Good question.  I will ask him.

A Primitive Methodist Church is nothing like near a UMC.  There are lots of congregations with the word Methodist in them.  WE are talking about the United Methodist Church formed in 1968.  It probably was "right wing" since everything to the right of Stalin and Mao is extreme right wing now.  In other words, normal.

@thugbuster
@skunkhunter

I'd be interested in knowing if there are talks of lawsuits.

My previous pastor is in a tough spot because he is pulling retirement pay, and they called him back to aaid position to lead a 3 church charge.  He needs the money.  He and his wife are in their early 70s and she still works out of necessity.  It's sad because he's serving the wrong master in order to survive financially, if he's even aware of the compromise after so many years with the UMC and their misguided "Bolster attendance at any cost" priorities.  I believe this is one reason the issue of Disaffiliation was never formally put to a vote in his churches, and I bet similar situations played out elsewhere.

I haven't heard of any, I'm sure I'll find out sometime soon because 3 of my closest friends are former UMC pastors.

No lawsuits that I know of.  UMC has had a severe minister shortage for decades.  It is a given that retired pastors will be asked to cover a small parish.  UMC retirement is pretty good, I am told.  This is the reason a lot of ministers join UMC.  Even then, most UMC pastors' spouses have to work.  I would not judge your friend or anyone else for their choices. Their family has to eat.  I am sure he is doing what God wants.

Agreed 100%.

I just discovered this video.  I don't think the local church members know about this.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOidaTKoJxw&t=1318s

I watched from the bookmarked timestamp (I got limited country internet) and can confirm that everything coming from the UMC has been dismissive and downright hostile.  A couple of years ago there were statements on the UMC website by UMC bishops who were infuriated at those who were "blocking progress."  One bishop rephrased the Prayer of Contrition such that being a "disobedient church" meant that the church had failed to follow the laity through meandering social norms!  And nowhere was (or is) there offered a shred of Biblical support for any of these changing positions.  The attitudes and behaviours do not meet the most basic level of politeness, much less the standard of one Christian addressing another.  To call it shocking is an understatement.

There are multiple lawsuits against UMC.  Multiple agreements were allegedly breached.  Several conferences do not follow the written rules in open defiance of rules and by extension the traditionalists. Lots of shenanigans at General Conference to suppress the African vote.  The Africans are now majority of members and are traditionalists.  I expect the Africans to leave soon.  Not sure about the Philippines but suspect they will leave too. UMC now makes it very difficult for churches to leave, and then the opening speaker said, maybe those folks who disagree should leave so UMC can "continue its work."    

My UMC BIL has not responded to my questions.  He must be going through hell, and I will not bother him anymore.  

The decline in UMC membership is staggering.  They went from 7 million five years ago to slightly more than 5 million today.  Stats are hard to find as things are moving so fast.  I am pretty sure the local membership does not know what is going on.  We are talking a decline in membership of 25 to 50% in a few years.  I guess this is progress for the progressives.  UMC is getting a lot of worthless buildings, a bloated bureaucracy and is losing its most talented people.  And their money.  

My wife's current pastor is retiring next year.  It will be interesting to see what they get for a pastor next year.

Most people that leave just quit the UMC, go to a conservative congregation or quit going to church altogether in disgust.

I can now confirm that retired UMC ministers are forbidden to preach in a Global Methodist Church.  When I first read the claim that this was the case, I thought this is the worst possible internet lie I have ever heard.  Or that it was just in some areas.  But this is the rule nationwide AFAIK.  And if a UMC minister does preach in a GMC, he or she loses their credentials and all benefits.  So UMC does not support the First amendment protecting religion and free speech.  Furthermore, UMC does not believe in democracy.  UMC did not do the paperwork needed for one fourth to one third of Africans to come to the US.  African UMC membership now outnumbers USA UMC membership.  UMC prevented an African delegate from speaking at General Conference.  UMC bought plane tickets for African delegates that arrived the day before and leave the day after.  NO time to adjust to time change, and not time to meet and discuss anything.  African are traditionalists.

The real reason so many traditionalists left UMC, is that rules no longer mean anything.  A rule would be adopted by majority vote, so both sides agreed.  But when the results of those rules did not suit the progressives, they tore up those rules.  You cannot play a game when one side can tear up the rule anytime they want.  This is the core of progressive/woke belief.  If the rules don't work in their favor, those rules are wrong, and they can ignore them.  Rules for thee, but not for me.

I erred above.  I implied a retired UMC pastor would lose their retirement if they preached at GMC.  They do not, they do lose other things though.

@swampfoxoutdoors
The borough?

