Resources from Committee to SEPARATE

Committee Goal Statement

What We Believe

Frequently Asked Questions  (Questions 1-38)

Below the Surface - UMC Progressive Agenda  Iceberg with Statement “Image Developed by the Leave UMC Committee”


There is a Spiritual Warfare going on around us. Christians and Christian values are under attack. For the future of our children and grandchildren we must stand up to the evil around us. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11


We ask that you take the time to review the information both committees provide so you can make an informed decision. Please dig into your Bible. The answers are right in front of us.



“On The Surface Issues”


The links below are presentations from pastors who have chosen to leave the UMC. The Committee to Leave the UMC is NOT advocating for joining the Global Methodist Church (GMC) or any Methodist denomination. We are providing transparent and straightforward content from the traditional perspective. These are excellent resources. 

  • Michael Turner - Advent - Brass Tacks (Discernment) -30 Min starts at 9:30 min mark; Michael Turner was a UMC member for 48 years and a pastor at Advent UMC for 10 years. He served as an associate pastor at LSUMC early in his career. Michael does a good job of explaining the UMC denomination discernment issues.
  • Shifting Through Misinformation from UMC GC 51 Minutes; This is a podcast by Jeffrey Rickman interviewing Tom Lambrecht, who has been a UMC pastor for 42 years and is also VP & GM of Good News. This interview gives a good perspective on the General Conference of 2024 and on behind the scenes information.

The Committee to Leave the UMC is NOT advocating for joining the Global Methodist Church (GMC) or any Methodist denomination. We are providing transparent and straightforward content from the traditional perspective.

 

We have included a 4-part series by Rob Renfroe from “Good News”. This series clarifies the “Above the Surface” issues of UMC departure from traditional views on marriage and sexuality. Although Rob is with Global Methodist Church, we are not encouraging or recommending a move to GMC. This is for information purposes only.

Rob Renfroe – Good News




 “Below the Surface Issues” of the United Methodist Church denomination.

 

The Committee to Separate begins to bring light to the “Below the Surface” issues found in the UMC denomination. Please review our Iceberg graphic Leave Committee Iceberg Image.

 

Our committee acknowledges that these are difficult topics that many of our church members may not agree on. However, we are committed to being fully transparent on the information related to the UMC denomination. We believe it is important to be fully informed in preparation for a vote on whether to leave the UMC or not.

 

Please review "The UMC Revised Social Principles 2024", A UMC Global Call to Social Action. This is a 43 page document that details the UMC's position on what they believe to be the most pressing social issues of our time.  You are encouraged to use the Table of Contents on Page 3 to help navigate this lengthy document to review issues relevant to you and your family.  Broad topics include Environment, Economics, Globalization, Social Issues, etc.. Our committee feels the UMC takes a progressive view on many issues.

 

Please review the UMC-General Commission on Religion & Race-GCORR website. This UMC commission was formed in 1968, with the original intent to reject racism. It is the belief of this committee and others that the GCORR has evolved into an extreme progressive platform. Most concerning, we believe this UMC commission now follows the progressive Critical Race Theory (CRT) ideology. We have provided several content links as examples for your review, but there are many others on the UMC-General Commission on Religion & Race-GCORR website.

 

These are difficult issues to discuss in church, however we are committed to bringing the full picture of the UMC denomination to our congregation to ensure an informed decision can be made.


 

Please review UMC GCOOR Meeting -Extreme Wokeness Example (11 minutes).  Our committee feels that this video shows the extreme progressive practices being promoted by the UMC denomination including woke introductions, gender and race monitoring, code of conduct and guidelines on language. This includes “not using exclusive male descriptions of God”. We are concerned about these practices and their effect on UMC churches.

 

There are many UMC issues that lurk beneath the surface. For example, LGBTQ+ issues do not stop at same sex marriage and homosexuality. Whether you agree/affirm with the issues or not, additional issues are affecting UMC churches and, more importantly, are being presented in front of and/or to children. To be clear, our church is not presenting this type of content and there is no plan for this type of content to be allowed or presented to our children. Whether you affirm LGBTQ+ or not, we believe you need to be aware of what is happening within the UMC.


Below are examples of LGBTQ+ Issues beyond same sex marriage and homosexuality along with a few of the groups promoting them within the UMC:

 

Guide to Pride MSC Revised 2023 (mtnskyumc.org)  This brochure was used at UMC Mountain Sky Annual Conference. It includes information on Celebration of Pride, Encouraging donations Directly to LGBTQ+ individuals and organizations, Learning how to become a Reconciling Ministry, and Queer Theology.

 

Reconciling Ministries Network (rmnetwork.org) Reconciling Ministries Network is part of the UMC Gay Caucus that has promoted LGBTQ+ issues within the UMC for 40 years. They claim over 1,451 affirming churches and 46,177+ affirming individuals within UMC. Their stated goal is to not stop until all UMC churches are “affirming” of LGBTQ+ and other marginalized groups.

 

Mountain Sky UMC | NextGen & Inclusiveness Ministries (mtnskyumc.org) This organization works with Young People’s ministries Ages 14-25; example of their ministries – Pride Camp, a queer church camp weekend for age 18+; Mountain Sky UMC | Resource Library (mtnskyumc.org) Resources include: Queer Theology & Ministry Resources, Gender Identity, LGBTQ+ Allyship & Understanding, and LGBTQ+ Led Groups, Communities, and Orgs

 

Duke Divinity Pride Worship Service This well-known video shows a Divinity Pride Worship service at a United Methodist Theological School, (Duke Divinity School) in 2022 (long before the UMC officially “affirmed LGBTQ+). The worship leader (Caroline Camp) was a 2nd Year Duke Divinity School student. She is now a UMC pastor and is Dir of Youth Ministries at Central UMC in Ashville, NC. Service of Word with Divinity Pride | Duke Divinity School; Staff – Central United Methodist Church (centralumc.org)

 

United Methodist Queer Clergy Caucus (umqcc.org) – This group is also part of the UMC Gay Caucus and members were present at the GC 2024. Their members are LGBTQ+ individuals who are actual UMC clergy. Example of their work: Ahead of General Conference, Queer United Methodist Delegates Organize a Caucus - United Methodist Insight (um-insight.net)


Please pray for our church and both committees. We believe that by leaving the UMC we can unify our church and keep our church the same.


We believe that by leaving the UMC we can unify our church and keep our church the same.

Our committee is available to provide updates to our Sunday School Classes or any of our other church groups.


Please send requests or questions to john@marmacinc.com  or huttosc@gmail.com .

Please bear with us as we develop our content on these very difficult topics.  

Lastly, please do your research. Dig into the Bible. The answers are right in front of us.


God Bless,

The Leave the UMC Committee Members