Politics in the UMC, Part 1
If you've been paying attention to recent news, you've probably heard about the general conference in the United Methodist Church. Or more likely the outcome of the general conference and the steps taken to revert progress in acceptance of the LGBTQIA community. Here's a recap in case you're not aware. I promise not to make this too journalist and use more of my own experience and wording whenever possible. I'm not a scholar of this history by any means, so if you're looking for more context or information, Google it.
Brief History
The UMC church in its current form was established in 1968 as a union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB). The roots of both denominations come from John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, who come from England with Anglican backgrounds. In the early 1700's John and Charles came to the US hoping to teach the gospel to the Indians in the colony of Georgia. The church in America started growing, and John Wesley became aware that there was a need for more ministers to provide sacraments. In very simple terms, he started his own denomination unintentionally. Circuit riders were travelling ministers on horseback who visited the churches on their circuit about 4 times a year. And this is why Methodists are used to only taking communion a few times a year. If it were up to me, we'd do it weekly.
In the almost 300 years since the Methodist church got its roots in America, it has become a global church. In addition to the US, there are conferences in Africa, Congo, West Africa, Central & Southern Europe, Germany, Northern Europe and the Philippines. In recent years the population of US membership has been declining and other conferences, especially Africa, are growing. The structure of the UMC dictates that their Book of Discipline (rules of governance or bylaws) are decided as an annual (global) conference. This means that when the Book of Discipline requires updates, the global church votes for amendments.
The road to LGBTQIA acceptance
For a casual observer, especially in areas where the general political makeup is more liberal (like in Minnesota), one would think that the Methodist church is fairly accepting of LGBTQIA individuals. However, the Book of Discipline does not support the ordination of clergy who are "self-avowed" and "practicing" homosexuals. It will also not allow marriages for LGBTQIA individuals. This is something that the Methodist church has been trying to affect change about for over 20 years already. However a recent push in the last decade to further align with our US government has been made to remove the language from the Book of Discipline.
The One Church plan was provided to simply remove any reference to homosexuality from the Book of Discipline. This would leave any decisions about whether to perform LGBTQIA marriages and/or ordain LGBTQIA clergy up to the local churches.
The Connectional Conference plan was provided to allow the local churches to pick a new conference that aligned with their beliefs (Progressive, Central, or Traditionalist). It allowed everyone to stay under "one big tent" and pick where they belong. This plan was messy and didn't get much support from any side.
The Traditionalist plan would keep the current Book of Discipline, but also make the current verbiage more enforceable by trials. A first time offense by clergy would put them on administrative leave for one year, and a second offense would remove them from the church altogether.
General Conference 2019
Each of the three plans was voted in order of priority in which they were to be discussed. Each of the plans was voted and needed majority vote to pass. The One Church plan did not make it through the first round of legislation, and neither did the Connectional Conference plan. The Traditionalist plan did, and for many, that was the first sign that the general conference would not go as it was expected to. It largely felt like divorce proceedings to many observers.
The One Church plan was brought up as a minority report to try to give it a second chance. It did not pass by majority vote. It has been stated that 2/3 of US delegates were in support of the plan, but the global nature of the conference swung the vote away from the plan.
Shortly before 5:00 pm on February 26, 2019, the Traditionalist plan was passed. The Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA) has been an organized force in lobbying for this plan to pass. They recognized the politics involved and appear to have used their resources to leverage voters outside of the US to help the plan pass. However, several parts of the legislation were deemed unconstitutional and the entire plan has been sent to the judicial committee (Supreme Court of the UMC) for review in April 2019. It is entirely possible that the Traditionalist plan will not pass approval, or that parts will have to be removed that may make the entire plan a skeleton that is nothing like what it was intended to be.
Glimmers of Hope
In my next post, I'll talk more about what has happened since, and how people are coming together to grieve, to move on, and to rally support around our beloved LGBTQIA individuals. I hope you'll keep reading to hear some gospel from this upcoming post.
For now, know how deeply you are loved. No matter where you fall on the issue of acceptance, no matter if you are grieving with us as allies, Christians, Unchurched/Nonchurch, Agnostic, Atheist, or other - you are worthy of love, and I love you. I know a God who is ready to love you, even if the church you come from has not expressed that it can love you and accept you without changing who you are. There is work to do, and people are organizing to be the change we wish to be in the world. The world is changing, and we get to set the standard for how to love and how to be neighbors to all people.
One of my favorite things from performing Tony & Tina's Wedding has been the cast and crew. I've mentioned how tight we have become as a family. The beautiful part is that some of us are Christian, and several are not. We are multi-racial. We share different backgrounds and interests, but we have one thing in common. We ALLOW.
We allow each other the space to practice self-care with no judgement. We allow our differences to make us stronger, and not to divide us. We allow honest conversation, and we allow space to explore who we are. Together, we know we can change the world. Because we have been changed by knowing and loving each other. This is the world that I want to live in and be a part of. This is what the world can be.