Thank goodness we disaffiliated!  Or a large contingent would have left. We voted 112-5 to disaffiliate. Our pastor, at the time, wanted to stay but he pretty much stayed neutral. He was within a couple of years from retirement.  We got a Bible teaching preacher and our congregation has grown in leaps and bounds.

Lot of Globalist and other Methodist churches are looking for pastors. As well as other denominations. I was contacted by my preacher to see  if I would be interested in two different churches, even though I am not ordained.

How certain are you that they do not lose their retirement if they preach at a GMC?  I heard second-hand that they do (our pastor told someone I trust that he would lose his retirement if he "preached at a non-UMC church.")  I've not seen anything in writing on UMC letterhead one way or the other.  Perhaps the UMC retracted it, since it might be a breach of contract (because apparently "doing the right thing" is not on their radar screen.)

As you said, they are all things Leftist.  In a perverse sense, it will be interesting to see how this all works out.  The UMC is now an enclosed Leftist system that they are 100% in control of.  Not only can the congregation not trust leadership (because rules are "flexible"), there are no standards and no consistency and no core beliefs...so why are they even there?  Why do they show up every Sunday?  What (not who) do they even worship?  I believe the demise of the UMC shall be rapid.  A house built upon lies cannot stand.

That was a problem with disaffiliation with the 3 church charge I used to go to.  For years they pooled their resources to fund a single pastor.  So the smaller two had to follow the lead of the largest, and the largest basically ignored the issue and did nothing...meaning they stayed.  I know that the smallest church put out feelers but could not find anyone to fill the spot, much less someone that they could afford.  

Personally, I would be fine going to a lay-led church.  I'd prefer a sincere engaged lay leader (or better yet, a committed & fully participating congregation engaged in Bible study for an hour every Sunday) to the passive process of a rote reading of a few verses, a clever story from the pulpit, with some singing interspersed.  A lack of ordination would not bother me in the slightest.

I grew up in the Methodist church. Born in 1969, heard lots of wonderful music and preaching, had a fantastic time as a youth in the youth programs. In the mid to late  80s the Methodist church started going left. They were doing things then that weren't Biblically based. When we saw it wasn't going to change back, and that it was getting so liberal that it would never turn around, we left. That was 1984. It's gotten worse and worse, and at this point, I don't see how any Christian can go there, and sit and listen to a sermon that at times goes completely against the word of God.

Churches are different, and some broke away, and refuse that crap, but those that stayed as part of that organization are no longer houses of God. They've twisted his words and placed the words of man and Satan in their stead.

At this stage, I don't care about denominational thinking. I just want the word of God taught correctly and fully.

Find a church that feeds you.

I am not sure of anything.  The only thing I can see is the UMC racing to the bottom.

An interesting side note is there seems to be a new rule that LGBTQ persons must be represented on some committees.  Whether this means at the local church level I am not sure.  My wife's UMC has no openly gay members that I am aware of.  Some people suspect the member who went to prison for possession of kiddy porn may be gay.  And the music director has been rumored to be gay.  He was (unfairly IMO) forced to resign due to his association with another man who is Federally charged with kiddy porn.  Both men are friends, and I would trust them with my grandchildren, but I don't think they have much chance of being on any local UMC church committee at this point.  In fact, in the case of the first man, it may violate his probation to have any leadership role.  His health is very bad too, so not a chance.    

Other churches probably face such a dilemma too.

We’re on the same page. A lot of small churches in our area could not afford to disaffiliate. I know one charge that split and they are looking for a preacher.

In these scenarios, why doesn't the entire congregation just up and leave and go rent another space until they can build? Leave the UMC with an empty building and no money coming in?

It's a tough spot.  I was part of a 3 church charge.  Two of the churches were built by the grandfathers of the 70 year old members, and the other congregation dates back to the 1700s.  Bishop Francis Asbury delivered a sermon to the first congregation.  No one wants to abandon that.  No one wants to be the one who breaks that long chain.  Generations were raised in those churches.  (I'm sure there are just as deep ties to all churches.)

These 3 small rural churches could have purchased the facilities if they wanted to.  I think the price was a few multiples of the annual apportionment, which was peanuts for small congregations in this district.  There were reasons it did not happen, mostly driven by the largest church.

Someone here once commented that a church is a place of worship, not a place to be worshiped.  It's a very good point, but human emotions can dictate otherwise.  I also think that when the church went on bended knee to the government during COVID shutdowns, the issue of who we worship (or not) was made clear...it's situational.  I'm not sure exactly how that plays a role in all of this, but I think that because of that decision, there is no purity of purpose (to the extent it even existed in the first place in most modern UMC churches.) The covenant was broken long before the current conference.  So goodness know what guides the congregations these days.

Even if something was on official UMC letterhead that means nothing as you have pointed out.  "Progressive" now means anything goes to support their woke religion.  It is for the traditionalists own good.