What was the Great Commission Anyway?

Gerry Charlotte Phelps laments the postmodern United States Methodist bishop's efforts to prevent the more orthodox Southern church having equal voting power at General Conference here. Meanwhile, Ben Whitherington takes a cheap shot at literals, just after praising Billy Graham's work to spread the gospel here. At the same time the seminary students, future pastors, young pastors and bloggers of the Methodist stripe discuss just about everything but making disciples of Christ.

What about the gospel message Billy Graham carried? Is that preached anywhere in the Wesleyan church today? The old Monroe brothers song asks "Will He wait a little longer, there's so many out in sin? Will He wait a little longer, give us time to gather in?" What do the Wesleyan churches say about that issue these days? Seems to me they are saying "when it is convenient and safe we will give those less fortunate the help we think they need and if they happen to stumble across saving grace, well and good, as long as they join a bible church and don't stay around to rock our boat by trying to share that grace directly".

The denomination that claims Wesley as its founder has, as far as I can tell, given up his evangelical mission. Pastors believe the commitments made to Christ at places like Billy Graham crusades cannot even possibly be true. "Evangelical" means to many of them some kind of secular conservative, probably Calvinist person, who is closed-minded and judgemental, likely a literalist. Yet those same folks who view "evangelicals" that way, who also claim to be open in every way, will not tolerate for even a moment the possibility of dissent in their leadership or congregations (denying the Southern church equal votes for example). I am afraid there are few left in the United Methodist church that I know who are truly committed to fulfilling the commission, of openly sharing the gospel of salvation by Christ Jesus. If there are, they are awfully quiet about it. What will the UMC answer when asked about "gathering in"? (or am I just a misguided troglodyte for still believing in Christ's return, heaven, hell and sin?).