Plans for Conversation at Heritage About the Future of the United Methodist Church
At our January Administrative Council meeting, one of the items on the agenda was an update on the impending split of the United Methodist Church (UMC). Chairperson Michael Pate, Lay Leader Sue Blanchard, Lay Delegate Mel Swets, and Pastor Matt didn’t have much new to share, since the 2020 General Conference—at which the split was to be considered—had been postponed until 2021 (and has now officially been postponed to 2022). What was shared last year, right before the pandemic hit, was that there is a tentative agreement in place by denominational leaders on all sides of the issues of hosting weddings for LGBTQ couples, having our clergy perform weddings for LGBTQ couples, and the potential ordination of LGBTQ clergy. Click here to read the agreement (it’s not updated with new dates yet), or you can see a very brief summary below.
The Executive Team met this past Monday night to work on finding resources to help us study the issue, on creating conversations in which all points-of-view can be heard and understood, and on calling our church to the spiritual disciplines that prepare us to hear clearly when the Holy Spirit speaks.
First, on Monday night, March 22nd, at 6pm, Rev. Alex Shanks will come and share the latest information on General Conference, and take questions from attenders both in person and online. (To watch online, click here.) Alex serves as the Assistant to the Bishop for Florida Bishop Ken Carter, and is a leader of the Florida Conference’s delegation to the next General Conference.
In addition, the Executive Team is researching books, articles, podcasts, video pieces or any other sources that would aid in facilitating conversations in small group settings. If you’ve found something that you feel would be helpful, please click here to send them your suggestion. The Executive Team will be putting together a plan for these conversations informed by Rev. Shanks presentation, models from other churches, and the resources we find.
We hope to see you on the 22nd!
Sincerely,
Michael Pate (Administrative Council Chairperson)
Sue Blanchard (Lay Leader)
Mel Swets (Lay Delegate to the Florida Annual Conference)
Matt Horan (Pastor)
PS. Below are two items as requested during the January Administrative Council meeting:
(1) a summary of the agreement to be voted on at General Conference, and
(2) the results of the survey questions from last Spring related to including LGBTQ members at Heritage from any nearby churches that might have closed during the pandemic.
1.) A summary of the agreement moving toward a vote at General Conference in 2022.
Language excluding ordination of LGBTQ persons would be removed from the United Methodist Book of Discipline (¶304.3 and ¶806.9). As a result, the decision on whether a United Methodist church would have an LGBTQ clergy person appointed as a pastor would be decided at the local church level, rather than the denominational level. Further, the decision on whether a United Methodist church would have weddings of LGBTQ persons on their property or performed by their pastors would also be decided at the local church level, rather than the denominational level.
Groups that wish to form a new denomination that could receive current UMC churches would need to be formed within approximately one year of the General Conference vote.
Each Annual Conference (we are in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, or FLUMC) would then have the option, should they desire, to have a vote about 14 months after the General Conference vote to leave the UMC and join another denomination. This would take a motion from the floor of the Annual Conference event (held every June) to vote on leaving the UMC. Should 20% of delegates vote to proceed, an “affiliation vote” would be conducted. If 57% of delegates vote to disaffiliate, the Annual Conference would then leave to join one of the new denominations. If the Annual Conference does not vote on affiliation, it stays in the UMC.
If a church does not want to be affiliated with the denomination chosen by its Annual Conference, it can have its own affiliation vote, which must be completed by the end of the 4th year after the General Conference votes. If a member of the Administrative Council makes a motion to begin the affiliation process, it requires a simple majority vote (50%+1). If there is a simple majority, then there will be a vote by the Administrative Council to decide whether the voting threshold for changing affiliation should be either a simple or a two-thirds majority. After that, a church conference (all active church members) would be called within 60 days to have the affiliation vote. If a church does not vote on affiliation, it stays in the denomination of its Annual Conference.
If a church stays in the UMC, it retains the option whether or not to receive an LGBTQ clergy person as a pastor, as well as the option whether or not to host, or have their clergy perform, LGBTQ weddings. If it leaves to affiliate with another denomination, it would abide by the rules set forth by its new denomination.
2.) Results of the May 9, 2020 survey, called “Heritage's Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic.”
