SCJ Disaffiliation
The Rev. Stan Copeland, senior pastor of Lovers' Lane UMC in Dallas, speaks in favor of a resolution urging that all pastors who announce plans to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church immediately remove themselves from all leadership positions. Referring to the World Series games running concurrently with UMC jurisdictional conferences, Rev. Copeland said: "You can't play for the Astros and pitch for the Phillies at the same time." (Facebook Photo Courtesy of DeDe Young).
Whether in reaction to a wave of disaffiliations across its region or a reflection of the more centrist and progressive delegates serving the 2022 session, the South Central Jurisdiction cast off its traditionally conservative political stances Nov. 3 to adopt two resolutions aimed at a more inclusive, more unified United Methodist Church.
One resolution was long-planned and carefully crafted by 47 self-identified "queer" delegates. The other was presented from the floor by a prominent senior pastor who for weeks has been posting videos refuting misinformation spread by disaffiliation advocates.
The overwhelming adoption of Resolution 3 committing a move toward full inclusion represented a major victory in a jurisdiction long antagonistic to LGBTQ persons and their allies. Delegates adopted the resolution, which advocates full inclusion of LGBTQ persons in all levels of the church, by a vote of 128 to 35.
Ironically, the adoption of Resolution 3 occurred at the west campus site of First UMC of Houston in the Texas Annual Conference. Texas is a hotbed of disaffiliation, with fully half of its 600-some churches engaged currently in the UMC's exit process. The conference also is home to the conservative caucus Good News, which operates out of The Woodlands Church in the suburb of the same name north of Houston. The Woodlands recently voted to leave the UMC, but its leaders said it intends to stay independent, not join the fledgling Global Methodist Church founded by the traditionalist Wesleyan Covenant Association.
Jesi Lipp, a lay delegate from Great Plains Conference and a member of St. Paul UMC in Lenexa, Kansas, near Kansas City, introduced Resolution 3, which was signed by 47 self-identified "queer" delegates from all five U.S. jurisdictions. She explained the resolution's development in a telephone interview with United Methodist Insight.
"An informal group of queer delegates has been meeting since 2019," said Lipp, referring to the special called 2019 General Conference at which delegates narrowly adopted greater penalties on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriages. "When it looked like we were actually going to have jurisdictional conferences this year, the group decided to offer the resolution at all the conferences."
Lipp, who uses the pronouns "they" and "them," said they weren't part of the authoring group, but added "I felt led to be the one in South Central to introduce it."
"It's important for people to know that this is a response to a moment in the life of the church," Lipp said. "It's about empowering LGBTQ people to live out what God has called on us to do with our lives, to allow us to be our full selves. We can't live up to who God is calling us to be if our church doesn't fully see us."
The resolution regarding disaffiliation sprang from a floor motion by the Rev. Stan Copeland, senior pastor of Lovers' Lane UMC in Dallas. Rev. Copeland asked the jurisdiction's Collegee of Bishops to investigate retired bishops Robert Hayes and Michael Lowry, and soon-to-retire Texas Conference Bishop Scott J. Jones for aiding disaffiliation. Sam Hodges of UM News has details.
Rev. Copeland has been recording and posting a series of videos on YouTube framed as messages to his father about misinformation spread by advocates of leaving The United Methodist Church.
While a full text of Rev. Copeland's motion wasn't available, one of the observers at the conference, the Rev. Gregory S. Neal, described it on Facebook as an aspiration for all pastors who announce plans to leave the UMC to remove themselves immediately from leadership positions. Revs. Neal and Copeland are both members of the North Texas Annual Conference.
Another of his North Texas clergy colleagues, the Rev. Eric Folkerth, created a meme of Rev. Copeland's metaphor likening disaffiliation to the World Series, taking place at the same time as U.S. jurisdictional conferences.
"One cannot play for the (Houston) Astros and pitch for the (Philadelphia) Phillies," Rev. Copeland said.
Adoption of the Nov. 3 resolutions followed a stunning Nov. 2 first ballot at which delegates elected the jurisdiction's first Black clergywoman from Great Plains Conference, a Rio Texas Conference clergywoman fluent in Spanish with extensive ministry experience among the poor, and the denomination's first Native American bishops. All three were elected on the first and only episcopal ballot.
The three new bishops in South Central Jurisdiction are:
- The Rev. Dee Williamston, assistant to the bishop in the Great Plains Annual Conference;
- The Rev. Laura Merrill, district superintendent in the Rio Texas Annual Conference; and
- The Rev. David Wilson, conference superintendent of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.
All elected bishops will be consecrated in their respective jurisdictions on Nov. 5.
More News from Jurisdictional Conferences:
Williamston reflects on making history by David Burke, Great Plains Conference.
Southeastern Jurisdiction elects Shelton as bishop by Jasmine Haynes, Mississippi Conference.
Plambeck wins bishop post in North Central by Liz Winders, Iowa Conference.
Northeastern Jurisdiction elects Burgos as bishop, by Erik Alsgaard, Baltimore-Washington Conference.