First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, TX

Recalling 40 years ago in Dallas, when Methodist became United Methodist

Sat, 8 Mar 2008 11:05:00 GMT

A UMNS Report
By Josh Tinley*

Forty years ago this spring, The United Methodist Church became The United Methodist Church.

On April 23, 1968, delegates from the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren churches voted to merge their denominations at a Uniting Conference in Dallas . Four decades later, as United Methodists return to the Dallas area for the 2008 General Conference, many former EUBs remain active in ministry and have differing opinions on how best to remember the denomination of their youth.

Methodists and EUBs had pursued union since the Evangelical Association and the Church of the United Brethren in Christ had merged in 1946 to form the EUB Church .

"As a young person, I was positive about the prospect of merger (with the Methodists)," recalled the Rev. James Skinner, who was ordained by the EUB Church in 1965 and served two EUB congregations before the merger.

"It seemed to fit the mood of the times-ecumenical coming together as one body of Christ. ... The main response (among EUBs) was that this action was part of the broader ecumenical movement, and many expected that even more mergers would occur in the near future."

The Rev. Gary Olin, a former EUB in the East Ohio Annual (regional) Conference, says that mergers came naturally to the EUBs. "The EUB church was a leader in the cooperative church enterprises of the early 20th century. Because of our size we knew, unlike the Methodist Church , that we could not go it alone."

At the time of the merger, EUBs numbered fewer than 1 million. The Methodist Church , with more than 10 million members in the United States at the time, was one of the nation's largest Protestant denominations.

"I remember people discussing how they were afraid of being swallowed up. Others saw great opportunity in the broader field of Methodism," said Skinner.

The Rev. Sally Nelson-Olin, who was raised in the EUB Church but ordained after the merger, was part of the former camp. "At the time of the union, I felt as if my church had been swallowed by a whale," she said. "I had no hopes, and my fears were that the unique character of the EUB Church would be lost in the huge throng of Methodists."

Jason Vickers, director of the Center for Evangelical United Brethren Heritage at United Theological Seminary, said that the EUBs' willingness to merge with a much larger denomination was a testament to their unique character and ethos. Humility was a core virtue among the EUBs, he said, and they often "underestimated the strength of their own tradition." According to Vickers, this humility has had its drawbacks. "(The EUBs) have been forgotten in part because of their steadfast refusal to toot their own horn and to market themselves," he said.

EUB ethos

German settlers in Pennsylvania , Maryland and Virginia founded the EUB Church 's two predecessor denominations in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The United Brethren trace their heritage to frontier revivals held by German Reformed minister Philip William Otterbein and Mennonite preacher Martin Boehm. While Otterbein and Boehm were launching a spiritual awakening among German settlers, Jacob Albright was attending Methodist class meetings. Albright liked the Methodists' theology but had trouble worshiping with them because he was not fluent in English. Albright set out on his own, preaching to a new generation of German-speaking Americans following the Revolutionary War. Albright's followers would form the Evangelical Association. Over the next 150 years both churches grew steadily in the mid-Atlantic states and throughout the Midwest .

From the beginning, both churches had close relations with the Methodists. Otterbein laid hands on pioneering Methodist bishop Francis Asbury when Asbury was ordained during the famous 1784 Christmas conference.

Shortly after the turn of the 19th century, the Methodists and United Brethren first considered merging. But disagreements about a written discipline, among other things, kept the churches from union. The Evangelicals and the United Brethren would flirt with union with the Methodists and with each other throughout the 19th and into the 20th centuries.

Four decades after the merger of the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren churches, the EUB legacy has been in its doctrine and its ethos, according to Vickers.

"EUBs bring with them a strand of German pietism in which there's an emphasis on the Holy Spirit and holy living," he said, noting that the EUB Confession of Faith (which is included in the the United Methodist Book of Discipline) has a "fairly robust statement on Christian perfection." While holiness and sanctification were important to John Wesley's theology, the Methodist Articles of Religion do not include such a statement.

Vickers believes that the EUB ethos-of simplicity, humility and pacifism emphasizing work and family-is still alive in The United Methodist Church, particularly in the upper Midwest . "These are people who love God with both the heart and the mind. They tend to be well-balanced people who take care of their bodies, who worship God with their hearts. They are also persons who put a premium on worshiping God with the mind," he said.

Forgotten heritage?

Former EUBs have mixed feelings about how The United Methodist Church has remembered their tradition. Vickers rates The United Methodist Church "somewhere between average and poor," but adds the church does a mediocre job of remembering all aspects of its heritage.

