It Has Been a Long Unwinding

by

It has been a long, unwinding since the day the Traditional Plan was passed by a margin of 54 votes (438-384). As the weeks crept by, the words “The United Methodist Church is dead,” echoed in my ears like a neverending hangover. Whilst others were planning and praying what is next. I too contemplated, “What is next?”

Gatherings were planned for progressives and centrists to discuss the future of the United Methodist Church. I was invited to one of those meetings. On May 20-22, 2019, I traveled to Kansas City for the UMCNext gathering at the Church of the Resurrection (the largest church in the denomination).

UMCNext was designed for attendees who identify as centrist, progressive, or somewhere in between with six hundred Methodists from the United States attending. Each of the 54 annual conferences was allowed 10 voices to represent their conference amongst the 600. The goal was diverse gathering to pray, discern, listen, and discuss a way forward in unity for the United Methodist Church. It sounds so hopeful to move forward or is it just a mirage?

An early framework for us in unity to reject the Traditional Plan that was passed on February 26, 2019, at the special called General Conference. Together, we glued together the pieces to a statement of vision for the new Methodist movement based on four core commitments.

  • “To be passionate followers of Jesus Christ committed to a Wesleyan vision of Christianity that is anchored in scripture and informed by tradition, reason, and experience as we live a life of personal piety and social holiness.
  • "To resist evil, injustice, and oppression in all forms and toward all people, and to build a church which affirms the full participation of all ages, nations, races, classes, cultures, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities.
  • "To reject the Traditional Plan approved at General Conference 2019 as inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ and resist its implementation.
  • "To work to eliminate discriminatory language and the restrictions and penalties in the Book of Discipline regarding LGBTQ individuals. We affirm the sacred worth of LGBTQ persons, celebrate their gifts, and commit to being in ministry together.”

The majority of the time spent at our tables we discussed the three pathways under consideration for the new Methodism movement. First, to negotiate the dissolution of the UMC in order to form two or three new denominations similar to a connectional conference model. Second, to start the process for centrists and progressives to disaffiliate and create a new denomination. Third, to stay and resist the Traditionalist Plan within the denomination.

As we gathered in our tokenized tables, we listened to testimonies and worshipped together. There were moments when I could tell the Holy Spirit was leading us to the banks of the river of justice. Being in a room where most people respected and loved each other was fresh and exciting. UMCNext had its pockets of hope when some testimonies brought me literally in tears, and I thank God for that.

However, I learned a lot… and lamented… in fact, I am still processing…

A disclaimer: If you are not here to read a rant and lamentation about the brokenness of the United Methodist Church, then you will be disappointed.

One thing relearned in UMCNext was how much of the institution is deeply broken. It is a constitutional and institutional crisis. I knew it was broken but I didn’t know how deep the damage. It is broken to the point where new Methodist movements struggle to grow while many current leaders of the institution want to keep to the old ways.

I also learned repentance. On the first evening, I listened to my LGBTQIA+ and POC siblings in Christ describe being hurt, tokenized, and traumatized by General Conference 2019 and the One Church Plan. As it had many attractive qualities, it was easy for me to purchase a ticket on the One Church Plan train. I did exactly that.

Except it wasn’t truly what I believed. I supported it as I wanted to win at a game of poker. It was wrong and I repent those actions. It failed to bring people together and center the most vulnerable voices to be heard, just like I witnessed in Kansas City. UMCNext was a byproduct of the One Church Plan to save the UMC designed and sold by the same architects.

If white, hetero, cis persons want inclusion for LGBTQIA+, they preserve a broken system that does not allow our church the freedom of liberation. The current institution is not faithful to the vow of resisting evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. If the UMC wants to strive for queer inclusion and liberation, it must reject the status quo and cease the glacial incremental progress sustaining the status quo.

The underlying history of racism, white supremacy and colonialism led us here. The underlying dogma of sexism and patriarchy led us here. The underlying practice of increased incrementalism and institutionalization led us here. The underlying goals of adopting the compatibilist versus incompatibilist language led us here. Our ignored acts of repentance and solidarity led us here. All of the above and more led us to a false unity.

It was no surprise to witness the horror of General Conference 2019 in St. Louis and wonder about our fate. It was an expression of deep fissures within the institution of the United Methodist Church. We cannot transform Methodism as long the institution is mired in systemic oppression and “isms”. A true expression of all intersectionalities cannot exist within the pillars of homophobia, transphobia, sexism, racism, white supremacy, and colonialism.

The UMCNext’s leadership made some strides for inclusion, but its ignorance and silence to minorities was disgraceful. Conversations were centered with false narratives of confidentiality and inclusion. Distributing one LGBTQIA+ and person of color at the 78 tables (which were dominated by white, hetero, cis persons) is not equality and inclusion, it’s tokenism and isolation.

Adopting the binary terminology of compatibilist versus incompatibilist was disappointing and polarizing. It’s time to erase labels or the path of polarization and incrementalism will lead us with false hope.

The attempt of acknowledgment toward people who stayed and resisted was weak at best. For the people planning to stay and resist, honor and learn from the people who have been fighting the good fight for so long.

The narrative being swayed to how we convene the conversations at the tables and moved the conversations towards particular outcomes and created frustration. Instead of favoring others for coalition-building, we need a Wesleyan liberation movement to inspires us to open to all.

Since General Conference 2019, my hope was to have a Methodist movement of both “progressives and centrists” create something new. UMCNext which was led by mostly hetero, elitist, ethnocentric people caused to diminish a part of that hope to create something new. It did not move us forward. Instead, it rewarded people for saying they will do something but actually have not done anything in the promise for queer and POC liberation.

It failed to elevate the voices of LGBTQIA+ and POC to the center of the discourse. The pressure for a queer person or person of color to be the sole voice at a table in a straight man’s world is a heavy burden. Where was the solidarity during those moments? Jesus provided radical solidarity when sharing the Good News with the poor, hungry, thirsty and marginalized.

During the final address by Rev. Adam Hamilton some voices echoed in the room, “How long will we have to stay and resist?” Hours later, the official press conference announced the strategy for progressives and centrists to stay and resist.

For some, don’t have an option to stay and resist until in 2024 or even in 2028 (General Conference). Before, January 1st, 2020, there needs to be a plan of both resistance and providing a safe harbor for LGBTQIA+ clergy whose credentials are at risk to be of one of the highest priorities.

Why just stay and resist? Is it the best we can do amid all this drama? To sacrifice our dignity... and for what?

If we stay and resist do we keep the plug connected that is giving the UMC life support? We will preserve the institution that has silenced our voices and washed away our identities.

Should we stay and resist to play another round of poker to get more tokens at the table while putting lives at risk?

Do we allow our identities and intersectionalities be compromised because hardened fundamentalists are convinced contradictions in a literalistic biblical view are untrue and unfaithful to our vows and the word inspired by God?

Should we stay and resist to continue conforming into the idea of believing in a false sense of unity as our church is dying as we know it?

"Should we stay and resist as our church as we know it is dying" is the sobering reality of where we are at the United Methodist Church. We are on life support and watching our future dying. Is it worth holding on when our personal convictions of liberating love are being held in Egypt? Or is it time for us to plan our Exodus and dismantle forms of oppression and injustice in whatever forms they present themselves?

Stay and resist just to protect and preserve the institution is not good enough as the effects of the Traditional Plan will be too harmful. In this time and context, “stay and resist” is a short-term strategy, not a long-term solution. We must learn from the past. Did Jesus abide by the status quo? I cannot abide by the Traditional Plan, I cannot comply with the status quo of the UMC, and I will resist, period.

While I am righteously disappointed at the outcome of UMCNext and will continue to call out the hypocrisy of “stay and resist”, but still remain hopeful as ever. My hope is not compromised or misguided because I am hopeful for the renewal of a deeper commitment to bringing justice and liberation.

The UMC may be dying but there is resurrection after death and this is our Easter moment to reclaim our church. We must radically transform Methodism into something new for the sake of living the gospel of justice and peace. Methodists must reclaim our Wesleyan roots and be in radical solidarity in the liberation of all people.

Zach Nell lives in Montana. This post is republished with the author's permission from his Facebook page.