In these days of change for our denomination, I believe that it is critical for me to live into my role as pastor by interpreting for my own congregation many of the proposals and possibilities ahead. Looking at this most recent proposal through the lens of congregational care keeps me focused on Jesus' love and compassion, while also keeping a pragmatic eye on the implications for my church and beyond. I shared the following statement in worship yesterday, a service which included the gift of communion, so timely and appropriate and affirming.
STATEMENT ON THE
PROTOCOL OF RECONCILIATION AND GRACE THROUGH SEPARATION
SHARED IN WORSHIP
AT CENTRAL UMC, KANSAS CITY, MO
JANUARY 5, 2020
It’s not news to you that we have been going back and forth
around issues related to sexual orientation for decades. Before that, it was
gender. Before that, it was tobacco use and alcohol and dancing and playing
cards. Before that, it was race, and before that it was slavery. The church, it
turns out, is made up of humans, and we bring our short sightedness as humans
to church with us.
Two things happened this past week.
First, on January 1, the harsh penalties of the Traditional
Plan were scheduled to go into effect. As a pastor, I could embezzle money from
the church, have a sexual relationship with someone to whom I wasn’t married,
or preach that we all needed to worship a large purple eggplant, and there would
be no mandatory penalties. (I haven’t done any of those things, for the
record.) But if I did a wedding for a same-sex couple, I would have a mandatory
1-year suspension, and a second offense would require my ordination to be
removed from me. Let me reiterate that there are no other mandatory penalties
for any other offenses in United Methodism.
But then on January 3, a document was released, a “Protocol of
Reconciliation and Grace through Separation.” The unique thing is that it has
been agreed to by 16 of the major players from throughout our theological spectrum,
and that it was mediated by Kenneth Feinberg, a Jewish man (religious but with
no particular skin in our UM game) who had successfully settled the 9-11
victims compensation suit. One very important note is that this Protocol is
simply a proposal to General Conference in May, and that General Conference
action is the only way any legislation becomes church law. Nothing is final
until then.
My (incomplete) summary is this:
- The moderate and progressive part of UMC will stay,
keeping our denominational structure and name. We will remove all negative
language and rules related to LGBTQ issues. Any complaints for LGBTQ issues
will be “held in abeyance” while the denominational changes are being sorted
out.
- The theological conservatives who would like to leave can, taking
their assets with them, along with a $25 million settlement. Any others that
would like to create another “expression of Methodism” may leave also, and there
will be a $2 million fund to assist them.
- No churches or Annual Conferences will be forced into a
vote. Any Annual Conferences that do not vote will remain in the UMC, and any
churches that do not vote will be assumed into whatever their Annual Conference
has decided. Churches will have until December 31, 2024 to choose to leave to
join one of these new expressions of Methodism, and then that window for
departure will close and the trust clause will be back in place.
- Some other decisions are included in this protocol, such
as voting percentages needed. There is also a commitment of $39 million to
assist ethnic minority communities that have been marginalized by the UMC in the
past. There are other decisions are still ahead that are not included in this
document.
- The signers agree that they will support this plan and no
other, and that they will encourage their constituents to support this plan.
Early press releases seem to indicate that they are sticking with their agreement
thus far.
One more note: I have been endorsed by the Missouri
Conference as a candidate for the episcopacy, not knowing what type of denomination
I was offering to serve, but feeling compelled to serve as an advocate for our
clergy and churches who were committed to full inclusion. I am so thankful for
what appears to be a resolution to allow us to be the church we feel Christ is
calling us to be. If I were to be elected bishop in such a time as this, I
would be honored to provide leadership through a time of some confusion and
chaos as churches and clergy sort themselves out. As we know, God’s very best
creation is borne out of chaos.
Later on in the service, we’ll be sharing in communion. Each
time we share in the Lord’s Supper, I say the words, “The body of Christ,
broken for you.” I do not rejoice in the breaking of the part of Christ’s body
known as the UMC, but I do rejoice in the many ways that Christ works through brokenness.
I trust that Christ is at work even in these moments of breaking for our
denomination.
We’re going to pause to pray, and then we’re going to pass
the peace.
Let us pray: Loving Christ who was broken for us, we
acknowledge that your church is broken. We ask forgiveness for every time that
we have acted with less than your grace, even as we seek to forgive those who
have treated us with less than your grace. We pray in these moments for those
persons who will join a different expression of Methodism than us, thanking you
for their friendship and collaboration in the past, and asking that you take
them, along with us, to places of new joy and faithfulness. As you are working
out a new creation within the United Methodist Church, I pray that you use the strength
of our legacy and the power of our hopes to do great things for your kingdom.
Amen.
I invite you to pass the peace of Christ with humility and grace, as you see the face of Christ in each person you greet.
**
Here is a link to the Protocol: https://cdnsc.umc.org/-/media/umc-media/2020/01/03/15/48/Protocol-of-Reconciliation-and-Grace-through-Separation
Here is a link to the FAQs of the Protocol: https://www.umnews.org/en/news/protocol-of-reconciliation-and-grace-through-separation-faq
