3. Discuss primary characteristics of United Methodist polity and the theology they reflect.
Parishioners often ask me if there is really any difference between United Methodist and the Baptists down the road. The answer, “quite a lot,” generally surprises them. When they ask me to explain, I often point them in the direction of our polity and the theology it reflects.
For many the term “polity” is relatively new. I explain to them that polity is simply the general organizational structures and form of governance, including constitution/doctrinal standards, powers, offices and representation. Using an argument from Thomas Frank’s book Polity, Practice, and the Mission of the United Methodist Church, I would argue that United Methodist Church polity functions as both discipline and connection. As United Methodists we have a book of polity called the Book of Discipline. Contained within are the constitution and doctrinal standards, along with our structures of organization and
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The character of this connectionalism is missional, organizational and financial. First the UMC is connected by its mission “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Throughout the world the UMC has conferences of local churches. Second, the UMC is connectional in organization and governance, having a worldwide governing body (General Conference) and various general boards, general councils, general commissions, and agencies. Finally, the UMC is connectional through the sharing of resources. Local churches participate in giving apportionments to the conference to be used within the worldwide ministry of the church. Furthermore, according to the trust clause, “All properties of United Methodist local churches and other United Methodist agencies and institutions are held, in trust, for the benefit of the entire denomination, and ownership and usage of church property is subject to the
In the first chapter of Nathan Hatch’s book, The Democratization of American Christianity, he immediately states his central theme: democratization is central to understanding the development of American Christianity. In proving the significance of his thesis, he examines five distinct traditions of Christianity that developed in the nineteenth century: the Christian movement, Methodists, Baptists, Mormons and black churches. Despite these groups having diverse structural organization and theological demeanor, they all shared the commonality of the primacy of the individual conscience.
Robert Laurence Moore has written a delightful, enlightening, and provocative survey of American church history centered around the theme of "mixing" the "sacred" with the "secular" and vice versa. The major points of conversation covered include the polarization caused by the public display of religious symbols, the important contribution that women and Africans have made to the American religious mosaic, the harmony and friction that has existed between science and religion, the impact of immigration on religious pluralism, and the twin push toward the union and separation of religion and politics.
Square Peg: Why Wesleyans Aren't Fundamentalists, a book edited by Al Truesdale and published by Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, examines two significantly different ways of understanding the nature and role of the Bible that mark different parts of Christ’s church. The first is represented by fundamentalism; the second by Wesleyan theology. The goal of the book is to help persons in Wesleyan denominations clearly understand the differences between Wesleyan theology and fundamentalist theology, and that even though both are of the Christian faith, how the theology between the two are incompatible with one another. “Without becoming divisive or claiming perfection in Christian doctrine, the various denominations hold theological positions that reflect their Christian experience, history and understanding of the Scriptures.” (loc 124 Kindle, Truesdale) Wesleyans believe that the proof of the gospel reside primarily in how a person lives their life and “not in logic and argumentation.” (loc 160 Kindle, Truesdale) They support the policy of that to get a better understanding of their faith, is the result of all fields of human exploration and research, from scientific to historical.
Wilson, Barbara S., Arlene Flancher, and Susan T. Erdey. The Episcopal Handbook. New York, NY: Morehouse Pub., 2008. Print.
United Methodists are not supposed to contradict the church's doctrinal standards, but can "go beyond and expand
Mead, Frank S., and Samuel S. Hill. Handbook of Denominations in the United States. Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1995. Print.
In Walter B. Shurden’s The Baptist Identity, he looks at four of the core elements, or freedoms, that shape and mold Baptist theology and their identity. The four core concepts he explores in his book are Bible freedom, soul freedom, church freedom, and religious freedom. While looking at these four values, he examines how they mold and shape the Baptist identity and how they came to be. The origin to each of these values in the Baptist tradition is addressed as well as their benefits and draw backs. He explains their purpose and necessity in the Baptist denomination and how it effects the denomination as a whole.
Goodstein, Laurie. "Pared-Down Episcopal Church Is Looking to Grow Through ‘Inclusivity’." New York Times. N.p., 18 July 2009. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
On May 8, 1845 in Augusta, Georgia, the Southern Baptist Convention separated from the Triennial Convention. However, this separation involved only the home and foreign mission societies. Many churches in the South continued to buy Sunday school materials from the American Baptist Publication Society in Philadelphia.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church also known as the AME Church, represents a long history of people going from struggles to success, from embarrassment to pride, from slaves to free. It is my intention to prove that the name African Methodist Episcopal represents equality and freedom to worship God, no matter what color skin a person was blessed to be born with. The thesis is this: While both Whites and Africans believed in the worship of God, whites believed in the oppression of the Africans’ freedom to serve God in their own way, blacks defended their own right to worship by the development of their own church. According to Andrew White, a well- known author for the AME denomination, “The word African means that our church was organized by people of African descent Heritage, The word “Methodist” means that our church is a member of the family of Methodist Churches, The word “Episcopal refers to the form of government under which our church operates.”
...e, vague topics. The disunity made the Church too unstable to continue possessing political power and so the State became the head of politics, and now we have separation of Church and State, which is renders this time “a secular Western culture” (Powell 6).
Mead, Loren B. The Once and Future Church Reinventing the Congregation for a New Mission Frontier . The Alban Institute, Inc., 1991. Kindle eBook file.
Whenever problems arise in a particular church, its denomination can help find the solution. For instance, because some churches are not part of a denomination, they have no help from an association on hiring a new minister. Meanwhile, some denominations such as the Methodist rotate their preachers through their churches. Also, churches of a denomination have similar Sunday services. A member of a certain denomination can visit other churches of the same denomination and expect to be familiar with the practices and doctrine.
I was born and raised a Catholic Christian, going to church every Sunday, at Holy Infant Catholic Church in Durham, at the will of my parents. Of course I was baptized, had my first communion, and when I got older and more involved, I had my confirmation; about two years ago. Point is, I have attended the same church for a long time, and have grown accustomed to the traditions and customs of my church, and my faith. For this assignment, I chose to visit a synagogue, specifically Sha’arei Shalom Messianic, in Cary, and Mormon Church, specifically The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, in Apex. I’ve always been a bit of a history fan, and after taking a religions class in high school, found I enjoyed learning
His church is a “good sized” suburban church that has been around for 295 years. He describes the parishioners as having a “broad tent” of theological views. This congregation is open to new ideas and re-visiting the old. They appear to be carrying out intentional missional work in their community