| Liberation Methodist Connexion | |
|---|---|
 LMX wordmark | |
| Abbreviation | LMX |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Methodist |
| Theology | Liberationist ·Wesleyan |
| Polity | Connectionalism |
| Founder | Liberationist members within the UMC |
| Origin | November 29, 2020 |
| Separated from | United Methodist Church |
| Official website | thelmx.org |
TheLiberation Methodist Connexion (shortened toLMX) is an aspiringProtestant denomination based in theUnited States drawing fromMethodism andliberation theology. Formed in 2020 as aprogressive offshoot of theUnited Methodist Church, the LMX includes Methodists and non-Methodists alike and encourages continued collaboration with the UMC.[1][2] Organizers of the Liberation Methodist Connexion announced on 18 December 2021 that no progress has been made to set up a separate denomination.[3]
Liberation Methodist Connexion is named for theliberation theology movement that originated withCatholic theologians inLatin America during the 1960s. The spelling of "connexion" is drawn from an old British spelling of the word used byJohn Wesley, the founder ofMethodism.[4]
At the 2019 special session of theUnited Methodist ChurchGeneral Conference, delegates voted 438-384 in favor of a Traditional Plan that would reaffirm the language in the UMC'sBook of Discipline banning the ordination ofLGBT clergy members and preventing clergy from performingsame-sex marriages.[5] Several progressives within the UMC began proposing a new denomination in response to this decision. Members of this progressive coalition referred to themselves as the "Liberationists" and discussed the possibility of a new denomination in the months following the General Conference.[2]
In January 2020, the UMC proposed the "Protocol of Grace and Separation" that would allow churches with traditional views towards LGBT issues to form a new Methodist denomination and provide the "post-separation" UMC to rescind the Traditional Plan.[6] A vote on the Protocol, set for the May 2020 General Conference, was postponed until 2022.[7]
Members of the "Liberationist" coalition opted to advance their plan to form a new denomination rather than wait for the UMC to settle its stance on LGBT issues. The Liberation Methodist Connexion was formally announced on November 29, 2020. In December 2021, the organization published a press release detailing initial struggles within the LMX and outlining the denomination's statement of values and mission statement.[8]
According to the Liberationist Methodist Connexion website, the denomination's doctrine is not "set in stone".[1] In a presentation given announcing the LMX's founding, collaborators indicated that "correct action" will be prioritized over "correct doctrine".[2]