General Conference News Briefs

by Steve | Jul 5, 2024 | July-August 2024

General Conference News Briefs

July/August 2024

– Delegates celebrate success, growth of
Africa University

By Eveline Chikwanah

General Conference delegates, church leaders and alumni celebrated the impact of Africa University and the support from United Methodists across the connection who have helped provide quality education to thousands of students.

Also referred to as “the school of dreams in the valley of hope,” the institution opened its doors in 1992. Since then, it has afforded 12,000 graduates — many of whom are first-generation college students, mainly women — the opportunity to study and become leaders in Africa and beyond.

True to its mantra, “Leaders are made here,” around 200 graduates stood up in the auditorium when called by James H. Salley, president/chief executive officer of Africa University Inc. and associate vice chancellor for institutional advancement for Africa University. The alumni included delegates, observers and volunteers at the conference.

AIDS Conference aims to break down barriers

By Neill Caldwell

United Methodists and friends gathered in the ornate sanctuary of First United Methodist Church on April 22 to get updates on an ongoing and important church issue: AIDS ministry.

Through worship, speakers, panels and workshops, the United Methodist Global AIDS Committee facilitated the daylong Breaking Barriers AIDS Conference as part of the run-up to the start of The United Methodist Church’s long-delayed General Conference.

More people are living longer with HIV — in many cases much longer — thanks to combinations of prescription drugs. Still, 39 million people were living with HIV worldwide in 2022, according to UNAIDS, and 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses that year.

“It’s still an issue, and I’m glad to see there is still an interest in it,” said host pastor the Rev. Val Rosenquist of First United Methodist Church.

In her welcome, the Rev. Sunny Farley, Global AIDS Committee coordinator, said, “We pray we will all celebrate together in an AIDS-free world.”

The Rev. Donald E. Messer, chair of the group’s executive committee, said that “people are here because they care, and they have cared for many years.”

Bishops, delegates join rally for Palestine

By Neill Caldwell

While pro-Palestinian rallies are happening across the U.S., United Methodists at General Conference had their chance to gather in a peaceful show of support on the eve of April 25.

Sponsored by United Methodist Kairos Response, the rally brought together more than 100 United Methodist delegates and observers — along with at least six bishops — to hear from a variety of speakers and sing hymns in solidarity.

Theresa Basile of United Methodist Kairos Response said she was glad to call attention to Palestinian-related petitions submitted to General Conference.

Resolution opposes investment in Israeli bonds

By Neill Caldwell and Sam Hodges

General Conference delegates approved a resolution calling on United Methodist institutions not to invest in bonds of Israel, Turkey and Morocco because of those nations’ long-term military occupations.

This General Conference has occurred as pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. college campuses have met with many arrests. At General Conference, some delegates, bishops and observers staged a protest of Israel’s ongoing, comprehensive military operations in Gaza, which were triggered by Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.

The resolution regarding the three nations’ bonds was
approved on a consent calendar on April 30. It’s advisory, and does not change Book of Discipline Para. 717, on sustainable and socially responsible investments.

Apology OK’d for church role in Hawaiian history

By Sam Hodges

Hawaiian United Methodists are cheering the decision by General Conference to approve a formal apology for the denomination’s role in the overthrow of the 1893 Hawaiian monarchy.

“I am ecstatic, just thrilled after so many years of waiting for this to finally happen,” said the Rev. Amy Wake, pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Pearl City, Hawaii. “It means we can go back to (Native) Hawaiians and tell them The United Methodist Church has heard you and The United Methodist Church is with you.”

The apology petition was supported overwhelmingly in committee and gained final approval during plenary on April 29, as part of the consent calendar.

“This is a great way of expressing repentance for our sins and brokenness. This gives us a chance to make right what we’ve done wrong in the past,” said the Rev. Won-Seok Yuh, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Honolulu.

