Random Thoughts and Ramblings

Author: Jonathan Tullos

  • Hello, Adams UMC and Sweetwater UMC!

    A photo taken of us just after I was ordained. Credit: Greg Campbell.

    We live in a digital age, and it’s not lost on me that one of the first things people of the UM church do is google the person announced as their new pastor. So, to the folks of Adams UMC and Sweetwater UMC who have found my website: Hello!

    My name is Jonathan Tullos (Tull-is), and I’m excited to join you all soon. I’m originally from Philadelphia, Mississippi, and I’ve been a pastor since 2012. I have degrees from Meridian Community College (2001 – Broadcast Communications), East Central Community College (2012 – Paramedic Science), Liberty University (2015 – Religion) and Asbury Theological Seminary (2019 – Master of Divinity). I was ordained an Elder by Bishop James Swanson in 2022. I’ve enjoyed serving parishes in Meridian, Mississippi; Stanton, Kentucky; George County/Jackson County, Mississippi; and soon, Lincoln County!

    I’m married to Jessica (Crosby) Tullos, a Franklin County High School graduate. For her higher education, Jessica attended and earned degrees from Co-Lin, Southern Miss, and Mississippi State. Jessica is excited to be back in an area that she knows as home, reconnect with old friends, and make new ones. Jessica has already been offered a job and intends to teach within the Lincoln County School District when the new school year begins. Some of you may know Jessica’s father, Rev. Johnny Crosby, a former superintendent of the Brookhaven District and former pastor of Jackson Street UMC and Meadville UMC.

    We’re licensed foster parents through Mississippi Child Protection Services (CPS) and we currently have two foster children we intend to adopt as soon as they’re legally cleared. We have a seven year old girl who will be entering the second grade and a three year old boy. Please forgive me for not providing their names here. CPS does not allow foster parents to provide identifying information about children in foster care online. They’re both excited about moving to their “new rooms,” and are excited to meet you all. We hope they will be a source of much joy for y’all!

    I know you have many questions about me, and I will answer some of them here for you. Please remember, however, that this is a mere snapshot of who I am. You will learn much more about me and my family as we get to know one another and serve God together. The first question I always seem to be asked first is about my theology. If I had to label myself, I’d call myself an orthodox Christian Wesleyan Methodist. Putting our faith into action is vital in reaching people for Christ, especially in a world that trusts the church less and less each year. I believe that all people bear God’s image and need to know how much God and God’s people love them. At Christ’s table, the invitation and welcome are wide. As such, I believe the church should use all means (including digital platforms) for ministry. For a time, I worked for Hard Rock Café, and I like to add a bit to one of their slogans: “(Love God), Love all, serve all.”

    The next question I always seem to be asked is my feelings on the Book of Discipline. When I was ordained, I made a vow before God and our annual conference that I would submit to the order and discipline of the United Methodist Church. I took that vow seriously and continue to do so. In short: I will uphold and obey the Book of Discipline.

    A final frequently asked question is what I like to be called. Well, you can call me whatever you want, just don’t call me late for supper! Seriously, Brother Jonathan, Pastor Jonathan, or whatever you typically call your pastor is perfectly fine. I rarely use the title “Reverend” in anything but formal settings or in letters.

    I hope this gives you a positive first glimpse into me and my family. We’re eager to meet you all and can’t wait to become part of your community and your lives. Once again, know that I’m praying for all of you and your pastors who are also transitioning. Your prayers for us and my current congregations are appreciated. Until moving day, God bless you all! We’ll see you soon.

    In Christ,

    Bro. Jonathan

  • The Impact of Disaffiliation on This Pastoral Family

    men's white dress shirt

    If you follow me on social media, you know that one of my churches has voted to leave the United Methodist Church. Their decision has a far-reaching effect on many fronts, including impacts on my family and me. As I am committed to remaining in the United Methodist Church, we will be uprooting ourselves and going to a new appointment that our bishop and cabinet discern best suited for my gifts and graces. Before I go further, let me be clear about a couple of things: 1: I’m not here to criticize my congregation’s decision, although I disagree with it for many reasons (I have shared these views with the leadership on multiple occasions). 2: I am not looking for sympathy or throwing a pity party. This post is me telling you how disaffiliation affects pastoral families because I have not seen a lot of discussion on this front. I believe people need to understand that disaffiliation has impacts beyond the congregation, the annual conference, and the general church.

