A few weeks ago the Central District Superintendent wrote to the district about the action St Luke’s UMC in Indianapolis took. She wrote:
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church’s Governance Board, has voted to “support St. Luke’s pastors who choose to perform same sex marriages and the utilization of St. Luke’s facilities for such marriages. We are doing these things with the same pastoral commitment to provide marriage preparation and other supports that we provide to all Christian marriages we perform.”
I appreciate her informing the churches of the district of this news, since it is important in these challenging days in the UMC to be as transparent as possible. But it was the next part that I struggled with. She continued:
I have been in communication with St. Luke’s leadership regarding this decision. I have reminded them about what it means to be in faithful covenant and connection as a United Methodist Church during these liminal times.
I also write to condemn any copycat congregations that believe this is an entreé to mimic such actions, as St. Luke’s has been in the process of prayerful discernment for years and have taken the diligent steps of engaging their congregation to arrive at this decision.
She makes it sound like this is a unique and isolated experience, but it is far from it. Numerous churches have adopted this stance, including Meridian Street in 2019 shortly after the UMC General Conference in St. Louis. I have included the Statement of Inclusion and Welcome that Meridian Street adopted that spring after the General Conference session. We did not adopt that statement lightly, or trying to “copy” anyone else. We adopted it because we were convinced it is what Jesus would want us to do.
Following the General Conference, I rewrote my sermon for that week. Actually I know I did not sleep much that week and none the night before I shared my thoughts. While the church was, and had been wrestling with what would become the Statement of Inclusion and Welcome, I needed to draw my line in the sand. You can find that sermon here: https://smconger.blogspot.com/2019/03/grace-upon-grace.html
I was deeply offended by the Superintendent's response to St. Luke’s but even more so to the implications to the children she seemed to be scolding. Like too many in the hierarchy of the UMC she has minimal local church pastoral experience, and in times like these, it shows. Her “I know best attitude” and “don’t you dare do anything without my permission”, shows her lack of understanding the complexity and challenges the UMC faces in the days ahead.
I applaud St. Luke’s UMC for the stand that they have taken, but I also applaud Roberts Park, North, Meridian Street and so many others who have done and said the same thing.
Statement of Inclusion and Welcome
At Meridian Street United Methodist Church, we are committed to the foundational principles that God’s grace extends to all people and all people are of sacred worth to God. We celebrate the gospel message of God’s boundless love and all the ways in which God’s family is diverse and whole.
We welcome and affirm persons of any age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ethnic or cultural background, faith tradition, physical and mental ability, economic condition, marital status, family configuration or place on the spectrum of conservative, centrist or progressive.
We affirm that all people are created in the image of God and that as beloved children of God, all are worthy of God’s love and grace. We welcome the full inclusion of all people in the life and ministry of Meridian Street United Methodist Church as we journey toward reconciliation through Christ.
We recognize the differences among us as wonderful gifts that teach us how to love alike even though we may not think alike. We are confident that all of us, regardless of our views, can join arm in arm and heart in heart to build God’s kingdom.
We proclaim this statement of welcome to all who have known the pain of exclusion and discrimination in the church or in society and know that everyone’s participation in our ministries enriches us. We invite all people to join us in our faith journey toward greater love, understanding, and mutual respect.
You are loved and welcome here
You can lead and serve here
You can love and marry here
2 comments:
I think it is incredibly unfair to paint any CS in this light. They are all operating under tremendous pressure and the Central District CS has two districts and is an episcopal candidate. I, as an actively practicing UM and homosexual, applaud people who are doing things in the correct order. We would all be better served by showing more grace to those who have to weather the split in positions of leadership.
Which part do you object to? I quoted her statement. I will admit that I am grateful that she was not elected a bishop, in my opinion she has not handled the CS job effectively.
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