Vote that could split United Methodist Church worries some Southern California pastors
A San Bernardino pastor is concerned splitting the national United Methodist Church in two could force a wedge into his congregation, formed in 2018 when seven congregations merged into one.
An imminent schism in the global United Methodist Church over the acceptance of same-sex marriage and allowing gay clergy members to continue their ministry could have serious repercussions for several smaller local congregations including one in San Bernadino, which was formed 18 months ago when seven diverse congregations from across the Inland Empire joined together.
As the global church gets ready to split the denomination across progressive and traditional lines, the 300-member New Beginnings United Methodist Church that comprises several immigrant groups with varied cultural perspectives on homosexuality is bracing for the wedge the debate may force into the congregation.
“In our church, we have conservative and liberal members, and we have everyone in the middle,” said Alex Powell, one of three pastors who lead the congregation. “We are diverse culturally. The majority of the members are Hispanic, Filipino and Caucasians, but many other cultural groups are represented as well. Our focus is always going to be how we can be a church that is welcoming to all and serves others.”
Powell worries about the consequences New Beginnings may face if the congregation is forced to take a singular stance representing all its members should the global church members vote this spring to split the denomination. A fracture in the national church could create similar divisions locally, Powell said, and the fallout could be catastrophic.
“The worst-case scenario is this divides people and the church dies,” he said. “A lot of churches are already struggling to connect with the community, and any added division can cause a breaking point.”
But Powell is optimistic that people will eventually see the benefit of serving the community together despite an issue that can be divisive.
“We’ve already proven for a year and a half that we can work together despite our differences,” he said.
Possible end to a lengthy battle
The global United Methodist Church, which has experienced a theological tug of war over the acceptance of same-sex marriages and gay clergy members for nearly five decades, could finally put the debate to rest in May at its annual General Conference in Minneapolis if members vote in favor of splitting the denomination.
If approved, conservative congregations would separate to form a “traditionalist” Methodist denomination. Under the proposal, the conservative congregations would retain ownership of their church buildings and other assets, and receive $25 million to form the new denomination.
For congregations in Southern California where progressive members make up the majority, such a split would grant much-needed, long-anticipated relief by allowing pastors in such churches to officiate same-sex weddings and by supporting openly-gay clergy.
The proposal to split the demonination came after global church delegates voted at the February 2019 General Conference to reinforce what has come to be known as the Traditional Plan, a policy that enforces penalties for disobeying the church’s rules pertaining to homosexuality. Delegates rejected the One Church Plan, which would have allowed individual congregations to decide whether to welcome gay and lesbian clergy members and perform same-sex marriages. Under the One Church Plan, the statement that homosexuality is at odds with Christianity would have been eliminated.
Both sides want the split
Since then, in-fighting within the church has been exhausting, according to the Rev. J.T. Greenleaf, lead pastor of the Redlands United Methodist Church, which is largely progressive.
“This has been really difficult for us,” Greenleaf said. “For some, it’s been a source of disconnect. These are harsh statements of exclusivity.”
But a split would help his congregation step out into the open as the compassionate, inclusive church it has always been, he said.
“Finally, we as a congregation can be the inclusive church we want to be,” Greenleaf said. “In a strange, ironic way, we feel like we’ll finally come out of the closet.”
He knows not all members of his congregation will be happy with the result. He expects a few might even leave but doesn’t anticipate other major repercussions for the congregation, which has about 400 members now.
For traditional churches in the area, however, the consequences of a split are clear and welcome, said Glen Haworth, the pastor who leads The Fount in Fountain Valley. Haworth also is president of the California-Pacific Chapter of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, which pushed for the Traditional Plan.
“My (congregation) is unusual in the sense that the majority of us are on the traditional side,” he said. “For me, it doesn’t feel like I’m leaving the church. It feels like the church has left me. It doesn’t feel like my church anymore.”
If the proposal to split is approved in May, Haworth’s congregation would need a simple two-thirds majority to leave the United Methodist denomination. He said he does not expect his congregation to face any financial adversity because under the plan, the local church would be able to keep its property and other assets.
Harm done to the LGBTQ community
The imminent split is unfortunate but “long overdue,” said the Rev. Matthew Sergeant, pastor of Chino United Methodist Church. Sergeant has led the 106-strong congregation for about six years. He took over as pastor when Haworth, a staunch conservative, left to lead The Fount in Orange County.
Sergeant is progressive and says the global Methodist church has little to gain by staying united.
“We are doing injury to our LGBTQ brothers and sisters if we stay together and continue to battle over their very nature,” he said. “That is not a fruitful thing to do.”
Sergeant expects some members to leave the Chino church, but he does not believe those departures will have major financial implications.
“The benefit to being on the side of the United Methodist Church is that we continue to maintain the name, damaged as it may be,” he said. “We’ll continue to share our money and resources, which is a good thing.”
The Rev. Denyse Barnes, associate pastor at Hollywood United Methodist Church, said she is saddened that the United Methodist Church would pay a lot of money to help establish a church that would not be inclusive. She is openly gay and roughly 60% of her congregants are members of the LGBTQ community, she said.
“It also bothers me that young people who are LGBTQ in that church will have no role models,” she added. “It’s really sad.”
Barnes has traveled around the region to congregations to help facilitate difficult conversations around this divisive issue and the imminent schism because of it.
“I’ve seen a lot of conflict, pain and hurt,” she said. “Over the last one year, this division has impacted the church noticeably. People are distancing themselves because they don’t want to be involved in a church that is fighting.”
The idea of a ‘big tent’
The California-Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church is largely progressive and most churches that fall within its jurisdiction would likely remain United Methodist should the denomination split in two, said Bishop Grant J. Hagiya, who leads the regional body.
Hagiya hopes to preserve at least some of the denomination’s unity despite the diversity of thought.
“I believe in the ‘big tent’ idea, that we can all live together,” he said. “We’ve lived with this diversity for decades and we want to preserve that as much as possible. But, the reality is, we’ll probably lose some folks.”
No church in the California-Pacific Conference, which covers Southern California, parts of Central California, Hawaii, the Pacific Islands, Guam and Saipan, would be forced to follow a certain theology or ideology, especially on the issue of homosexuality, regardless of what happens at the General Conference, Hagiya said. But splitting the church is inevitable, he said, and the General Conference members should approve the proposal because any other option is “untenable.”
As bishop of the California-Pacific Conference, Hagiya has supported gay clergy members and other pastors who have performed same-sex weddings, which is prohibited by the global church’s Book of Discipline. He said it’s time for the entire church to welcome LGBTQ members, including clergy.
“We’re hearing from people on the ground that they are tired of wrangling over this issue and they want to get back to their mission,” Hagiya said, adding that he believes the proposal will pass in May.
There will be financial repercussions for some local congregations as members leave en masse, which may lead to some shutting down, he said.
“But I don’t think we’ll lose as many churches here as in other parts of the nation like the South or the Midwest,” Hagiya said, referring to congregations like The Fount that might vote to leave the denomination. “But we could lose people and that’ll affect the bottom line for everyone. The sustainability of our denomination was in question anyway. We have to rightsize our own budgets if we are to be sustainable.”
Hagiya hopes that the $25 million settlement, money that’ll go to the traditional arm of the denomination as part of the proposed agreement, would enable the two sides to avoid litigation and disputes over lands and assets.
“When the dust settles,” he said, “I hope we remain as much intact as we can and respect the differences we have.”