    The most obvious impact for me is that I will have to move to a new appointment, thus (most likely – the cabinet is still discerning where to send other pastors and me) ending my ministry at both churches I serve. My other church cannot afford my salary on its own, and as I’m an Elder in Full Connection, I must serve full-time. I have loved serving my parish, and we have been through a lot together. When I first moved here, COVID-19 was beginning, so we navigated the tangled mess of two in-person shutdowns mandated by our bishop, social distancing, masking, and all the other things that came along during the pandemic. It was here that I grew in my skills related to social media and live streaming, was reminded of the importance of phone calls and text messages, and how to try and hold two new-to-me churches together while we had to be separate. Here is where I learned about being creative in bringing internet access and streaming capabilities to two churches in the middle of nowhere and where I could use those skills to help a nearly 200-year-old camp meeting revival join the digital age. We have mourned the loss of loved ones together, celebrated new people coming into the churches, and met many needs in the community. I don’t believe that God is finished with either of these congregations, and I hope they keep growing in Christ and making disciples.

    Not only have we weathered the ups and downs of the church, my family and I have had many events during our nearly three years here. When we moved here, we had a foster child that we hoped we would get to adopt. These churches walked along with us and cried with us when she left our home to return to her biological family (we’re thankful that this ended up being a positive thing for her, though we still miss her very much). They celebrated with us when the local CPS office was able to place two other children with us, who it looks like we will get to adopt by the time it’s all said and done (their cases are different, and both are on track to be legally available for adoption soon).

    The act of moving is not something I’m looking forward to. On top of the obvious tasks of packing up my office and boxing up our things in the parsonage, I have to say goodbye to these people I’ve grown to love. I have to depart a community that I have been able to be involved in through participating in events and being part of the volunteer fire department. My wife will have to (likely) find a new school to teach at, and my kids will have to adjust to a new house, school, and daycare.

    Many people take for granted the nature of itineracy. It’s naturally assumed that those of us who agreed to go and serve where we are sent would move silently and without emotion. For many of us, that does happen, at least it seems to. We – the clergy – don’t voice our lament very often. Yet, when a move is unexpected or due to sad circumstances, people should know that we go, but we don’t go without sorrow, grief, and sadness. Grief is especially the case for my family and me due to this move coming about because of disaffiliation. My father-in-law served this appointment when he returned from seminary, so Jessica remembers spending some of her growing up in the same parsonage that we now call home. She remembers people still here and those who have departed to the church triumphant as being like other grandparents, aunts, and uncles to her and her sister. For her, the grief is also raw and honest.

    I believe naming and expressing our grief is healthy. But, again, please don’t see this as me asking for pity or ranting against Pleasant Hill’s decision (even if I disagree, I will never fault a congregation for going in a direction they genuinely believe God is leading them). I hope that people understand that disaffiliation has far-reaching consequences beyond church doors. As I prepare for whatever is next, I thank God for our time here and mourn what feels like a profound personal loss.

  • Abolish the Jurisdictional System

    In this season of splintering in the United Methodist Church, the most common questions I see are about accountability. “Why can’t the bishops hold themselves accountable for breaking the discipline?” “Why can’t we (whoever that may be) make a complaint?” “Why can’t someone do something?” As it turns out, there is a very simple explanation for the lack of accountability within the United Methodist Church.


    It’s because of the jurisdictional system.

    Recall that a split into northern and southern Methodist factions happened just prior to the civil war over the issue of slavery. When the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC), the Methodist Episcopal Church-South (MECS) and Methodist Protestant churches came together in 1938, there was a lot of wrangling by the southern church over the issue of receiving bishops from the north. Simply, the southern church did not want someone from outside of the south coming to one of their annual conferences to impose desegregation on them. One has to remember that this is still the era of Jim Crow where blacks and whites were separated in nearly every facet of society. Worship services were not exempt from this. Even if African Americans were allowed to attend services in white churches, they had to sit in separate places such as a balcony. The southern church had no desire to change this and didn’t want some “yankee” telling them they had to.

    Other attempts at reunification of the Methodists had failed in the 1920s over polity issues (again, the southern church did not want northern bishops imposing on their system of segregation). In the 1930s, talks resumed and a compromise plan came together.

