Immanuel Church

Dear Immanuel Church family,

Immanuel CHURCH CONFERENCE / CONGREGATIONAL VOTE

Sunday, November 19, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.
Lakeside Park sanctuary (with overflow in the Wesley Hall).

• We will be electing lay leaders and ministry team members for 2024.

• We will hold a vote about affiliation with the Global Methodist Church (GMC).

Our Discernment team and Church Council have unanimously voted to recommend that Immanuel affiliate with the Global Methodist Church. It is now your turn to vote about this important opportunity.

Please see our website at www.immanuel-nky.org for more information. We have included more testimonials from members of our Discernment Team in this letter and a letter from our pastor on the back of this page.

Our gathering will include a time of worship and warm fellowship with your church family, and we expect the spirit to be positive and encouraging. We hope and pray you will make every effort to attend.

Eligibility to vote will be limited to full members of Immanuel (we will use an honor system).

Please arrive early if possible - the doors will be open no later than 3:30 p.m. (additional parking will be available at the City of Lakeside Park City Building).

Lay Leaders and Church Officers

We will vote on church officers (administrative teams) as a slate based on nominations from the Church Council and ministry staff (This will be a yes or no hand vote). Other ministry teams will also be voted on as a slate, however, we can add new people to any of these teams throughout the year by vote of the church council. If you wish to nominate yourself or someone else, please email the church office and we will present those nominations to the Church Council at their next regular meeting.

Affiliation Vote

• Our ballot will be to either vote YES to affiliate with the Global Methodist Church (effective January 1, 2024).

• Or - NO - to not affiliate with the GMC (this would mean that Immanuel would become an independent / non-denominational church for the foreseeable future).

• The GMC vote will be by confidential paper ballot. Voting results will be announced at the meeting.

• This vote will require only a simple majority of the full members voting (or anything over 50%).

Please continue to pray about all this and make plans to join us on November 19 at our Church Conference.

With the love of Jesus,

Dr. Kelly McClendon, Senior Pastor
Nancy G. Kinman, Church Council
Craig Schwarting, Lay Leader

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I want to briefly share with you some of my personal reasons for believing that Immanuel ought to affiliate with the Global Methodist Church (GMC). I decided to transfer my ordination or pastoral credentials to the GMC for two primary reasons. First, our church was not yet equipped to perform “ordinations” in our interim status as an unaffiliated church, so I made that move immediately upon my withdrawal from the UMC in June. Second, and more importantly, I wanted to see for myself what the GMC was all about, and I could do that better from within. To that same end, I also accepted an invitation to serve as the Presiding Elder for the Florence District (something similar to the UMC District Superintendent, except that it is a volunteer position over fewer churches with an emphasis on mentoring and facilitating). That gave me what I have called a “backstage pass” which has allowed me to rigorously evaluate how all this might work for Immanuel (which remains my primary concern). While the GMC is obviously still a “work in progress,” I have been encouraged and impressed by the GMC leaders and their priorities and efforts so far. That unique vantage point has led me to the following conclusions:

• Joining the GMC is the best option for Immanuel to maintain continuity with the heritage and tradition of our church. As I was thinking about our 175th anniversary coming up in 2024, it occurred to me that we might want to skip it if we choose to become an independent or non-denomination congregation. That would be such a departure from our heritage that it would be better to consider ourselves a “new church.” Our history as Immanuel has both “Methodist,” and “meaningful connection” with other like-minded churches deeply woven throughout it in such a way that losing that would be too radical a change for me (and I think for us).

• I believe the emerging GMC needs the help and leadership that Immanuel can provide. Instead of waiting, and hoping “others” get it right, I would rather that we help complete its formation. We have a rare opportunity to be a leading and teaching church in this new connection. We have been richly blessed at Immanuel, and with such a great blessing comes the responsibility to serve and bless others.

• We are good at self-leadership, so we might be able to function well independently. I seriously considered that option. However, I believe it would be better to work within the guardrails provided by the GMC, while still maintaining some of our own internal guardrails to ensure that the unique orientation of Immanuel continues.

• If we join the GMC, I believe we will be less likely to face a radical shift in our church’s orientation in the future (as pastoral and ministry staff change). When we voted to disaffiliate, we declared that we would not be shifting hard either to the right or left. A move to the GMC aligns well with who Immanuel is, and has been, when at her best. Without the boundaries that connection can provide, that may not be sustainable.

