Are We Really Better Together? Revised Edition: An Evangelical Perspective on the Division in The UMC

The authors set out to address the division within The United Methodist Church and contend that remaining united is hurting the church and the proclamation of the gospel. Recognizing that conservative and progressive Methodists are sincere in their beliefs, the authors doubt that one side will convince the other to change their minds. They therefore suggest that a fair and amicable separation is the best course of action.

"The United Methodist Church is at a crossroads. We are a divided church and the truth is we are a hurting church.
Some of us believe that our differences are so great and the ongoing battle so destructive that it’s time to part ways. For over four decades conservative and progressive United Methodists have expended enormous emotional, financial and spiritual resources to gain the upper hand in a denomination that has declined every year since its founding in 1968. Surely our efforts and our finances would be better devoted to evangelism, discipleship and missions. For the sake of the lost and the poor, shouldn’t we set each other free to pursue what we believe to be God’s calling upon our lives and our ministries?" (From the Introduction)

From the Faultlines collection, resources intended to inform conversations around human sexuality and the church.

Walter Fenton is Director of Strategic Resources for Good News, a national organization committed to the doctrinal integrity of The United Methodist Church. He was ordained deacon (1996) and elder (1998) in the Detroit Annual Conference. A graduate of Yale Divinity School and Vanderbilt University, he has served congregations in Ypsilanti, Michigan and in Glendora and Princeton, New Jersey. He is a contributor to the Good News magazine.

Rob Renfroe is Pastor of Discipleship at The Woodlands UMC in Houston, Texas, leader of the popular men's Bible study Quest, attended by over 500 men, and the author of The Trouble with the Truth and A Way Through the Wilderness. He also is President of Good News—a national organization committed to the doctrinal integrity and spiritual renewal of The United Methodist Church. He and his wife, Peggy, are the parents of two adult sons.