Over the last eight months, a discernment leadership team comprised of clergy, executive staff and lay leaders has studied the best options for future affiliation following disaffiliation from The United Methodist Church in 2022. Throughout this process, their goal has been to preserve TWMC’s ministries while also studying the most effective ways to enhance and advance the ministries in the coming decades.

After careful consideration, the TWMC discernment leadership team is recommending affiliation with the Eastern Texas Conference of the Global Methodist Church (GMC). TWMC members are being called to a churchwide vote to ratify this recommendation beginning May 7, 2023.

Practicing the Christian faith within a larger community is an essential element of Wesleyan Methodism. Affiliation with another Methodist denomination or network is necessary to maintain this faith heritage. Throughout this process, the discernment leadership team’s goal has been to preserve TWMC’s theology, culture and community while also studying the most effective ways to enhance and advance its ministries in the coming decades. See this article for more detailed rationales for affiliating with the Global Methodist Church.

The optimal time to make the biggest impact in the Global Methodist Church is right now, during the start-up phases of this organization. Serving in leadership roles, developing resource materials and facilitating clergy training and development are just a few examples of immediate involvement. Because of its strength and vitality, TWMC has a unique opportunity to help develop structure, systems and the spirit of these groups in ways that will not be possible by waiting to join later. See this article for more detailed rationales for affiliating with the Global Methodist Church.

With the persistent goal of preserving the God-inspired, 45-year-old identity of The Woodlands Methodist Church, the discernment leadership team has developed a list of six fundamental and distinctive criteria — what we call discernment frameworks — that have served as a measurement tool for comparison of affiliation options: Mission, Theology, Operations, Culture, Community and Vision. Learn more about these categories and see them in a side-by-side comparison chart here.

Members of TWMC are eligible to cast a ballot in the churchwide vote for affiliation May 7–11, 2023. Voting details will be posted at twmc.org/affiliation-decide

Results of the vote will be announced in all worship services and posted on this website on Sunday, May 14, 2023.

We anticipate affiliation will be complete in the summer of 2023.

TWMC maintains the highest regard for the authority of Holy Scriptures contained in the Old and New Testaments, as well as the historical confessions of the Christian faith included in the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and John Wesley’s Articles of Religion and sermons. The Global Methodist Church (GMC) claims these same doctrinal sources, so TWMC’s affiliation would be theologically aligned. The GMC also has specific guidelines for enforcement accountability for its bishops, clergy and congregations. See the GMC section below for specific questions and answers relating to accountability found within its Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline.

Each pastor on TWMC’s 15-member clergy team is in favor of joining the Global Methodist Church. The team has published an open letter to the members of The Woodlands Methodist Church explaining their unanimous support for joining the Global Methodist Church. Read the letter here.

If the congregation votes to join the GMC, our pastors will transfer their credentials and will be ordained into that denomination.

Clergy benefits are secure and will be maintained throughout the affiliation transition.

Non-clergy staff at TWMC will be unaffected by affiliation.

Member churches in the Eastern Texas Conference (ETXC) of the Global Methodist Church are currently required to contribute 2% of their adjusted operating revenue — 1% to the ETXC and 1% to the greater GMC denomination. This number is subject to change based on the approval of the conference as the conference gains clarity on the resources needed for its work. Financial commitments are expected to gradually rise as the GMC becomes more fully developed. The GMC Discipline allows up to 6.5% of a congregation’s adjusted operating income. This commitment is well within TWMC’s ability to participate and has been vetted and approved by our discernment leadership team as a trustworthy cause in which to invest.

Yes. The GMC allows each member congregation to retain full ownership of their property and assets.

The Woodlands Methodist Church will retain its name as it is written here; further changes are not required or anticipated regardless of affiliation.

Your vows of membership are honored regardless of denominational affiliation. Your membership is recorded in our local TWMC church database. If TWMC votes to join the Global Methodist Church, you would be recorded as a member of that denomination once affiliation is complete.

Affiliation will have no effect on TWMC’s theology, ministry programming, culture or community. Day-to-day operations will continue as they are now. As a 45-year-old standard-bearer of orthodox, Wesleyan theology and one of the largest congregations in Methodism, TWMC will continue to advance its mission to Reach People for Jesus Christ, Disciple Them in Faith, and Help Those in Need — regardless of denominational affiliation.

Affiliation will enable TWMC’s clergy, staff and lay leaders to be in connection with their counterparts at other churches for the purposes of spiritual connection, leadership development, ministry collaboration and resource sharing.

Functionally speaking, TWMC is a successful, stable, self-sustaining organization, so no — we do not “need” these organizations. However, our Wesleyan heritage includes the establishment of strong connectional ties with other Methodist churches at the pastoral, leadership and congregational levels. By partnering or becoming an affiliated congregation, TWMC gains the opportunity to extend ministry reach and to share our theological, cultural and organizational strength across the greater landscape of Methodism.

As of late March, there are approximately 1,400 churches and 2,000 clergy members of the Global Methodist Church. These numbers are expected to double by the end of 2023 due to waves of churches continuing to disaffiliate from the UMC and joining the GMC.

Of existing GMC-member churches today, approximately 1% — 14 churches — are considered “big” by either worship attendance or membership. TWMC would be the single largest church within the GMC if its members vote to affiliate with this denomination.

In addition to strategic leadership involvement and sharing of best practices, the TWMC discernment leadership team has identified four specific ministries with high potential for expansion and multiplication through a partnership with the GMC: Church Planting, Christian Discipleship Programming and Resource Development, Missions, and NextGen.

Yes. The connectional system within the GMC is specifically designed for pastors to know and be known among their colleagues on a broad scale.

There is high value in a connection of like-minded, like-hearted Wesleyan Methodists who are working together to advance the Kingdom of God on a truly global scale. Independent networks exist on a very small scale in comparison. The Woodlands is worthy of a truly global connection. For large churches such as TWMC, there is the unique opportunity to contribute to the formation of a new denomination.

The dysfunctional power dynamic within the UMC is effectively eliminated with the GMC’s removal of the property trust clause, removal of guaranteed clergy appointments, imposed term limits for bishops, and a truly enforceable Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline that enables action and removal of bishops, clergy and congregations that stray from its standards for theology and practice.
(See GMC Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline Part Three – Local Church, Sect. 354 – Congregational Fidelity; also, Judicial Practice and Procedure Rules)

VISIT globalmethodist.org/what-we-believe to access an online version of the GMC’s Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline

Local GMC churches are empowered and expected to be the spiritual and relational growth centers for ministry in their communities. The purpose of the regional conference is to help the local churches be vitally effective in their ministry to their communities.

The General Conference is the denominational legislative body comprised of bishops, clergy and lay delegates gathered for the purpose of creating new or modifying church law and adopting it into the GMC’s Book of Doctrines and Discipline. It is anticipated the GMC’s convening General Conference will take place in the last half of 2024.