Release from Upper New York Episcopal Office
The Episcopal Office of The Upper New York Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church has issued the following update on a complaint brought against the Rev. Stephen Heiss regarding his performing same-sex marriages.
After 120 days of a supervisory response, which included a 30-day extension, to seek a just resolution of the complaint filed against Rev. Heiss, Bishop Mark J. Webb announced that a just resolution has not been achieved, and the matter will be referred to Counsel for the Church as a complaint. It will be the responsibility of the Counsel for the Church to determine if there is sufficient evidence to support a chargeable offense and forward such evidence toward a trial process. If it is determined there is not sufficient evidence to support a chargeable offense, the Counsel for the Church may make a recommendation to the bishop that the matter be dismissed.
"After much discussion and prayerful discernment, I am sorry to announce that we have been unable to reach a mutually agreeable resolution to this matter," said Bishop Webb.
"We know all United Methodists are not in agreement about same-sex marriage. However, there must be universal agreement that the covenant between the Church and its clergy is sacred and must be upheld by both," the bishop said. "Clergy take their oath freely and with the knowledge they must fulfill the promises they make. By the same covenant, the Annual Conference and I, as a bishop, must fulfill the obligation to fully and fairly administer Church law.
"The 2012 Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church expresses it this way: 'Ordained persons exercise their ministry in covenant with all Christians, especially with those whom they lead and serve in ministry. They also live in covenant of mutual care and accountability with all those who share their ordination, especially in The United Methodist Church ... The covenant of ordained ministry is a lifetime commitment, and those who enter into it dedicate their whole lives to the personal and spiritual disciplines it requires.'"
As a worldwide denomination, The United Methodist Church is a connectional church. The system that connects individuals in ministry also allows United Methodists to make decisions together through dialogue and prayerful discernment.
“Our process for determining Church law involves the prayerful discernment of hundreds of delegates who gather every four years as representatives of the 12 million United Methodists around the world. Only at this gathering, which we call General Conference, can the Church's stance on any issue, Church law, be changed. The Book of Discipline codifies Church law; it is updated following each General Conference. The next General Conference of The United Methodist Church will be in 2016 in Portland, Ore.
“Our denomination relies on the integrity of this ‘order’ we have chosen,” said Bishop Webb. “Throughout our history as a denomination, we have faced issues on which we disagree, but by working through our defined processes and respecting one another, we have prayerfully discussed and discerned the Church’s path together.
The law prohibiting United Methodist clergy from performing same-sex unions is a law of the Church by virtue of its adoption by the General Conference, and only General Conference can alter or void this or any other Church law.
“As United Methodists, we uphold that process as much as we uphold the current result of that process, our 2012 Book of Discipline,” Bishop Webb said. “If we disregard that order, we put the integrity of our covenant together in jeopardy.”
“I urge all of us to continue in a spirit of prayer for Rev. Heiss and all involved in this difficult and painful matter,” said the Bishop. “May we continue to live with one another in a manner worthy of being sisters and brothers in Christ. May we continue to seek God’s wisdom, direction and vision as we strive to live our mission to ‘make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world’ and be a witness of light to the world around us.”