• If 10 or even 20+ years ago, someone told me that the UMC could be reformed so that it looked identical to the GMC (even as it is now in its early stages) then I would have never left. I have been praying and working for reformation and revival in the UMC for most of my nearly 40 years in pastoral ministry. I never wanted to leave – but I desperately wanted the church to get better for the good of all the people within it and for the sake of Christ’s mission in the world. For many reasons that was not possible, and I believe the UMC is most likely to go from bad to worse. But now God is raising up a new expression of the Methodist tradition – which is a unique witness that the world still needs – that matches most of the changes I have prayed about for many years, but never expected to see become reality. For me, it is simply too good of an opportunity to pass up.

This is my prayerful and carefully considered opinion. Whatever happens next please know that I love and respect the people of this church. If this congregation votes to go in another direction, then I will honor that as God’s will for Immanuel and will do my best to help the church prosper in whatever ways I can. God bless you.

With the love of Jesus Christ,

Kelly McClendon, Senior Pastor

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Our church's decision to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church (UMC) seems like it happened years ago - - - yet it was only several months ago (on February 19). While I was at peace with that decision and fully supported the recommendation from the Disaffiliation Team to depart the UMC, I felt some grief and a little bit like we (Immanuel) were on an island no longer having an official affiliation. I took a deep breath and started considering, do we really want to be a part of another denomination? Initially, I thought staying independent was the best choice for Immanuel. In my mind, Immanuel would simply continue doing the same things I saw when I was looking for a church home several years ago - - Bible-based teaching and preaching, missions focus and helping people grow in their faith. However, as more time has passed and I have researched other affiliations and church governing models, and I now believe it is time for us to consider joining with others in a new affiliation - - with The Global Methodist Church (GMC).

Over several months, I have served with others to research, review and recommend an affiliation option for Immanuel. We have looked at several other denominations - - including newer and older ones, smaller ones with fewer congregations, and those with many and larger congregations. In all cases we have focused on those whose theology/doctrines most closely align with ours and have aimed to fully stay grounded in our Wesleyan/Methodist faith and traditions (so we can hold on to our core identity at Immanuel).

While the GMC is new - - I believe it is the best choice for Immanuel for several reasons:

1. Strong Biblical foundation/principles.

2. The love, support, and connection we gain from being joined with other believers/congregations.

3. Share evangelism and a consistent focus on kingdom growth.

4. Collaboration in an organization with shared values, and a greater accountability for leadership.

I realize the GMC is new - - and it is still building and developing each day. As with any new organization, I see that both as a potential challenge and opportunity. However, we see the foundation they have built, and we continue to learn more that is very encouraging (including a commitment to never having a trust clause). I see actions demonstrating more trust between GMC leadership and the churches joining with them.

As I have shared previously, one of my favorite Bible verses is Proverbs 3:5-6,

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."

Most people see that verse in an individual context but in this time, I believe this scripture is a prayer for our church. It is a calling to trust and acknowledge the Lord as He directs our new path. How is God doing something new through the GMC? How will He teach/show us, with fresh eyes, what He wants for Immanuel as we live our mission? Will God give us new mission opportunities? These are deep questions that challenge us but as we trust, I am confident that God will continue to show us our path and direction. I am in favor of joining with other believers in the GMC and I pray for God's continued leading and guidance in our future days.

Sincerely,

Nancy G. Kinman, Church Council

GREETINGS! The last time I wrote to you was under considerably different circumstances. While the need to separate from the UMC for reasons of the movement from biblical authority and other orthodox traditions was clear to me, the next steps have been a bit murky.

As we can all plainly see, today Immanuel is quite capable of standing on its own in biblical, operational, and financial foundations. If one was unaware of the vote earlier this year, Immanuel would appear to be the same in form and function as it has been for many years …. standing on the truth of scripture and serving both local and international communities. The concern for me for Immanuel is not in the near future, but for the Immanuel that remains after the current leadership has moved on to their heavenly reward. Thus, I have wrestled with the choices before us and wish to opine on a few of the considerations that should guide our imminent decision for now and also for the sake of those who will call Immanuel home 50 years from now.