    This third plan for a unified church came before the MEC and MPC general conferences in 1936. Because it was a “bundle of compromises,” it had several features that made one or another of the parties uncomfortable. One was the jurisdiction system, which seemed to some Northerners more likely to divide than to unite. Another was the continued use of bishops, which made some MPs remember that their denomination had left the main church in large part because of powerful bishops. Another was the Judicial Council, which drained power from the MEC general conference and from the MECS bishops. Even then, some in the Southern church still feared the MEC predominance in the proposed general conference. But solid majorities in each denomination decided they could live with all that.

    https://archives.gcah.org/bitstream/handle/10516/9808/Methodist-History-2015-10-Sledge.pdf?sequence=1

    The jurisdictional system ensured that bishops would not be appointed by the General Conference and that the jurisdictions themselves would elect and deploy bishops. Quite simply, the MECS did not want a northern bishop coming in and trying to undo Jim Crow. Sadly, the MEC was already practicing segregation and there had been little interest in changing the status quo. The formation of the jurisdictional system is what allowed “separate but equal” to fully take hold with the formation of the Central Jurisdiction.

    The proposed Central Jurisdiction was a racially-based alignment of annual conferences, counterpart to five geographically-based white jurisdictions. The concept was a compromise, since the MECS favored the creation of a separate but allied Negro Methodist church encompassing the AME, AME Zion, CME and MEC black memberships. The white and black Methodist churches would then relate to each other in a fashion similar to the MECS-CME connection. The MECS delegates did not get their way on his point. The compromise plan called for the creation of a race-based Central Jurisdiction which would be within the fellowship of the new church, but with personal interaction only at the general level.

    https://archives.gcah.org/bitstream/handle/10516/9808/Methodist-History-2015-10-Sledge.pdf?sequence=1

    These bishops would not be accountable to the general church, rather to their jurisdiction and the jurisdiction’s College of Bishops. Since bishops would not be deployed at the general church level, they could not be held accountable to the general church. The Council of Bishops, while a denominational body, has very limited power to hold each other accountable. It’s ultimately up to the jurisdictional College of Bishops to handle complaints made against bishops. What’s more, a clergy or layperson in one jurisdiction cannot make a complaint against a bishop in another jurisdiction because they have no standing to do so. In other words, I could not send a complaint in on a bishop serving in the South-Central Jurisdiction because I am a member of the Mississippi Annual Conference in the Southeastern Jurisdiction.

    I contend that many of the current problems within the United Methodist Church could have been avoided if we had done the right and just thing by abolishing the jurisdictional system in 1968. Simply put, the jurisdictional system is a relic of racism that should never have existed in the first place. In the year of our Lord 2023, such a system has no place within the UMC, let alone in any denomination. The Judicial Council has ruled that, since bishops are accountable to their jurisdictions (see Decision 1341), the general church has virtually no means by which to hold bishops who go against the Book of Discipline accountable. Accountability has been a major complaint of those wishing to leave the UMC.

    Why, then, have many of these same people been in favor of retaining the jurisdictional system? I won’t even begin to speculate on that, other than to say that they see the current system as benefitting them. As I was told once, “At least it keeps us from getting a gay bishop.”

    I agree that there needs to be more transparency and more accountability within the United Methodist Church. There needs to be consequences for those who break their vows in any way to uphold the church discipline and to obey the order. So long as we are five churches (jurisdictions) within a church (the UMC), I believe that we will continue to have these issues. Among my many hopes for GC 2024 is that we begin the work of abolishing the scar that is the jurisdictional system.

  • Sermon: Revival!

    More or less, here is the sermon I preached today at Salem United Methodist Church and Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church. Initially, the title was “I Say…” but I made a game-time decision (appropriate since it’s the day of that big football game that I don’t have permission to use the name of) to talk about a portion of the Sermon on the Mount with the revival at Asbury University as a backdrop. May you be blessed by my attempt to flesh out what the Savior has to say about how His people are to live.

    “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’[a] 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone,[b] you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,[c] you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone,[d] you are in danger of the fires of hell.[e] 23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice[f] at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. 25 “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.[g] 27 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’[h] 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 So if your eye—even your good eye[i]—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your hand—even your stronger hand[j]—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 31 “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’[k] 32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery. 33 “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’[l] 34 But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. 35 And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. 36 Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. 37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

    Matthew 5:21-27 (NLT)

    A big buzzworthy event that’s been hopping around in Christian circles over the last few days is of a revival that broke out on Thursday at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. A chapel service began that morning and has not stopped, with reports of various events being shared. This seems to be nothing short of the beginnings of a fresh movement of the Holy Spirit, one I hope continues to spread and take hold. The spread has already started with students from Asbury Seminary across the street going to AU to participate, students at the University of Kentucky reporting sparks of revival on their campus, Ohio Christian University, and others. It seems God is up to something, and this truly excites me.

