The Evangelical Methodist Church in Croatia is a full member of the church denomination called the: Global Methodist Church which was established in May 2022, and gathers together about 8,000 ecclesiastical parish communities, who most of them separated from the United Methodist Church due to the their open rejection of the church’s traditional teaching in matters of marriage and sexuality by a part of their leadership, both: clergy and lay people.
Legally and theologically those are two separate church denominations. However, since these both denominations are called “Methodist” and both operate and function worldwide, and since the latest decisions of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church held at the beginning of May this year caused serious controversy in the poorly informed part of the media and in the public, we as the GMC in Croatia feel obligated to give the following statement:
The Evangelical Global Methodist Church in Croatia considers marriage to be the exclusive life union of only one man and one woman. This union was established and blessed by God from the beginning to our days.
We distance ourselves from those churches that in their name bear the adjective Methodist, and at that same time embrace alternative forms of marriage and sexuality as did the United Methodist Church official from May of this year 2024. We believe that in the case of recent decisions of the United Methodist Church, we can talk about an apostasy- a fallaway from the common Christian faith, and the traditional christian, evangelical and Methodist doctrine of marriage.
Because this false teaching has caused error and division among the faithful. We pronounce condemnation according the the biblical teaching given through the Apostles. Every spiritual Leader or lay person who teaches, supports or practices blessing or marriage of homosexual couples or ordains openly homosexual clergy in the name of Christian and especially Methodist traditions- let him be condemned or: “Anathema”.
We call upon all church conferences, local churches and organizations that are still in communion with the UMC, and that do not share its recently adopted false teaching and unbiblical practices to respond to the call of the Lord Jesus Christ addressed in the book of Revelation “Come out of her, my people, lest you partake of her sins, and not receive from her evils!” (Rev. 18:5). We call every pastor to seriously consider their status in the UMC and exit its fellowship as soon as possible. In doing so you will slow down the further apostasy of your believers.
Finally, we invite all pious believers called Methodists in the world who share the traditional views of our common faith to cooperate together and join together in the mission to bring the Gospel to people, according to the missionary order given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Vatroslav Župančić, The presiding Elder of the GMC in Croatia
Izvor: metodisti.hr