Can the Global Methodist Church Become a Movement?

Now that the Global Methodist Church (GMC) has concluded its inspiring Convening General Conference, it is time to look to the future. The question is, years from now, will the record show that the GMC became a movement?

A missionary movement is often defined as many thousands of people coming into the kingdom in a short amount of time through ordinary disciples spreading the gospel wherever they are. This results in church multiplication that sweeps through a people group (What is a DMM? from Frontier Mission). The multiplication may be so rapid and decentralized that leaders may not be able to have an accurate real-time count of the number of churches and may learn of new church plants only after the fact.

A missionary movement is marked by white-hot faith, deep commitment to a cause, contagious relationships, rapid mobilization, and adaptive methods. Movements may be furthered by organizations, but they are bigger than organizations. They may have leading figures, but no one person or group controls a movement. They may not have members, but they do have participants (Steve Addison, Movements that Change the World, pp. 22-24; 28).

Without a multiplication movement we will not be able to stem the tide of secularization in the United States. If we are to fulfill the Great Commission and reach the expanding world population, we need more movements. 

Many Global Methodists today refer to the denomination as “our movement,” but it is more accurately described as a migration. We have been growing rapidly by existing congregations transferring in, not through the rapid multiplication of disciples and newly planted churches. At some point, the migration will end. If we want to become a multiplication movement, we must recognize that it will require that we change some of our mindsets and practices. 

The Early Methodists were a movement. They spread throughout England and the United States by multiplying disciples and starting churches by the thousands. But over time, movements become organizations, and organizations become institutions. (The difference is an organization furthers the goals of a movement, whereas an institution perpetuates and protects itself.) The Methodists were no exception to this trend.

It is hard to identify a denomination that started out as a movement becoming a movement again after it institutionalized. Can the Global Methodist Church break the mold by becoming a movement after starting out as an organization which migrated out of a large institution? Very few of us in the GMC have ever ministered in a multiplication movement context, so its mindsets and habits are not natural to us. But by God’s grace and power, becoming a movement is possible as we make some key shifts of thinking and practice. Drawing on the work of movement scholars, here are a few steps in that direction:

1. Nurture a culture of Holy Spirit encounter

Movements are catalyzed by Spirit-filled Christ-followers. 

The turning point of John Wesley’s life was his “heart-warming” experience at Aldersgate Street. The pivot point of his ministry, though, was his encounter with the Holy Spirit at Fetter Lane seven months later. He describes the moment: 

“Mr. Hall, Kinchin, Ingham, [George] Whitefield, Hutchings, and my brother Charles were present at our love feast in Fetter Lane, with about sixty of our brethren. About three in the morning, as we were continuing instant in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried out for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground. As soon as we recovered a little from that awe and amazement at the presence of his majesty, we broke out with one voice, ‘We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord’" (January 1, 1739 Journal entry).

Even after Aldersgate, Wesley struggled with periods of doubt and spiritual depression. Yet after Fetter Lane, those episodes disappeared from his journal. In the seven months after Fetter Lane, he recorded no fewer than 31 supernatural occurrences. He noted only two such experiences in the period between Aldersgate and Fetter Lane. David Juliano writes, “Aldersgate was the match that lit the fuse of the Methodist revival; Fetter Lane was the powder keg.”

Openness to the Spirit is normative where the Church is growing. Pentecostalism has been the fastest growing segment of the global Church for decades. It is predicted that in a few years Pentecostals will outnumber Roman Catholics, and by 2050 they will number one billion. Missionaries report that breakthroughs are often fueled by testimonies of miracles. This will be no surprise to the readers of the book of Acts or to those familiar with Methodist history (see books such as: The Supernatural Occurrences of John Wesley; Methodism and the Miraculous; The Supernatural and the Circuit Riders). 

