Discernment Process
What is a Discernment Process?
The United Methodist Church is going through some tough times. What has been slowly creeping to the fore over the course of decades has finally bubbled to the surface… an impasse between major factions of United Methodism. This unfortunate set of circumstances leaves every United Methodist Church with a difficult and painful decision… to stay in the UMC? Or to go to another denomination?
Decisions, of course, take time. And Cornerstone has entered into a formal time of learning called a “Discernment Process.” It is a time outlined with required mile-markers and recommended activities to help the church learn, grow, pray, and eventually decide what to do for its future.
This page is designed to help provide guidance and a resource for members and constituents of Cornerstone UMC. Also, visit the following…
- Discernment Resources page — for articles, videos, and publications, as well as information on Global Methodist Church.
- Discernment FAQs page — for answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Discernment Process Overview
Select play to watch slide show. It will advance on it’s own.
3 Stage Process
Scroll down to learn more about each stage.
Discernment Process Dates & Descriptions
Learning the current landscape and projected trends of the UMC. What is disaffiliation? How does that work? Why is now a unique time in the history of Methodism?
Church-wide Info Meetings
- Overview of what’s happening
- How to approach tough discussions
- Understanding the United Methodist Church
- Understanding key events and their aftermath
- What’s next?
DATES:
- Sunday, 5/15, 2pm
- Thursday, 7/14, 7 pm
- Sunday, 7/31, 1:30 pm (on Zoom)
Pastor Meetings
Schedule coffee with the pastors and ask the hard questions!
These are difficult circumstances that may have painful and personal ramifications. For those who would like to have a more personal conversation about the issues related to the UMC split, Cornerstone’s future, or anything else, our pastors are more than willing to schedule some time to meet.
Lead Pastor Heather Sims and Associate Pastor David Rucker would love to sit down and chat with you. Feel free to reach out to them to schedule a time to meet – coffee, office, or even zoom. Click HERE to see pastors’ contact information.
Other Info Meetings
District Info Meeting on Disaffiliation & Discernment Process
Saturday, June 18, 10 am (at Christ UMC, The Woodlands)
A Future Discernment Presentation by Conference Task Force
Saturday, August 13, 10:30 am (at John Wesley UMC, Willowbrook/Champions area)
Bishop Scott Jones preaching at Cornerstone UMC
(Q&A session during Sunday School)
Sunday, August 14, 9:15 am & 10:30 am
Begin investigating the ramifications of what is happening and the potential options for the future. What is the best next step for Cornerstone?
Entering Discernment
Entering the Discernment Process does NOT mean Cornerstone will be leaving the UMC. It only means we are investigating the options.
Cornerstone voted to enter an official Discernment Process on 5/15/22 at the first Church-wide Info Meeting.
A Prayer strategy will be put in place and resources for individual learning will be made available.
A Lay Discernment Team will investigate the details of all the options.
Discernment is a Gift
Discernment is a spiritual process with roots in Scripture. In the Book of Acts whenever the early Christian community stepped into a time of prayer and discernment, it always resulted in greater growth and maturity for the Church as well as clarity for its leaders.
Because of this, we know God will do some amazing things through our time of Discernment. We encourage every person connected to Cornerstone to begin (1) praying specifically for this process; and (2) reading scripture every day.
Presentation Meetings
At the end of our Discernment Process our Leadership Team will present investigative findings and suggestions for next steps at two presentation meetings:
- Thursday, 8/25, 7 pm (on Zoom)
- Sunday, 8/28, 1:30 pm
Taking the next steps. Discernment will lead to one of three decisions:
(1) Stay
(2) Wait & See
(3) Leave
Taking the next steps. Discernment will lead to one of three decisions: (1) Stay; (2) Wait & See; or (3) Leave.
The Big “IF”
Going through the Discernment Process in no way commits us to leaving the UMC. It may be that at the end of the process, Cornerstone decides to stay in the UMC.
IF – here’s that big IF – Cornerstone believes our future is best served in another denomination, then a few things will need to happen in order to take those steps…
Disaffiliation & Affiliation
Leaving the UMC is called Disaffiliation. For Cornerstone to disaffiliate, two meetings will make it official:
Church Conference – 9/18, 1.30 pm
2/3 of present and ‘voting eligible’ members of Cornerstone is needed to disaffiliate.
Called Annual Conference – 12/3
A simple majority vote by delegates at Annual Conference will make the disaffiliation complete.
IF disaffiliation is desired, then steps to affiliate with another denomination will need to be taken as well.