Dear Belmonters, 

On Saturday, February 28, President Trump began a war with Iran. 

On Sunday, March 1, as we came to the Lord’s Table, I paused and read selections about War and Military Service from our 2024 United Methodist Church Discipline’s Social Principles.  

“The church deplores war and all other forms of violent conflict and urges the peaceful settlement of all disputes. We yearn for the day when there will be no more war and people will live together in peace and justice. We reject the use of war as an instrument of foreign policy and insist that every peaceful and diplomatic means of resolution be exhausted before the start of armed conflicts… We honor and offer support to those who choose military service as a result of personal conviction and urge that they perform their duties in harmony with the tenets of the Christian faith and in accordance with the laws of the Geneva Conventions…. We urge the church to care and work for systemic justice for all people affected by war, and to advocate for peacemaking and nonviolent conflict transformation in global and local conflicts. (The United Methodist Church Discipline 2024 163 F) 

Every four years, 852 delegates representing over 100 countries come together to debate matters of polity and belief. It is slow, compromise driven, and deliberate work… we once spent an hour debating the translation of a single word. In an era of instantaneous reactions, unrehearsed opinions, and click-driven content, we need prayerful, global, grounded, nuanced statements to remind us of who we are and who God calls us to become. I have included the entire War and Military Service below and hope you will prayerfully read it. 

In uncertain, unsettling, and unsatisfactory seasons, we can feel an inner pressure to post, say, or do something. Scary, stressful news triggers the “fight, flight, or freeze” hub in our minds.  Prayer invites us to do something our phones discourage. Prayer invites us to ponder who we are before we act. Prayer is not inaction, but thoughtful reaction.  

Let us remember that we are not alone. We are connected with a cloud of witnesses that stretches across time and around the world. UMC Delegates from nations torn apart by war, have wisdom and experiences to share with us. God is with us; we are not alone. Let us prayerfully navigate this season striving to stay on the path of peace.

Peace and Love, 

Pastor Paul

The United Methodist Church Discipline 2024 163 F

“The church deplores war and all other forms of violent conflict and urges the peaceful settlement of all disputes. We yearn for the day when there will be no more war and people will live together in peace and justice. 

We reject the use of war as an instrument of foreign policy and insist that every peaceful and diplomatic means of resolution be exhausted before the start of armed conflicts. Similarly, we oppose the increasing reliance on preemptive strikes unless they can be clearly demonstrated to be proportionate in response, delimited in human casualties, and undertaken in response to clear and immediate threats to human lives. We grieve that in a world where so many live in poverty, governments continue to dedicate enormous resources to preparing for and conducting wars. We are especially distressed by the proliferation of nuclear weapons and call not only for an end to their production, but for their complete elimination.

Christians have struggled with the issue of war since the time of Jesus. Some Christians have argued historically that war and other acts of violence are never acceptable, while other believers have asserted that it is sometimes necessary to take up arms in self-defense or to defend the innocent and prevent unchecked aggression, tyranny and genocide.

We urge all United Methodists to examine their own consciences and earnestly seek God’s guidance when it comes to matters of military service. We honor and offer support to those who choose military service as a result of personal conviction and urge that they perform their duties in harmony with the tenets of the Christian faith and in accordance with the laws of the Geneva Conventions.

We also honor and support the witness of pacifists whose consciences and religious convictions prevent them from serving in the military or limit them to taking noncombatant roles. The roots of such pacifist convictions are well established in the historic stances of The United Methodist church and its predecessor bodies. We oppose compulsory military service and urge governments to abolish this practice and, instead, allow those who choose not to serve in the military to complete terms of community service or to contribute in other creative ways.

As a church, we commit ourselves to support all people as they discern how best to model the nonviolent example of Jesus. The church supports and guides those who serve in the military; those who are conscientious objectors; veterans living with physiological, psychological, spiritual, and moral injury; and families of people affected by military service. We urge the church to care and work for systemic justice for all people affected by war, and to advocate for peacemaking and nonviolent conflict transformation in global and local conflicts.

(The United Methodist Church Discipline 2024 163 F)