A Decision Will Be Made About Our Future

It is incumbent upon me to clearly communicate what’s happening in the wider United Methodist Church. Salem may be required to make a big decision in another year, depending on what happens next February at a specially called General Conference. 

In 2016, the every-four-year General Conference decided not to take up any legislation related to homosexuality. Currently, The United Methodist Church declares that all individuals are of sacred worth but the practice of homosexuality (so not homosexual people themselves) is incompatible with Christian scripture and tradition. Further, the church prevents clergy from officiating at same-sex unions, teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman, and prohibits the ordination of self-professed practicing homosexuals. Rather than voting on these matters again in 2016, the bishops were authorized to form the Commission on a Way Forward to help our denomination discern what to do in the midst of our differences around human sexuality.

The Commission has been working for the last couple of years. While they have released some information, their final report will be presented to the Council of Bishops later this spring. The bishops will determine what to present to the special General Conference in February 2019. The General Conference delegates will ultimately make any official decisions. Dorothy Higdon and I from Salem are both reserve delegates from our Annual Conference and participate in our delegation meetings.

In the meantime, the Council of Bishops released a summary of the two models now being considered. Details of the two models in progress could change based on the Commission's work and final report.

1. The one-church model would give conferences, churches, and pastors the flexibility to “uniquely reach their missional context in relation to human sexuality without changing the connectional nature of The United Methodist Church.” What this means is each church, pastor, and annual conference would decided for themselves the teaching on marriage, whether to perform same-sex weddings, and whether to ordain LGBTQ persons. Some advocate for this. Others see the lack of consistency between United Methodist congregations as problematic for our internal connectionalism and external witness. This could be enacted with votes to simply remove some language from the Book of Discipline.

2. The multi-branch, one-church model would include shared doctrine and services and one Council of Bishops, while also creating different branches that have clearly defined values such as accountability, contextualization and justice. The current five U.S. Jurisdictions would be replaced by three connectional conferences, each covering the whole country, based on theology and perspective on LGBTQ ministry — progressive, contextual, and traditional branches. Annual conferences would decide with which connectional conference to affiliate. Local churches like Salem could maintain connection with the Iowa Conference or choose to align with a different conference. Some see this as a way to keep us together while maintaining differences. Others see this as simply having unity in name only and recognize its complexity. This model would also have a huge hurdle to get over, requiring the change of more than two dozen constitutional amendments, each receiving a two-thirds affirmative vote at General Conference and then also ratified by Annual Conferences. This would not be impossible but very difficult to achieve.

Interestingly, the bishops seemed to have dropped one other model shared by the Commission initially. It was considered the traditionalist model and would have retained the current language in the Book of Discipline. 

Also, the Commission from the beginning has suggested that congregations and pastors should be allowed a gracious exit from the UMC if they do not agree with the decision made by General Conference in 2019. What that entails is yet to be determined, but it would likely mean that pastors would keep their pensions and congregations would keep their property (which currently belongs to the Annual Conference).

While the bishops will decide what to present formally to General Conference, the bishops themselves do not vote. The General Conference delegates will vote to do whatever they want. They could choose what the bishops present or could vote it down and replace it with another plan. In fact, there are already several other alternative proposals being crafted by various individuals and groups in order to present them to General Conference.

Salem, like many UM congregations, has a wide diversity of people with some on the right, some on the left, and some in the center. If our congregation has to make a decision, it would likely be messy, painful, and difficult, just as it would be for the vast majority of UM congregations.

Here are three steps you can take: 

First, I am sharing several links at the bottom so you can read more and learn for yourself what’s going on.

Second, I invite you to let me know if you’d like to talk about what’s going on and if you’d like to participate in a small group to discuss this further.

Third, Bishop Laurie Haller has made it a priority to meet in all of the districts to facilitate conversation around the Commission on a Way Forward. If churches have to make local decisions, it is imperative members understand what is happening. Therefore, she is inviting and encouraging each of you to meet with her this Saturday, April 7 from 2-4:30 PM at St. Mark’s UMC in Iowa City. This gathering will include a devotion from the bishop, a video dialogue by two of our clergy who have differing views, and opportunities for table conversations and questions. This is the time the bishop has set aside to be on our district to be in conversation with you about our way forward.

Finally, please pray for the church, the body of Jesus Christ, that we would seek the truth, embody grace, and exhibit a powerful witness to the world.

Links

click here for what I wrote in May 2017 to begin sharing with Salem what is happening

click here for the Commission on the Way Forward website

click here for an update that shares the original three models from the Commission

click here for the latest update from the bishops with the two models