    Perhaps you have labeled me a skeptic of the movement if you’ve seen my Facebook posts and a blog article about it. Yesterday alone, I was accused of hoping this revival is fake, even having multiple people question my faith and qualification to be a pastor. To try and make my position clear: I do not hope this is fake. I’m very confident this is a movement of the Holy Spirit. My misgivings are that I have seen countless times where God has moved, and the movement has caught on and taken on a life of its own, and people have traveled to the event to witness it and say they were there. I have witnessed “revivals” where the emotional aspect was shown, people got lost in it, and once the emotions were gone, they did nothing with what God was moving them to do.

    I want revival. We need revival. But we need more than a moment in time.  Holy Spirit brought revival is fully realized in the fruit it bears for the kingdom, not by a moment in time at one place or even a few places. That’s why my approach is “wait and see.” Nothing more.

    We pray for revival all the time. I hear from many of you about the need for revival in our world. When we have the camp meeting or attend a revival at another church, I often hear of how wonderful it feels to be in God’s presence. I agree that it’s incredible! But what do we do with that once we’ve left the tabernacle or the service? If we feel our souls awakened for the first time or reawaked for the first time in a while, we can’t sit on it and call it good. Remember, Jesus taught us last week that we are to be salt and light and that unless our flavor is active and our light fully visible, we are useless in the kingdom. Genuine revival leads us to show God’s love, not simply feel good for a few minutes and move on with our lives as if nothing happened.

    We’re still in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is teaching his audience of Jewish disciples in ways that they would be able to understand. He is expanding on the teachings of the Torah and of the prophets and giving them new ideas of what it’s like to live as God’s people. A lot of what he’s going over here are the rules by which Jewish people lived. In looking over this set of rules, it seems that it keeps boiling down to that way we can sum up most of the other teachings of God: Love God above all else and treat others the way you want to be treated. Here, Jesus is expanding on what all of that even means. As Jesus is the Messiah, he’s laying out the case for what living under God’s new covenant kingdom will be like, and what the expectations of discipleship and living in the way are. Jesus is letting us know that our relationships with other people matter. Jesus is introducing what the Christian community – the church – should look and act like.

    As some of you probably want to say to me from time to time, Jesus has gone from preaching to meddling. No one enjoys their toes being stepped on, but Jesus was stepping and showing no mercy. And immediately, Jesus gives a teaching on a hot-button issue: Anger. We love to hold grudges and want to hurt people back even worse than they hurt us. Jesus says not only is this mindset sinful but goes to the extent that a sacrifice is not acceptable in the eyes of God unless and until the person making the sacrifice reconciles themselves to a person with whom they have had issues and makes amends. The idea that a sacrifice wouldn’t be accepted likely struck a major nerve with the audience and probably made them nervous. This lets them know that Jesus is serious about how we treat one another is vital to our discipleship.

    Of course, Jesus doesn’t stop there. He talks about lust, adultery, and even divorce, topics that would rile the dander of people today, perhaps even make some people blush. The way we view other people goes hand-in-hand with not holding grudges. When we lust, we’re making an object out of the other person, a means to some gratification for ourselves. You’re breaking a covenant between you, your spouse, and God when you commit adultery. I believe that’s why Jesus followed up his teaching on adultery with his teaching on vows or oaths. What he’s probably talking about is oaths made to the Roman emperor, but letting our yes be yes and our no be no has much power in other areas of our lives. It attests to our integrity and ethics, which we are called to hold in the highest standards.

    All of this translates to this: How you treat one another is vital, so vital that it’s the leading indicator of your spiritual condition. If you treat other people like garbage, the condition of your soul is no better than the pile at the George County Transfer Station on Beaver Dam Road.

    I believe that we are on the cusp of something extraordinary happening. I’ve felt this way for quite a while now, but we’re starting to see some of the first indications that God is actively pouring out a fresh movement of the Holy Spirit into the world. I believe people are being moved to confess, pray, sing, to testify in powerful ways. BUT. The thing about revival is that it’s only effective if we take the fire God has given us and take it out into the world. Jesus is teaching us here that how we treat other people is vital. I can tell you that actions speak much louder than words ever will. We can say we’re revived all day long, but if we don’t act like it, no, we’re not. If we don’t act as if God has moved in our lives, then all we did was go to a building somewhere, sing some songs, maybe say some prayers, or even testify, walk out and go about our business. That’s not revival. That’s self-gratification and self-justification. If God is truly moving in our midst, and we feel it, we must do something with it! Let us not hide our flavor or put our light under a sheet. Let us not continue to treat the people who are suffering as if they don’t matter. Let us not continue to claim to be Christians of any stripe and keep grudges, treat the people who ought to mean the most to us like trash, or show a lack of integrity, ethics, and morals. But, too often, we (the royal “we”) do exactly these things and dare to claim to be the people of God. Jesus says, “You can’t do that anymore if you’re one of my people.”

