G-12 & other Movements

The Council
of Bishops of the Free Methodist Church,
meeting in Butuan City, the Philippines, October 8-10, 2009, in
response to inquiries about the G-12 movement, issues the following statement:

The Council of Bishops recognizes
that many contemporary movements, including G-12, have practices that
apparently contribute to the evangelization of the world. Where such practices
are not contrary to Free Methodist doctrine, local churches may implement them
to help them reach the world for Christ. At the same time, however, we
recognize that these movements often include elements which are questionable
and even incompatible with our doctrine and polity.

We remind the
church that the Scriptures call us to:

            -be earnest disciples who make
disciples (Matthew 28:19, Luke 9:23-25);
            -join with others to
stimulate one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24);
            -be filled with the Holy
Spirit, bearing the fruit of the Spirit and serving in the power of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18, Galatians 5:22-23);
            -relate to one another in
humility and gentleness, practicing mutual submission (Ephesians 4:2, Romans 12:10), and;
            -exercise the gifts of
the Spirit to carry out the mission of Christ, inviting people to faith and building up the body of Christ (Ephesians
4:11-13). The gifts and manifestations of the
Spirit do not  guarantee one’s spiritual authority or character.

We counsel
against the acceptance of any movement’s teachings in their totality. Rather,
all practices and ministry initiatives should be evaluated by the clear
teaching of Scripture, which instructs us to, “Test everything. Hold on to the good.“ (I Thessalonians 5:21).