SHOUTS OF JOY. CRIES OF LAMENT.

Queer Clergy Reactions to an Historic General Conference
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"… the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping,
for the people shouted so loudly that the sound was heard far away”
—Ezra 3:13, NRSVUE

Shouts of joy rang out across our beloved denomination as the 2020 Postponed General Conference lifted 52 years of discrimination and condemnation against LGBTQIA+ people, even as wails lamenting the damage already done rose up as well. There were many meanings to the tears shed after each harmful passage was removed from the Book of Discipline. Many diverse people from different contexts and lived experiences came together, working to overcome decades of division and discrimination. Who could have imagined five years ago in St. Louis that at the next GC we would experience Karen Oliveto leading as the first out, queer bishop to preach and preside at General Conference? Or that mere weeks later we would see Rev. Dr. Beth Stroud reinstated as a full member of her annual conference? There is much to celebrate indeed! There is also much work to be done. In the excitement of the moment many have characterized the changes as The United Methodist Church (UMC) becoming a fully inclusive denomination or that LGBTQIA+ people are fully affirmed by our Church. Even as we joyfully give thanks and praise God for the tremendous progress made, it is also essential in this critical moment in our denomination that we recognize what we did and what we did not accomplish at this General Conference. We are not a fully inclusive and affirming denomination–yet. 

The book of Ezra tells us that at the celebration of the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem elders also grieved what was lost from the past. "… the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted so loudly that the sound was heard far away” (Ezra 3:13, NRSVUE). We grieve those who were abused and excluded by the discriminatory policies and declarations of the past who have not lived to see this new day. We grieve for those who still see no place for themselves in the UMC. We grieve for LGBTQIA+ people who live in areas where abuse and discrimination will continue and those in places where this exclusion will be reinserted into their conferences’ policies. We pray that, in time, the UMC will truly be a fully inclusive denomination, and we will do our part to make that prayer a reality. Our joy at the outcomes of this General Conference is real, but God’s beloved queer members, clergy, and allies deserve better and will be working for more to be accomplished in and by our beloved UMC.

After the deep wounds inflicted through five decades of abusive polity and doctrine, the initial steps towards inclusive progress have been made. Now, the hard work begins of repairing wounds and reconciling ourselves back to each other as disciples of Christ under the banner of United Methodism. While some hearts and minds are still sore from long-held harm, and while others still perpetuate abusive theology in worshiping communities around the globe, the priest Ezra in 2 Chronicles 7:14 admonishes God’s people to dig deep and do reparative work. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” God’s healing is desperately needed in our Church. 

To begin this healing, we first need to acknowledge what did and did not happen through the legislative action of the General Conference. Yes, abusive policies and declarations were deleted. Yes, we overcame restrictions against LGBTQIA+ people becoming clergy and preventing all marriages from being celebrated in our denomination. These deletions, however, have only moved the UMC to a neutral position on the value of LGBTQIA+ people and our place in the denomination. 

The General Conference made no concrete divestments from the theology that clobbers and denies queer persons’ sacred worth. No apologies for past harm were offered. No recognition of the gifts and graces LGBTQIA+ people bring to the church was made. What was once declared incompatible is simply no longer named. That’s not affirmation. That’s neutrality. 

Removal of such policies means simply that discrimination is no longer required. Discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people will continue in the UMC just as racism didn’t evaporate when the segregationist Central Jurisdiction ended. Anti-LGBTQIA+ hate and disdain still exist. Different conferences will make different choices about the ordination and licensing of LGBTQIA+ people. Doors will open in some conferences and stay closed in others. We are already seeing the implementation of the changes applied differently based on local leadership. Queer clergy who transferred their credentials to safer conferences face barriers to returning home. Allies remain on involuntary leave as punishment for performing same gender marriages. Anti-queer United Methodists in certain conferences continue to be reassured that nothing will change in their episcopal area as a result of the disciplinary changes. Ending legislated exclusion does not mean true inclusion. While we recognize the temptation to linger in the joy of this moment, we call on our allies to stay alert, keep informed of the evolving situations of continued injustice, and be prepared to help mitigate or eliminate harm when necessary.

If the UMC is going to do right by God’s queer beloved, the church must do the work to heal and reconcile us all unto each other, transforming ourselves and our Church so that we all may be better suited to participate in our mission of transforming the world. We all must continue the work of full inclusion and liberation of queer United Methodists. 

We must also remember that to be a fully inclusive church requires more than LGBTQIA+ justice. In the US, our membership remains 95% white (possibly down to 90% after disaffiliation data is processed) in a country that is 40% BIPOC. The ongoing trauma from our racist history hinders the authenticity of relationships across racial lines. Clergy of color face tremendous challenges in cross racial appointments. Laity of color who find a spiritual home in the UMC in one location do not always find the same when they move to a new city. Women have poked holes in the stained-glass ceiling, but it remains largely intact. Retired deaconesses and home missioners did not have their annual conference voting rights guaranteed as requested at this General Conference, which leaves them as the only official order within the denomination denied voting rights in retirement. Licensed Local Pastors and Associate Members requested representation in our voting bodies and saw their requests dismissed by delegates without discussion. The colonizer mentality that was embedded in our polity from the very beginning is inherently not inclusive. Ratification of regionalization would be a good first step in the work of decolonizing our structure, but we still have a long way to go to decolonize our practices. A fully inclusive United Methodism is a beautiful vision that is yet to be achieved. The UMC must continue the work of ensuring our hearts, minds, and doors are as open as we say they are.

We in the United Methodist Queer Clergy Caucus will continue to work with our co-laborers for intersectional justice in the Love Your Neighbor Coalition to make the UMC the fully inclusive and fully affirming church God calls us to be. We pray that the UMC can fully embrace us as partners in discipleship. 

Grace and peace be unto you,

Your siblings in Christ 
The United Methodist Queer Clergy Caucus