    Pray for revival. Long for revival. But when it comes, do something with it. Don’t let revival only be a moment in time that made you feel good; that was it. True revival only happens when we, the people of God, allow the fresh movement of the Holy Spirit to take hold, refine us, and use us to testify to the wonder of God’s grace, mercy, and love. Use words if you must, but actions speak much louder.

  • Real Revival

    Revival (/rəˈvīv(ə)l/), Noun: An improvement in the condition or strength of something; a reawakening of religious fervor, especially by means of a series of evangelistic meetings;

    Google dictionary

    I continue to dream and pray about a revival of holiness in our day that moves forth in mission and creates authentic community in which each person can be unleashed through the empowerment of the Spirit to fulfill God’s creational intentions.

    John wesley

    I must confess: I’m a bit of a cynic. I realize this is not necessarily a positive trait for a pastor, but it’s how I’m wired, at least when it comes to specific events. In other words, I tend to take things with a large grain of salt. I wouldn’t say I like to reject outright things attributed to God, but I cannot help but be suspicious and curious. I’m very curious about the happenings in Wilmore.

    Like many others, I’ve heard of the revival being reported from Asbury University, which has spread to Asbury Seminary. I’ve even seen posts on social media that indicate others are traveling to Wilmore to witness and take part in this event. In my excitement and hope of revival, I even shared one of the many posts online about the event, but I decided to take it down because of some observations made by some people on the ground and elsewhere. Then, I began to ponder what genuine revival looks like. I like how one of my Facebook friends said: “True revival begins with repentance and change, not warm feelings.”

    You see, revival is only valid if it leads to change and isn’t built upon simply feeling better about one’s spiritual condition. I remind us that Jesus never told the apostles and his other disciples to take their faith in him and hide it from the world, continuing to do what they have always done and to be the people they had always been. No, Jesus called them to work for the kingdom and called them – and us – to a new way of living. The gospel readings from the Revised Common Lectionary have us exploring the Sermon on the Mount, which shows how the Christian community – the church – ought to look. We are only revived when we repent and go the way Jesus calls us. If we continue going about our daily lives as if nothing has happened, then the “revival” has simply been an event that made some people feel good and nothing more.

    I hope the revival at Asbury is genuine. I pray the revival at Asbury is real. I pray for revival to spread throughout the world. I pray that God’s people rise to be salt and light as we are called. I pray that we put aside our desires to keep people away from the church because they don’t fit our molds. I pray that people know how loved and precious they are in God’s sight. I pray for God’s kingdom to come and God’s will to be done, not for the kingdoms and wills of this world to grow.

    I pray that my cynicism is unwarranted and that what’s happening at Asbury is genuinely something of God. This is one of the times I hope I’m wrong about something being “not quite right.” Why would I feel as if something is off? Revival services tend to evoke emotional responses and, unfortunately, once the emotions. are gone, so. is the so-called revival. Only time will tell if this is really happening.

    Christians are known for their fruit. The revival at Asbury will also be known by its fruit.

  • Hot Take: Predictions for the Global Methodist Church

    Since the Global Methodist Church has launched and begun holding convening conferences, I believe now is an excellent time to give predictions of what I believe may be in store for the GMC. I fully and freely admit that these are my hot takes and may or may not come true. Perhaps I should remind myself to return to this post in a year or two and see how accurate my predictions are.

    LGBTQ+ Inclusion Will Become a Debate

    I will give the GMC until their second General Conference before LGBTQ+ inclusion becomes a debate for them. For the people who say, “But this won’t happen,” well, as we say back home, “hide and watch.” It will. A small but vocal faction will bring this up, and the topic of ordination and wedding rites for LGBTQ+ persons will happen. Carve it in stone. It will happen. Why am I so confident? I’ve talked with pastors going to the GMC who believe this will happen. If they’re saying it, I’m pretty confident in this prediction.

    The Ordination of Women Will Be Challenged

    This is another area where I’m told there won’t be any challenges. I believe the one who believes the ordination of women won’t be challenged is either naive or hasn’t been paying attention. I’ve spoken with several clergy persons heading to the GMC who have all made similar statements: “I would never go to a church that wouldn’t allow my daughter to be ordained.” I believe them. However, I also know that the laity tends to be more conservative than the clergy. I know many of the laity – including women – who do not and never have supported the licensing and ordination of women as clergy. And, yes, I know there are clergy who do not support the ordination and licensing of women. I believe the ordination of women will be challenged very early in the life of the GMC, possibly at their opening General Conference.