The Rev. Fred Hill, who taught for 30 years at Indiana Central College (a United Brethren school that is now the University of Indianapolis ), said that memory of the EUB tradition varies by tradition. He recalled that in the South, as recently as the late 1990s, some churches did not include the word "United" in their church's name on their Sunday bulletins.

Gary Olin believes that, at least in his annual conference, the church has done a good job of remembering and acknowledging his tradition. "I feared that within a few years following the merger that the 'United' would drop from common usage in the denomination's name," he said. "That has not happened in this part of the church."

Sally Nelson-Olin feels differently. "I'm not particularly pleased with the way The United Methodist Church appears to acknowledge only Methodist milestones, as if the Evangelical or United Brethren or Methodist Protestant churches were never part of the UMC," she said.

One such milestone was the 50th anniversary of women being ordained in full connection, which The United Methodist Church celebrated in 2006. While the Methodist Church first ordained women in 1956, women were serving as clergy in full connection in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ as early as the late 19th century.

"I confess to being a bit perturbed with the celebration of women clergy and having to constantly remind persons that the UB Church had done so before the former Methodist Church ," Skinner said.

Susan Ruach, chair of the 50th Anniversary Task Force, said the United Brethren's decision in 1889 to ordain women was taken into consideration. But her group's research showed that, when the United Brethren merged with the Evangelicals (who did not ordain women), the new denomination decided that it no longer would grant women full clergy rights, though some conferences continued to do so. (Gary Olin's late wife, Rev. Judith Olin, was one of the women ordained by the EUB Church in the years between the mergers.)

Lasting roots

Several United Methodist colleges and seminaries have Evangelical and United Brethren roots. EUB predecessors are responsible for Albright and Otterbein universities, North Central and Lebanon Valley colleges, and the University of Indianapolis. The United Brethren founded Union Biblical Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, in the 19th century; Union is now United Theological Seminary. The Evangelical seminary in Naperville, Ill., merged in 1974 with a nearby Methodist seminary to form Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary.

This fall, United Theological Seminary's Center for EUB Heritage will host a conference on the history, doctrine and theology, and polity and ethos of the EUB Church and its predecessor denominations. More information about the event, which is scheduled for Sept. 12-13, will be available at the center's Web site, www.united.edu/eubcenter. A book on the same subject from Kingswood Books, Methodist and Pietist: Retrieving the EUB Heritage, is scheduled for release in 2009.

*Tinley is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tenn., and staff member at the United Methodist Publishing House.

News media contact: Marta Aldrich, Nashville,

Do Denominations Matter-Check out Recent Survey

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:44:00 GMT

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has a new very large survey of religion in America out today. They interviewed 35,000 people. Compare that with your average national Gallup poll of about a thousand. Many more details tk, but here's a taste:

Percentage of religious affiliation of adults in the United States and Texas

Tradition/Denomination	National	Texas
Evangelical Protestant	26	34
Mainline Protestant	18	15
Black Protestant	7	8
Catholic	24	24
Muslim	1	<0.5
Jewish	2	1
Unaffiliated	16	12

Here are some fun more facts about other states:

State with highest percentage of members of Evangelical Protestant churches: Oklahoma, 53%

State with lowest percentage of members of Evangelical Protestant churches: Utah, 7%.

State with highest percentage of members of Catholic churches: tie, Connecticut/Rhode Island, Massachusetts, 43%.

State with lowest percentage of members of Catholic churches: Arkansas, 5%

State with highest percentage of unaffiliated: Oregon, 27%

State with lowest percentage of unaffiliated: Mississippi, 6%.

You'llwill be able to read more analysisbout the new study by the Pew Forum on Religion And Public Life. But I issue a standard warning about any numbers claiming to assess American religious membership. If you drill into the report (it's a good website, btw, with maps and interactive charts and clearly written text), and do some calculating, you'll almost surely find that the Pew folks offer different numbers than your particular denomination. And maybe than other surveys. I'll offer some guidance at the jump.

1) Pew is counting adults -- people older than 18. Most religious traditions include children of some age in their counts. Some count infants as members.

2) Pew is asking people for their own affiliation. It's possible they self-identify differently that others think they do. Maybe they're still on the books at a church they last attended a few years ago? It happens.

3) Polls are an imperfect instrument. Even a big, expensive survey like this one may have errors that the researchers didn't catch.

What Hymns Would You Like To See In A New United Methodist Hymnal?

