PlainSpoken

Christ established his church on the earth as an outpost of the Kingdom of Heaven, showing no partiality among men. No ethnicity or nation is given privilege under God’s reign. Rather, Christ’s high priestly prayer requires that we seek to do God’s will on earth as in heaven together. While there is almost certainly room for cultural differences and regional distinctions, such room is not a justification for separation or isolation. The church one finds in the Bible is an international global body that mutually watches over one another in love, each nation blessing and admonishing the others towards holiness.The biblical vision of the church requires that we engage in cross-cultural conversations about the nature of our shared lives in Christ. We must intentionally foster the connection that Christ builds between us. We must cooperate with our own salvation. This means talking to one another at some point, at many points. While this can and does happen in big conferences, it can and should also happen also privately, interpersonally.When Sègbégnon wrote a recent piece in Firebrand, creating a normative vision of what discipleship should look like in a fraught context (Nigeria), I knew I needed to try to understand his perspective. He graciously accepted my invitation, and this is the conversation that followed. We talk about nonretaliation as a universal sign of Christian maturity, the requisite qualities of distinctively Methodist discipleship, and the realities of religious life in Northwestern Africa.Sègbégnon was a gracious guest. You’ll like him. Here is a link to his article: “To Stop Africa’s Bleeding: The Pentalateral Solution for the People Called Methodists” - https://firebrandmag.com/articles/to-stop-africas-bleeding-the-pentalateral-solution-for-the-people-called-methodistsAlso, here is the book we referenced: “A Model for Making Disciples: John Wesley’s Class Meeting” by D. Michael Henderson - https://a.co/d/baf0knE Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Rev. Jay Hanson is the Conference Superintendent of the South Georgia Conference of the Global Methodist Church. He is also the founding pastor of The Chapel in Brunswick, GA. He has recently published a book on how to listen to the voice of the Lord, the benefits of which will go to fund the educations of GMC seminarians.In this conversation, I learn about Jay’s background, his faith and calling stories. We talk about theology around how the church should and shouldn’t acknowledge callings, how conferences can and should use coercion, and how to guard against excesses in the charismatic tradition.Superintendent Hanson is not particularly constrained by convention, nor is he motivated by fear or vain ambition. His story is unique, and his background has positioned him to lead boldly in ways that many clergy haven’t really known before. The GMC would do well to observe him, note the experiments he is running, and consider if we might learn from him.Links:“God is Still Calling” - https://www.inviteministries.org/store/view/god-is-still-callingThe South Georgia Conference of the GMC - https://www.sgagmc.org/ Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Harrison Bell is the chairman of the Finance, Administration, Pensions, and Benefits Committee for the Global Methodist Church. He works alongside several capable individuals to create, implement, and oversee the operations of this global body. He’s also the pastor of a vital local church in Alabama, and one of the many minds serving on our denomination’s Connectional Council (the central organizing body). The man has the birdseye view of everything.Rev. Bell was kind enough to sit down and visit with me about the work that has been done thus far in building out this increasingly impressive body. Despite the orientation towards minimalism, the GMC has been able to do great things at God’s initiative. The Lord has indeed been faithful. Though there have been many challenges and setbacks, all is running smoothly and the future looks bright.Consider spending some time to learn from Harrison about the dynamics at play in faithfully serving this denomination of over 7,000 churches across the world. What are some of the structural problems that have already been built into the GMC in need of correction at next year’s General Conference in Johannesburg? What is to be said about building insurance and health insurance? What kind of financial reporting can be anticipated in the future? Harrison was gracious to attend upon these and other topics with me. I hope you’re as encouraged as I was to learn about what has transpired.Links:Financial Reports - https://www.globalmethodist.org/general-church-finance Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Rev. Dr. Timothy Tennent has been an expert in global Christianity for some time, doing back decades. As I learned in this interview, he actually did a lot of work on one of the primary texts that I had to read in my seminary class on the topic.While Dr. Tennent is capable in many different faith-related disciplines, my particular concern was with attempting to understand the big picture as the Global Methodist Church starts preparing for our next General Conference. I did my best (it wasn’t good enough) to mine Dr. Tennent for a better understanding of our various partners in Christ throughout the world. We talked about persecution, privilege, and growth. We spoke of missiology, atheism, and Islam. We talked about some other good stuff. You should watch it or listen to it. Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Rev. Dr. Scott Kisker has recently joined the faculty at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is simultaneously a local church pastor, concerning himself not just theoretically, but practically, with the doctrines of grace and salvation. Fortunately, the Methodist heritage has prepared him for such a time as this.There wasn’t really any good reason to contact Dr. Kisker. His is a name I have seen over the years associated with my tradition. The way others talk about him led me to believe I would benefit from a visit. I wasn’t wrong. He’s an insightful person with the courage to say things that most people in the know choose to avoid. Plainspoken, if you will. He belongs.Even nonMethodists will enjoy most of this conversation. It is primarily concerned with understanding the ‘methods’ that were once successful in facilitating the revival seen in the early days of Methodism. We talk about small discipleship groups, what the word ‘Methodist’ must mean if it is to have meaning, and the kind of movement we are praying the world will see again.Links:Kisker’s resources on Seedbed - https://seedbed.com/author/scottkisker/Kisker’s book on The Band Meeting - https://my.seedbed.com/product/the-band-meeting/ Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Rev. Dr. Kenneth J. Collins is a well-known professor in the Methodist world, with a well-earned reputation. He has been a prolific author on Wesleyan theological history, with a gift for distilling complicated ideas in ways that are accessible for laity and expert alike.He has actually just released a new book (link below) in which he adeptly lines out the greatness of the Wesleyan theological heritage. So in this conversation, we talk a good deal about the contents of that book. But I also have many lingering questions about how all this fits together, how it is that we might rightly understand the nature and power of sin, of the new birth, and the normative Christian life. Collins, of course, was able to encourage and challenge me in this time, as you will also experience.I’m interested to know your thoughts on the content. Comment with your own reflections, please, and lingering questions you might have.Links:Dr. Collins’ latest work: “Generous Divine Love” - https://a.co/d/cBqGTDt“Wesleyans and Calvinists Together?” Article in Firebrand - https://firebrandmag.com/articles/wesleyans-and-calvinists-together Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Jaimie is my preacher buddy just down the road from me. He and I are both trying to keep our eyes on what matters when considering how to best protect and disciple younger people in our midst. He recently read ‘Scrolling Ourselves to Death’ and ‘Anxious Generation,’ both of which point to smartphones and screen posing a serious risk to the psychological, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of people today.All of us are impacted by this topic to one degree or another. Many of us who watch this look at screens way too much. Many watch pornography, many gamble. Others just piddle away massive amounts of time on trivial things that disable us cognitively. As a father of young adults, Jaimie wishes he had known these things before he allowed his children unfettered access to phones. As a father of younger children, I’m quite fortunate to be living at this time in which the deleterious effects of screens are being proven out.Listen, Jaimie is a fantastic guy. You will enjoy learning from him. Take the time to do so in order to better serve your communities and foster the healthy and holy development of the children and youth in your life. Also, protect yourself! No age group is immune. Be a good steward of your resources. Guard your heart by guarding your eyes.Links:‘Scrolling Ourselves to Death: Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age’ by Brett McCracken and Ivan Mesa - https://a.co/d/cBX2oV5‘The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness’ by Jonathan Haidt - https://a.co/d/8AVaMMR Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Johnathan Arnold is a weird guy in the best sense. He recently published a new, nice, hardback catechism, written for the modern world from a Protestant (primitive church) perspective. The questions and answers deal with topics both eternal and modern. It utilizes hymns, art, and various other means to inculcate new believers in the ways that lead to life. In this time, Johnathan and I talk about his larger efforts to build up the church for ministry and warfare in the world. We live in a time of doctrinal amnesia and aphasia. Rather than complain about it, this man that is barely three generations old generated a truly good and useful work. This is only his latest work, as he has been published in Firebrand Magazine and collaboratively runs a website called Holy Joys. He has a wife and children alongside him, leading a household in which these resources are being utilized. It works. You would be wise to consider the many resources he affords FOR FREE to you and your church. His catechism is available for free online, as are all