In 1993, Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed legislation acknowledging that the overthrow of the kingdom of Hawaii occurred with the participation of agents of the United States and that the Native Hawaiians never relinquished their claim to sovereignty.

Joyce Warner, late historian of First United Methodist Church of Honolulu, discovered in her research for the church’s 150th anniversary celebration that one of its early pastors, the Rev. Harcourt W. Peck, had played a role in the overthrow of Queen Lili’uoklani’s monarchy of the Hawaiian islands on Jan. 17, 1893.

The overthrow was led by independent sugar cane plantation owners and backed by U.S. Marines. Peck, according to the petition approved by General Conference, served as a sharpshooter and aide to the commander of the overthrow.

A year later, he would become pastor of First Methodist Episcopal Church in Honolulu, rejoining a sharpshooter company and serving as chaplain to the new Republic of Hawaii.

The petition calls for the conference to have a task force to engage with and listen to native Hawaiians, as part of nurturing “authentic community.”

Abortion

General Conference approved a petition affirming a right to abortion and pledging “solidarity with those who seek reproductive health care.” The petition, “upholds a person’s right to an abortion after informed consideration with their family, medical practitioners, pastor, and other pertinent counsel.” It also denounces abortion bans. Delegates deleted the words, “we are equally bound to respect ther sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother and the unborn child.”

Thursdays in Black

By Melissa Lauber

Thursdays in Black, an initiative of the World Council of Churches, encourages wearing black clothing on this one day of the week to witness to realities, like those reported by the United Nations. Among those is that globally an estimated 736 million women — almost one in three — have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life.

One of these women, Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling, episcopal leader of the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware annual conferences, stood before General Conference on Thursday morning and testified to the damage the church can do when it is silent on this issue.

Too often, she said, silence “has been the church’s response to domestic abuse, intimate partner violence, rape as a weapon of war, incest, violence against the transgender community, as well as the abduction and disappearance of Indigenous women.”

Time put aside at General Conference to lament abuse

By Jim Patterson

“We affirm the stories of pain and suffering (that) women, children and men have experienced due to sexual misconduct,” said the Rev. Stephanie York Arnold, the United Methodist pastor of First Church Birmingham in Alabama, who led the Service of Lament, Confession and Hope at the Charlotte Convention Center.

“We join our voices to sing for justice as we tell the truth of our own complicity in the perpetuation of sexual misconduct and abuse in The United Methodist Church,” Arnold said. “We recognize that we have a long way to go to repair trust, restore integrity and tend the wounds of those who have been harmed by our church.”

The service was held April 29 after the afternoon plenary session at General Conference, where United Methodist delegates have gathered to make decisions to set the course for the denomination. The meeting, normally held every four years, was twice delayed by COVID-19.

The United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women organized the event, holding two services to make it more convenient for people to attend.

During the gathering, five crosses were displayed with pieces of glass from broken plates attached. The plates had been prepared in Georgia, where women who had been harmed wrote the initials of their abusers on the dishware, then wrapped the plates in towels and struck them until they broke into pieces.

“Through our brokenness, Christ is seen and able to heal us through our cracks,” Arnold said.

Welcoming churches back

By Heather Hahn

“With a spirit of grace, we welcome those churches which have disaffiliated or withdrawn to rejoin The United Methodist Church,” the newly adopted policy says. “Where applicable, every annual conference shall have a policy of reaffiliation for the churches seeking to return to the connection.”

Delegates amended the petition to require that returning churches affirm their commitment to the denomination’s trust clause.

“I believe we need to leave the door open,” said Helen Ryde, a delegate from the Western North Carolina Conference and an organizer with the advocacy group Reconciling Ministries Network. “This movement to bring our church to a new place has never, ever been about asking people to leave.”

Deacons can now preside at sacraments in their appointments

By Jessica Brodie

Deacons can now preside at the sacraments in their appointments without needing explicit permission from their bishop.

