PRESS RELEASE: November 4, 2022

Welcome to the new Florida Bishop

Vero Beach FL: The Wesleyan Covenant Association-Florida regional chapter (“WCA-Florida”) The WCA-Florida welcomes Bishop Tom Berlin to Florida. His assignment to the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC) came shortly after his election at the Jurisdictional Conference, held at the Lake Junaluska Retreat Center. Bishop Berlin has served the Virginia Conference since 1988, and was an endorsed candidate of his conference.

Rev. Jeremy Rebman, President of the WCA-Florida, says, “Bishop Berlin is taking leadership of the Florida Conference at what is obviously a difficult time. We are sympathetic to this fact. The UMC is in crisis, and tensions are high over separation. We call upon Bishop Ken Carter to earnestly work to negotiate a fair exit for churches who feel they must leave the UMC. This matter could be settled before Bishop Berlin begins leading the Florida Conference of the UMC. Bishop Carter could offer these churches the gift of moving forward in the direction God is calling them, and he could offer Bishop Berlin the gift of a fresh start with the fighting over.”

For over seven months now, the WCA-Florida has been asking Bishop Carter to negotiate with churches who feel they must leave because of the direction of the UMC. Many churches who wish to leave are unable to do so, given the onerous provisions of the Florida Conference’s disaffiliation process. Because these churches would be irreparably harmed by being forced to stay in the UMC, the WCA-Florida continues to advocate on their behalf. Rev. Rebman continued, "Should no agreement be reached with Bishop Carter, we extend the same invitation and request to Bishop Berlin. Please work with us. Let the fighting end. Allow churches to go in peace, so that we can all move on in the direction we believe God is calling us. Simply put, let us go!"

At the time of this release, many traditional Methodist pastors and churches in Florida have expressed concern over Bishop Berlin’s rhetoric in the past. At General Conference 2019, he compared the Traditional Plan, which sought to maintain our disciplinary and theological standards, to a virus. He said enacting the plan would be like, “Putting a virus into the American church that will make it very sick.” He encouraged delegates to abstain from voting for the Traditional Plan, comparing this to Africans overcoming Ebola by washing their hands. Rebman pressed, “This is a completely inappropriate and harmful analogy. However, as Christians, we believe in forgiveness. We invite Bishop Berlin to join us in seeking reconciliation through separation. As one of the signers of the Protocol, notwithstanding his withdrawal of support in June of 2022 for the Protocol, we hope this will be his intention as he begins his episcopal leadership in Florida."

Broader concerns have been raised as delegates from every jurisdiction in the US have elected Bishops who are committed to liberalizing the UMC. Rebman said, “The idea of a big tent in the UMC that could include traditionalist Methodists is over. It is long past time for those who hold to our biblical doctrine to take steps toward our new movement. We will uphold and contend for the faith once for all entrusted to us."