Discernment
Updated: June19th, 2024
Below you will find the congregational letter sent on 6/24 to our church:
Greetings all!
We want to take this opportunity to bring you up to date on where we are in our process of discernment regarding a potential relationship with a new methodist denomination. We also want to express where we are going from here.
Throughout this Spring our pastors and the Discernment Team have engaged another round of discussions with groups and Sunday School classes. Our purpose in this round was to understand the relationships and partnerships we need beyond our local church that are necessary to effectively live out our mission of making more and maturing disciples of Jesus. We also sought to discover the most important issues for us in choosing a Methodist denomination that may be most helpful if we were to move forward in this direction.
To help us discern better, the Discernment Team met in May with Dr. Matt Ayers (former president of Wesley Biblical Seminary and current pastor), who has extensive knowledge of the distinctives, polity and theology of each of the denominations we have been considering. This discussion was very clarifying for the team. On the church website under the resources tab, you can click on “Discernment” and view the materials that were presented during that meeting, along with the materials and topics presented in Sunday School classes.
Of course, in this process of meeting with groups, Sunday School classes and in many other discussions, we have also been discerning our readiness to make a decision around a potential affiliation with a Methodist denomination. We had long discussions about our readiness in both our Discernment Team meetings through the spring and with our Administrative Board in May. We mutually came to the conclusion that we are not ready at this time to make this decision. One of the main reasons throughout our discussion is that we all needed a little time to unpack what we have been through this past year, even in the shadow of the UMC General Conference decisions just a month ago.
We all feel much clearer on where we are and what our next steps need to be. With that said, after the summer we will reengage in meeting this issue as we set another deadline for ourselves of determining our readiness for deciding whether we will join a Methodist denomination or not. Given the criteria our whole congregation has expressed, it seems clear at this point that our considerations are within three options:
1. Join the Global Methodist Church
2. Join the Congregational Methodist Church
3. Remain Independent
In order to keep accountability for this process to move forward, we will set another deadline of September 31, 2024 to determine our readiness to make a congregational decision.
Please spend some time looking at the materials we have posted below. We will communicate with you again towards the end of August as to what our next steps will be.
Whatever decision we finally make, there are a few things that are clear. We must be in some form of relationship with others beyond our church to do God’s work. This is what defines the capital “C” Church. We are never alone. We will continue to live in our tradition and heritage of Methodism launched as a disciple-making, missional movement by the founder John Wesley with an emphasis on holiness of heart and life. We will continue to live by Welsey’s motto, “The world is my parish,” as we seek to be outwardly focused on loving people toward God’s kingdom. And Brandon First Methodist will continue to be our church and our place of commitment to Christ as we draw people close to God, change lives and transform our community with the love and hope of Jesus.
God is near,
Rev. Scott Larsen, Rev. Josh Gray, Discernment Team and Administrative Board
Greetings all!
We want to take this opportunity to bring you up to date on where we are in our process of discernment regarding a potential relationship with a new methodist denomination. We also want to express where we are going from here.
Throughout this Spring our pastors and the Discernment Team have engaged another round of discussions with groups and Sunday School classes. Our purpose in this round was to understand the relationships and partnerships we need beyond our local church that are necessary to effectively live out our mission of making more and maturing disciples of Jesus. We also sought to discover the most important issues for us in choosing a Methodist denomination that may be most helpful if we were to move forward in this direction.
To help us discern better, the Discernment Team met in May with Dr. Matt Ayers (former president of Wesley Biblical Seminary and current pastor), who has extensive knowledge of the distinctives, polity and theology of each of the denominations we have been considering. This discussion was very clarifying for the team. On the church website under the resources tab, you can click on “Discernment” and view the materials that were presented during that meeting, along with the materials and topics presented in Sunday School classes.
Of course, in this process of meeting with groups, Sunday School classes and in many other discussions, we have also been discerning our readiness to make a decision around a potential affiliation with a Methodist denomination. We had long discussions about our readiness in both our Discernment Team meetings through the spring and with our Administrative Board in May. We mutually came to the conclusion that we are not ready at this time to make this decision. One of the main reasons throughout our discussion is that we all needed a little time to unpack what we have been through this past year, even in the shadow of the UMC General Conference decisions just a month ago.