For the GMC to become a movement, we need a culture that welcomes Holy Spirit encounters. Culture is what is normal for a group of people. Though there are certainly GMC expressions where Spirit-led life change is normal, to make that true throughout the denomination we can encourage local churches to:

  • Prioritize fervent prayer. Most revival movements begin with extraordinary prayer. 

  • Be open to the miraculous. Regularly share stories of God’s power changing people and their circumstances.

  • Teach entire sanctification. This Wesleyan theological distinctive is a needed antidote to the scandal-ridden reputation of today’s Church. 

2. “Release the APEs”

The Apostle Paul, when writing of God’s provision for building up the whole body of Christ, says that Christ gave his church “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11). The New Testament shows all of these callings and gifts working together in the Early Church. 

Institutionalized denominations primarily value clergy who are Pastors (Shepherds) and Teachers. Those gifted as Apostles, Prophets, and Evangelists (APEs) are often screened out or marginalized because they tend to act entrepreneurially and challenge the status quo. In contrast, multiplication movements are led by APEs and sustained by Shepherds and Teachers.

Denominational leaders can set the tone. The Wesleyan Church is a denomination seeking to become a movement. To that end, General Superintendent Wayne Schmitt called together the pastors of the largest, most influential Wesleyan churches. After they spent a day in prayer together, Schmitt released those leaders from denominational constraints, telling them, “You are free to minister as the Spirit leads you. Innovate, lead, create.” Those present described it as a holy moment. 

It is encouraging to note that a GMC Transitional Commission authored a paper on the role of the apostle, advocating that we identify and develop those with apostolic gifts. (Breaking out of the box: Apostolic leadership and the Global Methodist Church; by Warren Lathem, Sherri Tabaka-Morrissey, et al.) And practically speaking, church planters are often APEs by wiring. The more church plants the GMC starts, the more apostolic our culture will become. 

3. Choose permission-giving over control 

The axiom is true: you can organize either for growth or for control, but not both. That is because there is a natural tension between movement culture and institutional culture. An innate value of an institution is the preservation of the organization and its status-quo. The animating value of a movement is change. A movement is not furthered by rules; it is propelled and held together by shared vision, values, and mission. That is not to say that “anything goes,” but rather anything goes that is within the vision, values, and mission of the movement.  

Releasing control may be our hardest change to make since most of us have operated in a low-trust, high-control environment for decades. But it is worth the effort to recalibrate our mindset because control puts the brakes on movements. Here are a few practical steps to consider: 

Maintain a Simple Structure

The 1787 edition of the Methodist Episcopal Book of Discipline was only 44 pages long. There wasn’t much space for many “thou shalt not” statements. The first Methodists practiced permission-giving within the boundaries of shared values. 

The GMC Book of Discipline is not long and still under construction. Here’s a rule of thumb: if you don’t have to write it down, don’t. It is easier to be permission-giving if there are few times permission is required. Where trust is high, rules are few. 

Tolerate Messy

Winfield Bevins writes, “Movements are messy” (see The Marks of a Movement). Organizations often seek to eliminate the potential for messes. Movement leaders are comfortable with ambiguity. 

Take Risks 

An organizational mindset asks “what if” as a way to prevent something negative from happening. A movement looks ahead and asks “what if” as a way of casting vision and building faith for what God may do. Faith steps always involve risk. 

Signs of Hope

I have never heard anyone say, “What the world needs now is another denomination.” But we desperately need another disciple-multiplication movement. The Global Methodist Church has a unique opportunity to become one. In fact, there are pockets of the GMC which exhibit the marks of a movement today. Disaffiliation has disrupted congregational routines, prompting greater receptivity to new Kingdom impulses. GMC leaders are committed and have paid the price for the freedom to participate in a new move of God. And most importantly, the Holy Spirit is moving among us. We may not yet be a movement, but as we stay in step with the Spirit, we can be.

Steve Cordle is the Executive Director of The River Network International, a strategic partner of the Global Methodist Church that helps to start and strengthen churches.

Methodism, Church LifeSteve Cordle5 Comments