By Jim Brown and Randall Murphree
April 9, 2003

(AgapePress) - Some members of United Methodist churches in Mississippi are promoting renewal in an attempt to stop the denomination's move away from evangelical Christianity.

Pastor Jeff Switzer launched Mississippi Fellowship of United Methodist Evangelicals as an avenue for members to join together in renewing and restoring evangelical tenets within their denomination.

Switzer says he has deep concerns that the denomination is headed in directions that would be very disturbing to John Wesley, founder of Methodism. He sees the church abandoning traditional Scriptural principles in order to look more like other world religions.

"Wesley never did that," Switzer says. "As a matter of fact, Wesley himself said -- speaking of ecumenical principles -- 'If by ecumenical principles you mean any other than Scriptural, they weigh nothing with me. I allow no other rule, whether of faith or practice, than the Holy Scriptures.'"

Switzer believes the time has come for members to speak up in response to changing directions implemented by the denomination's leadership. He says the new fellowship has a two-fold purpose -- to contend for the historical, classical Christian faith and to proclaim the apostolic faith. To do that, Switzer says the fellowship must express opposition to bureaucratic Methodist leaders who prefer tolerance over Biblical truth and universalism over conversion.

He says United Methodism has slowly moved away from its early Scriptural moorings. "We are like a ship that's tossed to and fro, carried away by every wind of doctrine," he says. "And that's my main concern because the Church must be built on the foundation of Jesus Christ -- that's Scriptural -- and if we can't stand firm on what the Scriptures say about Him, then we crumble."

Switzer is pastor of Sandtown United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

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