In what presiding Bishop David Graves called a “historic moment,” General Conference on May 2 passed new legislation granting authority to deacons to preside at the sacraments in their ministry settings.

This means deacons can now offer Holy Communion and conduct baptisms where they have been appointed to serve, whether that is a church, outreach ministry, or mission.

Full communion with Episcopalians gets closer

By Jim Patterson

Delegates to the United Methodist General Conference approved full communion with The Episcopal Church on April 30. The agreement needs the approval of the Episcopalians before going into effect.

During the conference’s “Ecumenical Day,” the morning plenary session was halted briefly to acknowledge the vote.

“We want to lift up and recognize this moment, which is an incredibly significant moment, especially on this day as we celebrate our ecumenical relations,” said the Rev. Gary Graves, secretary of the General Conference.

“As you adopted that resolution,” he noted, “you adopted the full communion relationship with The Episcopal Church in the United States, that has been worked on for many years.”

…If The Episcopal Church affirms the agreement, which might not happen until meetings scheduled for 2027, it will mean that the two denominations recognize each other as “one, holy, catholic and apostolic church in which the Gospel is rightly preached and taught.”

“Once we make that full communion, then all of us have full communion with each other — the Episcopalians, the Lutherans, the Moravians and us,” she said. “Then we don’t have to have all these individual coordinating (joint) committees. We could all be one coordinating committee, perhaps, that would be cheaper and far more creative and interactive.”

Communion would also mean that United Methodists and Episcopalians would recognize the authenticity of each other’s baptism and Eucharist; extend sacramental hospitality to one another’s members; recognize ordination of each other’s priests, elders and deacons; report regularly to one another; formulate joint educational materials and encourage continuing education opportunities for lay and clergy leaders regarding full communion; and agree to cultivate and maintain active partnership and consultation with each other.

Translators bridge language gaps

By Eveline Chikwanah

There are more than 760 United Methodist Church delegates from across the globe, gathered April 23-May 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina, to determine the denomination’s future, and many identify with different “international” languages, depending on their nationality.

English, French, Portuguese and Kiswahili speakers dominate the auditorium, and it was up to dedicated translators, numbering about 180 during the first week, to ensure they understood each other to contribute meaningfully to conversations.

In the makeshift Daily Christian Advocate translators’ lounge, three groups of six volunteers diligently translate the daily proceedings’ written material into French, Portuguese and Kiswahili, sometimes working till midnight.

Church leaders decry attacks against Asians

By Sam Hodges

“The United Methodist Church has a moral obligation to be vocally and visibly outraged at these shootings and this precipitous rise in violence and hatred against the Asian American community,” said the Rev. John Oda, who directs The United Methodist Church’s Asian American Language Ministry Plan.

North Georgia Conference Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson said United Methodists in the Atlanta area mourn the loss of eight lives and condemn the killings.

“We note the alarming spike in crimes against Asians and Asian Americans and deplore hateful rhetoric that fuels these crimes,” she said. “We continue to focus upon … our anti-racism work.”

The Rev. William Seihwan Kim, pastor of Korean Church of Atlanta UMC, said the church is trying to organize a way to help those affected by the tragedy.

New clergy retirement plan approved

By Sam Hodges

A new retirement plan for United Methodist clergy in the U.S. has won approval overwhelmingly at General Conference.

The plan is called Compass, and was conceived and championed by Wespath, the denomination’s pension and benefits agency.

Wespath retirement plans going back generations have offered U.S. clergy a monthly pension benefit for life, but Compass is a defined contribution plan, more like a 401(k) offered by most corporate employers.

Wespath leaders said the denomination’s steady numerical decline over many years required a new, sustainable approach to supporting retired clergy.

Deacons can now preside at sacraments in their appointments

By Jessica Brodie

Deacons can now preside at the sacraments in their appointments without needing explicit permission from their bishop.

In what presiding Bishop David Graves called a “historic moment,” General Conference on May 2 passed new legislation granting authority to deacons to preside at the sacraments in their ministry settings.

