Today is the day God embraces all hues of humanity, delights in diversity and difference, favors solidarity transforming strangers into friends. And so shall we.

– The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church (2016), excerpt from “A Companion Litany to Our Social Creed”
Friends, it’s time for a fresh start and a pivot in thinking about where we should focus our time, our God-given talents, and our resources as we strive to introduce God’s love to others.

Riverchase United Methodist Church has existed in an unsettled state for the past few years. Anxiousness about an evolving United Methodist Church created tension among members with varying ideologies who have worshipped together for years. Pastors, staff, and lay leaders were critiqued and questioned and emptied of the energy needed to lead and serve spiritually. We were supposed to be the lights “unto the whole world” (Matthew 5:14-16), however, we struggled with the shadows.

Your leaders were consumed with tamping out fires and dealing with complaints. While pastors, staff, and volunteers continued to provide service, education, and outreach, I believe that many in these roles would say that they could have been more effective and more focused on being God’s hands and feet without these distractions.

I was the Chair of our Church Council during this tumultuous time. I and others in leadership positions got emails filled with vitriol. We got calls. People I sat next to in church for over 20 years revealed sides I had never seen.

Instead of working on plans to set a direction and bring others to know the Word of God, invigorate our congregation for a future of salvation and inspire our youth, the leadership of the church had to contend with distractions.

And this division and conflict led me to start thinking about Riverchase United.

What is Riverchase United?

An embracing symbol of Christian love first and foremost. A supportive red flame of the tradition of United Methodism. Shades of blue that Riverchase UMC has used for years.

I enjoy inspirational visuals and language that communicate concepts. The idea of “Riverchase United” captures where I want us to be as a church. And the “heart and flame” visual further brings that to life.

  • It’s finding a path forward together as God’s people who have different opinions, but who can serve the Lord as one body and part of the connectional United Methodist Church.
  • It’s respecting our differences and trying to understand one another without anger, frustration, and tribal mentalities.
  • It’s acknowledging the uniqueness of the work of the Holy Spirit within each of us and the pace at which our understanding of the kingdom is revealed. We cannot assume everyone is in the same place with us along our unique spiritual journeys.
  • Most of all, the Greatest Commandment states that we should be focusing on two things — loving God and loving one another. It’s an acknowledgment that the greatest gift we experience is God’s love, and we are to pass that along — unconditionally and equally — to one another.

We Have Much to Give and Many to Reach

Riverchase United Methodist Church has been an incredible outpost to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and as a hub for God’s hands and feet.

We’re centrally located in the heart of a large population.

We have thousands of members who can go out and serve and take care of those in need.

We have great facilities and a vibrant youth program.

We have people joining and people being baptized.

Our music ministry is thriving across traditional, modern, and even youth worship.

Our call is to be in motion, getting to work serving God. Softening hearts to let the Holy Spirit work. Rejoicing about finding the lost sheep and bringing them back. Making a joyful noise.

What Kind of Church Are We Content with Being?

Let’s be candid.  We have to decide what model of Christianity we want to exemplify in our community.

As talk of division lingers, we must ask ourselves the hard question — “why should we pull away from the United Methodist Church?” Is it because we’re concerned about the UMC recognizing LGBTQ+ unions or ordaining LGBTQ+ clergy (I’ll have another post upcoming about this)?

Is that the legacy we want to leave for our church — that we divided because we feel that there is zero possibility that God’s unconditional love looks down upon his LGBTQ+ children and sees them equally in His design?

Do we want to be “that church on Old Montgomery Highway” that decided that it was better to change its name than to make room for as many as possible at the table?

Do we want to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars that would be paid to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church so we get the guarantee that we can exclude some people from some things?

Are we content with the hypocrisy of doctrines with a message of “you can come and sit with us in church and ‘we love you’, but no you can’t get married or answer a calling to the ministry from God Himself because we really don’t believe you should have the same rights as heterosexuals”?

Historically, religious systems and structures that have failed to fully support the inherent rights of groups of people — Jews, women, Native Americans and people of color in particular — have not well-stood the test of time. Just Google “church denomination apology” and you’ll find plenty of reading.

That’s hard talk, but it’s true.

If we choose to divide ourselves from the United Methodist Church (which will likely eliminate exclusionary language in its doctrines in the near years to come), the message we are sending to our community is that we’re cool with violating the second part of Jesus’ “Greatest Commandment” in Mark:

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.

