Key points:
- As the global United Methodist Church seeks to embody a vision of unity, it must also reckon with the different convictions and contexts that shape its people.
- While the church has removed language condemning homosexuality from its polity, United Methodists in the Philippines and parts of Africa have declared that marriage is solely between a man and a woman.
- In choosing to walk together through complexity, disagreement and change, we bear witness to a Gospel spacious enough for all God’s children.
Photo courtesy of the author.
Commentaries
In a world rich with complexity, The United Methodist Church continues to stand at the intersection of unity and diversity. Our Wesleyan heritage calls us to celebrate what makes each community unique while affirming that our deepest roots are intertwined.
Diversity, in this light, is not a challenge to overcome but a gift to embrace — a vibrant testament to the many ways God’s grace is experienced across continents and cultures.
The Wesleyan tradition, deeply woven into the fabric of our faith, invites us to honor individual journeys while never losing sight of our common spiritual home. It is through this tradition that we learn to listen deeply, love generously and build bridges where differences arise. To be “united by the Wesleyan tradition” is to commit ourselves not to uniformity, but to a unity that cherishes every distinct voice in our global choir.
We gather as one church, each congregation contributing its own color and rhythm to the greater symphony of faith. Our differences — be they rooted in language, custom or conviction — do not diminish our shared purpose. Rather, they illuminate it, reminding us that the Gospel thrives wherever hearts are open and communities are willing to learn from one another.
This commitment to unity amid diversity is more than an aspiration; it is our ongoing invitation. It calls us to move beyond simple tolerance toward genuine celebration of the unique gifts each person and place brings. In honoring our differences, we are doing more than preserving tradition; we are shaping a future where all may find belonging and purpose in the body of Christ.
Yet as the global church seeks to embody this vision of unity in diversity, it must also reckon with the distinct realities, convictions and contexts that shape its people. Nowhere is this more evident than in the conversations and discernments unfolding across the central conferences — United Methodist regions in Africa, Europe and the Philippines — where questions of theology, culture and self-governance come into sharp focus. The challenge, then, is not only to honor our differences as a source of strength, but to navigate faithfully the tensions that arise when deeply held values diverge.
It is in this space of both convergence and contradiction that The United Methodist Church continues its pilgrimage, endeavoring to hold together the gifts of local autonomy and global connection, the call to faithfulness and the invitation to mutuality. Our commitment to cherish every distinct voice must be matched by a willingness to engage in honest dialogue and compassionate discernment as we seek God’s will together.
The Council of Bishops clarified last May that central conferences are not compelled to adopt or accept practices regarding homosexuality if these conflict with their local laws or cultural contexts. This action came a year after the church’s top legislative assembly, General Conference, voted to remove language from the Book of Discipline stating that the practice of homosexuality was incompatible with Christian teaching.
In alignment with the bishops’ directive, the Philippines and African central conferences have since implemented policies upholding marriage solely as a union between a man and a woman.
Bishop Mande Muyombo of the North Katanga Episcopal Area affirmed in July the continent’s spiritual independence, declaring that African United Methodists will not be swayed by external ideologies that might contradict their cultural and biblical values. He reiterated the unwavering stance held by African United Methodist leaders that homosexual practice is incompatible with African cultural and traditional values.
This firm stance, articulated by the church’s leadership, has ignited both passionate support and earnest conversation within the African United Methodist community. For many congregants, these affirmations are more than doctrinal declarations; they are experienced as vital safeguards for the integrity of their faith and as powerful expressions of their right to spiritual self-determination. The position is viewed not simply as a defense of tradition but as a means of ensuring that the church retains its relevance and moral authority amid rapidly changing societal landscapes.
Yet, the language and imagery that frame this moment reveal deeper currents at play. In Zimbabwe, for example, the phrase “cutting the umbilical cord” resonates deeply, capturing both the pain and promise of embracing self-governance and stepping into an identity unmoored from inherited connections. This metaphor has become a rallying cry for the marginal advocating for a fully independent, self-governing Zimbabwean United Methodist Church.
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While the longing for autonomy is a natural impulse for any community navigating cultural and historical complexity, framing the journey primarily as an act of severance sits in tension with the heart of the Wesleyan tradition — a tradition that calls us to unity even amid profound difference.
When considered through Wesleyan eyes, the impulse toward separation invites honest reflection. John Wesley’s vision was never one of uniformity, nor was it one that endorsed withdrawing into enclaves of sameness. Instead, he envisioned a “world parish,” a communion marked by grace that overflows boundaries and draws diverse people together in shared discipleship.
Autonomy, when it leads to disengagement rather than collaboration, risks drifting from this vision of connection and mutual growth. The freedom found in Christ is not about turning away from one another but choosing to remain in relationship, affirming faith’s capacity to bind us together even as we honor cultural, traditional and theological distinctions.
Ultimately, the journey of The United Methodist Church is not defined by the lines we draw but by the bridges we build. As we navigate the sacred tension between honoring our particularities and claiming our shared identity, we are invited to imagine a church that finds its blessing not in sameness but in the rich interplay of voices, histories and hopes.
True unity — rooted in grace, sustained by dialogue and open to the Spirit’s leading — will never silence difference, but will transfigure it into deeper understanding and holy partnership. In choosing to walk together through complexity, disagreement and change, we bear witness to a gospel spacious enough for all God’s children.
May we have the courage to continue this journey, trusting that love will guide us toward a future where every member, every tradition and every story finds a home in the living body of Christ.
Muhomba is a pastor in the North Alabama Conference. He is from Zimbabwe.
News media contact: Julie Dwyer at [email protected]. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.
