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Section VIII - Local Church Administrative CommitteesVery few people enjoy committees and committee work. Even so, the Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline of the Global Methodist Church has adopted a lot of the structure and stipulations spelled out for committees from The United Methodist Church. To our surprise, a lot of this stuff is actually pretty great. In this episode, we talk through the Church Council, the Nominations & Leadership Development Committee, and the Staff-Parish Relations Committee. I explain why it is that pastors are actually sorta idiots for not following these guidelines, as they essentially guarantee healthy functioning of a local church. I also tell a story or two from a dysfunctional church I served. Bigger news: TJ seems to be warming up to the idea that spelling a lot of these things out is actually beneficial. Maybe some of you likewise are considering how much of the old needs to be jettisoned? As always, we enjoy reading thoughts and comments in response to this stuff. If you haven’t already, consider recommending this segment to your GMC church leadership. We know it is a sort of dull topic, but it has huge implications for local churches, so we recommend you make it a priority. Blessings to you and your churches.Help support what we do! Consider joining our Locals community and getting behind the scenes content & connecting with us!https://plainspoken.locals.com/upost/4410860/welcome-to-our-locals-communityGMC Transitional Book Of Doctrines & Discipline: https://globalmethodist.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Transitional-Discipline.2022041257.pdfAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jeffreyrickman.substack.com Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Rev. David Wesley Donnan is a Global Methodist clergy serving in the South Georgia Annual Conference. He has a mind of administration, serving on his conference’s Finance, Administration, Pension, & Benefits committee. He is the elder at Glennville Methodist Church. He ministers to the GMC broadly through his website, daviddonnan.com, where he has links to articles and podcasts that he has published. He also regularly participates in Methodist-centered discussion on X, where his handle is @daviddonnan. David earned a Public Relations degree from Georgia Southern. He got his Mdiv from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2017 and is a doctoral student currently. He has served two Methodist churches since then. He is married to Brandy, a kindergarten teacher, with two young children. David is very into football, but he makes sure to post about Jesus and his church more than football. He enjoys a professional friendship with his President Pro Tempore, Jay Hanson, and many others across the connexion. He recently engaged in a back-and-forth with Chris Ritter on funding models for annual conferences, involving the tithes of active clergy. Yet today he is here to talk about how it is that the GMC will potentially utilize bishops in its new polity, which will be determined at its Convening Conference in September of next year.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jeffreyrickman.substack.com Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Rev. Angela Pleasants grew up in a Metho-Baptist family in North Carolina. She had obvious gifts for pastoral ministry that were eventually acknowledged even by those who didn't have a frame of reference for such a role. She is currently serving a vital and pivotal role in the formation of the Global Methodist Church. In this conversation, we talk about her personal and professional history, the experiences that have informed her along the way, and potential directions our nascent denomination may take. In particular, learning to name our baggage so that we don't reproduce the errors of our past. The conversation is much bigger and of more quality than can be adequately represented here, so I guess you're just going to have to listen to it...Angela's recommended resources on spiritual healing:1. The 5Q Method of Discipleship: five questions that will change your life by Matt Friedeman2. Lord I Want to Be Whole by Stormie Omartian 3. Emotional Survival for law enforcement by Kevin Gilmartin (even though this is for LEO there is so much anyone can learn)4. Emotional intelligence 2.0 is another good read.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jeffreyrickman.substack.com Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Section VII - Organization & AdministrationThis week we dive even further into part 3 of the GMC Transitional Book of Doctrines & Discipline. While most of these paragraphs are mundane organizational framework there does appear to be some problematic language that may be a holdover from the UMC around the gauge language of "Inclusion". Join us and our friend Spencer as we discuss the good and the bad in paragraphs 336 - 342.Help support what we do! Consider joining our Locals community and getting behind the scenes content & connecting with us!https://plainspoken.locals.com/upost/4410860/welcome-to-our-locals-communityGMC Transitional Book Of Doctrines & Discipline: https://globalmethodist.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Transitional-Discipline.2022041257.pdfSpencer's Substack: https://spencertabor.substack.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jeffreyrickman.substack.com Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Rev. Dr. Warren Lathem is a Methodist conservative thinker and writer who lives in Georgia. He recently published a piece on the Institute for Religion & Democracy’s website, engaging the critiques of institutionalist United Methodists. While I agree with many of his conclusions, the way he gets there sets up a lot of problems down the line. During my live stream last Friday, while taking a break from the Heartland Convening Conference for the GMC, my brother and I engaged the substance of Lathem’s analysis and held it up against, not just our personal theologies, but our personal experiences leading churches. Our hope isn’t to shut down conversation, but to make it more robust. In the comments, let me know what you think needs to be considered in these issues of how we understand church membership and what Methodist leadership should expect and promote within local church settings with respect to growth.To read Lathem’s article for yourself without my wordy commentary, you can go to: https://juicyecumenism.com/2023/11/01/rev-dr-warren-lathem-on-methodist-changes/Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jeffreyrickman.substack.com Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