This means deacons can now offer Holy Communion and conduct baptisms where they have been appointed to serve, whether that is a church, outreach ministry or mission.

Deacons and elders are considered clergy in The United Methodist Church, but deacons are ordained for ministries of word, service, compassion and justice — serving as a bridge between the church and the world. Elders are ordained for ministries of word, sacrament, order and service.

We are grateful for the ministry and gifts of our communication colleagues who were part of the UM News coverage team: Heather Hahn, Jim Patterson, Neill Caldwell, Sam Hodges, Eveline Chikwanah, Melissa Lauber, and Gladys P. Mangiduyos Image: James Salley leads a service of dedication for the South Indiana Hall of Residence at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe, during the school’s 10th anniversary celebration in 2002. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Viewpoints in Charlotte

by Steve | Jul 5, 2024 | July-August 2024

Viewpoints in Charlotte

July/August 2024

• “Needless to say, this is a moment in time when we will not only see some of the dust settle, but we’ll also see new dust storms arise.”
–Bishop Thomas Bickerton, New York

• “What we are sure of is that many of our delegates will not be able to travel [to Charlotte]. We wonder what this General Conference would look like?”
–the Rev. Philippe Adjobi, a district superintendent in the Côte d’Ivoire Annual Conference and member of Bishop Benjamin Boni’s cabinet

• “The United Methodists counted 5.4 million U.S. members in 2022 — less than half their 1960s peak, and the recent departure of about 7,600 mostly conservative congregations will lower that number further. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s 1.1 million membership is barely a quarter its 1960s peak. Other denominations have similar trends.”
– Peter Smith, Associated Press

“For all the pious language, the UMC’s decision doesn’t represent a commitment to Christian orthodoxy. It is an affirmation of current middle-class sensibilities. The church shies away from the logic of its own position—a logic that would lead to the legitimation of any sexual act or arrangement as long as it concerns consenting adults. In short, it has chosen to embrace the liberal Protestant specialty: baptizing the dominant values it sees as informing the culture, no more, no less. In our times, when the values change with breakneck speed, the church that seeks to accommodate the latest moral tastes will always be at least a day late and a dollar short. As any progressive teenager might say, gay marriage is so 2015.”
– Dr. Carl Trueman, Wall Street Journal commentary

• “We do not accept a change in the definition of marriage, and we will never accept marriage as anything other than one man and one woman, no matter what the Book of Discipline says. We are devastated now to be part of a denomination that officially contradicts the Bible’s teaching on marriage and sexual morality.”
– the Rev. Jerry Kulah quoted by Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service

• “We join our voices to sing for justice as we tell the truth of our own complicity in the perpetuation of sexual misconduct and abuse in The United Methodist Church. We recognize that we have a long way to go to repair trust, restore integrity and tend the wounds of those who have been harmed by our church.”
– the Rev. Stephanie York Arnold, United Methodist pastor of First Church Birmingham in Alabama

• “To be unnecessarily waiting for confirmation of a trans-continental airplane ticket one week before the General Conference is both unprecedented and nerve-wracking. The report should have included at the very least an apology to all the delegates who have experienced these stresses, regardless of their causes.”
–Jorge Lockward, a member of the Commission on the General Conference

• Deaconesses and home missioners today, as throughout their history, serve in many areas of need, in places where the church has not been, was not aware it should be, or was afraid or unwilling to be. Wherever they serve and regardless of the task, deaconesses and home missioners find and represent the presence of God in the midst of those with whom they serve. Their daily task of serving and empowering is, for deaconesses and home missioners, a visible symbol of the link between the church and the world.”
– Megan Hale, the executive for the Candidacy Office of Deaconess and Home Missioner of United Women in Faith

• “When I first read Bishop Ivan Abraham’s message, I was overwhelmed. I took a moment to pray and meditate, seeking God’s guidance and peace if I were to accept this recognition.