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 08:28:00 GMT

This coming April the General Conference of the UMC will consider the recommendation for a new hymnal. This is the first of several research questions from the General Board of Discipleship.They want to know which hymns or songs you would like to see included. This survey will allow you to suggest titles to be considered for inclusion:

Up to five titles from the current United Methodist Hymnal.
Up to five titles from The Faith We Sing.
Up to five titles not in either collection.

You may only complete the survey one time, so do not click the link below until you are ready to suggest titles. Once you have accessed the survey, you will not be allowed to return to it a second time, even if you did not complete it the first time or if you later wish to change your responses. Final date to complete this survey is January 31, 2008. When ready to complete the survey, heres the link:

Pastor;'s Blog Returns

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 07:02:00 GMT

Now for a little levity

I am back on the blog trail. Happy New Year

KitschKorp Presents... My Messiah-Matic

01/07/2008

By Dale Dobson
Illustration by Jim Siergey

For more than 2000 years, discerning Christians everywhere have searched in vain, seeking spiritual merchandise that expresses their very own, personal faith.
Now - at last - KitschKorp proudly presents this amazing, new faith-in-action figure!

Click on the outfit to build the right Jesus for you.

Considering the Merits of Immersion and Sprinkling

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:25:00 GMT

If you are not sure if a churchshould be baptize infants but sprinkling then watch this video.We Methodist affirm all modes of baptism because we believe how does matter. This video might affirm our case becauseI don't think there is enough water in the world to baptize the devil out of this child. Watch, smile and enjoy.

A New Way to Look at Christmas

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:38:00 GMT

Still trying to find a way to add meaning to the Christmas season? Ifound this helpful article that I wanted to pass alongto you some food for thought. Check it out here. The author Shane Claiborne calls it creative cures for Christmas. Go ahead and try one of his ideas and see if it doesn't innoculate you from the Christmas blues.

Will We Have Enough This Christmas

Sat, 8 Dec 2007 14:47:00 GMT

If you arewondering if you are going to have enough to go around this Christmas. Click on this link to appreciate what you have.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Church Rejects Interfaith Service on its Property

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 07:01:00 GMT

Hyde Park Baptist says it didn't realize Muslims were leading annual Thanksgiving event.

The ecumenical conversation is over. Christian people no longer care what the sign says out front. Methodist can be Presbyterians and not be bothered at all by double edged predestination.Lutherans make good Baptist despite there good beer drinking ways. In fact, a church seems to be hurt if itclaims some kind of affiliation on their sign. We have become ecumenical.

The next conversation is is the interfaith conversation. How will we dialouge across faiths?I am very interested in seeing how we do. This article in the Austin American Statesman is on indicator. I have some personal interest in the Hyde Park church because this is the church of my grandparents. Read article here and share your comments.

Rick Warren gets Hillary to a conference on AIDS

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:12:00 GMT

Give Rick Warren some credit. I would love to hear this dialouge.

LAKE FOREST, Calif., Nov. 14, 2007 Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) is the first of six invited presidential candidates to confirm participation in session called Conversations with Leaders about AIDS at the third annual Global Summit on AIDS and the Church held Nov. 27 through Dec. 1, at Saddleback Church, in Lake Forest, California, where Purpose Driven author Rick Warren is pastor.
Kay and Rick Warren have invited 3 Republican candidates (former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney) and 3 Democratic candidates (Sen. Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Sen. John Edwards (D). These five candidates have expressed a desire to participate and are currently working on scheduling issues.

If all of the invitees show up, that could be a darned interesting event. They'd be added to an already pretty good list of speakers. Here's the official event website.

Some Things Jesus Would NOT Say

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:55:00 GMT

Fred Allen, a satirist came up with a few things Jesus would not say. How about the first one stitched and strategically placed in your living area. See below, and what do you think?

Others:

"Oops."

"Do you know the way to San Jose?"

"Finders keepers, losers weepers."

"Best two out of three?"

"Well, I suppose it'd be OK. But just this once."

"What's the matter with you guys? Can't you take a joke?"

"You're not the boss of me."

"Do they want red or white wine?"

"I'm pretty good at division, but I'm great at multiplication."

"Peter, sometimes you're such a poopy head."

"How the heck should I know why fools fall in love?"

"Would you consider giving me half the kingdoms of the world if I fall down and worship you for, say, ten minutes?"

"Just between you and me, I walked because I don't know how to swim."

"Blessed are the ... are the ... um ..."