Posted By: Mark Holland, Executive Director, Mainstream UMC
Delegates from the United States overwhelmingly support the One Church Plan with more than two-thirds saying Yes! Months of outreach by several organizations, including Mainstream UMC, has yielded a clear choice in the U.S. The count includes at least a majority support in all five U.S. Jurisdictions. There is no question the U.S. church is ready for The Way Forward.
| U.S. Delegates in Favor of One Church Plan | |
| In Favor of One Church Plan | 67% |
| Undecided/Undisclosed | 7% |
| Not in Favor of One Church Plan | 26& |
The outreach did not ask if delegates prefer another plan. This means support for the Connectional Conference Plan, the Simple Plan, and the Modified Traditional Plan share the remaining 26%. Not many people are buying into the never-going-to-pass CCP. It is clear, only a small percentage of delegates in the United States support the mean-spirited certifying, punishing, and evicting of all who disagree through the Modified Traditional Plan. And a smaller group still who support the Wesleyan Covenant Association’s (WCA) divisive agenda to form a new denomination at the expense of the larger church.1 And, fewer still who support WCA President, Rev. Keith Boyette’s proposal to dissolve the denomination.2
Outreach to delegates outside the United States continues. There are many communication challenges to this task, including at least seven common languages in the UMC. Another challenge is the huge disparity in access to contact information for delegates around the world. A common language in the U.S. and ready access to high-speed communications has fueled the vote count here. There is an ongoing need for local individuals to talk with delegates around the world and not simply have Americans presume to offer the answers.
It is important for delegates outside the U.S. to know that most of the push by U.S.-based advocacy groups for the Modified Traditional Plan comes from their desire to leave the denomination. They say they want to “unify” the church, but their “exit first” strategy betrays their true intentions. Supporters of the One Church Plan are the ones who seek the interest of the global denomination and the value of staying together.
If you are a delegate and would like to register your position on a plan, please email: info@MainstreamUMC.com.
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Footnotes: [These are the same url’s you used in the last one]
1 tinyurl.com/yc5aav2r
2 tinyurl.com/yclg4amc