“When the sun rises, every waking up leads me to renewed power and inspiration to carry on the tasks and mission entrusted. When the moon rises and concludes the night to rest my body from all that gives me reason to carry on, I am thankful that the day passed with meaningful endeavors.”
–Norma P. Dollaga,  said of the World Methodist Council’s Peace Award

• “We come from four continents, speaking more than 10 languages,” he said. “We come with the commonality of our belief and service to Jesus Christ and the world. And we are also here because we believe in the life and future of this United Methodist Church. My friends, we have much more in common than not.”
–Bishop David Wilson

•“As you adopted that resolution,  you adopted the full communion relationship with The Episcopal Church in the United States, that has been worked on for many years.”
–The Rev. Gary Graves, secretary of the General Conference

• “The season of disaffiliation ends today.”
– Lonnie Chafin, a delegate from the Northern Illinois Conference and chair of the Conferences legislative committee.

• “With a spirit of grace, we welcome those churches which have disaffiliated or withdrawn to rejoin The United Methodist Church,” the newly adopted policy says. “Where applicable, every annual conference shall have a policy of reaffiliation for the churches seeking to return to the connection.”

•“I want to say we are against disaffiliations from The United Methodist Church,” he said. But he added: “Please don’t inflict pain on our churches.”
– The Rev. Guy Nyembo of the North Katanga Conference in Congo said through an interpreter

• “I speak in favor of disaffiliation,” she said. “I’m very nervous because I want a place for our conservative churches with traditional values to have a way to go peacefully. I don’t want them to be caught up in our court system.”
– Dixie Brewster, a delegate from the Great Plains Conference, spoke of her fear that churches troubled by the changes passed by General Conference will be trapped.

• “Let me clarify that a church is not required to receive a gay pastor. Like any clergy appointment, an extensive consultation process will happen between the local church, district superintendent, cabinet, bishop and (staff parish relations) committee to ensure the church and incoming pastor are honored.”
–Bishop David Graves

• “I know that some of you are celebrating, some are mourning and some are uncertain about what your future holds — for the denomination, for your local church and perhaps even for yourselves as followers of Jesus Christ,” said South Carolina Conference Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.

• “Y’all, we are making history. We are making history,” she told delegates as the plenary wrapped up. “And I believe this is that new thing that the prophet Isaiah talks about in Isaiah 43. … I pray that you perceive it, that you recognize it, that you receive it as a gift, because God is doing a new thing, certainly in this General Conference, this United Methodist Church and certainly in each of us.”
–Bishop Cynthia Harvey, Houston Area

• “Many people who wanted to serve God were prevented from doing so because of the ban. It was harmful to people. It was not helpful to the church’s mission, and the body, with an almost unprecedented consensus, removed it. It’s like removing something harmful from the body, that frees the body to be healthy.”
– Bishop Ken Carter of the Western North Carolina Conference.

• “I’m so grateful for the freedom, the justice and mercy for our LGBTQ siblings and for those who love them.”
–Northern Illinois Conference Bishop Daniel Schwerin

• “First, pastors have always decided who they will marry. This has not changed. Pastors will continue to decide who they will marry. There is no mechanism in conference leadership nor desire on my part to determine who a pastor will marry.”
– Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference Bishop William McAlilly in a written message to his conference.

• “Marriage is between a man and a woman, period.”
– Bishop John Wesley Yohanna of Nigeria told UM News.

• “While I do not know the extent of the impact that these petitions will have on the UMC in the East Africa Area, I know that as we continue to live in the new realities of The United Methodist Church, we will have to develop new ways of partnerships and doing ministries together.”
– East Africa Area Bishop Daniel Wandabula applauded regionalization but said the church’s new stances on human sexuality “will have a legal, spiritual and ministry impact on some of our countries in Africa.”

