Strangely Warmed

The Trust Clause in the Church Law The United Methodist Church has a trust clause requirement that dates back to the days of John Wesley. The Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States formally adopted the "model deed" in 1797. In current church law, the basic principles are set forth in paragraph 2501 of the Book of Discipline . All properties of United Methodist local churches and other United Methodist agencies and institutions are held, in trust, for the benefit of the entire denomination, and ownership and usage of church property is subject to the Discipline. This trust requirement is an essential element of the historic polity of The United Methodist Church or its predecessor denominations or communions and has been a part of the Discipline since 1797. It reflects the connectional structure of the Church by ensuring that the property will be used solely for purposes consonant with the mission of the entire denomination as set forth in the Discipline. The t...

Who Speaks for Great Aunt Sally Many old-line Protestant denominations are experiencing defections in their ranks, often related to disputes about doctrine and practice. Dissenting congregations want to sever their ties with their parent bodies and take their property with them. Denominational leaders want to hold on to the property. The financial interests of both parties are obvious. Denominational leaders may also say that they have to hold on to property to preserve the trust that they have with previous generations. Great aunt Sally, long deceased, sacrificially gave a considerable sum of money to help build First Church in 1910 so that there would be a denominational congregation in this place, fulfilling the denominational mission, teaching the denomination's distinctive doctrine and practicing the denomination's distinctive way of living the Christian faith. Now the dissenters want to divert the property away from the purpose to which it was dedicated. The dis...

Q. What has two fingers and a thumb and makes the sign of the cross? A. The right hand of this United Methodist elder. And I do it Latin style. Forehead to breast, left shoulder to right shoulder, thumb and first two fingers joined. Especially at the invocation of the holy trinity. On an individual level, making the sign of the cross is a physical prayer and a sign of the identity I received in baptism. When I use it as a worship leader, it is a way of blessing the congregation. The physicality of the act is central. Couldn't I just think to myself, "I belong to Christ, who died on the cross for me and who rose from the dead. I have been baptized into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit"? Perhaps, but it wouldn't have the same effect. In Desiring the Kingdom , James K. A. Smith describes the significance of our existence as bodily creatures. We are not primarily reasoning machines who happen to have bodies. So much of our lives take place at the...