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The UMRSF came out of the urgent request of nearly one thousand United Methodists present in Kansas City at the July, 1977 Conference on Charismatic Renewal in the Christian Churches, by a sovereign act of God.
Those who in succeeding years have held positions of leadership in the fellowship opposed formation of an organization for several reasons:
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They did not want to form a group which might be perceived as an instrument for division in the UMC |
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They felt it unnecessary because of the 1976 "Guidelines" |
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There is a tendency of many special interest groups to become empire rather than kingdom building |
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Many organized renewal groups (throughout the history of the church) ritualize experiences and become closed to any new thing God is doing |
Prayer for guidance was urged upon the leaders to see if God's Spirit would confirm the desire of the people to form an official association and if so what the nature of the group was to be. A meeting was held at Chapel Hill, NC with Tommy Tyson acting as host. Robert Stamps, Robert Tuttle, Ross Whetstone and William Wilson joined with him in seeking God's will.
This group was led by God to form a Fellowship which would:
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Be under authority within the UMC |
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Provide for broad representation in the making of policy |
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Undergird all decision making procedures with prayer until an inspired consensus could be reached |
In particular, the leadership felt it imperative that the focus of the group was to provide encouragement and education and that it was not in any way to take an adversarial stance.
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Identify a constituency of persons committed to ministries which bring renewal of the church by the power of the Holy Spirit |
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Publish a periodical to provide information about renewal activities both within the UMC and in the ecumenical community |
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Hold an annual national meeting for inspiration, fellowship and the coordination of ministry among members of the fellowship |
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To provide ministry to other ministries within the UMC which are being used by the Holy Spirit to bring renewal |
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