" But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
On February 19, 2023, the membership of Northwest Hills voted to disaffiliate with the United Methodist Church and affiliate with the Global Methodist Church. We have started the process of moving forward and await the Rio Texas Annual Conference in June to make it official.
You may not notice much difference at NW Hills for some time. But we will be in fellowship with other Wesleyan/Methodist congregations who value a traditional, conservative reading of scripture, and adhere to historic orthodox doctrines and morality, and part of a denominational structure that is better able to uphold and enforce those standards than is the UMC. By making this move, there is greater assurance that these standards will be maintained at NW Hills over the years and generations.
For information about our soon-to-be denominational home, the Global Methodist Church, click on the button below:
Why we are here:
On Monday, July 25, 2022 the Administrative Council of Northwest Hills UMC voted to call the congregation to a 6-month period of prayerful discernment regarding our future relationship to the United Methodist Church.
Background: Since its founding in 1968 the United Methodist Church has had an ongoing debate over homosexual sex, particularly the performance of same-sex weddings and the ordination of self-avowed practicing homosexuals. The General Conference (the governing body of the denomination) has, by majority vote, addressed these issues every four years, each time reaffirming a conservative or traditionalist stance, expressing the grace of God toward all people but prohibiting either practice.
In recent years, increasing numbers of pastors who disagree with the majority vote of the General Conference have intentionally acted in disobedience to the rules of the UMC. More recently, bishops and entire Annual Conferences that disagree have refused to enforce the rules of the UMC. These progressive pastors and bishops say they are pursuing justice and obeying a higher law. Conservatives say they are breaking their ordination and/or consecration vows and, more important, as disobeying scripture.
Because of the current disarray in the UMC, some congregations are considering the possibility of disaffiliating from the denomination. This is the process to which the Administrative Council of Northwest Hills UMC now calls you to consider.
During this time of discernment, we will offer a series of informational meetings, as well as three listening sessions at which our District Superintendent will preside. At the end of this 6-month period, we will invite all full professing members to vote, by secret ballot, to decide if our congregation should disaffiliate from the United Methodist denomination.
Please watch for future information coming your way. Please pray for us to identify and follow God’s will in this matter.
Joe Baumgartner J. David Trawick
Chair, Administrative Council Senior Pastor
