PlainSpoken

Nigeria has been a particularly difficult area in the development of the Global Methodist Church. While it is seeing great growth there, it is under constant threat from the United Methodist dissidents who chose not to affiliate. A property dispute has often turned violent, and it has been difficult to ascertain the truth of what is happening on the ground.In this conversation, Rev. Sabo takes time to explain to me the particular challenges in his conference, where United Methodists are actually a bigger threat to the brethren than Muslims. Take some time to learn about ministry here, how you can support Rev. Sabo and his fellow workers in faith, and how to pray for that tense context. Thanks be to God who has been so faithful in supporting them! May we likewise be faithful in prayer.Link to give to Nigerian conferences through the North Georgia Conference of the GMC: https://buy.stripe.com/bIY3fO6jhcLAeBicMZ———————————If you would like to join my Locals community, where I give a full morning briefing, 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

JD Hall has been a public figure in Christianity for some time, at least in the world of the Southern Baptist Convention. He and another brother in Christ named David have managed Protestia for some time. It is a website and X account that does much to circulate information in excesses in the Christian faith. JD also published on Insight to Incite in Substack.JD is part of what he calls Christian Polemics, which he defines in this conversation as an in-house conversation about the limits of the Christian faith and what is rightly seen as orthodox, heterodox, and heretical within the church. Our conversation revolves around the notion of unity in the church, sanctification in the midst of conflict, and whether the response to heresy is rightly done by splitting off and forming new churches or instead by fighting to reclaim that which has already been built.For those of us who use Protestia as a regular reminder of how strange the Christian faith has gotten for some, I thought it would be good to know a bit about one of the primary minds involved. I hope you enjoy this conversation.Protestia Website - https://protestia.com/Protestia on X - https://x.com/ProtestiaJD's X Account - https://x.com/LostMyHatsInsight to Incite - https://insighttoincite.substack.com/------------------------If you would like to join my Locals community, where I give a full morning briefing (where this came from), 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

Rev. Dr. John Oswalt, a recent transfer to the Global Methodist Church and a great contributor to the field of Hebrew biblical interpretation, headed up the venture of a five-volume systematic theology for the average nonacademic clergy and laity. It is the first systematic theology to feature Global Methodist scholarship.In this conversation, Dr. Oswalt talks about the team that generated this work and the process by which they provided this resource. We also talk through the various fields of theology treated in these volumes and hopefully show how needed this was. Theology is interesting! We forget that sometimes. Hopefully this conversation is part of your wanting to learn more. If you agree that this is a promising resource, consider purchasing your copy at: https://store.francisasburysociety.com/product/holy-love-a-wesleyan-systematic-theology/You might also consider Dr. Oswalt's website at calledtobetransformed.netLet me know your thoughts on this conversation by commenting below. And make sure to share this with anyone that you think might benefit from such a conversation!———————————If you would like to join my Locals community, where I give a full morning briefing (where this came from), 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

This is just a conversation with a guy I met on the internet about the intersection of the Anglican tradition with Methodism in the US. He is one of the few people who has actually participated in a Wesleyan class meeting that pretty closely resembled how it was actually done. He has a lot of personal experience with the Book of Common Prayer (1928 version) and the daily disciplines that once marked Anglican Methodists. So we had a conversation about the challenges and gifts of such a setup for people today. If you would like to join my Locals community, where I give a full morning briefing (where this came from), 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

It was recently announced that Mike Powers will be retiring from the Conference Superintendent position of the MidSouth Annual Conference. Todd Chancey has been named as his replacement, to begin serving at the start of June. In this conversation, I get a sense for Rev. Chancey's history and beliefs. He has had a wide array of experiences that uniquely position to serve effectively in his new capacity. He can articulate Wesleyan beliefs winsomely without skimping on conviction. The man stands for something. Please take some time to learn about him and his conference so that you're better able to pray for them, and so that your appreciation for this new movement can grow.Conference Website - midsouthgmc.org Disaster Relief - https://onrealm.org/midsouthpac/-/form/give/disaster Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

