Options For Churches that Disaffiliate from
The Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church
(Remain Independent vs. Global Methodist)
 
1.      Become an independent, non-denominational church.
Advantages:

• Will own our property.
• No conference tithes (apportionments).  Currently about 12% of offerings.
• No interference from denominational leaders
• Free to create our own identity

Negatives:

• Must find our own pastor(s)
• Must develop our own Statement of Beliefs (our own theology)
• Must develop our own governance structure
• Must develop our own membership requirements
• Must develop our own accountability policy
• Must create our own connections to other like-minded churches
• Need strong, consistent, biblically grounded lay leadership to keep the church from drifting
• No denominational support
• This is very unfamiliar territory for UMC churches. Will require significant investment of resources (i.e., time and money), to sustain this kind of structure. Mistakes will be made.
• When someone requests a same gender wedding the church will not have denominational stance that prevents conflict from opening up in the church again.  Also opens church up more easily to lawsuits around not renting facility for same gender weddings if facility rented for any other purpose.
• Churches frequently do very poorly at time of pastoral transitions

 
2.      The Global Methodist Church
The Global Methodist Church (shortened to GM Church, or GMC) is a Protestant denomination based in the United States founded on conservative Methodist precepts. The denomination launched on May 1, 2022.
Mission – To make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.
Hopes for the GMC articulated by founding leaders:
The Global Methodist Church hopes to be a movement of warm-hearted, like-minded, Jesus-loving, spirit-filled, Wesleyan, evangelical, orthodox, covenant-keeping Methodists who are joined together in mission.

• A church that is all about Jesus
• A church focused on discipleship using Wesleyan practices to “build up one another in love”
• A church with empowered and engaged laity
• A global, ethnically diverse church
• A church serious about evangelism and church planting
• A missional church pursuing Wesley’s goal of social holiness
• A growing church with an exciting future!!

The GM Church is something we all will recognize (familiar feel).  It will be similar to the UMC in many ways.  But it will fix the things that blatantly need to be fixed. There seems to be relative agreement that the following habits need to be kicked:

• The most expensive clergy deployment system on the planet aimed at giving jobs to tenured leaders regardless of their effectiveness.
• Keeping congregations in the fold by holding their property ransom.
• A top-down administrative system paired with a bottom-up method of funding.
• Crippling administrative overhead.

Add to the above list some new positive areas of focus:

• Church planting
• A strong mission partnership model
• Better catechesis (education for those coming into the faith)
• Renewal in the areas of prayer, worship, and the sacraments.
• Focus on young adults and communities of color.

 
Expected features of the Global Methodist Church:

• Start with a transitional organizational structure and polity, then hold a convening General Conference in 2024
• Very little bureaucracy, low overhead cost
• Lower apportionments (more $ stays in the local church)
• No trust clause.  Congregations will own their property / assets
• Churches will have more control over pastoral appointments
• Bishops’ power and their terms will be limited, and their accountability assured
• Doctrines and practices will be classically Wesleyan – unity in essentials, liberty in non-essentials
• Doctrines and practices will be grounded in orthodox, historical Christianity
• By the end or 2023, estimated between 250,000 and 500,000 US members
• By the end of 2023, estimate 100 to 200 Indiana Churches will disaffiliate and 40 to 80 will likely join the GMC.  Could be more.
• Will draw pastors from Asbury Seminary, United Seminary, Wesley Seminary (at Indiana Wesleyan), etc.

Advantages:

• Traditional, orthodox theology and practice
• We will own our property (no trust clause)
• Smaller conference tithes (apportionments), 6.5% max.
• Familiar church culture, theology, worship practices, denominational polity, etc.
• A Wesleyan/Methodist re-boot
• A chance to be in on the formation of a new denomination
• Connection with churches, clergy, and laity we know and love
• A truly global denomination.  Within 5 years the GMC will have churches in Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, Central America, etc.
• There is no cost to join the GMC.  Only a majority vote of church members.
• It is simple and free to leave the GMC.  Only a majority vote of church members
• Will have strong emphasis on recovery/addiction ministry but not specific prohibition against alcohol.
• Not expected to take a stance a against secret societies (such as Masons, fraternities, sororities, etc)

Negatives:

• New denomination, not fully formed
• Pastor appointment pool is still forming, may be problematic in the first few years
• Very little administrative structure in place for the first few years.  For example, currently only 2 bishops.  Transitional Leadership Council leading.
• Many details of the church’s Book of Discipline will be added at the first General Conference.  Additions and changes will be significant in the first decade.
• Denominational service agencies (the equivalent of UMW, UMM, Board of Global Ministries, etc.) will take time to get in place. Most will be in the form of strategic partnerships.