PlainSpoken

Episode 1 of this new series where we look into different Wesleyan denominations. Jeffrey was able to sit down with Jim Hancock of the Congregational Methodist Church to discuss his branch of Methodism and how it compares and contrasts with other Wesleyan groups.Website Of The Congregational Methodist Church:http://www.cm-church.org/homeAdvertising 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

A number of folks have been impacted by the conversation I've been hosting here on my podcast. People are regularly reaching out. I find some of these helpful springboards for thinking through things more robustly. If you're interested in hearing the reflections of those who are both pushing back and also affirming what they see here, then I hope you enjoy this.It deals with local church governance issues, daily disciplines, reclaiming the Methodist heritage, and how to discern black and white in a gray world. 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

The Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church just held their annual conference meeting that last week. We go over some of the more surprising things that happened during the meeting and respond to them.Show Notes:https://www.bwcumc.org/news-and-views/for-bwc-its-all-about-love/https://www.bwcumc.org/events/2023-annual-conference/agenda-annual-conference-2023/https://peopleneedjesus.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/travis-knoll-incident-and-bwc-response.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

What do United Methodists believe about Hell? Being a "Big Tent" denomination there are inherently going to be a wide range of thoughts on such a controversial subject. But how pervasive has a rejection of the historical belief become? In this video we look at what some of the clergy and those at the top of the denomination now teach and believe. The Compass Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1igP9nvyO8Rev. John Farley:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubmawHWzKc8Adam Hamilton Vespers:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvbvpPxb98oUM Produced Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDmspkibuAAArrows Mailing List:https://www.readarrows.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

The United Methodist denomination and Global Methodist Denominations are not the only Wesleyan denominations. In this new series we are going to begin to look at other groups around the world that share the Methodist heritage and beliefs.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

After 193 churches left the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church on May 7th, 2023 the board of trustees has now made it more difficult for the remaining churches in the conference to leave. On top of the already stringent requirements leveled against those wishing to leave, the conference has now implemented updated disaffiliation eligibility requirements that make it almost impossible for conservative churches to leave the denomination. Show Notes:AWF Trustee Policy Update:https://www.awfumc.org/newsdetail/awf-conference-trustees-release-updated-disaffiliation-eligibility-17449917"Division Is Of The Devil":https://www.al.com/news/2023/05/division-is-of-the-devil-united-methodist-bishop-says-as-193-churches-disaffiliate.htmlJudicial Council Decision 1449:https://www.resourceumc.org/en/churchwide/judicial-council/judicial-council-decision-home/judicial-decisions/decision-1449Good News Article:https://goodnewsmag.org/judicial-council-eliminates-another-disaffiliation-route/Judicial Council Decision 1476:https://www.resourceumc.org/en/churchwide/judicial-council/judicial-council-decision-home/judicial-decisions/judicial-council-decision-1476#:~:text=The%20Judicial%20Council%20will%20not,a%20church%27s%20decision%20to%20disaffiliateDisaffiliation And The Coming Drop-Dead Line:https://wesleyancovenant.org/2022/09/02/disaffiliation-and-the-coming-drop-dead-line/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

With every conference I report on, I get things wrong, or I don't emphasize some of the details as I should. So I always get helpful follow-up and corrections from viewers & listeners. I got a lot of good stuff for this conference, so I knew I needed to issue a new episode. This segment has a few details about other conferences, but I mostly just read through corrections pertaining to AWF, which I think is actually pretty important as they are preparing to gather again to vote on things of consequence. Whether or not you watch this one, please be in prayer for them. The folks in this area matter just as much as anyone else.Links: First video on AWF - https://youtu.be/Xe9yojwTOA4Article on FUMC Montgomery - https://1819news.com/news/item/first-united-methodist-church-montgomery-considering-leaving-umc-denominationArticle on Bishop Graves calling disaffiliation 'of the Devil' - https://www.al.com/news/2023/05/division-is-of-the-devil-united-methodist-bishop-says-as-193-churches-disaffiliate.htmlAdvertising 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 week we take a look at the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. What makes this conference difference from the other annual conferences in the US, what controversies are happening in this area and how they are dealing with disaffiliating churches.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

Part of what I wanted to do with PlainSpoken is help to tell the stories of average people, clergy and laity, reckoning with the realities of the fallout in The United Methodist Church. John is a career clergy, most recently serving in the Mountain Sky Conference. He has severed his relationship with the UMC and is now GMC clergy. This conversation is sort of an exit interview. We do not bash the UMC, but we do talk about some of the structural realities. John even has kind acknowledgments for his former bishop and many of his colleagues in ministry. This conversation will not help people entrench on either side. It just shows how messy and unfortunate all of this is. Please be in prayer for John, and for all of the other conservative clergy who are in difficult positions to lead with conviction while acknowledging the cost that comes from such leadership.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

Dr. David deSilva is an expert in the Apocrypha at Ashland Theological Seminary. He graciously said yes to an interview, so of course I asked him about everything under the sun EXCEPT the Apocrypha. Probably not my smartest move. Even so, he was gracious enough to give his insights on the early church and human sexuality, especially as he is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church. Dr. deSilva is an adept apologist in the modern online world, a church musician, a husband and father. Please enjoy time spent with this learned man of culture and grace!Dr deSilva's Youtube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@UCNBOxRfM8VhwN228o33eTBAAdvertising 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