"One-third of the membership of The United Methodist Church now lives outside the United States. But the denomination’s structure remains decidedly centered both in and on the United States itself. How to respond to the new global reality was the topic of a panel discussion during the Oct. 8-11 annual meeting of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. Scott Brewer, director of research for the denomination’s General Council on Finance and Administration, reported that at end of 2005, the denomination had almost 13.8 million baptized and professing members, which includes children who have been baptized. While the U.S. baptized and professing membership stands at more than 8.9 million and continues to decline, "globally, the United Methodist Church is growing," with most of the growth
in Africa, he said."
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Interesting Information
A current United Methodist Communications press release offers this information. It certainly is something to consider as we look forward to the 2008 General Conference.
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Seemingly, third world nations have gained an unanticipated advantage over their technocentric brothers in their ability to understand John Wesley's 1st General Rule and to process it through a simpler concept of Wesley's Quadrilateral.Do no harm, and avoid evil of every kind is easier fare to process through Scripture, tradition, experience and reason for cultures that are not contending with stem cell research, human genome projects and aquifer depleting pumping programs intended to rob not only a poor state to pay a rich city, but our children's very future. Contemporary, enlightened Methodists need to firmly grasp the "fifth element" of the "quadrilateral". At the center of every process of seeking and yearning is God. Maybe God is hoping for us that as we recognize our inability to discern what is good and what is evil in a plethora of specialized choices, we will eventually come up with a Spirit inspired answer. Simplify our Earth.
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