By Michael Gryboski, Editor
A theologically conservative denomination founded as an alternative to the United Methodist Church now has more than 7,000 member congregations, months after surpassing 6,000.
Launched in 2022 amid the UMC’s schismatic debate over LGBT issues, the Global Methodist Church announced on its Facebook page Wednesday that it has “officially surpassed 7,000 churches worldwide.”
“This moment reminds us that growth isn’t just measured in numbers — it’s found in repentance, renewal, and lives being transformed by Jesus Christ,” stated the GMC.
“As Wesleyans, we are called to holiness of heart and life, to return to the Lord, and to carry His love into every community.”
GMC Bishop Mark J. Webb said in an emailed statement that he believes the milestone “reflects the faithfulness of God and the willingness of His people to boldly follow the Holy Spirit’s leading and God’s call.”
“Each congregation is a living witness to the transforming power of Jesus Christ,” he continued. “As we celebrate this moment, we remain steadfast in our calling to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to spread scriptural holiness across the globe. We give thanks for what the Lord has done, and we look forward with hope to all that is yet to be.”
For decades, a divisive debate over whether to amend the UMC Book of Discipline, which prohibited the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals, has roiled what was once the second-largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.
Although efforts to change the Book of Discipline at the UMC General Conference always failed, many theological liberals in the UMC refused to follow or enforce the rules.
In January 2020, a group of 16 UMC leaders from different theological backgrounds announced their support for a proposed separation protocol that would create a pathway for churches that wanted to disaffiliate from the denomination over the debate.
The proposed protocol would also set aside funds to create a theologically conservative denomination for those congregations interested in launching such a church body.
While the protocol was scheduled to be considered at the 2020 UMC General Conference, the gathering was postponed multiple times during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2022, GMC organizers announced that they would launch the new denomination that May, without waiting for the postponed General Conference to approve the protocol.
Over the next couple of years, thousands of congregations would disaffiliate from the UMC over the ongoing debate about LGBT issues, with most of them voting to join the GMC and others becoming non-denominational.
By January of 2024, GMC Transitional Connectional Officer Keith Boyette told The Christian Post that the denomination had over 4,200-member congregations.
Months later, the UMC General Conference voted to amend the Book of Discipline to remove the debated rules, though the changes allowed regional bodies and local congregations to continue enforcing them.
Last October, GMC announced that it had reached the 6,000-member congregation milestone.