PlainSpoken Jeffrey Rickman

In this section, we deal primarily with the procedures we can anticipate being in place, especially some of the particulars around Robert's Rules and voting. As always, we sorta trip through the material and do a decent job eventually constructing a proper impression. We are pleased with this document and are optimistic about the gathering that it will make possible.
Link to our petition questionnaire - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfh9VhGo7nB9zav4WGBUQ-lI_31Zn5Jey27OXaccLKem4Qkag/viewform?usp=sharing
Link to this General Conference document that we review - https://globalmethodist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/The-Convening-General-Conference-Community.pdf


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Jeremy is the Lead Pastor of Crosspoint Church, a multi-site church with 6 campuses across Northwest Florida. He and Christy have been married for 20 years and have 3 kids. He is a passionate Alabama fan (graduated from there so it’s legit), loves sports, good sci-fi movies, and traveling around watching his kids play sports. He graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary and could be a professional recruiter for them. Other than his family, his biggest passion in life though is disciple-making and helping others become disciple-makers.
In this conversation, I ask Jeremy about the decision to join the Global Methodist Church (GMC) after disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church. We discuss the reasons for joining the GMC, the influence of denominational history, and the importance of accountability and trust. We also explore the impact of disaffiliation on the church and the challenges of navigating the transition. The conversation delves into the dynamics of large church leadership, the role of denominational engagement, and the potential for collective impact within the Wesleyan movement. It explores the need for disciple making, the impact of church size, and the ethos of the GMC. We touch on the importance of spiritual renewal, disciple making conviction, and organizational clarity for church vitality. The conversation concludes with a prayer for discernment and guidance for churches considering joining the GMC.
Links:
Flyer for "Multiplication Co-Lab" ministry Jeremy referenced: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Dg5IuIM_cWnq58IBygEEjHkDOrCfBEBV/view?usp=sharing
Flyer for "Huddle" ministry Jeremy referenced: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I1QVfYHR3Xwp_iswsQxHOLmI1W6mjadR/view?usp=sharing
'Replicate' Ministry - https://replicate.org/
'Exponential' Ministry - https://exponential.org/



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As you folks know, I have wanted the Global Methodist Church to be able to make good on the hopes of so many to become a truly multiethnic, global sign of Christ's presence and power. Racial separation hurts me. I believe it disappoints my Lord and cheapens his gospel.
So I and others need to have conversations with people of underrepresented constituencies so that we know how to work towards what we believe Christ requires. Blango, clergy from the UMC's Baltimore Washington Annual Conference, was willing to help me think through these things, drawing heavily on his decades of experience in ministry and life.
Many of you will enjoy this conversation very much. Blango and I are friends, and I believe we are paving the way for the future to look pretty different from the past and present.
Links:
Willimon Article (I didn't like it, of course, but it has the 4% stat in it) - https://www.christiancentury.org/features/missed-opportunities-umc-general-conference


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Chance Robinson published an article in Firebrand a few weeks ago, outlining his personal history in the Freemasons and his theological clarity that secret societies are at odds with the Christian faith.
In this conversation, Chance tells more of his story, and we try to flesh out why exactly secret fraternal organizations are such a threat to the Christian faith. We end in a conversation about idolatry more broadly. I hope you benefit from our discussion!
Links:
Chance's Article in Firebrand - "Allegiance as Christian Witness" - https://firebrandmag.com/articles/allegiance-as-christian-witness-a-testimony-of-leaving-freemasonry


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In this segment, TJ and I report on the petitions we filed and some of the feedback we got. We also get some more details about how the legislative committees are going to work in the months leading up to General Conference. We finally read a good deal of that guiding document for the Convening Conference session, which gives a lot more information about the nuts and bolts of how things will work before and during (and after) the conference session.
We were surprised at how transparent and responsive everything is designed to be. This is going to be a large culture shift from the UMC. We are pleased and excited. We hope everyone else will be, too!
Link to our petition questionnaire - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfh9VhGo7nB9zav4WGBUQ-lI_31Zn5Jey27OXaccLKem4Qkag/viewform?usp=sharing
Link to this General Conference document that we review - https://globalmethodist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/The-Convening-General-Conference-Community.pdf


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UMNews picked up an article published by the Holston Annual Conference, which was essentially an interview with conservative clergy, the Rev. Dr. Randy Frye, who is a self-proclaimed conservative (though he hates labels) who will be staying in The United Methodist Church. In the article, he talks about how the legislation at the most recent General Conference only brings the issue of gay marriage "back to neutral," and how the denomination is still making room for conservatives like us.
I had a hard time understanding how a conservative could say these things. It turns out his thoughts are a little more nuanced than the article was able to represent. I still find myself in a pretty different place than him, but I appreciate his efforts to remain faithful where he is. My hope is publishing this is that it helps conservatives within the UMC to think through how it is that they want to participate in that covenant body, if at all. Rev. Frye presents an example of how one might navigate these issues faithfully from within, if one so chooses.
Links:
'Conservative Pastor Says He Will Live Into New Reality' by Annette Spence - https://www.holston.org/article/randy-frye-post-gc-18362101
Website for First Broad Street UMC - https://www.fbsumc.org/


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