As a historic global conference of the United Methodist Church draws to a close in Charlotte Friday, the issue of homosexuality that has driven away many of the denomination’s churches appears settled.
Delegates on Thursday removed language in Methodist Church laws that for decades has said homosexuality was “incompatible” with Christian teaching.
In the wake of the decision, Jai Davis today sees a clearer path to becoming an ordained UMC minister: Something Davis had dreamed about but didn’t think possible since coming out as a queer trans person to an assistant bishop years ago.
As the Rev. Michael D. Stinson, lead pastor of East Point First Mallalieu United Methodist Church, watched the proceedings at the legislative General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina from the floor of the Charlotte Convention Center, however, he had different thoughts about his own future in the church.
Both see the future of one of the largest Protestant denominations in the world from different perspectives.
Davis, who uses the pronoun they, celebrates the changes the denomination has made to address anti-LGBTQ language and practices. Davis wrote on a Facebook page, “It’s a big deal because it means for bodies like mine, we can take back our narrative. ... In understanding that there would be no Church had it not been for black and brown queer bodies!”
Stinson comes from generations of Methodists, some of whom were pastors. He said all are welcome to his church, but he still believes homosexuality is a sin and goes against the Bible. He said if asked, he would not perform a same sex marriage.
“I believe more people will decide they don’t want to be in a church that goes against the Bible,” said Stinson. “I will have to consider what’s next.”
That’s a question many are asking as they return to their congregations on Sunday.
For decades, the issue of human sexuality and full inclusion of the LGBTQ community has sharply divided the denomination, which has 10 million members worldwide.
The church’s laws, contained in the Methodist “Book of Discipline,” banned the ordination of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” as clergy and banned the performance of same gender marriages. It also imposed penalties and punishment for those doing so. At the conference, delegates approved a new definition of marriage as a covenant between “two people of faith” while recognizing the couple may or may not involve a man and a woman. That replaces an exclusively heterosexual definition of marriage.
In a video message posted on the South Georgia Conference of the UMC website this week, Bishop David Graves called the language that was removed “harmful.”
“I believe this removal places our Book of Discipline back to neutral like before 1972 when the words, ‘incompatible with Christian teaching’ were first included “ in the Discipline, he said in the video..
While everyone can acknowledge the different views regarding marriage and ordination, he said. “I also believe we can disagree in Christian love without further division.”
In a companion letter, Graves said informational meetings have been scheduled where the conference will share more information.
The majority of the changes approved at the conference won’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2025, said Sybil Davidson, a spokeswoman for the North Georgia Conference of UMC.
Most experts say there may be a few churches leaving as a result of the changes approved at the conference, but it will be nowhere near the numbers that left in the last few years over fears the denomination was becoming too progressive on issues of homosexuality.
While some new Methodist congregations are emerging in Georgia and elsewhere, it’s a much smaller denomination today. Some churches were left without pastors and some pastors without churches. Some of the disaffiliated churches became independent, while others joined other Methodist denominations, including the conservative Global Methodist Church, which launched on May 1, 2022.
According to Keith Boyette, transitional connectional officer for the Global Methodist Church, the denomination has 4,501 member churches with 89% in the United States. Currently, in Georgia, he wrote in an email, there are 273 member churches.
Since 2022, more than 330 churches have left the UMC’s North Georgia Conference. That represents about 38% of the conference’s churches. The smaller South Georgia Conference of the UMC has lost about half of the congregations since 2020.
Churches had until Dec. 31, 2023 to leave with their property after fees, appropriations and pensions were paid. That provision has since expired and was removed from the Book of Discipline during the General Conference.
Churches that disaffiliated but want to be part of the denomination again will be given a path to return. Details of that process are still being worked out.
In June both the North and South conferences will hold their regularly scheduled annual meetings and what happened in Charlotte is sure to come up. The North Georgia Conference meeting will be held in Athens and the South Georgia will be held in Tifton.
“Legislative actions don’t change behaviors,” Jan Lawrence, who lives in Rome, Ga. and is executive director of Reconciling Ministries Network, wrote in an email. “The United Methodist Church, though, is at a pivotal moment. We have just changed our discipline, and inclusion now embraces all of God’s children. We have the opportunity to step bold into a world where we become the big-tent denomination we claim to be.”
While Davis celebrates the recent votes, they also want United Methodists to understand the pain that their LGBTQ siblings have experienced over time.
Years ago, Davis, a nonbinary United Methodist and faith coordinator for Georgia Equality, was a certified candidate for ordination in another state when they came out to the assistant bishop. Davis began to feel they were being treated differently and watched as another LGBTQ person lost her scholarship because she was married to a woman.
Davis left the ordination process, but stayed with the Methodist Church.
“In the midst of the celebratory, we also need to process and speak to the harm it has done,” said Davis , who wants to see a town hall where those feelings can be addressed. “Unfortunately, I still find moments when my body has to heal from all the hate I received from other congregants who knew me and said, ‘Just because you’re out, it doesn’t mean you have to announce it to the world.’”
After this week’s votes, Davis received a call from a mentor who asked if they planned to reenter the ordination process. They’re still undecided.
Like others, Bishop Robin Dease is ready to leave the divisiveness behind and focus on the future.
“Our church is turning a page,” said Dease, who leads the North Georgia Conference of the UMC. “These last two weeks I’ve seen delegates model grace and respect, even in their differences. Now, it’s time to live it out.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a quote from Bishop Robin Dease and the date when changes in the Book of Discipline will take effect.
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