Divide or Conquer

LGBTQ+ RELATIONSHIPS WITH GOD

The United Methodist Church remains undecided over LGBTQ+ roles of leadership in the church.

BY REV. CATHERINE DEARLOVE

Do not let any unwholesome talk come outof your mouths, but only what is helpful forbuilding others up according to their needs, thatit may benefit those who listen. 31 Get rid of allbitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander,along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind andcompassionate to one another, forgiving eachother, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Faith Groups and Christian Denominations have continuously battled with different theologies over the years, leading to divisions over and over. In the news over the past year or so we have seen the United Methodist Church (UMC) battle and divide over the role of people in the LGBQIA community. A church which has at its core an honoring of the sacredness of each person, did not seem to come to an agreement that LGBTQIA people should be allowed to hold positions of leadership, nor can the leadership honor these relationships with same sex marriage. This has not been a brief battle or conversation.

The UMC affirms that sexuality is “God’s good gift to all persons” however this did not include homosexuality. At their General Conference in 1972 homosexuality was discussed for the first time, it was agreed and made doctrine that homosexual people were sacred, however homosexuality was not condoned. People from different parts of the Globe have continuously brought up this subject over and over, and 2022 has seen the largest change for this denomination.

EPHESIANS 4:29, 31-32 (NIV)

In 2020 when the General Conference was due to be held, the place of LGTBQIA people was to be discussed again, however the Pandemic led to the delay of this conference. Though, this did not delay the fervent need for an answer to the question of whether LGBTQIA people have worth in the UMC. In 2022 the Wesleyan Covenant Association decided that it could not condone the LGBTQIA ‘lifestyle’ and decided to start the Global Methodist Church (GMC) and is seeking congregations who have the same theology to join them.

Sara Nussell, a former musical director for a UMC that decided to disaffiliate, battled with this decision as she felt that all are welcome in God’s house. She took the decision to disaffiliate from this church and become an evangelical ‘eco warrior.’ For Sara, she had a plan, but so many others now must choose whether to divide or conquer. Many LGBTQIA members and their allies have stayed in their local churches to try to call for change from within, however this latest decision of some churches to disaffiliate has hit hard at the core of the faith of some.

In parallel to these discussions at the Global General Conferences, was another discussion that has now landed on the name Reconciling Ministries. This is a ministry whose concept started in 1982 and is now called Reconciling Ministries. Churches can opt into this ministry whose mission is, as seen in rmnetwork.org/history, “Living into our shared baptismal covenant, Reconciling Ministries Network equips and mobilizes United Methodists to resist evil, injustice, and oppression as we seek justice for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.”

There are many whose churches have chosen to be a reconciling church. This in turn, although a breath of fresh air for the LGBTQIA community, has been a dilemma for those who cannot condone the LGTBQIA community. Leading to a different group of people being disenfranchised.

In 2022 in Florida, candidates for ordination were unable to be ordained because the vote did not meet the threshold because two of those seeking ordination were gay. Rev Steve Price from Trinity UMC in Gainesville said “I lament the harm that this result has caused the candidates, their families, their congregations, and other LGBTQ+ persons who are called to ministry in the church and in the world. And… I stand with the 230 clergy who said YES to their commissioning, who mourn this loss with them, who affirm their calling and sacred worth, and who will also press on with them toward the day when this will not happen again in the United Methodist Church.”

Whenever faith groups cannot agree on theologies, it is difficult to remain in one accord. Hearts can be broken, lives can be changed, and faith journeys can be tested. As churches who follow the Bible will often read the passage from Ephesians and try earnestly to build other people up, however find themselves caught in a division, causing the exact harm they speak out against.

For the LGBTQIA community there are some options with reconciling ministries or other denominations, especially in large areas. However, in more rural counties, their faith journey sometimes has to be lived out in a lonelier way, or through electronic means, rather than being part of a community of faith. This is the choice that has to be made - being authentic to themselves or staying with a church that loves them as long as they don’t express their sexuality.

Wherever there are people, there will be disagreement. The UMC and GMC have divided and maybe in doing so, will conquer. With two denominations, people from either group can be authentic to their theology around the LGBTQIA community. Does this mean that the LGBTQIA have to live back in the closet? I don’t think so, however to continue their authentic journey, some changes may need to be made.

REV. CATHERINE DEARLOVE is Senior Pastor at Trinity MCC in Gainesville, Florida. Although a Christian minister, she has a strong appreciation for all journeys of faith or philosophy and wrote her Masters dissertation on Inter-religious Dialogue. She is currently the Chair of the Campus Multi-faith Cooperative at UF and coordinates the Alachua County Faith Leaders Alliance. Rev Catherine has lived in the UK, Australia and now USA and has spent most of her life as a social justice warrior and advocate for the integration of sexuality and spirituality. Rev Catherine believes faith is a journey and should never be static.