• “I see a great future for The United Methodist Church in Africa.”
– North Katanga Area Bishop Mande Muyombo

• “I know that some of you are celebrating, some are mourning and some are uncertain about what your future holds — for the denomination, for your local church and perhaps even for yourselves as followers of Jesus Christ.”
–South Carlonia Bishop L. Jonathan Holston

Image: Delegates, visitors and staff of the United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C., dance in the aisles following morning worship on the final day of the conference. Delegates to the 10-day legislative assembly supported big changes, including the removal of constraints on ministry with and by LGBTQ people. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News. 

African United Methodists reSpond in Charlotte

by Steve | Jul 5, 2024 | July-August 2024

African United Methodists respond in Charlotte

What follows is a statement released during the second week of the United Methodist General Conference after the delagates dramatically rewrote the denomination’s definition of marriage.   

My dear brothers and sisters, many of you are rejoicing in this historic moment. But many of us are not. I speak as an African, representing I believe the vast majority of Africans and also many traditionalists in the United States, the Philippines, Europe and other parts of the world.

The General Conference has changed the United Methodist definition of marriage – not because the Bible has changed. But because your western culture has changed. You have chosen to follow what pleases man instead of what pleases God.

Many African delegates are not here. They wanted to be present. But they were not invited by the Commission on General Conference in time to receive their visas. Over 70 of us from Africa are not present. 25 percent of our delegates. Ten months ago we began sending letters and emails and we made phone calls telling the commission and bishops that there was a problem. Many of these communications never received a single response. It felt as if we were not valued, not wanted.

At one past General Conference we were told that we spoke too loudly and that we should close our mouths. At another General Conference a bishop said we are children who need to grow up and think like adults. At this conference many of us were not even given what we needed to be present.

One “mainstream” author wrote that the UMC should be willing to lose Africa to fulfill its progressive agenda. It is hard to believe that we are valued as your brothers and sisters. It is difficult to trust that you value us as equal partners.

You have changed the definition of marriage. You have changed it from what God created it to be in the beginning. You have changed it from how Jesus described it in Matthew 19.5-6 as one man and one woman.

We do not believe we know better than Jesus. We do not believe we know better than God. We do not believe we know better than the Bible.

And now we must go back to Africa and tell our people that you did not listen to us, you do not value us as partners, and that you are willing to lose us to pursue your liberal Western agenda.

A bishop told us a few days ago that if we cannot get on the train that we should leave. But what do we do when the train has run over us and left our hearts bleeding with sorrow and pain?

We want the UMC to hear. We want our people in Africa to hear. We want the world to hear. We do not accept a change in the definition of marriage, and we will never accept marriage as anything other than one man and one woman, no matter what the Book of Discipline says.

We are devastated to now be part of a denomination that officially contradicts the Bible’s teaching on marriage and sexuality morality.

Still, we go back to our homes full of hope for the future, confident in Jesus, standing on the word of God, and determined to contend for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints. We return to Africa where the church is growing, nonbelievers are coming to faith and disciples are being made for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Rev. Dr. Jerry P. Kulah, Head of Delegation, Liberia Annual Conference;
• Mr. Prosperous Tunda, Delegate, East Congo Annual Conference;
• Rev. Dr. Danjuma Judi, Delegate, Nigeria Annual Conference;
• Dr. Yeabu Kamara, Delegate, Sierra Leone Annual Conference;
• Mr. Ginford Dzimati, Delegate, Zimbabwe Annual Conference.

Image: The Rev. Jerry Kulah of Liberia leads a protest on May 2 outside the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C., after General Conference delegates supported a revision of the Social Principles that redefines marriage. Kulah and other Africans in attendance support traditional views of marriage. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Tale of a New Church

by Steve | Jul 5, 2024 | July-August 2024

Tale of a New Church

By Thomas Lambrecht

The story of the 2024 General Conference meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the story of a new church being born. Two years ago this month, the Global Methodist Church was born, and it is growing and maturing quickly. This month a new United Methodist Church was born, one that is wedded to a more progressive understanding of the Bible and theology. As the conference ends today, it is appropriate to assess how that took place.

