Universities Pondering Traditional Plan’s Implications

Adverse Impacts from Legislation Roll On

April 11, 2019

3:00 PM

Baldwin Wallace University

Strosacker Hall serves as the student union building on the campus of United Methodist-related Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. (Baldwin Wallace Photo)

Repercussions of the Traditional Plan’s adoption continue to reverberate across U.S. United Methodism. The latest news comes from a spate of United Methodist-related colleges and universities pondering breaking their UMC ties, and the financial impacts of local congregations withholding their “fair-share” contributions to church-wide ministries known as apportionments.

Ohio Colleges Pondering Disaffiliation

A March 29 article in the campus newspaper of Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, the Exponent, caught the attention of social media discussion groups this week. The article reports that its leadership is “reconsidering what it means to be a Methodist-affiliated university.”

“For Baldwin Wallace, [which] has been Methodist-affiliated since the school’s founding in 1845, this decision puts tradition and modern values at odds with one another. As a school that supports its LGBT students, faculty, and staff, President Robert Helmer said BW is considering disaffiliating with the Methodist church.

“’It’s a sad, challenging situation,’ he said. ‘You hate to break a relationship that’s been 174 years and has benefited both sides, but it could be time for us to become an independent university.’"

“…BW is not alone in considering the implications of this decision for Methodist universities. Helmer said the four other Methodist schools in Ohio — Mount Union, Ohio Northern, Ohio Wesleyan, and Otterbein universities — are all reconsidering their relationship with the United Methodist Church over this issue. All five university presidents signed a joint statement expressing their disappointment in the church’s decision and reaffirming their commitment to their LGBT students, faculty, and staff.”

Baldwin Wallace is noted among the first U.S. colleges to accept students without regard to race or gender. The university has been highly ranked for nearly 25 years as an institution of quality higher education for affordable tuition, often cited by such publications and authorities as U.S. New & World Report, the Princeton Review, Washington Monthly, Forbes, College Choice, and Educate to Career (ETC).

Cal-Pac to Allow for Redirecting Apportionments

The following statement is posted on the California-Pacific Annual Conference website:

INFORMATION ON APPORTIONMENT GIVING

The following letter from our California-Pacific Conference Resident Bishop Grant J. Hagiya and the Conference Council on Finance and Administration was sent to all churches of our Conference in order for our churches to make the best decision on giving faithfully to the Connection. This information serves as a guide as to the connectional giving options available and not as a directive as to which giving decision to make. The California-Pacific Conference continues to embody a spirit of “one church” in all possible ways.

Dear Friends,

The harm and pain that the Special-Called Session of the General Conference caused continues to weigh heavily on many of us, laity, clergy and Bishops alike. Leadership within the Western Jurisdiction and the California-Pacific Annual Conference are actively working on responses that will allow a grace-filled and welcoming Methodism to continue to exist and serve in our region as well as beyond. We welcome more conversation about this in our churches and at all levels of our life together.

In the meantime, one of the ways many individuals and congregations have indicated they want to demonstrate their rejection of what happened at General Conference is through withholding or redirecting their apportionment contributions. We understand that desire as apportionments are one of the ways we live out our connectionalism. Signaling to the General Church that congregations will not help sustain an unjust system or broken structure is an important act of resistance and a testimony to the conviction that God’s love is for all people.

To that end, the Council on Finance and Administration (CFA) will adjust the Apportionment Remittance form beginning with the May 2019 remittance to assist congregations who want to make such a demonstration. Under the General Church Apportionment category there will be two new options, allowing for congregations to contribute to an alternative World Service Fund and an alternative General Administration Fund; these alternative apportionment funds will be sent on to support the General Church ministries we value only after we determine that they do not support leadership or agencies that further exclusion or judgment against LGBTQIA persons.

The Western Jurisdiction leadership has asked the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) for a detailed breakdown of the World Service fund. Once that is received, our Conference Connectional Table will recommend to which ministries the Cal-Pac alternative World Service Funds will be given. This may well include ministries not currently being funded.

There are important ministries that our apportionments sustain and which align with our values for an inclusive, diverse and welcoming church. We seek to not increase the harm of the General Conference by impacting those critical ministries to which we are committed; yet, CFA also wants to be responsive to congregations that want to make such a witness. As a reminder, 76% of local church apportionments stay within the Annual Conference. This is a time when we need every congregation to step up in faithful giving by funding our local mission and ministry at 100% and to support the work of the Western Jurisdiction by contributing the small percentage asked for that work as well. Those amounts for each congregation are stated on the monthly remittance form.

…Together, by God’s grace, we will continue to be disciples of Jesus Christ in our communities and the world around, living out the best of who we are called to be as shaped by our Wesleyan roots. God is doing something new in our midst, and in joy, let us go into the future with love and faith.