I recently learned of the Wesleyan Holiness Connection, a Pan-Methodist organization aimed at reclaiming a larger foundation upon which all Wesleyans can build a future upon. The head of their organization, John Mark Richardson, agreed to sit down with me to explain a bit about what his organization does.We were able to cover a good deal of history and theology in talking about the work before him, and how it is that Wesleyan/Holiness people of all stripes can come together in common cause.Website for WHC - https://holinessandunity.org/———————————If you would like to join my Locals community, where I give a full morning briefing (where this came from), 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

Luciano Pereira Da Silva was once a party boy clubbing around Brazil. The Lord grabbed him out of that life, using a Methodist small group and a retreat to radically change him. Today he is overseeing the exponential growth of Methodism in Panama, planting churches and equipping laity and clergy across the country. He, his wife, and his daughter are pouring themselves out for the Lord, and he is blessing their efforts. With the help of the Trinity Conference, Table Church (PA), Asbury Theological Seminary, and others, Rev. Da Silva is fostering a new generation of evangelical believers to spread scriptural holiness across this part of the globe. Consider Rev. Da Silva's Book: "Rescued from darkness: Helping others find deliverance in Christ" - https://a.co/d/5Zk1pMO Also, visit Rev. Da Silva's church online to learn more and support what they are doing: https://iglesiametodistaglobalpanama.com/iglesia-metodista-global-de-panama Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

Steven Taylor had a life in engineering before the Lord called him to service in ordained ministry. Deeply formed by camping ministry, with a heart for the Northeast, Steven served in the Confessing Movement for many years before being entrusted with a lot of the leadership transitioning out of the UMC and into the GMC. This servant leadership was acknowledged as he was appointed to serve as the Conference Superintendent of the Northeast Annual Conference.This conference has the highest population of any of our American conferences, with huge metropolitan areas. Even so, it is only a mid-sized conference with respect to the number of churches and average attendance. Its constituency is not necessarily representative of all of the constituencies in that region. Even so, Steven trusts in the Spirit and is optimistic about future prospects of making disciples and spreading scriptural holiness.This was an edifying conversation about Steven's personal ministry, his theological insights in dialogue with demographic realities and challenges. Steven is liked and respected by many colleagues, and for good reason. I think it would be of benefit to many Global Methodists to consult his wisdom here in order to know how to pray, not just for the Northeast Conference, but also for our covenant body as a whole.Northeast Conference Website - https://northeastgmc.org/ Get full access to PlainSpoken at plainspokenpod.substack.com/subscribe

John Hollon is a Global Methodist elder serving in Ardmore, Oklahoma. He also leads the Heartland Annual Conference's mission and ministry work abroad alongside Superintendent McFall and others. He recently returned from a trip to visit our missional partners in Ethiopia.In this conversation, we talk about John's background, our hopes for future collaborative mission work in the GMC, and the reasons for why engaging in missional partnerships is so key. Anyone with a heart for spreading scriptural holiness across the globe is going to enjoy this conversation very much.To give to Ethiopian partnership - https://heartlandprovisionalannualconference.breezechms.com/give/online?fund_id=1903438Ardmore FGMC - https://www.ardmorefirst.org/———————————If you would like to join my Locals community, where I give a full morning briefing (where this came from), 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

What is it like to lose a church property? Ted Johnson, pastor of what used to be a United Methodist local church body, spent some time with me to tell his flock’s story. They have now come out on the other side, but it has been somewhat of a rough ride getting loose of the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the UMC. He and his people thought they had gotten free in 2021 when they changed their legal documents to reflect an independent status. Little did they know that, a few years later, the UMC would be demanding the property.I have covered Warrington a couple of times on my live stream, picking up first the statement from the conference and then reading an article published at AL.com. Many details were lost on me around how it was that the congregation may or may not have been acting in good faith. I have already done a good deal of coverage on this annual conference, on legal insights from Dan Parsons and Lloyd Lunceford, and on the Association of Independent Methodists, which is the new home for this congregation.I decided to be a platform for this conversation because I still very much have a heart for those left behind after disaffiliation was ended. Hundreds of congregations remain within the UMC because they are not altogether sure what might happen to their properties, their pocketbooks, or their spiritual wellbeing if they entertain certain options. It is only by talking through particular cases that local churches can do the calculus needed to make informed decisions. I hope that this conversation helps you and your congregation to discern your way forward.Consider Warrington Church at www.warringtonchurch.com.———————————If you would like to join my Locals community, where I give a full morning briefing (where this came from), 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