We all feel much clearer on where we are and what our next steps need to be. With that said, after the summer we will reengage in meeting this issue as we set another deadline for ourselves of determining our readiness for deciding whether we will join a Methodist denomination or not. Given the criteria our whole congregation has expressed, it seems clear at this point that our considerations are within three options:
1. Join the Global Methodist Church
2. Join the Congregational Methodist Church
3. Remain Independent
In order to keep accountability for this process to move forward, we will set another deadline of September 31, 2024 to determine our readiness to make a congregational decision.
Please spend some time looking at the materials we have posted below. We will communicate with you again towards the end of August as to what our next steps will be.
Whatever decision we finally make, there are a few things that are clear. We must be in some form of relationship with others beyond our church to do God’s work. This is what defines the capital “C” Church. We are never alone. We will continue to live in our tradition and heritage of Methodism launched as a disciple-making, missional movement by the founder John Wesley with an emphasis on holiness of heart and life. We will continue to live by Welsey’s motto, “The world is my parish,” as we seek to be outwardly focused on loving people toward God’s kingdom. And Brandon First Methodist will continue to be our church and our place of commitment to Christ as we draw people close to God, change lives and transform our community with the love and hope of Jesus.
God is near,
Rev. Scott Larsen, Rev. Josh Gray, Discernment Team and Administrative Board
Below are resources & handouts from our recent meetings
Update from April 3rd, 2024
Below are the top comments and expressions from our meetings with Sunday school classes and groups at the end of 2023.
Below are the top comments and expressions from our meetings with Sunday school classes and groups at the end of 2023.
- We want to be welcoming and non-judgmental to outsiders
- We love/appreciate our Pastors/Staff
- We love the community of our church/Loving Community
- Feels like family/home/closeness/small/family in Christ
- Desire to keep similar DNA of Church/connected feel
- Love our class
- We love our Music Ministry
- We Love our Children, Youth Ministries
- We want to grow as a church and in our influence in community
- We value our Wesleyan/Methodist heritage - traditional, conservative theology
- We value support of Local Missions with a personal/church investment
- We appreciate the organization of our ministries/missions/this process
- This is a place of joy and hope – where people are real
- We value accountability and trust
- We like where we are as a church and hope it may continue similarly
- We would like to be connected in some way but take our time.
- We want to know more… about denominational possibilities
- We don’t want to be in this situation again/want a stable connection
Most Important Issues at Hand In Reference to Denominational Connection:
•Biblical Doctrine with Wesleyan/Methodist Heritage
•Clergy Appointment/Calling – How does a church receive its clergy?
•Polity/Guidelines for church government, process and structure
•Trust Clause
•Bishop/Overseer Tenure
•Level and Cost of Administrative Support/Share in Missions – “Apportionments”
- We love/appreciate our Pastors/Staff
- We love the community of our church/Loving Community
- Feels like family/home/closeness/small/family in Christ
- Desire to keep similar DNA of Church/connected feel
- Love our class
- We love our Music Ministry
- We Love our Children, Youth Ministries
- We want to grow as a church and in our influence in community
- We value our Wesleyan/Methodist heritage - traditional, conservative theology
- We value support of Local Missions with a personal/church investment
- We appreciate the organization of our ministries/missions/this process
- This is a place of joy and hope – where people are real
- We value accountability and trust
- We like where we are as a church and hope it may continue similarly
- We would like to be connected in some way but take our time.
- We want to know more… about denominational possibilities
- We don’t want to be in this situation again/want a stable connection
Most Important Issues at Hand In Reference to Denominational Connection:
•Biblical Doctrine with Wesleyan/Methodist Heritage
•Clergy Appointment/Calling – How does a church receive its clergy?
•Polity/Guidelines for church government, process and structure
•Trust Clause
•Bishop/Overseer Tenure
•Level and Cost of Administrative Support/Share in Missions – “Apportionments”
Timeline and next steps
- September 31st - Deadline to decide our readiness to join a denomination or continue discernment
Resources
Previous Updates:
November 13th, 2023
Dear Church Family,
Your Discernment Team has been meeting to steward a process that will lead us in the next steps our church will take. We are writing to give you a clear picture of the coming months ahead as we discern throughout this season. Our hope for this period is to give everyone in our church a voice in its future.
