Iowa Clergywoman Resigns; Support Grows for Florida Pastor

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An embattled lesbian clergywoman in Iowa has announced her resignation as a campus minister in the wake of the 2019 General Conference and Judicial Council rulings upholding the Traditional Plan.

In other actions, statements of resistance and reactions to the Judicial Council rulings on the Traditional Plan continue, along with growing support for a Florida pastor facing charges over a same-sex wedding he performed.

Iowa lesbian clergywoman resigns

The Rev. Anna Blaedel posted May 2 on her Facebook page:

“During Holy Week, I formally offered my resignation as Director of the Wesley Center at The University of Iowa to the Board of Directors, effective July 1. I need to make a cut, in order to breathe. My decision is rooted in two urgent longings: to shift time and energy toward writing my dissertation, and to carve space for imagining future vocational and denominational possibilities.”

Rev. Blaedel had been director of the Wesley Center for five years. Her post continued:

“For four years, I have been under complaint, bound in abusive processes and relational entanglements that undermine my/our ministry, and demand incredible time, energy, and labor in order to survive, and find sustenance. I am still under active complaint, in accordance with ¶362.1 of the United Methodist Book of Discipline, “being a self-avowed practicing homosexual” (¶2702.1[b]) and “disobedience to the order and discipline of The United Methodist Church” (¶2702.1[d]). My sexual practices and my being are currently under formal investigation. While I am under complaint, I do not have the option of transferring my credentials to another conference or denomination, nor can I seek a formal leave of absence. (I am not looking to leave Iowa City, nor is transferring conferences or denominations currently in line with my call and commitment to collective liberation, though I recognize these moves as possibilities, and believe they are sometimes necessary cuts.) I will continue to fight this harmful, abusive, life-diminishing complaint …”

Pittsburgh ‘Justice Statement’ issued

The leadership council of First United Methodist Church in Pittsburgh, Pa., published a “justice statement” that was adopted April 15. The document sums up the congregation’s stance:

“We advocate for a Church that fully embraces all of God’s children. As long as necessary, we will stand and resist all attempts to implement the harmful “Traditional Plan” adopted at the February 2019 General Conference.”

Download a PDF of the statement here.

Bishops continue responding to Judicial Council

United Methodist bishops continue to explain the implications of the recent Judicial Council rulings on the Traditional Plan as they pledge care for LGBTQ people and try to fathom the UMC’s future.

Bishop Bruce Ough posted his pastoral letter on the Minnesota Annual Conference website. Among possible options for the future he mentioned:

“There are movements underway—here in Minnesota and across the country—to create new expressions of United Methodism, and it seems likely that the denomination will change significantly in the next few years. I am paying close attention to these efforts and commit to staying in close conversation with those involved so that I can prepare our annual conference, our congregations, and our leaders for whatever may be next. The 2020 General Conference will be in Minneapolis, and there is certain to be legislation to help clarify and enable one or more paths forward. Potential scenarios that I am aware of include:

  • more progressive and centrist conferences and congregations forming a new denomination;
  • the Wesleyan Covenant Association becoming a separate denomination;
  • dissolving The United Methodist Church, dividing all assets, and forming two different churches;
  • revising the Connectional Conference Plan so it would pass constitutional review and create three loosely related expressions of The United Methodist Church;
  • The United Methodist Church in North America becoming one or more central or regional conferences with greater autonomy on matters related to the practice of ministry.

Phoenix Area Bishop Bob Hoshibata counseled United Methodists to engage in deep prayer and faithfulness to baptismal vows on the Desert Southwest website. As an episcopal leader, he pledged to support equally churches that refuse same-sex weddings and those that allow them and to encourage assessment of candidates’ fitness for ordained ministry without invasive inquiry into their sexual lives.

Bishop Hoshibata also promised to “pray unceasingly for those whose hearts are hardened against another person because of the conflict our church is in. My prayer and hope are that we will come to a day when we can decide with love and grace to live together despite our differences or that there may be something new and fresh emerging from the ashes and rubble of our beloved United Methodist Church.”

Embattled Florida pastor gaining support

The Rev. Andy Oliver, pastor of Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Fla., is facing Disciplinary charges after performing a wedding for a lesbian couple who are members of the congregation. However, support for Rev. Oliver’s action is springing up among U.S. United Methodists.

Among his supporters is Glendale United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn., which posted recently on its Facebook site:

“We stand alongside Rev. Andy Oliver, the Allendale UMC - St. Petersburg community and all the United Methodist pastors and churches that put it all on the line to proclaim that it’s time for our churches to be #ForEveryoneBorn.

“Jesus broke the rules, and He loved the marginalized, the voiceless, and the oppressed.”

Media Mentions as of May 7, 2019

Methodists face uncertain future – Colorado Springs Gazette

Eight confirmation class members decline joining their Methodist church overLGBT policy – Brinkwire (press release)

Homosexuality in the Bible (and the Christian Church) – Patheos (blog)

Asbury United Methodist Church explores option to disaffiliate from church over ban on same sex ... – Shawnee Mission Post

Rocked by gay clergy issues, closures and mergers, the United Methodist Church is ‘in turmoil’ – WHYY Public Radio, Philadelphia

St. Petersburg minister facing sanctions for performing same-sex marriage – WFLA Channel 8, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011. Insight reader Thomas Shanklin contributed to this report