Moving Forward with Beloved Community
The mission of The United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This is our mandate regardless of what circumstances come our way and pull us off track. This is a difficult time for many in The United Methodist Church. Some of our congregations in the Conference have voted to disaffiliate from the denomination. Conference Leadership laments that decision, but we also pray that for those who leave, they can fully live into the future God is calling them.
In any congregation that leaves, there are people who want to remain faithful to The United Methodist Church and remain a part of our denomination. We most certainly welcome you to remain United Methodist and carry on the legacy we have had as a denomination that is rooted in the historic faith in Jesus Christ, committed to social justice and welcoming all people. We remain committed to helping people develop a practical faith for living in our day and time.
If your church has decided to disaffiliate and you would like to remain United Methodist, here are some options for your to explore:
1. You are more than welcome to transfer to a United Methodist Church in the area. If you are looking for an existing church near you and don’t know where the closest UMC is, click here to see a listing of all our churches in Wisconsin: https://www.wisconsinumc.org/our-churches
2. You can begin to worship with another United Methodist Church online and take part in their online discipleship opportunities. The following are churches that are doing online worship and discipleship development well and are interested in welcoming you to their congregation:
- Green Bay: Bethany UMC - 8:00am Traditional, 10:30am Contemporary, Facebook Live or https://www.bethanygreenbay.org/watch
- Eau Claire: Lake Street UMC - Sunday at 8:30am, Facebook
- Hudson UMC - Sunday at 8:30am or 10:30 am, Facebook
- Madison: Bethany UMC - Sunday at 10:00 am, bethanymadison.org
- Madison: First UMC - Sunday at 9:30am, FUMC.org
- Onalaska UMC - 8:30am Classic livestream, 11:00am Praise livestream, Kids' Ministry video posted weekly, YouTube channel
- Oshkosh: Algoma Boulevard UMC - Sunday at 9:00am and 10:30am, Facebook Live or https://www.abumc.org/sermons
- People's UMC - Sunday at 9:00am, YouTube channel
- Suamico UMC - Recorded Sunday services, https://www.suamicoumc.org/online-church
- Sun Prairie UMC - Sunday at 9:00 am (summer worship time), sunprairieumc.org or YouTube channel
- Waukesha: First UMC - Sunday at 9:30am, church web page (worship video and podcasts) or YouTube Channel
3. You can transfer your membership to the General Church Membership Roll of the Wisconsin Conference of The United Methodist Church, which will be managed by the Conference Secretary. Please complete this form if you'd like to stay connected with the Wisconsin Conference.
4. If you’d like to start something new, e-mail Scott Carlson and let him know! We are doing a variety of Town Hall, Regional Meetings in 2023 to help you explore options for you. These gatherings will vary from helping you find a new church or it could include the development of small groups for people from the same area to help you grow in faith and possibly explore becoming a new church start.
If you’d like to find pastoral care for healing and processing emotions due to disaffiliation, e-mail Scott Carlson. We will set you up with a pastor near you who can help you walk through what you are feeling and take the next steps.
If you would like to receive the Conference weekly ENews to stay connected, please click here.
The Cabinet of the Wisconsin Conference is committed to working with you to help you continue to grow in faith.