The Wesleyan Covenant Association of Virginia is connected to and part of the Wesleyan Covenant Association
The members of the WCA-VA Council are listed here
The following is taken from the WCA website which can be found here
The Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA) connects Spirit-filled, orthodox churches, clergy, and laity who hold to Wesleyan theology. It is an association or network of individuals and congregations who share a common understanding of our Wesleyan doctrine and desire to become a vibrant, faithful, growing 21st -century church.
We believe change is coming to The United Methodist Church, and as we live into what comes next, the Wesleyan Covenant Association will connect, encourage, and resource clergy, laity, congregations, and regional chapters by:
- Committing to the primary authority of Scripture and the Lordship of Jesus Christ
- Creating a unified response to the Bishops’ Commission recommendation that would maintain traditional, orthodox Methodist beliefs
- Developing a plan for a positive and faithful future
The Wesleyan Covenant Association affirms the work of other renewal groups, such as The Confessing Movement, Good News, and UM Action. However, the WCA’s purpose is not to fight the political battles raging across the church, but to prepare for and live into a positive and fruitful future.
The earliest Christian affirmation was “Jesus Christ is Lord” (Acts 2:36). This is the core belief that characterizes all Christians and defines discipleship. As followers of Jesus, we seek to live together in obedience to Christ’s teachings as found in Holy Scripture (Matthew 28:20). We know Christ authoritatively through the revelation of God’s Word. We believe “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful … so that [we] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16).
Our understanding and application of Scripture is informed by 2,000 years of Christian tradition, along with our reason and experience. But God’s Word is “the true rule and guide for faith and practice” (Confession of Faith, Article IV). The Wesleyan Covenant Association aims to ground all of our beliefs and practices in the authority of Scripture and seeks to reestablish our church on this firm foundation. Living and serving under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of Scripture, we are moving forward with Confidence for the future.
Creating a Unified Response
We are in a time of great uncertainty in The United Methodist Church. Persistent and escalating disobedience to the order and discipline of our church has created anarchy. The 2016 General Conference entrusted the Bishops’ Commission on a Way Forward for the Church with the task of arriving at a recommended way to break the impasse over the church’s ministry with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons. A 2019 special General Conference will receive that recommendation and determine how our church will move forward.
The Wesleyan Covenant Association exists to give voice to Spirit-filled, orthodox members as we consider that recommendation and prepare for the decision of the 2019 General Conference. If the Commission’s recommendation is something we can support, the WCA will do so. If not, the WCA will create a unified response, while maintaining our beliefs. We believe that we will be in a better position to respond to the Commission’s recommendation as a unified body of Spirit-filled orthodox believers. Therefore, we seek to gather together as many like-minded clergy, laity, and congregational members of the Wesleyan Covenant Association as possible. This unified association will enable us to respond together and move forward together in the strongest way possible. Acting together will give us Confidence for the Future.
Preparing a Plan for the Future
We believe that, after the 2019 General Conference, United Methodism will look very different from how it looks today. However, we cannot wait until 2019 to figure out how orthodox, evangelical United Methodists will move forward together. That is why the Wesleyan Covenant Association is committed to working on plans for a revitalized 21st-century Methodism that can be implemented either within a United Methodist structure or outside it. Our plans need to be flexible enough to adjust to the Commission’s recommendation and the 2019 General Conference’s decisions. Our plans also need to uphold the integrity of our belief in the primary authority of Scripture under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, as well as seek the best framework for a vital, growing church that is making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This planning and preparation will give us Confidence for the Future.
