No Room at the Table for Centrists

by

If I ever wondered whether or not Centrists within the United Methodist Church really needed to get organized and be formally represented within the denomination, all my reservations disappeared on April 20. On that day five United Methodist lobbying caucuses – The Confessing Movement, Good News, Reconciling Ministry Network, Love Prevails, and Methodists for Social Action – were called together in a closed-door session by the Commission on General Conference to discuss how to proceed discussing issues of human sexuality at GC2016.

Discussion on human sexuality in #UMC has been dictated by the polarized caucuses for forty years. By continually catering to the passions of what is, at this point, two distinct populations who both paint themselves as the true “torch bearers” of John Wesley’s spirit and mission, the powers-that-be who guide this denomination continually ignore those of us in the “middle”. The result of this continued marginalization of “The Center” is a discussion that is getting framed in terms of absolutes. Look at the phrases the two camps in various articles and statements use to describe their purpose:

“Compassion without compromise.”

“Calling those who seek to practice the way of love.”

“An issue paramount to the future and viability of the United Methodist Church.”

“Walk in unity with all willing to walk in Christian unity with us.”

All absolutist phrases outlining absolutist agendas. Two organized, well-financed (often outside of our denominations for various nebulous reasons) lobbies that are playing a “winner take all” game. One side has no problem willfully disobeying at the Book of Discipline to create administrative logjams and expenses of epic proportions to get the win. The other seeks strengthened language to create automatic expulsions and suspensions for clergy with no appeal to get the win. And if that won’t work, they are now threatening to “take their ball, and go home” to play a new game with different participants via a schism.

Make no bones about it, the “right” and the “left” have dictated the ground-rules of this ongoing discussion. And now, apparently, they REALLY ARE going to dictate the ground-rules of this discussion at GC2016. But for the rest of us (the majority, we believe) who aren’t party to their “winner take all” mentality, how exactly is this fair? How is it just?

As our ranks grow, and we continue to speak with people who consider themselves truly at the center of our denomination, we hear all kinds of ideas and an enthusiasm for creative solutions as it relates to the challenge of understanding human sexuality in the light of scripture, informed by tradition, experience, and reason. Whether the option be somewhat “congregationalist” in nature (let the local churches decide), re-organizing the denomination in one way or another (or even another or even another or even another) to allow for re-alignment of resources and allegiances, or other ideas allowing people of differing opinions to keep them, there seems to be a lot of United Methodists who could live with “respectful disagreement” on the issue of homosexuality.  United Methodists who would allow for churches, pastors, and lay-people who won’t condone same-sex marriage, while also allowing for churches, pastors, and lay-pastors who believe that this is the justice issue of this era the liberty to conduct same-sex ceremonies.We can be a movement that allows Christians to eat meat sacrificed to idols, as long as they respect those who don’t by not shoving their meal into their faces.

In a recent UM Communications poll, almost 90% of respondents said they don’t want a schism in the United Methodist Church. In same poll United Methodists stated that making disciples of Jesus, youth involvement, spiritual growth of our membership, stemming the decline of our membership numbers, and issues of poverty were all more vital and pressing issues for us to deal with right now than issues related to human sexuality. In fact only 11% of those polled thought same-sex marriage/the ordination of homosexuals was the most pressing issue we face.

Maybe I’m reading this wrong, but I’ve a sense that most of us are weary of this fight, and ready for a new way of handling our differences. We can make room for everyone, while respecting everyone’s convictions in the room, even those of which we don’t agree. That’s what mature, committed Christians do. It’s why Paul, after Peter refused to sit with the Gentile leaders of the church at Antioch (Galatians 2:11-13), still took an offering to Jerusalem for the relief of Christians living there (1 Cor 16:1–4; 2 Cor 8:1–9:15; Rom 15:14–32). He still vehemently disagreed with him, but that didn’t overcome their unity and commitment to one another.