In my mind, the main and perhaps only reason to join any denomination is to be connected to others who have the same values and who can step in for support at any time. Given that my background is in independent Christian Churches, my initial gut response is to just keep going on our own. And yet, once I gave it some thought, all of these supposedly independent bodies had some connection to others that were similar, even if it was not a formal connection. While Immanuel could work with other former UMC churches to create such an organization… there are already too many other options in existence that would dilute the participation level and make it small and likely ineffective. While Immanuel would be a big dog in any connectional system, it makes very little sense to me to recreate the wheel just to temporarily give us a smoother ride. Yet, it feels much better to me to be connected in one way or another to like-minded churches than to be totally on our own.

So, if we are to be connected, why the Global Methodist Church (GMC)? For me, a connection to the GMC is the best of the denominational options for many reasons.

First - the standards in their current (and transitional) Book of Discipline related to biblical authority, orthodox teaching and traditional values align with mine … and with ours. Misalignment in this area would absolutely be a deal breaker for me with any denominational affiliation.

Secondly, a relationship with the GMC would help maintain guardrails for future pastors (as long as the GMC remains true to its founding principles). Because we know them well, we all feel comfortable and trust Pastor Kelly and Pastor Chad to hold fast to the truths of scripture as it resides in the very core of their being. But what about the next pastors, or the next, or the next? Should the GMC stay true to their principles they can come along side Immanuel to shepherd or discipline or remove someone who may choose to deviate from scriptural principles.

Third, and another important characteristic of the GMC, is without a trust clause in our agreement with GMC, Immanuel can easily leave at any time with a 51% congregational vote and no financial penalty. Should the GMC decide to take a different direction in the future, we do not have to go along with them and can leave with very little pain and suffering.

Fourth, the current authority structure in the GMC puts more power for decision making at the local congregational level. In the currently proposed form, the GMC will function more as a consultative and resource body instead of a decision-making body that forces their will on the local congregation.

Fifth, several of our local sister churches have already joined or are about to join the GMC, giving us a close geographical support system for maintaining ministries and programs that are already a part of our core ministries to our Northern Kentucky community.

Sixth, with Pastor Kelly’s and Pastor Chad’s influence, we have opportunity to shape the current and future values, operations, and functions of the GMC. Our own ministers have a seat at the founding table to fight for the values that we left the UMC to protect. In no other denomination will we have this ability to be part of the formative and creative process.

But while stating my support for joining the GMC, I would also suggest that we do so prayerfully, cautiously and with consideration for accountability. Having been involved in creating the new corporate bylaws for Immanuel Church that we are currently operating under; we were thoughtful to put in a requirement for a congregational team to routinely review any denominational relationship we may choose to participate in for any failures to live up to our expectations. This team would report its findings to the Church Council, and should any concerns arise, they would report to the congregation for their decision about whether or not to continue with the GMC. In any foreseeable future, we want the congregation to be informed and to be able to participate in the process so that their voice is heard, and their will is carried out. I trust that will be able to happen if we align now with the GMC.

In conclusion, while Immanuel is quite capable of carrying on alone as we have been, for many more years into the future … there are distinct advantages in being part of something bigger than just us. With the GMC we maintain our autonomy and traditional values but get resources and support when we might need it. We would have a defined connection to churches both smaller and larger that can share in come along side us in our ministry efforts. We get to participate in ground floor building the foundations of the values represented, and we can get out easily should misalignment occur. And this connection would represent a greater continuity with the heritage of Immanuel. For me, the GMC is the best choice available for us today.

Thank you for your time, attention, and consideration.

Have a great day!

Craig Schwarting, Immanuel Lay Leader

Dear Friends:

It has been my honor to serve on the Vision Team for Immanuel. We spent a good bit of time over several months examining options for the church going forward and we finally recommended to Church Council that Immanuel join the Global Methodist Church (GMC).

Here’s a bit of my personal reasoning.

I was surprised to find during our work that many Methodist denominations have a ‘trust clause’ which, as you may recall, would mean that our property would be owned and controlled by the denomination rather than us. This was a huge point of leverage which the United Methodist Church held over us and a major reason why the UMC had the ability, if it decided to do so, to force its own agenda on our church. As a result, the presence of a trust clause eliminated any denomination from my personal consideration. Other denominations were simply so small, some less than 100 churches in the entire country, that I did not believe we would receive a benefit by joining them.

