About 70 people, many of them pastors or elders at churches which had chosen to disaffiliate with the United Methodist denomination, gathered recently to learn more about the Global Methodist Church (GMC) as a possible alternative for their congregations.

One of two bishops in the GMC, Mark Webb, who grew up in Williamsport, spoke to the group, answering their questions, trying to give some clarity to the issues which have split the United Methodist Church (UMC).

At a special meeting of the Susquehanna Conference of the UMC last month, the disaffiliations of 141 churches were confirmed. Although the reason cited for the split was the disagreement over the ordination of gay clergy and the performance of same gender marriages, for Webb, the issue was much broader, involving a move over the years away from some of the basic doctrines of the church.

“The Methodist Church has given me opportunities that are beyond my imagination. Ways I’ve been blessed to serve to work with literally hundreds, if not thousands of congregations and laities across the United States and even in other parts of the world,” Webb told the group.

“As I stand here tonight, there’s grief because I’m no longer a United Methodist. I have dear friends who continue to be United Methodist. I want you to know that I continue every day to pray for the United Methodist Church and that God will use that church to help at least one more person come to know the love, the grace, the hope and the life that’s found in Jesus Christ,” he said.

Webb was emphatic that he was not at the meeting to speak negatively of the UMC, but in detailing his journey which led to him leaving the denomination, Webb pointed to the drift away from basic doctrine which prompted his departure.

“In 2016, in my experience, I began to see there were some leaders in the church who were wanting to move the church in a different direction, in a way that I would describe as a more progressive direction not just in the area of human sexuality. That’s the thing we always want to talk about, but I’m talking about a theological and doctrinal shift,” he said.

The 2019 General Conference was a turning point for Webb, when he realized that he “didn’t want to be a part of the conversation that continues to fight and to detract from what the church is called to do, which is to introduce people to Jesus Christ,” he said.

It was also at that time that Webb began to see that the UMC, in his experience, “no longer had the unity of doctrine, it no longer had a unity of mission and it no longer had a unity of discipline.” He also began to feel that scripture was being viewed differently.

“The way in which we were interpreting scripture was becoming more and more clear that there was a difference. The understanding of who Jesus is and the work of Jesus on the cross — I started to see some distinctions from what I believe were our core doctrinal standards,” Webb said.

Webb, who was serving as a bishop in the United Methodist Church said that he would be approached by pastors in his conference asking why he wouldn’t ignore parts of the church’s discipline as other bishops did.

“We did not have unity of doctrine, mission and discipline. To be a connection, a denomination, a group of people moving together for a common purpose, you must have a unity of doctrine, mission and discipline,” he said.

In order to move the church beyond that impasse, a protocol for separation through reconciliation in grace was established, however, Webb noted, no conservative bishops were invited to participate in crafting the protocol.

Then in March 2020, a gathering in Atlanta gave birth to the vision of the Global United Methodist Church. Then COVID hit and the world shut down. A general conference which had been planned by the UMC in 2020 was postponed that year and was ultimately re-scheduled for 2024.

Webb resigned his position as a bishop in the United Methodist Church and began serving in that capacity in the Global Methodist Church.

The mission statement of the GMC, Webb said, is “to make disciples who worship passionately, live extravagantly and witness hopefully.”

“The government says we must create the structure of a denomination but friends the Global Methodist Church want to be a movement — Holy Spirit-led, anointed, passionate movement that recaptures the best of our DNA as Methodists and relives that mission of spreading scriptural holiness across the land,” Webb told the group.

“We’ve got two core confessions. The first is submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We will be a movement to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, individually and corporately and we will recognize that the Bible must be the primary authority for our lives, individually and corporately,” he said.

Although the Global Methodist Church believes, according to scripture, that God made man and woman and that marriage is only between one man and one woman, Webb stressed that the church is not closed to anyone.

“We will be a ministry to all people, but we will call all people to experience the transformation that comes through the cross of Jesus Christ, and to live the life that God has created us for and call us to do. The Global Methodist Church is not a church that hates gay and lesbian people. If you’re looking for that kind of church, please do not come near the Global Methodist Church,” Webb said.

“The Global Methodist Church is not a church that will participate in acts of prejudice and racism. If you’re looking for that kind of church, the Global Methodist Church isn’t it. We will be a church that is in ministry to all, but we will call on people to live a life of holiness that God has created us for,” he said.

When asked directly if the GMC would allow members of the LGBTQ community to be ordained as pastors, Webb said that would not be permitted.

“I’m saying that all are welcome who come through the doors of the church to be a part of the ministry, receiving the good news of Jesus Christ,” he stated.