– New Revised Standard Version, Mark 12:28-34

Jesus makes it clear when talking to the scribe and Sadducees — “there is no other commandment greater than these”. Full stop.

Not “except when the person is…”.

Not “…but there are other things said in the Bible too”.

It is the greatest.

We Must Be Patient with One Another and the Holy Spirit’s Work

We’re never all going to agree on everything. Politics. Football. We’re not all going to interpret scripture the same way. Some of us enjoy traditional services and some enjoy “singing off the wall”. We can each relate to God’s message differently based on how the Holy Spirit moves within each of us.

After all, those who will live in peace must agree to disagree in many things with their fellow-labourers, and not let little things part or disunite them.

– Charles Whitefield (1750), friend and doctrinal adversary of John Wesley

Christ didn’t agree with everyone he encountered. When He pushed back, it was against people who made rules that kept others from fully knowing Him. He strived to enlighten and was largely meek in his actions.

Riverchase United Methodist Church still has work to be done inside its walls. Our struggles over the past several years have revealed a lack of tolerance for differences in scriptural interpretation and where we each feel moved to focus within scripture to find our connection with God.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.”

– New Revised Standard Version, Matthew 23:25-26.

Just like the oxygen masks dropping down in the plane – we have to help ourselves first before we can most effectively help others.

We all must show grace and be kind to one another. Pleasant. Willing to accept the differences in how we interpret scripture.

United and Moving Forward

I truly believe that there is plenty of room for diversity of thought and belief at Riverchase UMC. John Wesley would have encouraged that.

And just because something is permitted does not mean that everyone must embrace it right away. But if the “something” brought more people to have a relationship with Christ, isn’t that a good thing? Isn’t that our calling?

My family joined Riverchase UMC because we found the Holy Spirit working here. We joined a United Methodist Church when we did. We wanted to be a part of United Methodism — and everything good or frustrating about it — and to work to make the greater UMC even better for all.

Close to 2,700 members around Riverchase have done the same thing. We all have differing levels of doctrinal knowledge and differing levels of passion for what our doctrines allow or don’t.

So will we face forward to the future and let the Holy Spirit guide us to the next phase of work for our church or will we be distracted by activities and divisiveness that keep us from our calling?

Will we make enlightened decisions that prepare us for the future?

Will we follow John Wesley’s very first rule of Methodism — “do no harm” — as we consider the legacy of Riverchase UMC?

Now more than ever, we must focus on being Riverchase United Methodist Church.

“United” is how we affect change around the world with the strength of our missions and educational institutions.

“United” lets us find a diversity of thought within our walls to strengthen our individual faith journeys.

God was with David as he united the tribes of Israel (2 Samuel 5:1-4) and God understood that the way forward for His kingdom was to have a unified Israel of the twelve tribes who were at war with one another. God guided David to have grace and mercy with all of the tribes he now led and to unite them for the future of the Kingdom.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Galatians 3 of the unity we find in Christ for “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Paul recognized the importance of unity in furthering Christ’s message across the globe.

Brothers and sisters in Christ – we can choose to spin our wheels in a debate of scriptural interpretation and denominational affiliation or we can use that energy to define and ensure a future within the denomination that we’ve all been a part of for years.

Follow Along

I do not want you to feel alone if you’ve been troubled by the chaos. Maybe you don’t understand why members want to pull Riverchase UMC away from a worldwide, connectional denomination sharing the good news of God’s grace and unending love. Like me, maybe you feel sad about not seeing familiar faces if our church finds itself fractured. Maybe you don’t feel like enough people like you share your sentiments.

I’m putting “pen to paper” here so that maybe you feel some reassurance that you’re not alone. All are welcome to subscribe to get updates on what gets posted. It’s not something church-affiliated. This will be me (and maybe others), writing as a church member and sharing information, as well as my perspectives on what is going on within our church and the UMC. Please feel free to share anything that moves you with others.

Pray for wisdom in knowing how to support our pastors, staff, and lay leaders of the church.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to help with your words (Proverbs 12:14).

Pray for the ability to listen (Proverbs 2:2).

Praise God in every prayer that we can bring more people to know Christ. Talk to your small groups and youth about what you want our church to be and how we can best show God’s love to others.

Go and be Riverchase United.