The United Methodist Church plans to split into two denominations later this year, church officials said on Friday, a schism that follows years of contention over whether the church should end its ban on gay marriage and ordination of gay clergy.
The plan, if approved at the church’s worldwide conference in Minneapolis in May, would divide the third-largest U.S. Christian denomination into two branches: a traditionalist branch that opposes gay marriage and the ordination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender clergy, and a more tolerant branch that will allow same-sex marriage and LGBT clergy.
The split would affect the denomination globally, church leaders said. The United Methodist Church lists more than 13 million members in the United States and 80 million worldwide.
The U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage throughout the nation in 2015, but that decision applies only to civil, not religious, services. Some denominations, including the Episcopal Church and certain branches of Judaism, have sanctified same-sex unions, while others including the Roman Catholic Church and Southern Baptist Convention, have declined to do so.
A council of Methodist bishops in Washington, D.C. called Friday’s move the “best means to resolve our differences.”
New York Conference Bishop Thomas Bickerton, part of the group that drafted the plan, said this was a way to reach an amicable separation.
“The protocol provides a pathway that acknowledges our differences, respects everyone in the process, and graciously allows us to continue to live out the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ,” he said.
January 03, 2020
Written by Ken Carter Bishop, Florida Conference, The United Methodist Church
Dear Sisters and Brothers of the Florida Conference,
Grace and Peace to you, in the name and spirit of our Savior and Lord, Jesus
Christ, in these first days of a new year.
I write to commend to you the fruit of a mediation process undertaken by
sixteen United Methodists, entitled “A Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace
through Separation.”
The eight-page document, linked here, represents work done by a group of United Methodists
from across the world who represent many (not all) of the important streams of
our church.
This work was done in collaboration with Mr. Kenneth Feinberg, noted mediator
known for his work with the September 11 Victim’s Compensation Fund, the
Virginia Tech and Boston Marathon victims, and the BP Deepwater Horizon
Disaster. Mr. Feinberg, who is not a United Methodist, offered his
professional guidance to us pro bono.
The Protocol is offered in service to the delegates who will gather four short
months from now in Minneapolis for the 2020 General Conference. It is not
perfect, no mediation is, but it gives a great deal to each of these different
streams, more than I could have imagined at the beginning. All of this
has been done — and the word I hear from many is that it is something of a
miracle — without harming these persons. I attribute this to the work of
the Holy Spirit.
The protocol was unanimously affirmed and signed by the sixteen participants.
Key features of the mediation protocol and proposed legislation that will
follow are:
The ongoing existence of The United Methodist Church
A gracious way of departure for a traditionalist conservative Methodist Church,
with a financial settlement.
The creation of four regional conferences—Africa, U.S., Europe,
Philippines—each with its own ability to adapt the Book of Discipline.
The removal of restrictive language related to LGBTQ identity and practice in
the U.S. post-separation United Methodist Church immediately following the May
General Conference.
Holding in abeyance any administrative or judicial processes regarding
restrictions in the Book of Discipline related to LGBTQ persons, as of January
1, 2020.
Creation of a fund to strengthen the Black Church and ministries with and among
marginalized persons.
No annual conference or local church is required to vote on departure from the
United Methodist Church.
No one is asked to leave or separate from the church.
Annual Conferences and local churches may vote to depart from The United
Methodist Church with their property in order to participate in another
Methodist expression.
Wespath will offer a continuity of service across the various Methodist
expressions.
Note: This brief summary is not intended to be a substitute for the actual
reading of the protocol. It is simply to encourage United Methodists to
develop an understanding of the contents of the protocol. I encourage you to
view the following documents:
A Press Release:
The Signed Protocol:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Much of the effect of this protocol will be how we receive it and how we turn
toward each oAther. It is not about winners or losers, but about how God’s
promise of grace and reconciliation relates to our structures, convictions, and
hopes. It is significant, and at the same time, it is one step in a journey.
For me, this mediation work is in the fulfillment of my consecration vows as a
bishop, to seek the unity of the church. And for me, it is in continuity
with the work of the Commission on a Way Forward.
- No one has to vote to leave the church
- No one is being asked to leave the church.
- And, The United Methodist Church, under the cross and flame, will continue to be in ministry across the world.
We were told in the mediation process that if we did not
write the narrative, it would be written for us. A culture of trials
related to LGBTQ persons in the church becomes the dominant narrative. By
holding these administrative and judicial processes in abeyance until the
resolution of these matters, we are able to devote our energies to working and
walking together to find reconciliation and grace through structural
separation.
I give thanks for those who participated in the mediation and particularly to
Mr. Kenneth Feinberg, who led us in this process. I give thanks for all
of the people of the Florida Conference, and believe this mediation does no
harm to anyone of them. I also place great trust in our delegation to the
2020 General Conference. They are authorized to help our church to move forward
into a new season of mission and flourishing.
In the interim, we have much work to do in service to our Lord, in the
strengthening of our local churches and ministries. We have an
important question to answer: “What kind of annual conference will we
be?” And we are in connection with each other, for a larger purpose: “to
make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
This will continue to be my focus, and I ask you to join me.
The Peace of the Lord,
Ken Carter
Bishop, Florida Conference, The United Methodist Church