I was asked, prior to our open space conversations to help set the table by providing a few remarks about General Conference. I was asked not to share my opinions on what occurred so much as my experience of what happened as the General Conference worked with human sexuality, inclusion and church unity. I was honored to be asked to do this as the head of our delegation to General Conference, and the following words are what I shared:
It was thirty
years ago this year that I was ordained an elder and became a full member of
the Minnesota Conference. We have known
each other for a long time, and been through a lot together. I really appreciate this opportunity to share
a few words with you about General Conference.
So how did we get
to today? I have been a voting delegate
to General Conference since 2000, and I am genuinely grateful that you have
given me that opportunity. In 2000, I was one of six clergy delegates from the
Minnesota Conference among 1,000 voting delegates, the strong majority of whom
were from the United States. There were
delegates from Central Conferences, and there was translation happening, but
this was a distinct growth area.
Together those 1,000 people worked at the challenging task of
considering changes to The Book of Discipline, which can be submitted by
any person within The United Methodist Church, and considering changes to our Book
of Resolutions. It was a daunting
and time-consuming and complex task.
Many committees met late into the evening.
Fast-forward to
Portland, 2016. I was one of two clergy
voting delegates from the Minnesota Conference, now among 864 voting delegates,
about 40% of whom are from Central Conferences outside the United States. There is now simultaneous translation, though
the Daily Christian Advocate which
tracks daily proceedings and legislative progress is not translated. In addition to that complexity, these 864
delegates are working with parliamentary rules and procedures that sometimes
require English to English translation.
Make no mistake
about it, at General Conference, as at no other place, we celebrate the
wonderful and rich diversity of our United Methodist Church, and that was true
again this year. I was moved by many
moments, times when we paid attention to the best of who we are. It was also at General Conference that we see
that our current decision-making structures are not serving us particularly
well, and we are reluctant to change
them. We spent more time on the Rules of
General Conference this year than in any of the previous General Conferences
I’ve attended, particularly on “Rule 44” which provided an alternative
decision-making structure, something like what we have used here when we have
structured “holy conferencing,” except that it also had a legislative
component. Rule 44 failed to pass, and it took a long time to do so.
Week two, Monday
night, rumors were swirling that members of the Council of Bishops had been
meeting with persons from the “progressive” and “evangelical” “wings” of our
denomination and that there was going to be a proposal about separation coming
to General Conference. With the defeat
of Rule 44, and with the election results from the Judicial Council and
University Senate on Monday , it was clear that there would be no new space
created within our denomination around same-sex marriage or the consideration
of LGBTQ persons for ordination. Tuesday morning, Bishop Ough, newly installed
President of the Council of Bishops, stood to address the body, and began by acknowledging
our deep divisions. I began to tear up
as I anticipated he was going to say that for the rest of General Conference we
would be working on some kind of plan of separation. Instead, he ended with a call for unity and
said that the bishops were there to preside and pray. The General Conference, in a historic
gesture, called upon the bishops to do more, to lead. The next day the bishops came back with a
document asking General Conference to postpone discussion of human sexuality
legislation and proposing the formation of a commission to study the issue,
along with church unity, and offered the possibility of a special session of
General Conference. You have seen the
document that was circulated the Wednesday of General Conference, - “An
Offering For a Way Forward.” You have
seen the follow-up press release and letter from the Council of Bishops.
Whether you have
an initially favorable opinion or negative opinion, space has been created –
open space that I also pray will be Spirit space.
