Like many of my fellow United Methodist Clergy and laity, I rejoiced last week as our General Conference voted overwhelmingly to remove the 40-year ban on Gay clergy, and revised our Social Principles to take out the harmful language that said, “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” At the General Conference and online there were shouts of joy, tears of happiness, and dancing that those who are LGBT could freely serve in the life of the church and that clergy could marry those who are gay.
In the days ahead I was also reminded of the work that still lies before us. As I went online following these events it didn’t take long to come across vitriol and disdain towards these decisions, the UMC, and those who are LGBT. This is not surprising but it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt those who are LGBT. I am a straight, white, male and it is not easy to read people saying that the UMC is full of heretics, apostasy, and has stopped seeking God. I am more of a fighter so it makes me want to lash back at them which doesn’t help anything and usually stokes the fire of aggression.
Yet, as a clergy who is straight/white/male, I know that in the days, months, and years to come I need to stand more clearly/vocally with my LGBT siblings in Christ. You may be asking why I feel this way. So let me explain…
I am reminded how in our denomination we have been ordaining women since 1968, so for over 56 years women have been supported in the call to be clergy in the United Methodist Church. Yet, women continue to experience pain serving in our churches. Women in the UMC still have to deal with churches not wanting a “woman pastor”, or having congregation members disrespect them, bad-mouth them, and look down upon them because they are not men. They often have to do their job better than men just to prove they are qualified to do the tasks of clergy and show they belong. Even when they do on average they are still paid less than their male counterparts.
This type of discrimination is not limited to women, as people of color also still face many trials in our denomination today. This is true even though the founder of Methodism John Wesley called out the evils of slavery in his “Thoughts Upon Slavery” back in 1774. In 1780, the American Methodists required preachers to deliver sermons against the evils of slavery. For Wesley, merely tolerating the existence of a system of enslavement was an accommodation with evil.” In 1785, the first Book of Discipline published by the Methodists included a piece of church legislation that any church member who buys or sells slaves is “immediately to be expelled” from membership, “unless they buy them on purpose to free them”. 1
While the Methodist anti-slavery stance has been strong since the beginning, we still find times that churches decline clergy due to their race (while finding other ways to deflect their intentions). We find POC clergy dealing with covert and outright blatant racism, not just in their communities, but sometimes even within the churches they serve.
So, I like many others rejoice that now our LGBT siblings can be married by our clergy, and serve as clergy freely in our denomination, but I also know there will still be much work ahead. I know that while harmful language will be removed from our Book of Discipline towards them this will not remove all the harm that will be directed towards them. If anything, they may face more harm in the days to come. There may even be churches who view themselves as “progressive”, and supportive of those who are LGBT in ministry…until…they receive an appointed clergy who is LGBT. Attitudes and support can quickly change and it becomes clear that they were “supportive of those who are LGBT in ministry” as long as they did that ministry in some other church.
So, my encouragement for us is to keep seeking to do no harm, may we stand in the gap for the vulnerable, and may we continue to do good in our churches, the community, and the world.
