Since General Conference 2019, a group of centrist and progressive clergy from East Ohio have formed a coalition in opposition to the Traditional Plan. This group has worked hard to gather a group of candidates for General Conference 2020 who agree that the Traditional Plan is untenable and that they will not support the Plan.
At the same time, a group of 10 centrist and progressive lay and clergy from our conference was meeting with 600 other like minded United Methodists in Kansas City for the UM NEXT gathering. At that meeting, attendees agreed on a set of four tenets:
- We long to be passionate followers of Jesus Christ, committed to a Wesleyan vision of Christianity, anchored in scripture and informed by tradition, experience and reason as we live a life of personal piety and social holiness.
- We commit to resist evil, injustice and oppression in all forms and toward all people and build a church which affirms the full participation of all ages, nations, races, classes, cultures, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities.
- We reject the Traditional Plan approved at General Conference 2019 as inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ and will resist its implementation.
- We will work to eliminate discriminatory language and the restrictions and penalties in the Discipline regarding LGBTQ persons. We affirm the sacred worth of LGBTQ persons, celebrate their gifts, and commit to being in ministry together.
East Ohio UM NEXT Attendees are in alignment with EO Forward, and as such, we will combine our efforts and become one group, EO NEXT. Look for more information at and after Annual Conference as we encourage one another and gather together to stay, reform and resist in our beloved United Methodist Church.
Fear Not
The EO NEXT team