As reported on CNN, Slate and ThinkProgress, 111 United Methodist ministers have just come out as LGBTQI, as part of an action timed to the start of the global United Methodist Church’s legislative body, the General Conference, in Portland, Oregon.
The United Methodist Church, which is the largest U.S. mainline Protestant denomination and third-largest Christian denomination (and counts both Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush as members), has no single leader. Instead, every four years both clergy and laity are elected to a General Conference, which passes legislation relating to the church’s work and principles.
Since 1972, the UMC’s Book of Discipline has stated that “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” There are also bans on “self-avowed practicing” LGBTQ individuals from being ordained as ministers. (See this timeline from 1972 until now.)
Earlier today, one hundred eleven UMC ministers came out as LGBTQI — all of whom are risking facing a church trial, public scrutiny and ultimately losing ordination. The UMC has in the past defrocked ministers who came out, as well as clergy who officiated at same-sex weddings. This coming out en masse follows 15 clergy from the New York area who did the same one week ago, and Rev. David Meredith, who married his partner Jim Schlachter on Saturday.
The clergy wrote in their public “love letter to the church”:
“While we have sought to remain faithful to our call and covenant, you have not always remained faithful to us. While you have welcomed us as pastors, youth leaders, district superintendents, bishops, professors, missionaries and other forms of religious service, you have required that we not bring our full selves to ministry, that we hide from view our sexual orientations and gender identities. As long as we did this, you gladly affirmed our gifts and graces and used us to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world in the varied places you sent us.
“While some of us have been lucky to serve in places where we could serve honestly and openly, there are others in places far more hostile, who continue to serve faithfully even at tremendous cost to themselves, their families, and yes, even the communities they serve, who do not receive the fullness of their pastor’s gifts because a core part must remain hidden.”
Because of the distributed nature of the United Methodist Church, while the church as a whole does not sanction openly LGBTQ ministers or same-sex marriage, some regional bodies in New York, Maryland, California and the Pacific Northwest have refused to take action against clergy as stated in the Book of Discipline.
How you can take part
Share the letter from the 111 clergy on your favorite social media!
Organizers are using the hashtags #CalledOut #ItsTime and #Portland111 — follow those links to see the latest discussion from Twitter, and include them in your social media posts if you like.
Follow the Reconciling Ministries Network on Facebook or Twitter — they'll likely have the latest updates from the UMC General Conference over the next two weeks.
Soulforce and Love Prevails are organizing a nonviolent direct action training for United Methodists at General Conference, and they could use your financial support. If you're a member of the UMC, Soulforce has an email update list just for you.
For those in the Portland area, the Love Your Neighbor Coalition is hosting a safe space at the conference with trainings and speakers, and has a real-time smartphone app that will let you hear about the latest events.
You can follow a live stream from the UMC General Conference, but you should be aware that most of the legislative work may be done in committees (not on the live stream) until the final votes next week. You can follow social media discussion about the General Conference with the hashtag #UMCGC.
On a personal note
I don’t usually write or blog on here about faith, but I grew up in the United Methodist Church, and technically I’m still a member. In 1999, I was the secretary for the youth committee of the Desert Southwest “annual conference” (comprising most of Arizona and the Las Vegas-Henderson area of Nevada) and as such I was a delegate to the annual conference’s meeting.
There were several proposed pieces of legislation, even back then, to do away with the bigoted and hurtful nature in the church’s principles. In fact, soon after, my bishop was among several arrested for civil disobedience at the 2000 General Conference. (If you’re curious about the role of nonviolent direct action, check out this excellent blog from Hacking Christianity.)
But the thing I remember the most were the empty stoles — the religious vestments many ministers wear over their robes. Anonymously, a group of people had set up an exhibit at the Desert Southwest annual conference of the stoles of ministers who were LGBTQI — but could not tell anyone for fear of official church sanction.
I’m happy to see, so many years later, that nonviolent direct action and grassroots organizing is beginning to shift the tide. The stoles are no longer empty.