At the time of our disaffiliation vote, we said that we wished for the church to remain as it has been: bible-based teaching; truth telling; welcoming; and, evangelical, and I believe that the Global Methodist Church will allow us to do so while also providing us with valuable support.

After we completed our disaffiliation, Immanuel became an independent church. As with any organization, we had to develop rules to govern the organization. We spent a lot of time writing bylaws for the church that give us a basic structure, but more needs to be done and it is a difficult task. In the interim we still had to rely on many elements in the GMC to maintain continuity with our day-to-day operations. The Global Methodist Church has adopted a structure that is very similar to the United Methodist Church, with several improvements including the absence of a trust clause and the individual power of Bishops is much smaller – so they will not have the discretion to appoint and remove pastors from churches at will. Since, we are already familiar with the structure of the Global Methodist Church, we can seamlessly transition to it.

Also, the Global Methodist Church is large enough to provide us with real ministry and operational support. We will be a part of a substantial network of churches that can develop ministry outreach opportunities in which we can all participate. In addition, although the Bishops in the GMC will not have the same kind of absolute power to appoint and remove pastors as in our former denomination, the GMC can still help us when the time comes for us to seek pastors. They can help us with their knowledge of available ministers and the GMC can help us ensure that the pastoral candidates have beliefs and philosophies that are consistent with those we have held dear for so long. In addition, the GMC can offer resources and mediation if Immanuel ever gets into a situation where we have a pastor who we feel has deviated from our core values and beliefs. As a member of the Immanuel Staff Parish Relations Committee, I must say that this type of support is very important to me.

Thank you for caring about our church to take the time to read this. Whether you are in favor of joining the Global Methodist Church or not, I encourage you to attend the vote.

Sincerely,

Sam Wood

I grew up attending United Methodist churches, it was my family tradition. My wife grew up in the Presbyterian denomination. When we were looking at churches, we visited several different churches without weighing which denomination they were affiliated with. We even tried out a start-up church called “Crossroads” that was meeting in a school in Hyde Park. Eventually we landed at Immanuel because we liked the minister, the music, the young families, and just the feeling in general. It was welcoming and comfortable. We did not join Immanuel because it was a United Methodist church, we joined because it was a church where we felt welcomed. It was a place we wanted to be. Twenty-two years later, I don’t think that has changed. Every other church that we visited has changed, but I am grateful for the stability of this church. We are also aligned with Immanuel’s mission to make disciples, share faith, and serve others.

In my role as Trustees Chair, I have been a part of the Discernment Team to study how to best move Immanuel forward, keeping the church as it is and on mission. The team agreed that doctrinally we would remain scripturally faithful and rooted in the Methodist/Wesleyan tradition whether independent or denominationally affiliated. We would not consider any denomination that included a trust clause or did not allow women to serve in all lay and clergy roles. Understanding the value of connection has also been a part of the process. Being connected to other churches and believers has long been a strength of Methodism. Finally, we tried to think longer term regarding maintaining operations and clergy replacement.

Through the process, I have come to believe that affiliating with the Global Methodist Church is the right option for Immanuel now. The GMC does not have a trust clause, nor does it fully control pastoral appointments since meaningful consultation is now required in pastoral appointments. That gives each local church control of their current and future property and allows them to keep their pastor assuming both the church and the pastor are happy with the arrangement. These two changes shift the balance of power from the denomination back to the local church. This was one of the issues with how the UMC is setup. The power will no longer be with bishops who can choose to bend or ignore rules to suit their purposes. When the time comes to change pastors, being part of the GMC will provide Immanuel access to a large network of available candidates and the support of the denomination in the search. Operationally, the structure and leadership remain the same in GMC as we were used to in the UMC. There are still Trustees, Finance, Staff Parish, etc. so it helps us maintain what has worked well for us and so we do not have to re-invent the wheel. There is also no penalty to disaffiliate so we can leave if things turn in a direction we don’t like.

One final consideration is that the GMC is just getting started and Immanuel has a tremendous opportunity to influence and shape its development. We would be one of the largest churches in our conference and could have great influence on making sure the GMC is the Methodist denomination we want it to be. Based on what I have learned to date on the Discernment Team, I will be supporting affiliation with the Global Methodist Church this November.

Mike Lord