The United Methodist Church is, after years of inner dissension, at the beginning of formally breaking up. In some places (like my own Texas Annual Conference), the monetary cost of disaffiliation is low. At the other extreme conferences like Baltimore Washington have very high monetary costs. From the arguments I see on social media we are very far from what Bill Hinson called “amicable separation.”
From what I see, one of the most beneficial things we can do in this season is to gain/regain clarity about our identity as Methodist Christians. One of the helpful studies that’s come out in recent years is The Absolute Basics of the Wesleyan Way by Phil Tallon and Justus Hunter. I created a study guide for each chapter when we did it in our Sunday school classes a couple years ago. I thought these might be of use to others doing the study, so here they are for your benefit:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Bandits No More 