The Countdown Continues

Beloved in Christ - 

As of today, there are only 76 days remaining until the beginning of the 2020 General Conference of the United Methodist Church in Minneapolis. Delegates from around the world will be gathering to make decisions about the future of The UMC. There have been multiple plans submitted for amicable separation, as a growing number of Methodists (of all theological convictions) have arrived at the consensus that our decades-long conflict in the church MUST come to an end. 

Jesus commands us to “GO, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…,” not get stuck in endless debates - and CERTAINLY not to turn our churches into whatever is fashionable and “politically correct” in a postmodern culture to remain “relevant”. So today, we are again asking that you keep ALL the delegates to General Conference, and especially our Iowa delegation, in fervent prayer - that the conflict would come to an end, that God’s will would be done, and that faithful UM believers in Biblical truth be freed from the cultural bondage that has crippled the church, all to bring revival in our churches, in our nation, and in our world! 

After the General Conference concludes its business, our attention turns to the Iowa Annual Conference session, to be held in Des Moines June 5 - 7. The legislation proposed in many of the separation plans (including the Protocol for Grace and Reconciliation through Separation), provides that a plan approved at General Conference will then be considered and voted on by each Annual Conference. We, therefore, STRENUOUSLY remind you of the following:

• It is VITALLY important that each of our churches/charges send their allotted number of Lay Representatives to Annual Conference, so that they will be present to vote on any matter brought. We can’t stress this enough - every Traditionalist church that does NOT send a Lay Rep to vote FOR Biblical truth effectively gives another vote AGAINST Biblical truth!

• LICENSED LOCAL PASTORS ARE ELIGIBLE to vote on everything we are likely to be voting on. Repeat - LICENSED LOCAL PASTORS ARE ELIGIBLE to vote on everything we are likely to be voting on! This has been an area of confusion at times, and we want to state the truth in no uncertain terms!

• We urge all RETIRED Traditionalist clergy to attend Annual Conference in order to vote, as well. We are most appreciative of your service to the Body of Christ over the years, but we humbly ask you to continue your service to Christ by being present at Annual Conference, and sharing your witness to the Truth by voting.  

So, after all is said and done, one question remains - IS YOUR CHURCH READY TO MAKE A DECISION? The Iowa WCA stands ready to assist. We have developed a new website, with resources to inform and enable the conversation in your church. We will be adding new resources on an ongoing basis, so check back often! 

One of the questions that some in our churches are asking is “why the Wesleyan Covenant Association?” We have created some GREAT resources to answer that question, which you can check out on our website - but we want to share ONE reason with you today:

MUCH MORE to come soon, including updated information about the School for Practical Ministry, and more resources for the conversation in YOUR CHURCH! Please continue to pray for the United Methodist Church, and the Wesleyan Covenant Association. 

In Christ’s love,

The Communications team of the Iowa WCA