Conference Resolutions Resist Traditional Plan

June 5, 2019

5:02 PM

St. Stephen Pride Float

St. Stephen United Methodist Church of Mesquite, Texas, one of eight Reconciling Congregations in greater Dallas, won the prize for "Best Social Commentary" float in the annual PRIDE Parade in Dallas. St. Stephen has been a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network for 21 years. (Church Photo by Jessica Fulenwider)

U.S. annual conference season is bringing around formal resolutions against the Traditional Plan that have been put forth in ad hoc forms since the 2019 General Conference in February.

Great Plains Annual Conference (Kansas and Nebraska) adopted a resolution to “condemn, reject, and resist” the Traditional Plan. Great Plains also adopted a resolution apologizing for the “great harm” done to LGBTQ persons by the Traditional Plan. The condemnation resolution says in part: ““We reject the Traditional Plan approved at General Conference 2019 as inconsistent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and will resist its implementation.”

North Texas Annual Conference took a more positive approach. By an 80 percent favorable vote, clergy and lay members adopted a resolution declaring North Texas to be a “One Church” conference. Resolution presenters said the statement was intended to “give space” to the region’s congregations to perform “ministries in their own contexts” and encouraged churches to hold conversations on future options for the worldwide United Methodist Church. A ruling of law was requested of Bishop Mike McKee as to whether the resolution endorsed violating the Book of Discipline.

Michigan Annual Conference members approved a resolution titled "Aspirations for The Michigan Annual Conference": “The Michigan Annual Conference aspires to live into an expression of Methodism that includes LGBTQIA people in full life and membership of the UMC.” The conference website reports: "By more than a two-thirds margin, 819 (68%) to 377 (32%), the measure aspires to promote reconciliation and focus resources on the mission of the Michigan Conference, not trials and investigations based on sexual orientation. A ruling of law on the constitutionality of this resolution was requested and will be acted upon by Bishop [David] Bard within 30 days."

Media Mentions as of June 5, 2019

'Pied Piper for Methodists in the middle' discusses the faith's future – Salt Lake Tribune

Adam Hamilton on 'Methodists in the middle' and what's next for thedenomination – Religion News Service

Schism over United Methodist Church's LGBTQ stance reflected during confirmation in Wisconsin ... – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Divided SC Methodists to weigh same-sex marriage, LGBT clergy bans at conference – The State

Michigan United Methodist Church leaders vote on LGBT policy – UpNorthLive.com

Youth stands up in her church for LGBTQ rights – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Alabama church decides to host screening of banned Arthur episode featuring same-sex marriage – ThinkProgress

Birmingham church to host wedding party while screening banned Arthur episode – AL.com

United Methodist regional bodies reject 'Traditional Plan' on LGBT issues, vow resistance – Christian Post

Methodists reject apology for keeping same-sex wedding ban – AL.com

Beware of Authoritarian Christians – CounterPunch

Comments (3)

Comment Feed

It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Conferences not passing formal resolutions:
Texas
Oklahoma
South Carolina
South Georgia

I like the float.

Anonymous more than 5 years ago

adam Hamilton's resistance in a larger context

Since 1972, progressives, including a significant number of denominational leadership and fully ordained clergy have resisted General Conference's stance re sexuality all to no avail. And yet Adam Hamilton was still unprepared for the traditional plan to win????? The reason we had the Way Forward process was because it was a last minute attempt to stop legislation from being voted on by the plenary session of GC2016 that would have strengthened the traditional stance! I find it interesting that GC2019 was the most prayed over General Conference anybody can ever remember and yet, for many, once again the wrong answer was produced. Everybody with any power did their best to keep a traditional plan off the floor of General Conference and yet it still managed to not only make it into the plenary session, but passed. Unlike the One Church Plan which was voted down not once but twice; and its rejection was by a larger margin than what passed the Traditional Plan--but nobody ever talks about that!

And now Adam Hamilton is going to resist by delaying paying half of Church of the Resurrection's apportionments???? The budget being sent to GC2020 has already experienced the most significant reduction in recent history--and this was all decided before GC2019.

Then there are the other reports out of the UMNext meeting that say that the majority of the people present are ready to stop resisting and move on.

I am very much concerned that, like the rest of the denominational leadership, Adam Hamilton seems to be working from a very narrow perception that blocks out much of the larger picture of which he is only one small part. But then, like much of denominational leadership, he also has no respect for historic Christianity as a viable alternative for 21st century America. Which is strange seeing that every other mainline denomination which took a decidedly progressive turn lost a significant number of traditionalists who broke off to form their own churches which are growing even as the parent Mainline denomination continue to shrinks.

betsy more than 5 years ago

Wait, what?

You said, "...he [Hamilton]also has no respect for historic Christianity as a viable alternative for 21st century America." How so? Where is the evidence of it? Homophobia is a recent innovation which emerged with the anticommunist hysteria of the 1950s. "Leave it to Beaver" was a work of fiction. You are nostalgic for a time which never happened.

George Nixon Shuler more than 5 years ago