There are a variety of ways to make decisions. In the church, sometimes spiritual discernment is used particularly during deep and challenging decision making. Spiritual discernment is setting oneself or the community apart for a time of deep listening for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, insight and calling. It is not judging others (Matthew 7:1-2), but encountering God’s wisdom and understanding in others, the community of faith and ourselves for discerning God’s calling for the congregation and each of us individually.

There are four things needed for spiritual discernment.

1. Creating space and time to listen deeply and contemplate.
2. Prayer, scripture reading and the words of Jesus to center and root ourselves spiritually.
3. Openness to the movement of the Holy Spirit in ourselves and others.
4. Holy conversation that listens to understand, responds with grace and respect for God and one another and recognizes that we are in conversation with one another and with God.

In the following weeks you will find an informative website with information regarding our future affiliation. We ask that each member educate themselves about the UMC, the GMC, and the pros and cons of each. Cottage meetings for sharing information and voicing thoughts will be held throughout the months of June, July, August, and September,. These will be facilitated by lay members and will be held in private homes. Additionally, each small group is encouraged to schedule a time (other than your regular meeting time) with a facilitator. There will also be several events hosted by clergy to answer questions and share information. All of this will culminate with the aforementioned vote in the fall.

Our discernment process will be covered in prayer, as prayer is an important and integral part of discernment. We ask that each member pray for wisdom, clarity, and grace. We pray that the Holy Spirit would move through and among us as we do this challenging work of discernment. We would like for each day of this period, from now until the vote to be covered in prayer. 

We ask everyone to keep our main focus on God and growing his kingdom and not to let this upcoming decision distract us from our mission to enrich the lives of children and families by leading you to live, love, and serve like Jesus.   We will continue to pray, learn, and serve together and treat each other with respect.  That is our commitment to you and we ask you to make the same commitment as well.

At Texas Annual Conference (TAC) in late May 2022, Bishop Scott Jones encouraged each congregation to consider its future affiliation by late fall of this year — whether that’s remaining in The United Methodist Church, staying in Wesleyan connection by affiliating with another Methodist denomination or becoming an independent church.

In June 2022, Bishop Jones announced his retirement effective December 31, 2022, citing “increasing disobedience and escalating conflict in the denomination.” The new incoming bishop is expected to be much more progressive in theology and practice and will carry the authority to re-assign our senior pastor to another church within our geographic region. Affiliation with the GMC would allow our local church to have more autonomy in the selection of pastors. 

Currently, AUMC is one of over 100 churches in the TAC in official discernment. This number is expected to double by year-end.

The lay-led Administrative Board made the decision to enter the official discernment process on May 10, 2022. The church membership has the final vote on whether the church should disaffiliate.

Our clergy team fully supports the administrative board’s decision to enter into the discernment process. They have both been fully aware of the UMC’s growing tensions and mounting dysfunction along with the emergence of an alternate choice in the emerging GMC. Both have written a letter explaining their position. You can find them under the “Atascocita UMC Resources” section on this page.

We will hold a called church conference on Sunday, September 25th at 7pm.  The District Superintendent will be present to preside at this meeting. Members who intend to vote should pre-register online or in the office prior to the vote. Upon arrival at the church conference, members will check in to receive a paper ballot.  Votes must be cast in person with no absentee or proxy voting allowed. The ballots will be counted by a neutral party and the decision will be announced. 

Current professing members of Atascocita United Methodist Church. If you intend to vote, you must pre-register online or in the church office prior to the vote.

No, Bishop Scott Jones recounted that the Texas Annual Conference’s principles allow local churches to disaffiliate. The source for that is here.
Principles for Disaffiliation for the Texas Annual Conference were voted on and accepted at the 2020 Annual Conference. The link for that is here.

Our District Superintendent supports our decision to enter the discernment process and has agreed to preside at our called church conference. He has advised us to design our discernment process as we see fit in our context.

Very little.

AUMC will continue to advance its mission to to enrich the lives of children and families by leading YOU to live, love and serve like Jesus regardless of denominational affiliation.

AUMC’s clergy team, lay governance boards, ministry partners and committed members are working to ensure the ministry and mission of the church advance without delay, interruption or redirection.

There are currently three potential options for changing our affiliation: paragraph 2548.2 which is for “Transfer of a Congregation to Another Denomination”,  paragraph 2553 which is for “Disaffiliation of a Local Church Over Issues Related to Human Sexuality”, and a corporate exit where would change our papers of incorporation with the intention of honoring our obligations to the Texas Annual Conference of the UMC. 

Due to the ever changing landscape of the UMC, we are unsure which method of exit we would use if the church votes to disaffiliate. Clarification on this issue will come after a pending ruling from the Judicial Council regarding paragraph 2548.2.