It has been a long time since I posted here. The latest United Methodist General Conference has made it so I do feel the need to speak out again. What follows is a version of the letter I sent to my congregation earlier today. All specific references to the church I serve as pastor have been removed from the original letter.
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Dear friends and family of the United Methodist Church,
The
Special Called General Conference to discuss the future of the church with
regards to human sexuality is over, so the time has come to respond and
continue forward. During this General
Conference, I was blessed to be able to serve as a marshal. This means I spent 4 days checking name
badges to be certain everyone was in the right place, answering questions,
watching for trouble, and attempting to be a calming and pleasant presence in
the midst of turmoil. In those four
days, I made bishops turn their name badges around so I could see them,
explained to a member of the Judicial Council (our Supreme Court) that I was
following my training by checking their badges every time they passed, and stood
next to some of the noisiest and most passionate protestors. I scanned in delegates, stared bored at an
elevator, and at one point had the best seat in the house right in front of the
American Sign Language interpreters. It
was a powerful and powerfully exhausting experience. I am very glad I could be there to support
the work of those making terribly hard decisions about the future of our
church.
In our
training as marshals, we were instructed to avoid wearing anything clearly
partisan (no rainbow stoles, buttons promoting a particular plan for the UMC,
or anything else that might betray our own opinions). This was necessary so we could be in place to
serve all those attending the General Conference. With a
deep awareness that our congregation is as deeply divided at the General
Conference, I am going to continue forward with some of the same principles I
practiced as a marshal. As your pastor,
I am here to be in ministry with you all: progressive or traditionalist—LGBTQIA,
allies, or none of the above. We are
church together, and that means we must figure out how to continue our role of
making disciples together. I have my theological
opinions, and if you ask me one-on-one, I will give them to you, but when I
stand in the pulpit or visit you in the hospital, I will be pastor to all
present.
So,
what happened at the Special Called General Conference? On the one hand, very little changed, but on
the other, so much happened. Let me
explain. In brief, 53% of the delegates
voted to affirm the exact same stance the denomination has held for years. Our official beliefs about homosexuality did
not change. Some loopholes were closed,
and minimal accountability may have been added, but the stance did not change. The Traditional Plan passed the General Conference,
but much of it has already been ruled unconstitutional by the Judicial
Council. Because of some creative
filibustering, all the amendments were not made that were needed to make this
plan wholly constitutional—The UMC has our own Constitution that can be found
in the Book of Discipline. As such,
those pieces that are constitutional will become church law, and those that are
ruled unconstitutional will be thrown out.
The Judicial Council will meet to rule on this after Easter.
Even
though the official stance of the UMC did not change, this decision was
significant for the future of our denomination.
For many Progressives, this decision was a tipping point where they
recognize that the denomination is by a small majority conservative/traditionalist,
not centrist or progressive. Some are
vowing to leave and create a new Methodist denomination. Some are promising to ignore the latest
ruling of the General Conference, to stay, and to fight. Others are simply leaving for other existing
churches. Many are not sure what will
come next, but they are expressing strong feelings that they can no longer
stick with the status quo.
Regardless
where you stand, the percentage by which the Traditional Plan was adopted is
not encouraging. A church that is deeply
divided at nearly 50% on either side does not seem to be set up well for moving
forward in a unified way. This is made
worse by the reality that each side demonizes the other, making it impossible
at a global scale to be truly United Methodist. Many progressives believe that those who
voted for the Traditional Plan are at best misguided and at worst hateful
bigots. They explain that this decision
causes harm to the LGBTQIA in our midst.
Many traditionalists believe that those who wished the language to be
changed to be more inclusive are at best misguided and at worst ignoring
Scripture and God’s will. They explain
that the real harm would be in allowing sin to continue unchecked and un-repented. General
Conference 2019 highlighted and confirmed the deep divisions in the Church that
many already knew existed. Although it is
probably little comfort for those Progressive/Liberals, please remember that
your Conservative/Traditionalist brothers and sisters did not for the most part
make this choice out of hate, but rather out of a theological understanding of
sin.
Let me
take a moment to address each person where you are. If you lean Conservative/Traditionalist with
regards to homosexuality, this is NOT a time to gloat or celebrate. There were no winners this weekend. Because the traditional stance prevailed,
there are many today who are hurting. For
them, this is not an issue of sin and sinners, but it is rather an issue of
identity. Because Progressives do not
believe the practice of homosexuality is sinful, this is a very personal
justice issue. Please be gentle, grace-filled,
and sensitive in this time. If you need
help to process and know how to do all this, remember my door is always open.
If you
lean Progressive/Liberal with regards to homosexuality, you are heard and
loved. Take the time right now to
process the feelings that may overwhelm you.
Remember that our local church is the exact same church today as it was
a week ago. We are deeply divided, but
all are loved. If you need help to
process and make decisions, my door is always open.
If you
are LGBTQIA or love someone who is, you are loved by God. As you decide how you will react and what you
believe moving forward, please do not forget that you are loved by God. Any church I serve (and many many others)
will welcome you to worship, to pray, to the Sacraments, to learn and grow with
us, and to move toward who God has created all of us to be. As always, my door is open.
What’s Next?
At any
church I serve, we will do several things.
1) We will recognize that our church is as deeply divided as the rest of
the denomination. This does not mean
that we must make conversations about homosexuality taboo. It does mean we will proceed with gentleness,
grace, and understanding. We will hear
one another. We will read the Scripture,
look at our traditions, hear each other’s experiences, and use our reasoning
minds to process it all. 2) We will
treat all people with the understanding that they were made in the image of
God. We sin, we turn from God, and we
are called to repentance, but we all have sacred worth. 3) As a United Methodist Church, we will
uphold the Book of Discipline. As a part
of the covenant we made in being a UMC, that is our responsibility. 4) We will pray. We will pray that the Holy Spirit work in and
through our denomination. We will pray
that those who are hurt be offered God’s great healing. We will pray.
5) We will make disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the
World. No decision or protest of that
decision can change our task as the church in the world.