    Small and Rural Churches Will Be Second Class

    Many folks who make up small and/or rural churches in the UMC believe they are second-class and do not receive the attention they should. I acknowledge that this does happen. Small and rural churches often receive pastoral appointments that are terrible fits. People in small/rural churches often believe they are asked to pay apportionments and receive little to nothing. While I do my best to educate my people on how they benefit from mission shares and connectional giving, I understand why many feel this way. In my reviews of the GMC’s discipline and doctrine draft, I see a polity and clergy deployment system that favors the larger suburban and urban congregations more than the small/rural congregations that currently make up the majority of any given UMC annual conference (including – perhaps especially – my own). Small/rural congregations that decide to join the GMC will find themselves forgotten and ignored. At the same time, resources will be diverted to support existing larger congregations and the establishment of church plants in affluent and/or suburban areas.

    Your Turn

    What are your predictions for the Global Methodist Church?

  • You Can’t #BeUMC While #GoingGMC

    Some time back, I had a conversation with a former Wesleyan Covenant Association member (they were also a WCA leader in their annual conference) who revealed to me that they were no longer part of the organization because they were concerned with their trajectory. In addition, a parishioner of mine told me she had a conversation with my former predecessor shortly before his death. He was a former WCA insider who purportedly worked on some of their proposed legislation. My parishioner says they were told not to trust WCA or the Global Methodist Church (is there a difference at this point?) because he did not like the direction the organizations were headed in.

    I’ve written extensively about my distrust and dislike of WCA and GMC because of their activities and what I believe is a sheer lack of integrity. While WCA and GMC may not be directly responsible for the misinformation being pumped out, they are complicit because they have refused to hold those spreading it accountable. This has led to many congregations making rash decisions based on lies, decisions that I believe will harm them down the road. The Instagram account @Gnarles_Wesley has been documenting the GMC debacle within their annual conference, including promises made to small congregations to have pastors in time for Christmas Eve communion, only to have GMC devote resources to planting congregations in affluent areas.

    I’ve said it once, and I’ll repeat it: The GMC does not want, nor do they care, about small congregations.

    And, why do I include the above? Questions about integrity, which leads to the true purpose of this post.

    I know for a fact that there are clergy and laity who have made their intentions to leave the United Methodist Church and to join the GMC well-known and who continue to serve on UMC boards, to serve as leaders, and who unashamedly share GMC social posts and who are actively leading their congregations out of the UMC (ironically, this is a violation of the Book of Discipline, Paragraph 2702). This is dishonest and shows an apparent lack of integrity on their part. The saddest thing is that many of these people serve on DCOMs, BoOMs, and General Conference delegations, positions with much power and responsibility. People planning to leave the United Methodist Church should not be in these positions, period, full stop.

    I don’t wish for any of this to sound lacking in grace or friendship. I consider some of the people I’ve talked about above friends and hope to continue those friendships for many years. Ultimately, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. With that said, anyone desiring to leave the UMC should stop the dishonesty and have the integrity to resign from positions that involve ministerial credentialing and their annual conference General Conference and Jurisdictional Conference delegations. If one who is in the ordination process in the UMC intends to depart for the GMC, they ought to stop the process immediately. To make vows that one cannot uphold (also known as lying) and accept a stole from a bishop they intend to serve no longer is a severe lapse of integrity and honesty.

    Jesus is recorded as saying, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24 NLT) While Jesus was teaching about money, this truth can be applied to having one foot in the United Methodist Church and the other in the Global Methodist Church. How is serving in the UMC while openly promoting and recruiting for the GMC not a lack of integrity? How is this not dishonest? I note this accusation hurled at the UMC regularly: the leadership lacks integrity. Does a lack of integrity make up for an alleged lack of integrity? Let’s say both parties are wrong: Two wrongs do not make a right.

  • Epiphany Sermon: “Magi, Did You Know?”

    More or less, here’s my sermon from Epiphany Sunday at my two churches. As soon as I started studying for this sermon, the title popped into my head and wouldn’t leave, so I ran with it. I hope my attempt to share the story of the Magi and ponder whether they knew who they were visiting is a blessing to you! – Jonathan

    Matthew 2:1-12 (NLT)

    Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men[a] from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose,[b] and we have come to worship him.”