In years past, the UM Church was deeply divided between traditionalists and progressives. The 2019 General Conference in St. Louis demonstrated this divide by approving the traditional understanding of marriage and human sexuality by only 53 to 46 percent. By contrast, the new definition of marriage passed by the 2024 General Conference received 78 percent support.

What caused the shift? First, in the aftermath of the St. Louis conference, many U.S. annual conferences made a concerted effort to elect progressive delegates to the next General Conference. This was a reaction to, and rejection of, the traditional direction chosen in St. Louis. It was accompanied by widespread avowals of disobedience to what the General Conference had decided and fostered the realization that the UM Church was in an untenable impasse.

Second, the General Conference was postponed, not once or twice, but three times. The third postponement was widely seen by traditionalists as a ploy to avoid the adoption of a plan of amicable separation. It led directly to the formation of the Global Methodist Church in 2022. In response, over 7,600 U.S. churches disaffiliated, leading to a dramatic decline in the remaining number of traditionalist delegates to General Conference, as many strong leaders exited the denomination.

Third, the General Conference staff did not do the work necessary to gather the information on delegate elections from annual conferences in Africa. Due to a variety of challenges, including the illness of key persons and slowness (or lack of understanding) in responding to requests for forms, the staff did not have the necessary information to send out letters of invitation soon enough to enable delegates to secure visas to travel to the U.S. for the conference. The staff could have done more to gain the needed information, including trips to Africa to meet with leaders there, but declined to do so. As a result, between 70 and 100 African delegates (most of whom would have been traditionalist voices and votes) were not able to obtain visas to attend the conference.

As a result, instead of the previous 53 to 46 percent majority, traditionalists at this General Conference were outnumbered, 78 to 22 percent. This gave the progressive-centrist coalition the votes they needed to run the table on their LGBTQ-affirming agenda.

What changed? The General Conference has changed the denomination’s definition of marriage. Previously, we “affirmed the sanctity of the marriage covenant that is expressed in love, mutual support, personal commitment, and shared fidelity between a man and a woman.” Now, our Discipline “affirm[s] marriage as a sacred lifelong covenant that brings two people of faith an adult man and woman of consenting age or two adult persons of consenting age into union with one another.”

This new, confused definition of marriage allows for multiple options. It preserves the ability of some to say marriage is the union of one man and one woman, while at the same time opening the door to say marriage is between any two people, including those of the same gender. This second definition is a direct contradiction of Scripture (Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:4-6). It puts the UM Church in the situation of having conflicting, incoherent definitions of marriage.

The conference made further changes to our understanding of human sexuality and its proper role. Previously, we stated that “Although all persons are sexual beings whether or not they are married, sexual relations are affirmed only with the covenant of monogamous, heterosexual marriage.” This language was taken out of the Discipline at this conference, and it now reads, “We affirm human sexuality as a sacred gift and acknowledge that sexual intimacy contributes to … nurturing healthy sexual relationships that are grounded in love, care, and respect. … We further honor the diversity of choices and vocations in relation to sexuality such as celibacy, marriage, and singleness. We support the rights of all people to exercise personal consent in sexual relationships, to make decisions about their own bodies.”

It seems the new moral guidelines for sexual relationships are love, care, respect, and consent. Gone is any understanding of the moral purpose of human sexuality to cement the marriage bond and enhance the relationship between husband and wife.

In addition, the qualifications for clergy previously required “fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness.” This has now been changed to “faithful sexual intimacy expressed through fidelity, monogamy, commitment, mutual affection and respect, careful and honest communication, mutual consent, and growth in grace and in the knowledge and love of God.” While all these qualities are good, this removes the requirement for sexual abstinence before marriage and further dilutes the church’s moral standards. It is unclear how “fidelity” or “monogamy” applies to single persons or what the sexual ethic for single clergy persons is.

