Seeing a Way Forward: The Rev. Tom Lambrecht

The Rev. Thomas Lambrecht addresses the Wesleyan Covenant Association at its April 28-29, 2017, meeting in Memphis, Tennessee. File photo by Tim Tanton, UMNS.

The Rev. Tom Lambrecht, vice president and general manager of Good News and a member of the Wesleyan Covenant Association leadership council, helped craft the legislation that became the Traditional Plan and the Modified Traditional Plan that have been submitted to the 2019 General Conference.

Lambrecht spoke with UM News as part of “Seeing a Way Forward,” a video series featuring different perspectives of church leaders on the work of the Commission on a Way Forward.

Watch videos.


Way Forward member discusses Traditional Plan creation
The Rev. Tom Lambrecht talks about how the Traditional Plan was almost dropped from the plans to be considered by the Council of Bishops.

“Gracious exit is essential.”
The Rev. Tom Lambrecht says the Traditional Plan is the only petition that offers a way for those in disagreement to exit the church, which he feels is necessary at this crossroads in The United Methodist Church.

Expect chaos if General Conference doesn’t select a plan
With the special called 2019 General Conference looming, the Rev. Tom Lambrecht warns that if delegates fail to select one of the plans before them, “we are setting the church up for chaos and splintering.”

Traditional Plan crafter considers positives, negatives of other plans
The Rev. Tom Lambrecht said there is much to like about the Connectional Conference Plan, but that there is “nothing in the One Church Plan that I could support.”

“It’s not possible for us to be in one denomination together.”
The Rev. Tom Lambrecht says it’s important for others to know that evangelicals do not wish them ill will, but they believe it’s no longer possible for such opposing theological viewpoints to co-exist within the same denomination.

This is the tenth in a series of video interviews by United Methodist News Service. View all the interviews.