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
    are not least among the ruling cities[c] of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
    who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’[d]”

7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

    During the weeks leading up to Christmas, two songs seem to be all over the place on the radio and playlists at gatherings: “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey and “Mary, Did You Know.” So many artists have covered this song, and I couldn’t name them all in the time we have today. I would be shocked if you didn’t know the song because I’m sure every one of us has heard it at least once. Perhaps you’ve heard it sung as a special here. Mary Did You Know initially written by Mark Lowry in 1984 and recorded by Michael English in 1991. I was surprised when I first learned that Mark Lowry wrote the song because I know him more as a comedian than a prolific music writer. Yet, he did. He has been part of the Gather Vocal Band and has some great singing chops.

    I get the question in the song; Lowry wasn’t the first to question whether Mary truly understood what she was being asked to do and the significance of the baby she would bring into the world. For the record, I do believe that Mary knew. She wasn’t an idiot, and she undoubtedly knew what the angel Gabriel meant when he said to her, as recorded in Luke 1:31-33, “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel[f] forever; his Kingdom will never end!””

    Today is the day we observe the Epiphany, traditionally celebrated on January 6th. We remember when the Magi followed the star to Jesus’ house, paid tribute to him, and even worshipped him. Of all the people involved in the story of Jesus’ early days, the Magi are the ones I wonder about. Did they truly know who it was they were going to see? Did they understand the significance of their participation in the coming of the Messiah? Magi, Did You Know?

    The Magi were far from dumb. These men were highly educated in many areas. Today, we may call them Renaissance Men, meaning they had knowledge of many fields but were not experts in most areas of study. Mike Leach, Mississippi State’s football coach who recently died, was considered such a man by many people. Another way of describing the Magi and Leach would be to say they knew a little about many things and were experts in a few areas. For Leach, it was pirates, war strategy, and the air raid offense. For the Magi, it was astrology.

    Above all, they were seekers of truth, and when they saw a star that heralded the arrival of the long-promised King of the Jews, they were intrigued. As learned men, they were familiar with the prophecies of Isaiah, even if only in passing. They knew the signs and that God would let His people know when the Messiah arrived. So, when all of this started to come together, they had to go and see for themselves. They also knew that the right thing to do in the event they did meet the king was to pay him tribute, which they did with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  We often imagine they each held a small box or bag of the stuff, but the more likely scenario was that they brought a lot of each and probably traveled in a caravan to carry it all. On top of being well-read, they were also a wealthy bunch.

    When they stopped for directions and met up with Herod, I imagine they felt very uneasy when they heard his request. Sometimes, we “just know” something is off, and Herod’s words would have given me pause. Indeed, someone as powerful as Herod would have known the whereabouts of a king within his realm. One reason for suspicion would have been that this wasn’t right after Jesus was born. The Magi’s journey likely took months, more than enough time for Herod to have been informed of the presence of the so-called king of the Jews. The Magi knew something was up.

    Did they know whom they were paying tribute to and even bowing to worship? If we believe in prevenient grace, we must assume they had at least an inkling. The gifts were indeed providential, as the gold and perfumes could be used to finance the family’s flight to Egypt to escape the edict of the firstborn males being killed. Frankincense and myrrh were commonly used, among other things, to prepare bodies for burial, thus creating an illusion of what was coming later for Jesus.

    Did they know? If they didn’t, they came to understand once they saw Christ. I hope they came to a saving knowledge of him, but I am confident that their encounter, and God’s prevenient grace, helped the word to spread in their part of the world of what God had done to save his people. Who would have ever thought a group of wealthy pagan astrologers would have been the first to lay eyes on the Lord and presumably tell of him? Some of the most unexpected people to be the first evangelists because I’m pretty sure… they knew.

    We say that we know and spend much time wondering if people like Mary and the Magi knew as well. But what about our knowledge? Do we know? Do we tell of the wonderous salvific love God has shown us in the Christ child? The definition of epiphany is “a manifestation of a divine or supernatural being.” The Magi had their epiphany. Have we? Perhaps, like the Magi and Mike Leach, we know a little about this and that about Jesus but are we experts? Do we know him and who he is? Do we know whose we are?

    Mississippi’s new bishop, Sharma Lewis, has issued a Bible reading challenge for all United Methodists in Mississippi. I hope you will join me in this endeavor to read the Bible from cover to cover through 2023. So here’s a resolution: Become an expert in all things Jesus in 2023.

