First United Methodist Church Millville — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Lead Pastor Brian Robinson

Founded Historic congregation

Denomination United Methodist Church (UMC)

Service Times See website

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.firstumcmillville.org

Pastor Credentials Doctorate from Seton Hall University; Deacon studies at Palmer Theological Seminary; Former NJ State Trooper (13 years); Former Director of Camp Edge (12 years)

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

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

Methodist orthodox Christology.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

UMC post-2024 split removed restrictions on LGBTQ clergy/marriage at denominational level, but many individual congregations remain traditional. Verify this church's specific stance.

Caution

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Verify — no men's ministry confirmed yet.

Strong

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Methodist — grace through faith; Wesleyan heritage.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

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

Male lead pastor Brian Robinson; no female ordained pastors identified. UMC denomination-level affirming post-2024, but local church shows no Pride/RMN/affirming markers on website. Yellow stands pending local verification.

UMC denomination allows women ordination; verify local practice

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Lead Pastor Brian Robinson (transitioned from 30+ years as a school principal). Nancy Robinson (wife) runs a Bible study but is not identified as ordained. Prior note referencing Pastor Jack Fosbenner appears stale.

Caution

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Verify preaching style — Jack Fosbenner teaches Bible studies.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Active community engagement — Trinity First Hope Center ministry serves Millville community. Mission-oriented.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

No Pride flag, no Reconciling Ministries Network affiliation, no explicit affirming language on site. Traditional Methodist presentation — but UMC denominational context keeps this yellow.

Caution

Accountability Structure

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

UMC affiliation. Post-2024 GC the denomination is institutionally affirming, but individual churches vary widely. Some NJ UMC churches are traditional.

Caution

Assessment

First United Methodist Church Millville is a historic Methodist congregation in South Jersey where Pastor Jack Fosbenner serves as Deacon. Jack's background is notable: 13 years as a NJ State Trooper, 12 years as Director of Camp Edge, business owner, doctorate from Seton Hall, and Deacon studies at Palmer Theological Seminary. Married to Sue for 43 years. He helps oversee the Trinity First Hope Center — a community mission ministry serving Millville. Personal friend of MOOP. The UMC denominational affiliation is the main yellow flag — post-2024 General Conference the denomination lifted restrictions on LGBTQ ordination and same-sex marriage, so individual congregations vary significantly. This particular church needs in-person evaluation to determine its specific theological posture. Jack's traditional/conservative background suggests the local culture may be more conservative than the national UMC trajectory.

#methodist#umc#millville#new-jersey#south-jersey#jack-fosbenner#personal-connection#verified-2026

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

✓ Personally knows church members

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

[2026-05-19] MOOP rubric auto-flag: UMC — denomination has officially adopted LGBTQ-affirming theology since 2024. Was yellow; downgraded to red. Human review recommended to confirm congregation alignment with denominational stance.

No URL sources recorded for this church. Rating based on denominational defaults and/or directory-level metadata.

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.