For more than 45 years, conservative United Methodists have controlled the church’s policy on LGBTQ inclusion, but the actions of the 2019 General Conference (GC2019) may have gone too far. The purpose of that special General Conference was to find a way forward as one denomination, despite internal division over sexuality. Led by the Wesleyan…
Keeping Covenant
The Wesleyan Covenant Association’s (WCA) use of the word “covenant” in their name was no doubt strategic, as they frequently charge United Methodists who disobey church policy on homosexuality of breaking covenant. Yet conservatives have been breaching covenant for years by disregarding the stark division in the church on this issue, and forcing painful decisions…
A Good Divorce
In the wake of General Conference 2019 session (GC2019) in St. Louis, bishops have issued pastoral calls for healing, congregations have gathered for worship and prayer, and both Methodist and non-Methodist friends have asked me what I think will happen. I do not have a crystal ball, but having studied the church’s historic and current…
On the Third Day
The third day is foundational for Christians, and the significance of a three-day gathering was not lost on the 2019 General Conference. In his opening sermon, Bishop Kenneth Carter reminded us that we came to St. Louis divided, but in these three days, Jesus could resurrect us into one body. During the Committee on a…
General Conference 2019, Day 3
It was a long day in the Dome at America’s Center, as General Conference delegates worked as a legislative committee to advance the petitions that it prioritized yesterday. In regular General Conference gatherings, different legislative committees review petitions in specific areas, before sending them to the plenary body for possible adoption. Because this is a…
General Conference 2019, Day 2
“For [Christ] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” (Ephesians 2:14) Bishop Ken Carter preached on this text in opening worship, reminding us that while we may have erected barriers, Christ has already reconciled us to one…
General Conference 2019, Day 1
The United Methodists have gathered in St. Louis, and the atmosphere is heavy with expectation about what the next four days will mean for our denomination. The church’s future is in the hands of 864 elected delegates, half clergy and half laity, who represent UMC membership around the world. Thousands more have gathered knowing that…
Out of Africa
As noted in my last post, the Commission on a Way Forward (COWF) has completed its work, offering three options for how the United Methodist Church (UMC) may resolve its long-standing division over inclusion of gays and lesbians. Even as the Commission’s report was emerging, conservative United Methodists were already discrediting the process and claiming…
Looking Forward, Looking Back
June is annual conference season, and many conference conversations this year, both formal and informal, address the work of the Commission on a Way Forward (COWF). After wrapping up its work this spring, the Commission submitted to the Council of Bishops three possible plans for addressing the place of gays and lesbians in the United…
A House Divided
The United Methodist Church (UMC) continues to struggle over the place of LGBTQ Christians in our church, and as the Commission on a Way Forward (COWF) resumes its work, the idea of schism lurks around that process. We see how the issue divided other churches, as the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Evangelical Lutheran Church of…