  • A Christmas Eve Devotion: Light Has Come!

    Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Pexels.com

    This is, more or less, the devotion I gave at the Christmas Eve service for my charge tonight. We held a combined service at Pleasant Hill UMC in Lucedale. A video of the service can be found here.

    Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.

    The people who walk in darkness
    will see a great light.

    For those who live in a land of deep darkness,[c]
    a light will shine.

    You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
    and its people will rejoice.

    They will rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest
    and like warriors dividing the plunder.
    For you will break the yoke of their slavery
    and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.

    You will break the oppressor’s rod,
    just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.

    Isaiah 9:1-4 (NLT)

    Please take a moment and appreciate that we are sitting in a warm place with lights, running water, and heat. Right now, there are people even in our state who can’t make that claim. The arctic system that has brought us our lovely sub-freezing temperatures has caused havoc north of us in the form of snow, ice, and other nastiness. I’ve lived in two cities outside of Mississippi, and they are among the areas most impacted by the storm system. In Fort Wayne, Indiana, it was 10 degrees earlier today with a windchill of negative 14. Their forecasted low tonight is 5 degrees with a windchill of negative 15. Stanton, Kentucky, isn’t much better with a temp around 13 degrees, a windchill of 2, and a forecasted low of 9 with a wind chill of negative 5. Oh, and in both places, snow has already fallen, and more is on the way.

    I say all this to help us remember to be grateful and that the people of Israel were experiencing spiritual darkness and bitter cold. They felt as if no hope was to be had for them. Indeed, there were rabbis and others who knew of the prophecies promising a messiah, promising that Emmanuel would come, hope was alive, and God would deliver His people. But that was a long time ago. Many had given up, while others clung to the hope promised by Isaiah and others. Under the thumbs of people like the Romans and the Pharisees, the regular folks felt pressure from all sides. Pressure to conform to Roman culture, pressure to conform to the version of the faith that the Pharisees and Sadducees peddled. Even the Zealots had an influence demanding the people’s attention. People were crying out for the Messiah to come, for relief, crying out… for light.

    Indeed, our God is a promise keeper. God has never broken a promise to His people, and he was not about to start breaking promises where a deliverer was concerned. The light of Christ was about to enter the world, relief was coming, and life was being given to the people who had waited so long! The warmth of the Holy Spirit was also coming to comfort God’s people. God’s prevenient grace was already assuring the people that help was on the way. On the night Jesus was born, everything changed. The prophecy was fulfilled, and a promise made long ago was kept. God had sent the long-promised deliverer.

    As tomorrow is Christmas and we will be gathering to worship, we will not light the Christ candle tonight, but we do remember the night Christ was born. Look around and see the light that fills the sanctuary. Feel the warmth. If you’re joining us online, look at the light and feel the warmth around you. When Jesus came into the world as a baby, this was the spiritual light and warmth that had entered the world like never before. Grace and love were spilling into the world like never before. God’s people had been delivered. Today, because of the baby born in a stable somewhere in Bethlehem, we know true freedom from our sins, the warmth and light that only God can bring us. Love came down in a barn! Thanks be to God.

  • The Church’s Identity Crisis

    This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. 2 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 3 The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, 4 and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.[b] He is Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

    6 And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people.

    May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

    Romans 1:1-7 (NLT)

    Several times, I’ve met people who seemed to be going through an identity crisis. This seems most common at milestone years in one’s life, where one may feel the need to “find themselves.” Often, the person will look for contentment in things like Corvettes, boats, or something else with wheels. Perhaps they hope that their identity can be found in a new large house. Or, maybe, a new career that is so far out of their typical wheelhouse that the change seems outright bizarre. Or, in some extreme cases, the person may feel the need to “find themselves” by having an affair or even abandoning their family to live on an island in the Pacific.

    I believe the church has been. in the midst of an identity crisis for many years. The church claims that God is the supreme focus but often acts in ways that make us go “hmm.” We forget that our identity has already been decided. We are the people of God, we are beloved, we are forgiven. We are children of God. I believe Paul’s greeting to the Romans is intended to remind the reader of who they are and of whose they are. Paul goes to great lengths to remind us that we belong to God and that God has already declared us His beloved. That’s who we are and that’s the message that God wants us. to pass along. Not only do we belong to God, others are claimed by God as well if they but believe. That’s our identity.

    In a time when the church often acts like it doesn’t know whether it belongs to Jesus or to the world, let us claim our identity in Christ and Christ alone. Especially at the dawn of the Christmas season, let us renew our commitment to Christ and Christ only.