A possible global realignment involving Anglican and Methodist evangelicals may have moved closer.
It follows, firstly, the decision by the Methodist Church to permit same-sex marriage, becoming the largest denomination in the UK to do so. At its recent conference, delegates voted 254 to 46 to rewrite the church’s standing orders so that any two people of any gender could marry in Methodist churches.
This is prompting many evangelical Methodists to recognise that their position within the denomination is now untenable, and many may well choose to leave.
The situation is mirrored, secondly, within evangelical Anglicanism. Many are also carefully considering whether or not to remain, given the Church of England’s direction of travel. The Revd Angus MacLeay served on Synod for 22 years before stepping down last week. Speaking exclusively to Evangelicals Now, he said: ‘I want to stay in the Church of England for as long as I can whilst the doctrinal foundations of the 39 Articles and the theology of the Ordinal remain, and while I can keep preaching the whole counsel of God freely. If those foundations are shifted and faithful service of Christ is no longer tolerated, then that would be the sign to leave’.
The Methodist decision means that the church in Great Britain now affirms two contradictory understandings of marriage. Either it can only be between a man and a woman; or it can be between any two people. Not only will Methodist members and ministers be allowed to enter same-sex unions but members of the public may also marry their gay partner at a Methodist church.
The changes also contain conscience provisions for Methodists who do not support gay marriage. No traditionalist Methodist community will be compelled to marry gay couples, nor can any minister be forced to marry a same-sex couple. However, if they receive an enquiry, traditionalists must refer a gay couple to other Methodists who will marry them.
Evangelicals within Methodism have responded to the decision with sadness. One senior church leader, who voted against it and who wishes to remain anonymous, also spoke exclusively to Evangelicals Now, saying: ‘Long term there will be a significant drift away as evangelical leaders and ministers find other open doors to serve and worship elsewhere’. He predicts that ‘natural relationships will develop over the coming year with other Wesleyan church streams such as the Free Methodists UK and the emerging Global Methodist Church within the USA.’
David Hull, chair of Methodist Evangelicals Together (MET), said: ‘The Methodist Church has now aligned itself with a minority position within global Methodism. Many Methodist Conferences around the world are distraught that the “mother church” has abandoned them in making these decisions’.
However, the Methodist Conference refused to release the buildings and resources of any departing congregations. But in a letter seen by Evangelicals Now, Paul Houghton of Kingdom Bank (which was acquired last year by a group of evangelical City investors) has reminded MET that ‘the main reason for the Bank’s existence is to help churches with gospel priorities acquire property through long-term mortgages’ so it is possible any congregations leaving their existing buildings might be able to benefit from this.
The Global Methodist Church is set to come into being in September 2022. The move is widely believed to herald an international Methodist schism.
