Another major group of United Methodists me last summer—2,000 charismatics gathered in Louisville, Kentucky for the first national UM conference on the work of the Holy Spirit. Called "Aldersgate '79," the conference was sponsored by the UM Renewal Services Fellowship (UMRSF).
According to the Rev. Ross Whetstone, UMRSF executive director, one important purpose of the conference was to offer "solid teaching concerning the work of the Holy Spirit and charismatic renewal consistent with Wesleyan tradition."
In his keynote address, UM evangelist and UMRSF vice president, Rev. Tommy Tyson exhorted, "The power of the Holy Spirit is a power to die to self, a power that makes us so happy to be serving Jesus that we aren't even aware that we are dying! I believe this is God's message today for charismatics," he declared, "to be willing to die for God's glory. Instead of expecting people to speak our language, we must learn the language of children… of suffering…of dying… and the language of those who are hurting. If we'll learn their language in the market place, they will learn our language in the upper room."
Several speakers emphasized the contributions charismatics have to make to the UM Church. These contributions included supernatural faith, Trinitarian theology, enlivened worship, stewardship, and an attitude of "joyous expectancy."
Conference participants acknowledged lack of acceptance of charismatics as a problem within the UM Church, but the message of charismatic loyalty to the denomination was especially emphasized. UM pastor Dr. Joe Harding proclaimed, "Renewal people are called to be God's positive people."
The loyalty theme was also expounded by Mr. Whetstone: "Sometimes what we are involved in is a matter of language [semantics] rather than doctrinal differences. Above all, we need to avoid confrontational styles. The answer for charismatic Christians is to be the best church people in United Methodism."
To some, the UMRSF concentration on non-confrontational loyalty to United Methodism is probably an attempt to disassociate from the more overt advocacy style of Good News in seeking church reform. Nevertheless, there is significant overlap both on the respective boards of directors and among participants at meetings. The renewal efforts of UMRSF and Good News differ, but evidently many UMs understand that they are not mutually exclusive or necessarily contradictory either.