Dove Creek Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Laura Cartwright

Founded Continuing GMC congregation post-UMC disaffiliation

Denomination GMC

Service Times Sundays 11:00 AM

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry No

Website heartlandgmc.org/groups/dove-creek-church/

Pastor Credentials Not published

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

GMC affirms historic Christology.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

GMC affirms inspiration and authority of Scripture.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Not stated.

Strong

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Wesleyan-Arminian.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Pastor Laura Cartwright is female; UMC-era female-clergy holdover under GMC. Cartwright also serves on the Colorado District presiding-elder team.

Female senior pastor (Laura Cartwright). GMC polity is complementarian on episcopacy/elder ordination but UMC-era female clergy are grandfathered in. Yellow flag for clarity.

WARNING!

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Laura Cartwright (female pastor and Colorado District circuit elder).

WARNING!

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Wesleyan preaching tradition.

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Rural southwest Colorado ministry.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Conservative Wesleyan posture.

Strong

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

GMC Heartland Conference (Colorado District).

Strong

Assessment

Dove Creek Church is a continuing GMC congregation in southwest Colorado's Dolores County. Pastor Laura Cartwright (also a Colorado District circuit elder) leads worship Sundays at 11am.

#gmc#co#dove-creek#rural#global-methodist#heartland-conference

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

[2026-05-19] Auto-flagged RED: female senior pastor pattern (Laura Cartwright). MOOP complementarian distinctive applied.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source heartlandgmc.org/groups/dove-creek-church/

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.