The Hopes of an Orthodox Wesleyan Millennial
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“Hi, my name is Elizabeth, and I am a millennial orthodox Wesleyan Christian.” This is typical of how many support groups begin, with the individual stating her name and why she is there. Does anyone else feel like they need to be in a support group these days because of what we have experienced in the past and present state of The United Methodist Church? Let me explain.
I am often asked, “What is it like being an orthodox Wesleyan young adult in the UMC?” I was in my mid-twenties before I felt the need to identify myself in this way. I began to perceive how Scripture was being twisted and people were allowing their emotions to dictate what is truth. The desire to separate myself from that thinking became increasingly stronger. I encountered more and more young people who were taking progressive views on things like Scripture, evangelism, discipleship, sexuality, marriage, and sin. My wake-up call to the ever-growing progressive nature of my generation came when I found myself face to face with about 15 other young adults at a UMC general agency training session. The topic of marriage came up. It became clear that I was alone in defending the belief that marriage should be between one man and one woman. Sadly, since then I have found myself in countless similar situations. I have heard Christians praying to spirits other than Jesus or the Holy Spirit. I have heard people refer to a fourth person of the Trinity. I have been singing in church and discovered mid-sentence that the worship leader had changed the lyrics so that they no longer referred to a relationship with God, but instead referred to a relationship with each other. My eyes have seen crosses removed from sanctuaries because Christians found them offensive. I have witnessed myself and others being shamed and bullied by Christians on social media because of our differing views. My heart has felt the pain of sitting alone and being ignored at denominational meetings because others did not agree with my thoughts and beliefs. I have received a taste of the church that the progressives in the UMC want to create, and I can’t stomach it. My heart breaks when I think about how far The United Methodist Church has strayed from the central tenets of the Christian faith. This is not the church I want, nor is it the church in which I can live.
Over the last 8 years I have struggled with discerning how we as a United Methodist Church arrived at this point. Have I been a part of the problem? What is God asking me to do about it? I have tried my best to stand in the gap and be faithful when God calls. This has led me to being part of the Arkansas delegation to General Conference in 2016, 2019, and 2021, as well as serving as a WCA council member. Choosing to serve in these areas has been mostly terrifying and stressful. For most of my life I was just a quiet girl who kept to herself and avoided as much conflict as possible. This became difficult once I began getting more involved in denominational leadership. Much of my fear stemmed from the lack of confidence I felt to speak on theological matters. I am a lay person, not a seminary-trained pastor. Would I be able to stand up to arguments with which I disagreed? Would I be misunderstood and hated? What if my lack of theological training showed? These are the types of fears that crippled me and kept me silent. I am not the only young adult out there who struggles with these fears. There have been moments when I asked myself, “Why haven’t you just given up?” The emotional toll of losing friends, the constant spiritual warfare, and the battle to keep my heart clear of any bitterness has been enough to make me question whether this was all worth it.
I know this all sounds disheartening, but please do not misunderstand me. I have counted the cost and know that Jesus paid the ultimate price, so I am willing to go where He leads and speak what He commands. I believe this is our moment to turn what seems to be a no-win situation into an opportunity to clear and set in order the beautiful body of Christ known as the Methodist church, to use this opportunity to break the chains that have bound us for so long, and to seek the Holy Spirit and let Him guide us in this new awakening. My prayer is that this new awakening might start with my generation, the millennials. Believe it or not, we want content and Christian experience with the divine more than we want a rented-out warehouse with couches in place of pews and where the pastor is part comedian and part therapist. Many of us are tired of celebrity pastors, famous worship teams, and being entertained, because that is the church we were raised in. I sense that we have a whole generation that does not know how to recognize the Holy Spirit, are biblically illiterate, and don’t know how to discuss their faith with others. The church millennials grew up in is not the church they are looking for today. I cannot speak for all millennials, but here are three values I look for and desire in a church.
First, I want to be discipled in community. I don’t want a church that breeds passivity. I want to be challenged. True discipleship happens in an authentic community. Millennials are huge on authenticity, and they can smell a fake or ingenuine person a mile away. We need a church that is willing to speak the hard truths in love and not cater its theology to what people want to hear. I do not want another “fill in the blank” study that only talks about how to be like Jesus. I want a community to walk alongside me. When I have questions, do not just give me the answers, but say, “Hey, let’s look at scripture and pray together.” Young people are looking for a community that says, “Yes, we will be there when you fail or say the wrong things. We will be there when you lose your job or get evicted. When you are dying or in prison, we will still be there!”
Second, I want a praying church. Prayer needs to be interwoven into everything we do. I want the power of the Holy Spirit present in prayer and worship. Listening to the pastor pray for 5 minutes on Sunday mornings does not teach anyone about the real power of prayer. I want opportunities to pray with and for others, and to be prayed over. Prayer has become something we are afraid to do, not because we do not want to pray, but because we do not feel competent to pray. We need to see and hear that the common folk can be just as effective in prayer as those who have gone to seminary. Prayer becomes a way for us to humble ourselves and say, “God, we need you.”
Third, I want to have a high and sacred view of Scripture. Scripture is living and active; it is God breathing life into every word. I want to learn the text, live the text, and pray the text. We cannot expect to get to know God without reading and knowing His word. Church is more than just coming to hear the preacher talk, sing a couple of songs, maybe give some money, and hope to get something out of it. It is about meeting with God our creator. It is about getting to know Him, and the best way to do that is through His word. Most in our church today, including myself, struggle to spend ten minutes a day reading the Bible, let alone memorize any of it. Our lack of respect for Scripture shows the world that we do not really believe anything in it. We must reinforce the sacredness and importance of knowing the text. I want to be a woman of the text. “I want to know one thing--the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end He came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it: here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be ‘homo unius libri’” (John Wesley, Preface to Sermons on Several Occasions).
As I have pondered these aspects of what I, as a millennial, want in a church, the body of Christ, I am very hopeful! Let’s not let the current and past state of The United Methodist Church cloud our vision with hopeless discouragement. Stand in the gap with me, support each other, and do not let fear keep you silent. I need you. Our millennial and younger generations need you! Let’s not be the valley of dry bones that Ezekiel saw in his vision, but the dry bones coming alive as God breathes new life in us!
Elizabeth Fink is the Associate Children's Director at Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She serves as a General Conference delegate and is a member of the Wesleyan Covenant Association.