I’m not so much making a point with this post as asking a question. I have been in dialogue with a friend who asked: Is the unity of which we speak in the UMC a baseless unity? In other words, what is the common thread that runs through the UMC and holds us together?
Our unity does not lie in doctrine, though I believe that it should. But there are many clergy, including some bishops, who seem to have little regard for the Doctrinal Standards in the Discipline. They would point, rather, to the section called “Our Theological Task,” which articulates the method we have come to call the “Wesleyan Quadrilateral.”
That leads to the question: Is our unity in this theological method? Clearly, it is not. The method is so broad that it is virtually useless. To say, for example, that we consider scripture as primary is not a very helpful claim when we have so little agreement on the nature and function of scripture.
I’m not even going to suggest that our unity is in ethical issues or commitments to social justice. We’re all over the map here.
Is our unity, then, confined to matters of polity? Are we only held together by the trust clause and our pensions? I really, really don’t want the UMC to split. I would consider that a great tragedy. Yet what are our main reasons for staying together?
I’d appreciate receiving your comments below.
Oh, and be nice.
David F. Watson 
For a whole host of reasons, I don't think the church should split. It will show a bad example and do more harm than good – at least in the current cultural climate. That being said, I don't think it's insignificant that the question is difficult to answer beyond questions of polity. So, in short, I got nothin'.
I was involved (though not a primary driver) of a twitter conversation on this subject a month ago or so. We came up with two. The first is potlucks. The second is the concept that “God is love.” (It is prudent here to note, though, that meanings for both “God” and “love” are not universally agreed upon.)
Chris, I agree with you that schisms within the church do not convey a positive message to the world about our life together as Christians.
I would like to say that our unity is centered on the worship, adoration, and proclamation of the transforming Triune God. Yet, sometimes I wonder if we can all agree on something as foundational as that.
I like potlucks, too.