The Future of United Methodism Is There Life after 2019?

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Domenic Green
5 years ago
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1 1 The Future of United Methodism Is There Life after 2019? For five decades, including all the forty-one years I have been in ministry, at the denominational level, the United Methodist Church has been in a long and often divisive debate about homosexuality and the Church. Ever since 1968, when the United Methodist Church was created from the former Methodist Church and the former Evangelical United Brethren Church, we have been debating this issue. There are traditionally six passages that regard homosexuality in Scripture: Genesis 19:1-10; Leviticus 18:20, Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; and 1 Timothy 1:10. Mark 10:1-12 addresses marriage. At the base of our debate is that people read and interpret Scripture differently than one another. Bishop Scott Jones and Bishop Tom Bickerton, both close friends, read the Bible differently. Dr. Charles Bennett and Dr. Jim Darby, who I have counted as friends and mentor did also in their tenures as Senior Pastors at Old Mission. And among our clergy today, active and retired, there are differences in how we read Scripture. Homosexuality has also been a topic in the larger culture. There are many changes that have occurred over the last 50 years in the United States. LGBTQ citizens are protected by law from most discriminatory practices, and since 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex marriages are legal in all fifty states of the United States of America. But civil rights are not the same as religious observance. In the last fifty years most Christian denominations have debated homosexuality. A few examples follow: Anglicans are divided on the issue worldwide but the ECUSA is accepting of same sex marriage and homosexuals being ordained. But there have been many breakaway groups after this was approved in the USA.

2 2 Southern and American Baptists both officially say homosexual practice is incompatible with Christian teaching - some local American Baptist congregations and the Coop. Bapt. Fellowship have more liberal views. The Presbyterian Church USA allows same-sex marriage, and ordains openly LGBT persons as clergy. All other Presbyterian denominations do not. The Evangelical Lutheran Church allows for LGBTQ marriage and ordination. Missouri Synod Lutherans and Wisconsin Synod Lutheran Churches do not. Both Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ allow same- gender marriage to occur and homosexuals to be ordained but make it clear that local Churches have final say, and cannot be forced to do either. Nazarenes, Assemblies of God, Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Adventists, Pentecostals, Vineyard Churches all oppose both practices. An important difference between the UMC and other denominations is that almost all churches who allow LGBTQ persons to be ordained or married is that they are congregational (local church decides) in governance. Whereas the UMC is connectional (the Discipline governs.) Also, other than Roman Catholics, local churches decide on who will be their pastors. In the United Methodist Church, the Bishop appoints clergy. The United Methodist Church official stance, since the General Conference of 1972, is that LBGTQ persons are of sacred worth and may be members, but the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. The 1976 General Conference restricted funding causes that promote acceptance of homosexuality General Conference prohibited ordination of self-avowed practicing homosexuals. The 1996 General Conference added prohibition of same-sex marriage by clergy or churches. The 2000, 2004, 2008 General Conferences showed increasing polarization on the issue. And the talks of a potential schism began in some quarters.

3 2012 General Conference, Adam Hamilton / Mike Slaughter proposed: United Methodists disagree on whether homosexual practice is contrary to the will of God and urged unity and respect for coexistence. It failed to be approved, even though it was descriptive of where we are as a Church. In 2016 General Conference, our Bishops were requested to intervene, and recommended formation of a specially appointed Commission made up of representatives from across every region and the various perspectives on sexuality with a special called General Conference to potentially meet prior to 2020 and deferral of all human sexuality legislation before General Conference, referring it to this special Commission called The Way Forward. The United Methodist Bishops met in 2018 to review three plans developed by the Commission on the Way Forward. Those Plans are desribed on the attachment, but in summary are as follows: 1. The Traditionalist Plan: Strengthen the existing language about homosexuality in the Book of Discipline and create swift and strong punishment of anyone that does not follow the Book of Discipline. 2. The Connectional Conference Plan: Create a Connectional Conference Model for the church which allows congregations to decide to be a part of one of three branches /conferences in the United States progressive, centrist or conservative. These conferences could modify the Book of Discipline and align church practices to their theology and understanding. 3. The One Church Plan: Create a One Church Plan that allows: 1) Congregations to decide their marriage policies. Each local Church would determine who may or may not be married in their building. 2) Pastors to determine who they will marry. Each pastor would determine their choice of who to marry, as at present, and would be permitted to marry same gender couples if they so choose, but could not do so in a way that would contravene the policy of the local Church. However, they could officiate at weddings off-site or at another Church. 3