Be blessed to be a blessing to each other.
Peace,
Positively Pastoral Jessica
Brief History
The UMC church in its current form was established in 1968 as a union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB). The roots of both denominations come from John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, who come from England with Anglican backgrounds. In the early 1700's John and Charles came to the US hoping to teach the gospel to the Indians in the colony of Georgia. The church in America started growing, and John Wesley became aware that there was a need for more ministers to provide sacraments. In very simple terms, he started his own denomination unintentionally. Circuit riders were travelling ministers on horseback who visited the churches on their circuit about 4 times a year. And this is why Methodists are used to only taking communion a few times a year. If it were up to me, we'd do it weekly.
In the almost 300 years since the Methodist church got its roots in America, it has become a global church. In addition to the US, there are conferences in Africa, Congo, West Africa, Central & Southern Europe, Germany, Northern Europe and the Philippines. In recent years the population of US membership has been declining and other conferences, especially Africa, are growing. The structure of the UMC dictates that their Book of Discipline (rules of governance or bylaws) are decided as an annual (global) conference. This means that when the Book of Discipline requires updates, the global church votes for amendments.
The road to LGBTQIA acceptance
For a casual observer, especially in areas where the general political makeup is more liberal (like in Minnesota), one would think that the Methodist church is fairly accepting of LGBTQIA individuals. However, the Book of Discipline does not support the ordination of clergy who are "self-avowed" and "practicing" homosexuals. It will also not allow marriages for LGBTQIA individuals. This is something that the Methodist church has been trying to affect change about for over 20 years already. However a recent push in the last decade to further align with our US government has been made to remove the language from the Book of Discipline.
The One Church plan was provided to simply remove any reference to homosexuality from the Book of Discipline. This would leave any decisions about whether to perform LGBTQIA marriages and/or ordain LGBTQIA clergy up to the local churches.
The Connectional Conference plan was provided to allow the local churches to pick a new conference that aligned with their beliefs (Progressive, Central, or Traditionalist). It allowed everyone to stay under "one big tent" and pick where they belong. This plan was messy and didn't get much support from any side.
The Traditionalist plan would keep the current Book of Discipline, but also make the current verbiage more enforceable by trials. A first time offense by clergy would put them on administrative leave for one year, and a second offense would remove them from the church altogether.
General Conference 2019
Each of the three plans was voted in order of priority in which they were to be discussed. Each of the plans was voted and needed majority vote to pass. The One Church plan did not make it through the first round of legislation, and neither did the Connectional Conference plan. The Traditionalist plan did, and for many, that was the first sign that the general conference would not go as it was expected to. It largely felt like divorce proceedings to many observers.
The One Church plan was brought up as a minority report to try to give it a second chance. It did not pass by majority vote. It has been stated that 2/3 of US delegates were in support of the plan, but the global nature of the conference swung the vote away from the plan.
Shortly before 5:00 pm on February 26, 2019, the Traditionalist plan was passed. The Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA) has been an organized force in lobbying for this plan to pass. They recognized the politics involved and appear to have used their resources to leverage voters outside of the US to help the plan pass. However, several parts of the legislation were deemed unconstitutional and the entire plan has been sent to the judicial committee (Supreme Court of the UMC) for review in April 2019. It is entirely possible that the Traditionalist plan will not pass approval, or that parts will have to be removed that may make the entire plan a skeleton that is nothing like what it was intended to be.
Glimmers of Hope
In my next post, I'll talk more about what has happened since, and how people are coming together to grieve, to move on, and to rally support around our beloved LGBTQIA individuals. I hope you'll keep reading to hear some gospel from this upcoming post.
For now, know how deeply you are loved. No matter where you fall on the issue of acceptance, no matter if you are grieving with us as allies, Christians, Unchurched/Nonchurch, Agnostic, Atheist, or other - you are worthy of love, and I love you. I know a God who is ready to love you, even if the church you come from has not expressed that it can love you and accept you without changing who you are. There is work to do, and people are organizing to be the change we wish to be in the world. The world is changing, and we get to set the standard for how to love and how to be neighbors to all people.
One of my favorite things from performing Tony & Tina's Wedding has been the cast and crew. I've mentioned how tight we have become as a family. The beautiful part is that some of us are Christian, and several are not. We are multi-racial. We share different backgrounds and interests, but we have one thing in common. We ALLOW.
We allow each other the space to practice self-care with no judgement. We allow our differences to make us stronger, and not to divide us. We allow honest conversation, and we allow space to explore who we are. Together, we know we can change the world. Because we have been changed by knowing and loving each other. This is the world that I want to live in and be a part of. This is what the world can be.
Be blessed to be a blessing to each other.
Peace,
Positively Pastoral Jessica
Comments
Post a Comment