What it Means to be United

So, what’s on my mind?

This past week United Methodists from across North Georgia once again descended upon Athens for Annual Conference. If you’re not familiar with Annual Conference, it is the yearly gathering of clergy and lay delegates from churches across our region. Together we worship, celebrate ministry, conduct the business of the church, and make decisions about our shared future. 

One of the major decisions we voted on this year was the unification of the North and South Georgia Conferences into a single Georgia Conference. (“Conference” is the term United Methodists use both for the annual gathering and for the larger regional body of churches.) The vote passed with 96% approval.

While there will be many details to iron out, and likely some growing pains along the way, I think there is an overwhelming majority of folks who see this move as a positive step for the United Methodist Church. For me personally, I see it as a reaffirmation of the “U” in UMC: United.

That word has carried a deeper meaning for me in recent years. We have lived through seasons of disaffiliation, watching congregations and friends make difficult decisions about their future. To be transparent, I never found myself angry about those decisions. But I was heartbroken. And I believe Jesus was heartbroken too. I think he is every time the Church splits.

One of the last things Jesus did before his arrest was pray for his followers. In John 17, he prayed not only for the disciples who were with him, but also for those who would come after them, including us. His prayer was simple and profound: “that they may all be one.”

Of course, unity does not mean uniformity. Christians have always disagreed on certain matters, and faithful people will continue to see some things differently. But Jesus envisioned a people who remained connected to one another despite those differences, a people whose love for one another would bear witness to God’s love for the world.

That’s one reason this vote felt significant to me. It wasn’t simply about organizational charts, conference boundaries, or administrative efficiency. It was a reminder that there is something sacred about choosing to come together. In a world that often seems determined to divide people into smaller and smaller groups, the Church is called to move in the opposite direction.

John Wesley once asked, “Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike?” I believe that spirit is just as important today as ever. My prayer is that our new Georgia Conference, and our congregation here at home, would continue to embody the unity Jesus prayed for and the love Wesley called us to.

May God hold you,
Rev Chris Hester