A Time and Need for Prayer for the United Methodist Church

This week, 33 retired bishops from the United Methodist Church signed a statement asking the church proper to remove the ban on gay and lesbian pastors in our churches. This is not an new debate in the church. In 1999, 15 of our retired bishops did the same. Certainly this is a subject which will require some prayer and considerate conversation in order to navigate the path which we seem destined to walk.

I attended a very liberal seminary where I was forced to expand my thinking about the world, culture, and God's people. Admittedly, it was difficult for me as a conservative to realize that the world was changing so rapidly and that the Kingdom of God might be larger than I give it credit for being. I saw many Spirit filled people who happened to be open about their sexual orientation and yet, in spite of my religious upbringing, I could see their effectiveness in ministry.

Yet at the root of this problem for me is not whether gays or lesbians should or should not be allowed to minister in our denomination. Rather it is the question of what the debate will do to us without prayer and love. I do not proclaim to have a gift of prophesy, but I do see what this issue has done to splinter and fracture other denominations. A sister church of ours has recently given birth to a new denomination in the United States. Is that where we are headed?

The problem is, as opposed to the sister church, our denomination appears to be more evenly divided. Will there be a Divided Methodist Church coming to a neighborhood nearby? I do not speak from fear, but from the voices of congregants who threaten to leave the United Methodist Church if we approve full clergy rights to gays and lesbians. This comes at a time when our church is already panicking over the diminishing numbers in our churches. Can we afford to say, "follow your convictions" only to watch our denomination divide bay a third or in half?

Those with the hardest path are the moderates. Those following the Via Media who seek the middle way of loving our neighbor while at the same time seek God's righteousness. We will be in a place where we will have to take sides and I don't like that prospect. It goes against my Wesleyan teaching and Methodist heritage which says that the Kingdom of God is bigger than we can imagine.

I love my brothers and sisters in the faith, regardless of race, national origin, theological leaning or sexual orientation. I hope and pray that we find a way of negotiating this road in a way that shows God's love to the world. A love that unites and doesn't divide. A love where all God's people can work for the common good of God's Kingdom. Please United Methodists... proceed with love and prayer! AMEN