50 Years for Methodists, Over 100 for United Methodists
From the UM News Service:
I'm glad that we can celebrate this important milestone, but it reveals the church's "Methodist Bias." The United Methodist Church formed in 1968 when The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged at a Uniting Conference in Dallas. The Evangelical United Brethren Church was itself the result of a merger of the Evangelical Association and the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. The United Brethren first ordained women with full clergy rights in 1888, when Ella Niswonger was ordained as an elder.
Actually, The Methodist Church itself was the result of a merger: The Methodist Episcopal Church; Methodist Episcopal Church, South; and Methodist Protestant Church joined to form one denomination in 1939. We generally trace our history through the two branches of the Methodist Episcopal Church, both of which were slow to grant women full clergy rights. The Methodist Protestant Church, by comparison, was ordaining women in full standing in the late nineteenth century.
On May 4, 1956, in Minneapolis, the General Conference of the Methodist Church approved full clergy rights for women. Half a century later, the fruits of that action are the nearly 12,000 United Methodist clergywomen who serve the church at every level, from bishops to local pastors.
A yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary includes worship services, books celebrating the lives of pioneering clergywomen and writings of other clergywomen, special observances at annual conferences, and a banquet and concert on Aug. 15 during the International United Methodist Clergywomen's Consultation in Chicago, Aug. 13-17.
I'm glad that we can celebrate this important milestone, but it reveals the church's "Methodist Bias." The United Methodist Church formed in 1968 when The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged at a Uniting Conference in Dallas. The Evangelical United Brethren Church was itself the result of a merger of the Evangelical Association and the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. The United Brethren first ordained women with full clergy rights in 1888, when Ella Niswonger was ordained as an elder.
Actually, The Methodist Church itself was the result of a merger: The Methodist Episcopal Church; Methodist Episcopal Church, South; and Methodist Protestant Church joined to form one denomination in 1939. We generally trace our history through the two branches of the Methodist Episcopal Church, both of which were slow to grant women full clergy rights. The Methodist Protestant Church, by comparison, was ordaining women in full standing in the late nineteenth century.
posted by Tinley | 3:28 AM
4 Comments:
Thanks, Josh, for calling that to the attention of many who do not know or do not want to acknowledge this fact. Mary
Josh, This is my first visit to your site, I liked what I saw. As a pastor who serves a congregation which has 5 congregational roots, 2 UB's, 1 AE, & 2 ME, I appreciate your recognition of our alternative heritage.
As a major fan of Mike Slaughter and Ginghamsburg UMC, I was disturbed by your negative comments, though glad you were open-minded enough to not let your first impressions be your last impressions. If I had my way, I'd eliminate any visible association with the UMC. Despite the Igniting Ministries best efforts, demoninations are dinosaurs and those who cling to them will go the same way.
Don't forget the EUBs.
As someone whose my UM heritige is 100% on the UB side of our tradition, I would like to thank you for remembering the United Bretheren. I think that the UMC would be a whole lot healthier if we could remember our EUB and Methodist Protestant heritage (which is much more progressive then our ME heritage) more often.
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