At the special called conference of the Western North Carolina Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church (held only online), a 17-minute video of Bishop Ken Carter was played to set the tenor of the separation. His tone was mostly warm and pastoral, but near the end he turned paternal and controlling, instructing churches leaving on how they were and were not to act after separation. I haven’t seen anything like this yet and thought it worthy of note. What will happen if churches refuse to obey his commands? What if churches or pastors insist on publicly speaking about what they have experienced to be dysfunction, or even abuse? Also, where do things stand in Western North Carolina? Did any churches get voted down? What does the future look like?Links:Bishop Carter’s Full Address (or at least the version I found) - https://vimeo.com/881210107?fbclid=IwAR02jimNpNODzK_oiJMOHtcj33iG8daCVimR6esB2qaRqndbmPHRt3cbPPkReport on Disaffiliation by Western North Carolina Conference - https://www.wnccumc.org/november-results?fbclid=IwAR2YIHKEJr3Z4PbGJrqW2lCkUecTcyJ6W9ru4R4ch68SissKw-HUz_0S6_AAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jeffreyrickman.substack.com Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Karen Oliveto has been given the status of bishop in The United Methodist Church, even though, by the denomination’s standards, she is not eligible even for ordained ministry, much less the episcopacy. Since her ‘consecration’ as a bishop, she has revealed herself to be aligned against all forms of traditional Christianity, compromising the integrity of the UMC from within. Her continued standing in the denomination delegitimates among the episcopacy who continue to suffer the lawlessness of her administration.In this segment, I go through a recent piece she did and connect it some other work that I have done, as well as some previous reporting on her claiming to be a Muslim and railing against the ‘basket of deplorables’ culture found within some parts of the UMC. This isn’t meant to preach to the choir (although I’m sure many choir members will appreciate this) so much as educate those outside of the Western Jurisdiction who may not know very much about her.Links:Judicial Council Decision #1341, which delegitimated Oliveto’s episcopacy - https://www.resourceumc.org/en/churchwide/judicial-council/judicial-council-decision-home/judicial-decisions/in-re-petition-for-declaratory-decision-from-the-south-central-jurisdictionConversation with Rev. Robert Barnes, in which he details the rigged dismissal of his complaints against Oliveto - https://youtu.be/Av4Z9ENR54AConversation with Rev. John Nadasi, in which he details the kindness of Oliveto - https://youtu.be/32rEGl0DHWQVideo Oliveto Recorded - https://www.facebook.com/MountainSkyUMC/videos/2247578005443624/?vh=e&extid=MSG-UNK-UNK-UNK-AN_GK0T-GK1CArticle w/ Picture of Oliveto Claiming to be Muslim - Lesbian Bishop Seeks to ‘Reshape United Methodism for a New Era’ - https://juicyecumenism.com/2022/01/17/lesbian-bishop-reshape-united-methodism/Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jeffreyrickman.substack.com Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

<This is an updated version with better audio>Simon Mafunda has been active in The United Methodist Church for much of his adult life. He has capably and conscientiously served. Recent developments in Africa leave him concerned about the institution he has given so much of his life to. In this talk, we address concerns around African bishops who seem to have lost loyalty to their constituents, especially Muyombo and Wandabula. We also look at the somewhat overt efforts to exclude the African voice from denominational discourse, whether that be by ‘regionalization,’ or by simply not getting invitation letters to them quickly enough to make it through the visa application process. Finally, we discuss examples of overt power being used to exclude people from the UMC in Africa who do not toe the line and quietly let themselves be taken advantage of.Africa needs to be understood. If you are invested in the UMC maintaining any semblance of righteousness, then you need to learn about what is happening and work to mitigate the damage. Otherwise, next year’s General Conference is going to look so racist that all will walk away in shame.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jeffreyrickman.substack.com Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

So many people are starting off with the Global Methodist Church without knowing what it stands for or how it operates. Given that so much misery was caused by the ignorance of doctrine and discipline in The United Methodist Church, the moral obligation of people now, if the GMC is to get off on the right foot, is to know and protect our new covenant body.For that reason, TJ and I have been walking through the Transitional Book of Doctrines & Discipline, which spells out how we are going to live together. In particular, this segment deals with ¶329 - ¶335. These sections deal with church membership, which turns off many people. It shouldn’t. Lack of discipline around church membership is what caused such misery when it came time to take a membership vote to disaffiliate from the UMC. Moreover, there is a lot of important theology about the nature and work of the church, as well as the nature of the relationship of individuals to their church, that bears some thought.We do the thinking and talking; we urge you to take the time and energy to go along with us as we cover this ground. We hope that this is a blessing to you and your church!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jeffreyrickman.substack.com Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Steve Blakemore is the Professor of Christian Thought at Wesley Biblical Seminary. He is the author of the recently released book Recovering the Soul (https://a.co/d/5CQ8mRB)and is the author of many scholarly essays, as well as popular level articles on philosophical and theological topics of contemporary concern.  His areas of specialization include Moral Theology (Christian Ethics), Systematic and Philosophical theology, as well as the contemporary problems of progressive Christianity and postmodern ideology.Steve served as a United Methodist pastor for 25 years before affiliating with the Association of Independent Methodists, in which he now serves a small rural church in Mississippi. He can be reached at sblakemore@wbs.edu.Isaac Blakemore graduated from Wesley Biblical Seminary with a Master’s in Apologetics. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of the John & Charles Wesley Center for Christian Thought and Apologetics; an ordained minister; sought after speaker; husband and father. Isaac's research focuses on the interface of science, philosophy, and religion. To learn more about Isaac and his content visit: isaacblakemore.com. He can be reached at isaacblakemore@substack.com. For growing in apologetics knowledge and skill, Steve recommends a podcast on Rumble called “Thinking is Good for You.” He also recommends the book 'Heresies: Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church' (https://a.co/d/2HKhlwD).Isaac recommends a book called 'The Fathers Know Best: Your Essential Guide to the Teachings of the Early Church' (https://a.co/d/dq5BH0I), as well as his organization’s website: https://jcwcenter.org.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jeffreyrickman.substack.com Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe