“We are the United Methodist Church not interested in continuing sexism, racism, homophobia, irrelevancy and decline,” he said.
He urged the UMC, even as it suffers defections, to think of May 1 as its launch day as well. He said he prays the infighting will stop and the UMC will rediscover its mission to make disciples for Christ. “The constant fighting, the vitriolic rhetoric, the punitive behaviors have no place in how we preserve and promote our witness as Christian believers.” Bishop Thomas Bickerton, who became the Council of Bishops’ new president Friday, described the launch of the new movement as a “sad and sobering reality.” Bickerton said he regrets any departure from the UMC and values the denomination’s diversity of thought.