4 3) Boards of Ordained Ministry and clergy executive sessions to determine fit and readiness for ministry. The decision about who is / who isn t ordained remains the responsibility of the Conference Boards of Ordained Ministry and Clergy Session. Each Conference policy is their own to determine. This does not change the Discipline regarding the appointment of clergy, which are the responsibility of the Bishop in each Annual Conference, after due consultation with the local church, clergy and the cabinet (the District Superintendents.) It does remove the language prohibiting ordination or appointment of self-avowed, practicing homosexuals in the Church, and therefore leaves such decisions with the Bishop. Recommentation to present all three plans with a recommendation to prefer the One Church Plan passed Council of Bishops with less than a supermajority, in other words less than 2/3 majority. My experience in the local Church is that a vote isn t as simple as a win-lose up or down vote. It is almost inevitably a lose-lose vote that disenfranchises the minority and leads to division and further dissention. In the local Church, it indicates that we have not yet worked hard enough on an issue to really be ready to vote on matters of significance. What will happen in February 2019? I have no crystal ball - it s anyone s guess. There will be a United Methodist Church after 2019 and Old Mission will be a United Methodist Congregation. And God will have a Church. What kind of Church we will be has not yet been determined. The One Church Plan has a chance to be adopted but there is little that hasn t failed before, so it could fail easily. And it just moves the fight from the General Conference to every conference and every local Church. It would disenfranchise about percent of the Church. The Traditionalist Plan, in my opinion, places prohibitions and penalties in place that are so drastic that doomed to failure. 4

5 5 The Connectional Conference plan that, again in my opinion, is the most fair to all concerned is so complicated to implement, including constitutional changes, which make its probably, although the best plan, not at all likely. Two other strong possibilities are that the General Conference 2019 will do nothing or defer action till the 2020 General Conference in regular session. Is it possible for the United Methodist Church to stay together? Yes, but it is also possible that some on either end of the theological spectrum may leave, no matter what. It is a time of worry and anxiety. The vast majority of churches and pastors I know long for unity, and to work hard enough to not settle for win / lose, because then everyone loses. The United Methodist Church has been described as a church of the radical or extreme center. We are stronger because we have both liberal and conserving impulses. We are stronger because we hold together the evangelical and social gospel. We are better for insisting that we are a church of both the head and the heart. Gracious God, we declare with our best intentions to know and do your will. During our fleeting moments of reflection, we find that we have done only our will. In this place and at this time, we recommit to patiently listening for your still small voice though the noise of our busy lives. Holy Spirit, give us the wisdom to discern your voice of grace and truth. Give us the characteristics and disposition to embody the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in all our words and actions. Amen.

6 6 SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS How important is the Bible to what you believe about homosexuality? Has this issue impacted you, your family or someone you know? What is your greatest concern or hope if the Church changes or doesn t change its stance about ordination of self-avowed homosexuals? What is your greatest hope or concern if the Church changes or doesn t change its stance regarding same-sex weddings in the Church building? Would your perspective be different if the Church allowed clergy to preside at a same-sex wedding not in a United Methodist building? Would you personally be open to our Church being served by a clergy person as Senior or Associate Pastor who was a practicing homosexual? What can the Church, especially Old Mission, do to increase our hospitality and welcome to all persons, including LGBTQ persons, regardless of the outcomes of General Conference?

Tonight Welcome & Opening Prayer (Pastor Laura) 2. How Did We Get Here? (Sabrina) 3. Traditional Plan (Christian)

Tonight Welcome & Opening Prayer (Pastor Laura) 2. How Did We Get Here? (Sabrina) 3. Traditional Plan (Christian) Opening Prayer 1 Tonight... 1. Welcome & Opening Prayer (Pastor Laura) 2. How Did We Get Here? (Sabrina) 3. Traditional Plan (Christian) 4. Connectional Conference (Joe) 5. One Church Model (Jean) Closing