The statement is signed by Bishop Grant J. Hagiya (Los Angeles Area) and Howard Hudson, president, Cal-Pac Council on Finance and Administration

Media Mentions as of April 11, 2019

Both Religious and LGBTQ: Yes, They Exist – TheJambar.com

IV Pastor Speaks out Against Methodist Church Ban on Same-Sex Marriage, LGBTQ+ Clergy – The Bottom Line

Mike Huckabee Claims LGBTQ Rights Are The 'Greatest Threat' To America's Morality – HuffPost

River Falls United Methodist Church fights for LGBT+ equality in light of 'Traditionalist Plan' decision – River Falls Journal

Methodists Decide to Believe the Bible – Conservative Daily News

Local members favor gay rights as Methodist church heads toward split – YakimaHerald.com, Yakima, Wash.

Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.

Comments (6)

Comment Feed

Puzzlement

I'm puzzled. General Conference essentially reaffirmed the already existing policy of the UM church. This was not a new stance or a sea-change. If the position is so abhorrent to these schools and their leaders, why wait until now to make this statement? It seems as if it would have been made years ago. What changed?

Ric more than 5 years ago

It will be interesting to see the positions taken.

I think its a rather strict position that is being taken by the colleges presidents. College funding is mostly not through the church these days, so the more liberal schools are going to take more liberal positions as the UMC doesn't provide much in the way of financial support.

I haven't found anything that would indicate that the 5 Presidents signed the joint statement. My web search indicated that the Board signed and all those attending. These 5 schools don't appear to me to be represented on the board. The only concrete statement is from the BW President and the 20 board members.
https://www.gbhem.org/education/nascumc/leadership

Regardless of the church’s decision — or if BW decides to disaffiliate or remain with the church — the school will remain true to its values, Helmer said.
“The one thing I’m sure of is who BW is,” he said, “that we are a university that welcomes all people and wants to give all opportunities to all people.”

I don't find anything wrong with his statement above. All Methodist affiliated universities should welcome all.

Anonymous more than 5 years ago

I don't think the question is whether "all Methodist universities should welcome all."

My question is, for any university which disaffiliates with Methodist, can we be sure that ALL financial assistance to that university will also disaffiliate? Not that any university would want to drop the Methodist affiliation, but still take the money. But, in the convoluted world of liberal logic, it could happen.

Reese more than 5 years ago

How silly! Would Ford Motor Company un-affiliate with all its local dealers?

So, several universities are considering dis-associating with the UMC over the GC2019 results. This is laughable! Let me understand this: these university seminaries are in the business of educating young preacher-wanna-bes so they can find employment and fulfillment in churches for a career. Those called to the cloth apply to get in, then take out student loans in order to learn to transform the world. Most likely, these seminaries even have “placement offices” which help the young missionaries find that first mission field… Probably, UMC churches send in leaders to interview prospective future clergy…
.
Now, those universities who manufacture the new clergy are going to un-affiliate with the downstream “customers” (the churches) who are the “buyers” (hirers) of their products? UMC being among the largest denominations in the Western world, is a major market (mission field, employer) of new clergy – and now the producers of those new clergy are going to pull out of that market? Seriously?
.
And, what’s to become of the current students who have dreams and loans and a year or two left of school. What do their chosen careers look like if their university boycotts the major employer? Ah, it is obvious that common sense has still not replaced theory on college campuses! Where will the new grads go to work?
.
Of course, these universities could adapt their stance to be: “The future will have two descendants of the former UMC; One will be ‘traditional’. One will be ‘progressive’. We at this university will teach you how to preach, teach, organize a church, help your local community, listen to endless hours of personal problems of your members, deal with conflicts and crazy people (the church board), and attempt to focus on ‘transforming the world’. You, young clergy-person, will have to decide whether to go “progressive” or “traditional” as you graduate and try to find a job.”
.
Oh no, not university “intellectuals” - it was the same at my business school – have to prove their relevance by pontifications and protests rather than just keeping their promise to provide education to prepare their wards for the battles of earning a living.

Reese more than 5 years ago

They are just colleges, not seminaries.

I don't believe these schools are seminaries. Maybe I'm wrong. Just a lot of Methodist support for private 4-year universities in Ohio.

Anonymous more than 5 years ago

Thanks. Had not thought of that...

I assumed any university which bills itself as "Methodist" in any way would be offfering Methodist clergy or service preparation education at some level. If not, why would Methodist membership donate to them either directly or through church giving? But, your point is well taken and I suggest in these times of extreme needed cuts in Methodist budgets (except for bishops pay, of course), to have a few universities drop out of the Methodist welfare line would be good news!

Reese more than 5 years ago