his articles. The cost of the book is just for materials. Here are the links:‘A Protestant Catechism & Discipleship Handbook’ - https://catechism.holyjoys.org/shop/Holy Joys - https://holyjoys.org/Johnathan’s Firebrand Article, “If You Love Jesus, Join a Church” - https://firebrandmag.com/articles/if-you-love-jesus-join-a-church Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Are you one of the many people who is concerned about having bishops in the Global Methodist Church? Or perhaps you think that the process of selecting bishops is always fatally flawed by politics. Or...maybe you think something else about bishops. Well, get ready to learn.Chris Ritter is the chair of the Global Episcopacy Committee, which is broadly charged with all things pertaining to the bishops of the GMC. In this conversation, we talk about the process that has been designed for the nomination and election of our new bishops, which will be executed for the first time over the coming year.Thanks to Tyson Heins and Dianne Burnett, we had a very helpful flowchart to follow. Chris did a great job lining out the project and explaining things logistically and theologically. Chris has a head for process and a heart for true religion. Clark Atkins and Wes Griffin, both in similar positions to Chris, have shown the high quality work being done by many in these volunteer positions. Chris matches their quality and does a great deal to show the worth of GMC leadership.Spend some time with us. It’s good for you.Links:Overview Document:https://irp.cdn-website.com/1876eae9/files/uploaded/Episcopal+Election+Process+English.pdfDiscernment Guide for Delegationshttps://irp.cdn-website.com/4829cd2f/files/uploaded/ENGLISH_Discernment+Guide+for+Delegations+to+General+Conference+2026.pdfThe Flow Chart:https://irp.cdn-website.com/4829cd2f/files/uploaded/2025-09-25_Episcopal+Election+Process_v2.pdfThese resources are available in additional languages here:https://www.beautyofholiness2026.org/preliminary-documentsChris Ritter post GMC News and Links at on the following Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575985959116Chris Ritter’s Blog:www.peopleneedjesus.net———————————If you would like to join my Locals community to help support this ministry, go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter!If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com.If you would like to subscribe to the PlainSpoken Podcast Substack, where I publish articles, video, and audio pertaining to Methodism and the culture war, you can go to plainspokenpod.substack.com.If you’re not interested in any of that stuff, but you want to give directly to my church, you can go to https://tithe.ly/give?c=2198808 and make a donation there. Thanks! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

So it turns out the Kingdom Advancement Connectional Commission is composed of all-stars who have been meeting for years. Most of these groups at the head of the GMC have been recently-organized and are just now producing work together. Rev. Dr. Griffin and many of his team have been designing a robust theological and logistical framework for great work in the fields of mission, evangelism, disaster response, church planting, and perhaps even the strengthening of the persecuted church.This group is much more serious and capable than I had previously appreciated. Wes and his team are gifted, and it seems to me, raised up for such a time as this for the work at hand. I don’t think the GMC has been composed to buttress a certain worship style, or even necessarily a certain polity, but to spread scriptural holiness across the globe with a certain efficacy that only Methodists have been able to muster in the past.If you want a portrait of what servant leadership looks like, which is both capable and faithful, you would do well to spend time with Wes. For those of us who have learned to be very skeptical about the quality of leadership at the top of institutions, we need to take the time to consider if perhaps quality leadership can actually rise to the top. Maybe the GMC is something worth being optimistic about.Something else we may need to reconsider is our disposition against any sort of muscular structure at the top of our denomination. Wes and his crew are potentially designing a number of things that can only be rightly supported and implemented with some institutional muscle. I think we would do well to go ahead and consider how much baby we want to throw out with the bathwater of the UMC. Perhaps it is possible to do some of the same stuff we were doing over there, but better. Maybe it isn’t so naive to imagine such a thing.I want to hear your thoughts on these things. Seriously, what do you think?———————————If you would like to join my Locals community to help support this ministry, go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter!If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com.If you would like to subscribe to the PlainSpoken Podcast Substack, where I publish articles, video, and audio pertaining to Methodism and the culture war, you can go to plainspokenpod.substack.com.If you’re not interested in any of that stuff, but you want to give directly to my church, you can go to https://tithe.ly/give?c=2198808 and make a donation there. Thanks! Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe