United Methodist Rule 44, Dysfunction & Health

The governing body of the more than 12 million-member global United Methodist Church has taken a key vote indicating an orthodox majority likely to reaffirm the denomination’s traditional marriage teachings. The General Conference meets May 10-20 in Portland, Oregon.

Delegates by 57% – 43% rejected Rule 44, a proposal to refer much sexuality legislation to scores of table talks instead of the regular legislative process. This “conversation” ostensibly would facilitate consensus. LGBTQ advocates strongly backed it, having repeatedly lost legislative battles over decades. Traditionalists largely opposed it, concerned it would inhibit free discussion, as each table would have an official “monitor” to extract apologies for “harmful behavior” while negating serious consideration of substantive legislation.

The proposal came from the Commission on the General Conference, where USA liberals dominate while growing overseas churches are underrepresented. The table talks idea reflected a postmodern sensibility de-emphasizing decision making in favor of relational storytelling. Whose story is more true than any other’s? Who’s to say? Objective conclusions, much less unique Christian truth claims, don’t likely fair well in that context, nor were they intended to.

Approving proposed rules is usually a routine exercise at General Conference. But this week the dicey debate over Rule 44 persisted across three days, the idea at first tabled, and then resurrected, and then the favorite topic of Methodist social media, while presiding bishops equivocated over whether its passage required a simple majority or two thirds. Ultimately it was the latter, making its passage nearly impossible, but not discouraging advocates from prolonging debate.

A prominent Liberian church leader made one of the most spirited arguments against Rule 44, illustrating the growing numbers and influence of United Methodists in Africa, who are becoming the denomination’s new majority.

The majority that fairly decisively killed Rule 44 will probably cohere on other issues beyond marriage and sexual ethics. Will it finally give the Africans fair representation on church agency boards? Will it finally withdraw church agencies from an abortions rights advocacy coalition? Will it make church agencies more accountable?

Every United Methodist General Conference is tense, and I’ve attended seven, every one since 1992. That tension does not fully dissipate until the last of ten long days. On Tuesday LGBTQ activists set up in the convention hall a separate “queer” Eucharist during the opening worship, in which several bishops participated. Activists also convened in a hallway an unofficial ordination of a woman married to another woman. These activists, in keeping with past tradition, likely will disrupt the General Conference if and when they lose key legislative votes next week.

A collage of liberal activist groups here advocate for anti-Israel divestment, for fossil fuel divestment and a host of other supposedly urgent justice causes. Evangelical groups are here too urging reaffirmation of orthodoxy. The General Conference is a bazaar of contending advocacies. It’s become common to label the process and the denomination as dysfunctional. And there is much that seems dysfunctional about our highly divided church beyond three days of meandering deliberations over the General Conference rules.

In a sense United Methodism has been dysfunctional for many decades, deeply divided over core beliefs since the early 20th century. But until recent years those differences were camouflaged with vague rhetoric and focus on institutional process. USA membership declined but income increased so the bureaucracy could rumble forward. But falling income is now following USA membership, and this General Conference will be the second consecutive to approve a reduced general church budget, almost unprecedented since the Depression.

Decline and division are no longer so quickly papered over by bland happy talk, and the divisions, so visibly revealed over sex but rooted in much deeper differences, are now unobtrusively plain to all.

This uncomfortable situation is maybe healthier than the decades of pretend and denial. Likely United Methodism will survive, thanks mostly to the growing overseas church. But our denomination like all human institutions will always have some level of chaos, division and dysfunction. The Body of Christ is glorious not because of its members but due to its Cornerstone. Its earthly manifestations are always full of human sin and frailty to which we all contribute. Yet The Church prevails, and its Savior accomplishes His work through flawed followers.