We know that this can be done here in Ohio. The United Methodist Centrist Movement was founded here in the West Ohio Conference. West Ohio is rural, urban, and suburban. We are small town conservative values and big city progressive diversity. We’re the conference in the state that swings presidential elections. Nobody is more divided on same-sex marriage than we are. But as we talk with our parishioners and colleagues, we’re also more convinced than ever that the time to think differently about how we handle homosexuality has arrived. We need to settle this, or at least call a truce, because a number of our local churches – conservative, centrist, and progressive – are in serious trouble. At the same time, new churches and ministries are desperately needing to be planted. We need strong, gifted leaders of all kinds to work in well-aligned congregations to seek and make new disciples of Jesus Christ.

This will be our true “way forward”… strong local churches of all kinds, with gifted leaders of all kinds, leading aligned disciples of Jesus Christ of all kinds to make new disciples of Jesus Christ of all kinds who can transform the world.

Convinced that those of us who believe that compassion is usually reached through compromise, and the way of love allows for differences of opinion, will be shut out of both General Conference, and the Jurisdictional Conferences in 2016, we are organizing around candidates for both gatherings who can get behind our four point platform which we believe will result in great emphasis on the growth and health of what is our greatest passion…. the local church. Together we call for:

  • Fiscal Responsibility (to allocate more resources for local church ministry, new church starts, and church redevelopment)
  • Connectional Realignment (so that the health of the local church drives the agenda of the denomination, not the protection of denominational bureaucratic agencies)
  • Itineracy Reform (so that the very best leadership can be raised, trained, and deployed with greater efficiency to lead all different types and kinds of local churches)
  • Mutual Respect (seeking a compromise on human sexuality so we can put our energy into issues like making disciples, spiritual growth, and the degradation that come our of poverty and oppression)

As we call together Centrists, and build coalitions with moderate conservatives, and moderate progressives, we are seeking to start a movement we’ve likened to asking the adults – their patience tested enough – to “stand up in the room” to end the bickering.

As 2016 draws near, this is the place we are as a denomination. To the conservatives we say, if this new social movement isn’t a movement of justice, in the words of Gamaliel, it will fail because it is simply a human endeavor. Time will prove out this is a justice issue like in the case of abolition and the ordination of women, or a misguided desire to make us all communists like in the 1920’s. It’s hard to know in the moment, but just give it some time. The Holy Spirit will shake it all out.

To the progressives I say exhibit the kind of love that picks up the pack forced on your for a mile, and carry it another mile. That compassion is winning over people (a lot of people) in places you wouldn’t imagine. We understand that you believe that the battles you’re picking are important ones to fight, but it is your compassion, not contentiousness, that will ultimately move others.

And to the Centrists, I beg you, don’t sit by quietly again hoping your silence will pay off by not adding to the drama. Appeal to Annual Conference delegates who believe the time for absolutist solutions has passed. Vet General and Jurisdictional Conference candidates who seek what 90% of us want… UNITY. Come together and make a Centrist slate of delegates to run for General and Jurisdictional Conference. Use social media, combined with personal visits, to build a Centrist coalition ready to vote together at your Annual Conference.

It’s not too late to get this going. In this digital world of ours, you can start putting this together very quickly. Contact us if you’d like our help.

As you head to your annual conferences this summer,  join us in calling for a special commission to be formed out of GC2016 to study all the various plans to keep our denomination together. This allows for a time to put a moratorium on clergy expulsions and suspensions, while strongly encouraging our progressive brothers and sisters to uphold the Discipline, so that good, grounded United Methodists from across our ENTIRE spectrum can be appointed by the GC2016 body to seek what new thing the Holy Spirit might be stirring up in us. And at the same time, take seriously the challenge of managing a declining denomination so resources can be directed to the only entity that has any hope to turn our decline around: The Local Church.

Stand up! Let the adults who have been ignored, bring calm and order after forty years of fighting. The time is now.

The Rev. Bryan Bucher is an Elder in the West Ohio Conference, and Chairperson of the United Methodist Centrist Movement Steering Committee. He blogs at UMCM Today.