From October 29th through November 26th, members of the Discernment Team and the Pastors will gather with Sunday School classes and other groups of the church to hear from you. Our heart in these gatherings is to discover “who we are” and “when/if” we might desire to affiliate with another network or denomination. The answers to these questions will be vital in our future connection. We will reach out to schedule a time with your class/group.
December will be a time of prayer and discernment. The Team will also host additional “Coffee and Conversations” style gatherings in the Parlor on December 10th & 17th.
Throughout January and February, we will gather again with Sunday School classes and groups. Having heard from you, we’ll be seeking to discover a potential affiliation aligned with our core values. This may include a larger gathering to hear from representatives of other denominations.
Before the end of March, the Discernment Team will recommend to the Administrative Board that the congregation move towards affiliation within a particular network/denomination or to continue the discernment process for another period based on the readiness of our congregation.
Finally, here are some things we’d like to share prior to our gatherings:
1.Your Pastors, Scott & Josh, as well as your staff will all remain with our church.
2.We will recommend to the board that our name be Brandon First Methodist Church.
3.During this transitional period, we will continue to function by our current church governance and doctrine.
4.We are engaging a process by which the whole church will have a voice in its future. If we move towards affiliation, we will take a church-wide vote.
Thank you again for your continued prayers and support! If you would like to reach out to the team, feel free to email discernment@brandonfumc.org.
Dear Church Family,
Your Discernment Team has been meeting to steward a process that will lead us in the next steps our church will take. We are writing to give you a clear picture of the coming months ahead as we discern throughout this season. Our hope for this period is to give everyone in our church a voice in its future.
From October 29th through November 26th, members of the Discernment Team and the Pastors will gather with Sunday School classes and other groups of the church to hear from you. Our heart in these gatherings is to discover “who we are” and “when/if” we might desire to affiliate with another network or denomination. The answers to these questions will be vital in our future connection. We will reach out to schedule a time with your class/group.
December will be a time of prayer and discernment. The Team will also host additional “Coffee and Conversations” style gatherings in the Parlor on December 10th & 17th.
Throughout January and February, we will gather again with Sunday School classes and groups. Having heard from you, we’ll be seeking to discover a potential affiliation aligned with our core values. This may include a larger gathering to hear from representatives of other denominations.
Before the end of March, the Discernment Team will recommend to the Administrative Board that the congregation move towards affiliation within a particular network/denomination or to continue the discernment process for another period based on the readiness of our congregation.
Finally, here are some things we’d like to share prior to our gatherings:
1.Your Pastors, Scott & Josh, as well as your staff will all remain with our church.
2.We will recommend to the board that our name be Brandon First Methodist Church.
3.During this transitional period, we will continue to function by our current church governance and doctrine.
4.We are engaging a process by which the whole church will have a voice in its future. If we move towards affiliation, we will take a church-wide vote.
Thank you again for your continued prayers and support! If you would like to reach out to the team, feel free to email discernment@brandonfumc.org.
Church Vote Results
On 9/10 - Brandon First Methodist voted to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church at 85% majority.
On 9/10 - Brandon First Methodist voted to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church at 85% majority.
Discernment Team:
Rev. Scott Larsen & Rev. Josh Gray (Pastors), JT Rowell (Lay Leader), Nick Pouncey (Admin. Board Chair), Stephanie Shaw, Mike Howington, Johnny Chapman, Stanley Shows, Josh McKay, Joseph Moss, Johnny Beck, Lacey Hedgepeth, Lauren Alvarez, Charity Wallace
Rev. Scott Larsen & Rev. Josh Gray (Pastors), JT Rowell (Lay Leader), Nick Pouncey (Admin. Board Chair), Stephanie Shaw, Mike Howington, Johnny Chapman, Stanley Shows, Josh McKay, Joseph Moss, Johnny Beck, Lacey Hedgepeth, Lauren Alvarez, Charity Wallace