Who We Are
Whether you’re new to The Table or have been part of this community for many years, we are grateful to be in this together with you. We practice our faith at The Table by rooting our lives in grace, growing in faith, reaching in love, and giving generously. We long to be a place where God’s love is for all and to practice God’s radical hospitality by ensuring room for everyone at The Table.
The context in which we find ourselves
Our global denomination — The United Methodist Church — is urgently experiencing upheaval in many forms; membership and financial health have declined to a critical point, and a major rift over God’s call for a fully inclusive community continues to unfold in complicated ways. This denomination is, to some extent, characterized by administrative practices that are rooted in centuries-old hierarchical systems which are straining to adapt to our changing contexts.
We are not alone in facing the challenges of today
Those of us within the mainline Protestant denominations are…living through a period of collapse. We are experiencing the slow-burning, gradual disintegration of vast theological institutions that many of us both cherish and critique. This was taking place long before the pandemic, which has surely accelerated it…If in previous eras the shortcomings, contradictions, and failures of institutions were downplayed, denied, or just accepted as a normal part of life in an imperfect world, people today are quick to judge. There is a social and cultural reckoning taking place that many would agree is long overdue. Hard truths are being told, and previously ignorable facts are being exposed. Public trust is eroding not just in “the church” or “organized religion” but in a wide range of institutions including the medical system, Congress, organized labor, the American Presidency, the media, corporations, and the Supreme Court (Gallup).
Here is a brief history of the United Methodist Church:
For those interested in diving a bit deeper into the history of our Methodist heritage, here is a video featuring Dr. Ashley Boggan Dreff, General Secretary of the General Commission on Archives & History of The United Methodist Church, introducing a series of short videos that teach about the history of separations and reunions in the predecessor denominations of The United Methodist Church:
The next General Conference for The United Methodist Church is scheduled April 23-May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. The United Methodist Church’s top lawmaking body, long delayed by COVID, will see multiple options for the church’s future when it meets next year. We appreciate your prayers in this time of uncertainty and transition.