC. This cohort had the foresight to plan an uplifting event for a weekend only a few weeks after the final disaffiliation vote of the Oklahoma conference.

“We believe that the festival went really well,”said Stephen Lashley, one of the event’s planners. In terms of logistics, there were not many hiccups. This was due to the hard work of 25 volunteers who helped organize, set up, and oversee the event.

Eighty people registered and participated in Friday evening worship and fellowship time. “Friday’s worship was a huge highlight for me,” remarked Lashley. “What stood out to me was that there were a significant number of people on Friday evening whose church disaffiliated but they wanted to remain United Methodist. They shared about how they felt spiritually orphaned by their churches and needed a sign of hope that the UMC was headed in the right direction. For many of them, they reported that the festival was just the sign of hope that they needed.” Additionally, Lashley added, “something that was important for me to see was that our conference staff - district superintendents, Connectional Ministries, etc. - got a chance to be re-energized by a United Methodist gathering that is forward-thinking and dreaming.

Saturday was equally as moving, with over 225 people registered and the same number attending. Everything from the worship, breakout discussions, tent talks, and general fellowship was outstanding. The vast majority of people’s feedback about the festival was that it was very healing for them and gave them hope for the future of the UMC in Oklahoma.

“People kept wanting to know if we would do the event again,” noted Lashley. “I take that to be a sign that there is a hunger and need for gatherings like the festival to help us grow into a new culture as United Methodists in the Oklahoma conference. The vast majority of people I have spoken with would like this to be annual, but we will see what everyone’s thoughts are when we debrief.”

Children and youth were not left out. Programming for young people was dynamic, keeping them busy and engaged all the way up to and through the final worship service. Meals were tasty and filling; no one walked away hungry. One seven-year-old girl asked to spend all next summer at the festival.

Lashley concluded, “For now, I am simply happy with the fact that this festival helped a lot of OKUMC leaders turn a corner after the disaffiliation season we have been in. It felt like a mental and ritualistic turning point that, for me at least, helped us focus on where we are going. I believe we need to see visions and dream dreams for the future of what it means to be a follower of Jesus in the OKUMC. The festival was certainly a step in that direction.”

Tent Talk: Five Affirmations for Continuing United Methodists

Rev. Dr. Ted Campbell, professor of Wesley studies and Methodist history at Southern Methodist University Perkins School of Theology, spoke at a tent talk during the festival. He implored attendees to define themselves by talking about “who we are - not who they are.”

He offered five affirmations for continuing United Methodists.

We are Christians. “Jesus was not just a nice guy. He was and is God almighty. We need more help than nice guys can offer. We need God.”

We believe in the holy catholic church. “You might not have thought about it like this, but ‘catholic’ implies ‘inclusive’: ‘through the whole’ of the world and embracing all of the world’s people and cultures.”

We form believers in a Wesleyan/ Methodist way of being Christian. “The Wesleyan way of Christianity seeks the complete sanctification of believers and of the world around us. We are called to be holy as God is holy. We are called to participate in Christ’s work of bringing in the Kingdom of God on earth.”

We believe the Bible contains everything necessary for salvation. “But it is important to notice what is not said in this doctrinal affirmation: our doctrine does not affirm that the scriptures contain everything necessary for science or history or medicine or technology or for any number of other fields of human learning. The scriptures teach what is necessary for salvation.”

We believe that the mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. “It is our sacred calling to be part of Christ’s sanctification of this world when God’s goodness will eventually prevail.”

Campbell concluded, “We need to be clear in this time about who we are and what we stand for positively as continuing United Methodists. Our faith is not a wimpy, compromised, watered-down faith.”