Bethany United Methodist Church — Attraction in Austin

I am married and we visited Bethany for over 6 months together as a couple. We almost joined. I will get to why we didn't later. First, the positive:

Bethany DID greet us at the door. In fact, we were developing friendships with those very greeters, and I was sad to leave them. The women at Bethany were generally good. Makes sense: the Methodist church has always been very welcoming of women who want to serve in the ministry. If traditional, liturgical worship services are your thing (and not modern worship with electric guitars and drums), Bethany has that. It's why most of the people who attend are there. Beautiful building. Bethany has clearly seen better days before. If you are a senior citizen or a parent with young kids, Bethany has strong communities in those two groups. Free coffee

Now, the harder part; where I cannot recommend this church:

The women were good. The men were not (by that I mean the leadership. Senior, associate, and worship pastors). In spite of the best efforts of the women and the greeters, Bethany was only semi-welcoming to first-time visitors. Your second time, and...I'm sorry, what was your name again? It's why we attended for 6 months and then dropped out. The church recently underwent a major split (as we were reminded of almost every other Sunday). We felt left out a lot because we didn't have young kids. Extremely overstaffed (due to aforementioned split), and they only let the staff run the church. The members (who pay for said staff) have no say. They would offer pretend volunteer roles to members at times, but those roles were clearly busy-work which did not fulfill any real church function (for example, they would pour your coffee for you. The coffee dispensers are sitting right there--you could have helped yourself).

Importantly: note that this whole time, I never even mentioned gay ordination (the whole reason for the church split) or liberal theology. I was never even aware of anyone openly gay at Bethany UMC. So as far as I know, the entire fuss was over a purely hypothetical problem. I have heard the argument before, that there are other sins one can commit; not just homosexuality. Such as deceit, hypocrisy, misuse of what belongs to God. Ordained ministers can commit those sins, too. So why single out homosexuality as a disqualifier? And even that argument, I can see some merit to.

The problem is, Bethany UMC is not exactly glowing in those other departments, either. It's not like they're this otherwise perfect church, who just accepts gays as pastors. They're not. Other essentials that a church has to have, Bethany lacks: welcoming, God-fearing, enabling their members to be the best they can be--and do the best they can do--for God. Bethany does not do that. They hoard all the church functions for the paid staff. You are supposed to bring your warm body to sit in the pews every Sunday and write a check.

I cannot recommend Bethany UMC--not because they accept gay/women pastors, not because their worship is liturgical. But because they were simply not welcoming, and because their paid staff (particularly the male staff) sit in these ivory towers who cannot be reached, cannot be touched, who want to run everything. A key function of a church is to equip and empower its members to do good things for God: Bethany does not. They actually stand in the way, preventing you from doing that. Jesus took issue with exactly this in Matthew 23:13.

P.S. The church who split away from them, apparently, is Austin Global Methodist. I know this not because even one single person at Bethany was willing to tell me that the entire time we were there; but because I tracked them down. They just added 18 new members. Bethany...

Bethany UMC is a church I'd like to be able to give a 5-star rating. I know people who act the part of Christians who go there. They have intensely energetic ministry in places that need it, well, when it's convenient to have intensely energetic ministry in places that need it. They have erudite sermons and well-prepared teachers and activities for youth....so why would I give them one star? Why say anything if you can't say something good? I am hoping someone at the church pays attention to this. Last year I had a convergence of health and financial catastrophes. I had to go into the hospital for a heart issue, and I got discharged to the street the week before Christmas. I spent a very cold night sitting on the curb in front of the hospital, and then I had enough money for a bowl of soup and bus fare to one location. I decided that I might as well go to a service from Christmas so I stopped at Bethany UMC for the Saturday evening service. People looked at me funny, understandably, but I decided to act as much like any other worshipper as I could. It was almost Christmas, after all, Then I decided even if I was doomed to spend a cold Christmas weekend outdoors without food, I might as well shake hands with the minister. I blurted out my situation and someone I assumed was a minister in the receiving line told me I was welcome to spend the night in the courtyard. I did. The next morning I was suffering hypothermia, and, it turned out, when the EMTs eventually checked my temperature, I was nearly dead. 84 degrees. But nobody called EMTs right away. The senior minister walked by me four times and ignored my calls for help. The assistant minister--the one who was so upset about President Trump's election November a few years ago--walked by once and then LAUGHED IN MY FACE when I asked for help. Eventually someone I recognized from a Sunday School class I had attended called 911. That wasn't all. The church did reach out to me after I got resuscitated with warming IVs. They had me wait at the hospital for yet another assistant minister to tell me the member who had told me I could stay in the courtyard--and freeze--with no food and no water--was no authorized to do so. That was the entire result of the "minister's" visit. To tell me to die somewhere else. Two days before Christmas. Then someone I barely knew who happens to be a non-believer with no ties to the church offered me his unused RV for two nights. It had heat. I didn't die. There are some real Christians at Bethany UMC. Their ministers are apparently a bad joke. On the whole, for the sake of your soul, you might be better off staying away. I would not have survived the next month, I'll say here, had not I received very generous help from a person who happens to be a member there. I'm amazed he's still spiritual, despite going to Bethany. But these ministers, wow. For the record, I got past that situation, live indoors on my own earnings, and even help others in small ways now. But no thanks to Bethany UMC. How can their ministers call...

Bethany UMC and its staff are a very caring and loving group. I am a member there, but my youngest son is not yet, but will soon be. I made an appointment last night to be able to meet with the pastors to get help for my son. He has been very ill and in need of prayers. I was contacted by the church this morning for our afternoon appointment. To see the two pastors at work doing what they do best, doing God's will was amazing. My son and I left with such a warm and joyous feeling that they had helped us receive from our Heavenly Father. I would recommend this church to anyone. Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Our Father in Heaven are a powerful...