The chargeable offenses for immorality and not being celibate in singleness or faithful in a heterosexual marriage were removed. There is therefore no formal way to hold clergy persons accountable for committing immorality.

Homosexuality. Previously, our Discipline stated, “We affirm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth, created in the image of God. All persons need the ministry of the Church in their struggles for human fulfillment, as well as the spiritual and emotional care of a fellowship that enables reconciling relationships with God, with others, and with self. The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching. We affirm that God’s grace is available to all.”

That language has now been removed, and the church takes no formal position on the morality of homosexual relationships. However, in other changes, the church now allows for “the full inclusion of LGBTQ people in church life,” as reported by UM News Service.

•  Married or partnered gays and lesbians may now be ordained as clergy, appointed as pastors, and consecrated as bishops.

•  Pastors may perform same-sex weddings and churches may host such services.

•  Pastors may not be penalized for performing same-sex weddings, nor may they be penalized for refusing to perform them.

•  Church funds may now be spent to promote the acceptance of homosexuality. However, funds may NOT be spent in a way that “rejects LGBTQIA persons” or in dialogues where the traditional perspective is presented. This provision seems to exclude church participation in ministry that seeks to help persons deal with unwanted same-sex attractions, and it certainly inhibits the traditional perspective from being perceived as a viable alternative in understanding Scripture.

•  LGBTQ persons must be included in the membership of all general church boards and agencies.

The cumulative effect of all these changes is to change the UM Church from a denomination that stood on the scriptural position that sex is for marriage between one man and one woman to a denomination that affirms sexual relations between persons of the same gender and also outside of marriage.

Regionalization. There is a definite disconnect between the understanding of sexual morality by the progressive-centrist United States and the traditionalist understanding of Africa and the Philippines. Progressives and centrists believe that the way around this is to adopt a regionalized form of church governance. This would allow each region of the church to adopt its own rules and policies, including those related to marriage, sexuality, and clergy qualifications.

In conjunction with our African partners, Good News has argued that this approach is misguided and could lead to the weakening of the United Methodist connection. It certainly imposes a burden on Africans and Filipinos to develop their own Discipline, while still being tainted by being part of a libertine denomination.

However, these arguments were rejected by the delegates in Charlotte. They passed the regionalization proposal by a 78 percent margin. It still needs ratification by two-thirds of the annual conference members, which may or may not happen. If ratified, it would go into effect in 2026.

Disaffiliation. The primary goal of Good News at the General Conference was to advocate for an exit path for local churches. Churches outside the U.S. were not given the same opportunity to disaffiliate that we had in the U.S. At the same time, about a dozen annual conferences in the U.S. imposed very high costs for disaffiliation that prevented most churches from leaving. There was also a proposal for a streamlined process for annual conferences outside the U.S. to disaffiliate as a whole annual conference.

Unfortunately, all attempts to include a formal disaffiliation pathway failed. The removal of Par. 2553, the local church disaffiliation pathway, prevailed with 72 percent in favor. We had hoped that some fair-minded centrists or progressives would be willing to support some form of disaffiliation. In that hope we were disappointed.

There is no question that the UM Church is a new and different denomination today than it was in 2019. The General Conference actions have formalized an evolving consensus among the progressive and centrist parts of the church, and reveals they are completely in control of the denomination. Pastors and church members will need to decide if the new direction of the denomination reflects the church they want to belong to and support. Unfortunately, avenues for disaffiliation that allow churches to keep their property (especially in the U.S.) are limited. Some congregations may need to be willing to walk away from their buildings in order to pursue ministry in the way they feel called by God to do so. The fight may be over in the UM Church, but the struggle to carry on biblically faithful ministry is just beginning.

Thomas Lambrecht is a United Methodist clergyperson and the vice president of Good News. Image: Delegates celebrate after General Conference voted to remove ban on the ordination of clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals.” Photo by Larry McCormack, UM News