Comparing current membership figures in The United Methodist Church with those from forty years ago, it would be easy to conclude that the United Methodist 'ice cube' is melting. Any number of factors might account for this trend, but almost every observer would agree that what Lyle Schaller calls the 'contagious disease of intradenominational quarreling' has played a large role. Schaller says that the day has arrived to focus on the cure to this disease. Recognizing that the most difficult step in this process will be to gain agreement on what are the non-negotiable issues in the disagreements that divide United Methodists, Shaller has recruited a number of individuals from around the denomination to comment on what is really 'at risk' in The United Methodist Church. Only by undergoing the hard work of gaining agreement on what the real issues are that divide United Methodists, he says will be possible to hope for a way forward.
