Retired Clergy Form Group to Support Bishop Oliveto

May 19, 2017

12:55 PM

More than 100 retired United Methodist clergy of the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference have announced their enthusiastic and unwavering support for Bishop Karen Oliveto and their appreciation for her exceptional leadership as their spiritual leader.

The United Methodist Association of Retired Clergy (ARC) of the Rocky Mountain Conference has been formed in response to the complicated 19-page ruling issued April 28 by the United Methodist Judicial Council on whether an openly gay clergy person can serve as a bishop.

The new ARC group has affirmed its understanding that Bishop Oliveto has been duly nominated, elected, consecrated, and assigned to the Mountain Sky region of the United Methodist Church, which includes 400 congregations in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana. Its members agree with the five Western Jurisdiction bishops in their goal “for a United Methodist Church that is multicultural and inclusive.”

Photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS

Millard and Messer

The Revs. Donald E. Messer (right) and Kent Millard narrate some of the history of Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Selma, Ala.

In the first meeting of retired pastors. they elected as chairperson the Rev. Dr. Don Messer, president emeritus of United Methodist-related Iliff School of Theology, author of 16 books, and currently executive director of the Center for Health and Hope.

Dr. Messer said that in the past week, he had contacted retired United Methodist pastors who have served in the Rocky Mountain region. “Too often retired clergy feel placed on the retirement shelf,” Dr. Messer said. “But they eagerly jumped off to signal their unwavering support of our Bishop, ARC and its vision of an inclusive church.”

Dr. Messer said that vision included a commitment “to stand in solidarity with LGBTQ laity, clergy, and candidates for ministry, speaking and working to ensure the dignity and safety of all persons in church and society.”

Other officers elected were the Rev. Dr. Harvey Martz, former senior pastor of St. Andrew United Methodist, Highlands Ranch, as vice chairperson; the Rev. Marilyn McGraw, former pastor of Phillips Church in Denver; and the Rev. Greg Young, former pastor of Christ United Methodist, Denver.

Steering committee members include the Rev. Betty Bradford, former pastor of Lakewood Church; the Rev. Doug Slaughter, former pastor of Litteton Church; the Rev. Dr. Janet Forbes, Highlands Ranch; the Rev. Marla Kauerz, former pastor at Hope Church in Greenwood Village; and the Rev. David Ferguson, former pastor at Good Shepherd Church in Thornton.

Photo by Patrick Scriven, Pacific-Northwest Conference

Oliveto Consecration

Bishop Karen Oliveto, the first openly gay bishop in The United Methodist Church, kneels during the consecration service held on July 16, 2016, at Paradise Valley United Methodist Church in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dr. Martz noted: “Bishop Oliveto brings great spiritual depth to her demanding role as our Episcopal leader. She brings diverse experience, passion, a pastoral spirit, and unique leadership gifts to her role as our Bishop, and we are excited about her presence with us.

"She has served in a variety of congregations as well as on a seminary staff. Her most recent role before her election as bishop was senior pastor of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco, a congregation of 11,000 members that is one of the flagship churches for U.S. United Methodism and which was featured in the film, “The Pursuit of Happyness.”

Dr. Martz said: “She has been properly nominated, unanimously elected, duly consecrated, and appropriately assigned to our area. We retired clergy unequivocally support her leadership.”

The Rocky Mountain United Methodist ARC officers believe that there will be other groups of retired United Methodist pastors across the denomination who will organize to advocate for a church that is fully inclusive of all people regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, economic condition, or sexual orientation.

An upcoming role of this new United Methodist ARC group will be at the June meeting in Denver of 800 laypeople and pastors from a three-state area (Colorado, Wyoming and Utah) where the ARC leaders will be present to listen, interpret, and advocate for full inclusion in United Methodism.

Upon hearing about the formation of the retired pastor group, Bishop Oliveto said, “I am so excited about the organizing of the retired clergy. They have served the church faithfully as pastors, professors, chaplains, and in so many other ways. They continue to faithfully serve as they offer their wisdom and hope to our area. May God bless their efforts and the partnership we share as we live into Beloved Community.”

Comments (2)

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Do we need a better boat

We can probably agree the Gospels do not recount Jesus mentioning anything about homosexuality. I would add that Jesus did not ask his followers to construct church buildings, to appoint bishops, to make rule books and to set up health and pension plans for clergy: The Great Commission did not ask followers to build an institution.

To me, those dissatisfied (disgusted) or satisfied (smug) with the decision in Case No. 1341 are both struggling for one thing - control of the institution. Again, to me, this discussion and struggle is not about Jesus, does not involve the Gospel and diverts attention from the coming reign of God. Instead, the argument about same-sex relations leads inextricably to one side winning and the other side losing.

Jesus offers guidance in such matters, instructing against such "win-lose" discussions. Jesus told his disciples that when they run into people who oppose them, then they are not to argue and fuss, but instead knock the dust off their sandals and move on.

With that message in mind, the rule book, as interpreted by the Judicial Council, states that a bishop cannot be in a married same-sex relationship. So, should Bishop Oliveto consider knocking the dust from her sandals and move on? Such a move would require her to give up her $150,000 yearly salary, her house, her car, her travel, her expense account and other benefits, and look for another place where she can serve.

I anticipate the LGBTQIAPK community exclaim it is unjust that Oliveto and others sharing her situation are being run out of the church because of their orientation. The call is to stay and struggle against such injustice and systems of oppression. And the LGBTQIAPK community asks politely that we ignore that they who struggle maintain their $150,000 yearly salaries, their houses, their cars, their travels, their expense accounts and other benefits while fighting against injustice.

With this stated, the question then is whether Oliveto and others sharing her situation will stay or leave? I can imagine Jesus looking at that question and shaking his head, seeing it akin to small children arguing over who gets to make the rules for the clubhouse in the back yard. But the children don’t see it as a clubhouse, but rather consider the institution as something monumental and substantial, like the Titanic. UMC professionals are bailing frantically to right the institutional ship that is taking on water. They bail because their pots are filled with meat and they eat all the bread they want because of the institutional ship. Sinking means losing the safety and security of the boat and getting out on the water where they could take their eyes off Jesus and flounder.

Hopefully the UMC can regain some perspective, away from clubhouses and boats, and ask different questions - more important questions - like: Is the UMC serving the Gospel, or is the institution using the Gospel to serve itself?

Bill St Clair more than 6 years ago

Wow. Talk about missing the point.

"I anticipate the LGBTQIAPK community exclaim it is unjust that Oliveto and others sharing her situation are being run out of the church because or their orientation."

(a) There is nothing to anticipate here. This has been causing tension in the UMC since two sentences which had not been discussed for more than a few minutes were inserted into the Book of Discipline in an overtime session at General conference 40 years ago.

b) Unless you're including a huge number of cisgender heterosexuals in that alphabet soup, you are grossly underestimating the number of exclaiming voices.

c) The injustice being addressed is far more than a few clergy having to serve in other communities rather than continuing in the UMC: it extends to the physical survival and provision of basic needs including housing, food, etc. for children and youth who do not happen to have been Created as cisgender heterosexual males or cisgender heterosexual females.

d) Many of us are hoping that God will continue to call our leaders to remain, despite the persecution they are suffering at the hands of some legalists, because WE value their ministries. Ultimately, it is God who calls them to stay or remain, and that call should be honored. If someone is doing a job, that person should be compensated adequately. If the church has fewer resources to do so, the pay will be smaller. Would it be nice to hang onto the institutions which support joint ministry, such as UMCOR? Absolutely. But the greatest issue is that we cannot continue to allow followers of Christ or those seeking Christ to be told their very existence is evil, when a proper application of the Wesleyan quadrilateral makes it clear that God created those individuals and Christ calls them. The institutional perks may be nice, but the battle is about eradicating the evils of making God in one's own image, worshipping idols (literalist Biblianism), and harm of others in the name of God.

Marie C Ugorek more than 6 years ago