Leaders of a prominent LGBTQ-affirming activist caucus have publicly declared that it is time for LGBTQ individuals and their allies to depart from the United Methodist Church (UMC). On Monday, they posted their break-up letter, saying “we cannot counsel anyone of good conscience to remain in this denomination.”
Not long ago, Amy DeLong’s self-described “radical sexual liberationist” group, Love Prevails, was especially prominent. Traditionalists thought that the group’s extreme tactics of disrupting meetings, unhinged rhetoric, and lack of any major constituency of congregations should justify treating them as a fringe group.
But for a time, top United Methodist officials felt the need to go out of their way to pander to Love Prevails, no matter how alienating this was to other church folk. Facing a prolonged, illegal protest, leading bishops as well as the Agenda Committee appointed by the Council of Bishops chose to meekly submit to Love Prevails’s multi-point ultimatum, including heavy-handedly prevented duly elected delegates to the 2012 General Conference from even being allowed to vote on key reform petitions prioritized by traditionalists. In 2014, prominent bishops and other leaders of the Connectional Table (CT) chose to reward Love Prevails’s disruptions by re-arranging their meeting agenda and formally committing to liberalizing the denomination’s sexual morality standards. Bishop Bruce Ough, the CT chair at that time, even publicly thanked Love Prevails for disrupting a previous CT meeting. (Quite the contrast with the treatment of evangelical observers of such meetings.) Other liberal caucuses like the Reconciling Ministries Network and the Methodist Federation for Social Action formally partnered with Love Prevails, at least in 2016 and 2017, as part of the “Love Your Neighbor Coalition.”
The three-pronged approach of Love Prevails had been to encourage activist clergy to publicly “disclose” their violations of our denomination’s longstanding ban on same-sex weddings, “disrupt” meetings, and “divest” even their prayers from parts of the UMC the judged to be insufficiently LGBTQ-affirming.
Now, “Love Prevails has come to the painful conclusion that the UMC’s leadership and methods are so corrupt that we must replace ‘Disclose, Divest, and Disrupt’ with one final word … ‘Depart.’” In urging fellow LGBTQ activists and allies to depart from the UMC, they admit that despite their years of activism, they “failed to effect positive change.”
Indeed, as we have noted, the Traditional Plan adopted by the 2019 General Conference remains binding church law, no bishop or group has any legal ability to change that reality until the next General Conference meets.
Love Prevails condemns the UMC as “complicit in the suicides, beatings, and murders of Queer persons” and liberal denominational leaders as “a fearful lot, content with closets and unholy concessions….” They decry the latter’s “tinker[ing] with plans that allowed just the right amount of discrimination to still be palatable to average United Methodists,” which for Love Prevails “visibly illuminates the moral bankruptcy of this denomination,” whose leading liberal bureaucrats are “satisfied to sacrifice some of its most vulnerable members in the most hostile places.”
That last point highlights one of the biggest challenges that will face the liberal post-separation UMC (psUMC). Some liberal bishops and others are spreading rhetoric about how traditionalist congregations might be allowed to refuse to host same-sex weddings or receive non-celibate gay pastors, and how African conferences could maintain the Traditional Plan.
But seemingly more mainstream or “centrist” liberal United Methodist leaders have made clear that they, too, see “heterosexism”—which would certainly include any congregation refusing to celebrate same-sex weddings, not welcoming non-celibate gay pastors, or teaching that homosexual practice is sinful—as inherently evil, like misogyny, racism, or xenophobia. If you truly believe “heterosexism” is that harmful, you would not want to protect permanent pockets for it to remain unchallenged. If you truly believe that the Traditional Plan threatens the lives of LGBTQ people, then why would you support anything like the Christmas Covenant expressly designed to allow such threats to continue on the continent where most of your denomination’s black members live? Do Black LGBTQ Lives Matter to you, or do you actually feel that they be conveniently “sacrificed,” as Love Prevails puts it, when it’s convenient for more privileged Americans?
Love Prevails actually uses the word “segregationist” to describe the One Church Plan of 2019, which, like the Christmas Covenant now championed by institutionalist liberals, would seek fully LGBTQ-affirming policies in some places and traditionalist standards in others.
Perhaps some institutionalist liberals preparing to lead the psUMC would tolerate remaining traditionalist congregations and conferences because such leaders do not fully believe their own rhetoric about the alleged harm traditionalist Methodism does to LGBTQ persons, but find such rhetoric is politically convenient for now. Alternatively, it could be that after the split, they will be become increasingly intolerant of remaining traditionalists, and current rhetoric suggesting otherwise is a lie.
Perhaps this open letter may prompt some liberal leaders to offer greater clarity.
For its part, Love Prevails remarkably “apologize[s] for the ways we encouraged others to stay in the battle longer than was healthy for them” and “repent[s] that our presence and persistence sent a damaging message to Queer folx and our allies that hate and spiritual harm should be endured.”
While the open letter pointedly declares, “It is time to shake the dust from our sandals,” it is not clear how many will actually do so. Even some of the 12 signers stop well short of committing to leave the UMC.
I remain skeptical that the Liberation Methodist Connexion (LMX) will gain traction as a denomination, or ever serve much greater purpose than as a tool liberal psUMC-ers use to misleadingly claim a “centrist” label for themselves. I haven’t seen much LMX interest among departing liberals. Of the dozen signers of this open letter, only one mentions the LMX, while three departed for Unitarian Universalism. The bio of another mentions that his congregation, which recently left the UMC, now affiliates with both the United Church of Christ (UCC) and the Unitarian Universalist Association. Another liberal congregation that recently left the UMC is considering the LMX as one of several options, along with the Alliance of Baptists and the originally Anglican “Inclusive Church” network (see pages 6-7), while another has chosen the UCC.
Some institutionally minded liberals may (very quietly) feel relieved at no longer having to deal with Love Prevails.
But the sentiments of this break-up letter resonate more widely than this one group. Aside from less common instances of entire congregations leaving, many other congregations are surely impacted by individuals departing from the UMC for similar reasons as those outlined by Love Prevails.
These high-profile LGBTQ activists and allies departing the UMC are not the first to leave, nor will they be the last.
Dr. Julie Todd, who identifies as “cishet” (heterosexual and non-transgender) was a fixture at denominational meetings, protesting and disrupting alongside DeLong. For nearly a decade, she has been a “Senior Adjunct Lecturer in Justice and Peace Studies” at the UMC’s Iliff School of Theology. Her career to “educate the next generation of United Methodist pastors” has been financially supported by the UMC’s official General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Another UMC-apportionment-funded seminary, Boston University School of Theology, has had Todd as one of its alumni mentors.
Yet this open letter announces that Todd “finally” surrendered her ordination credentials in 2019. Page 176 of that year’s annual conference journal confirms that she indeed did this, less than six weeks after the 2019 General Conference adopted the Traditional Plan.
For her part, the openly same-sex-partnered DeLong, after fighting through an infamous church trial in Wisconsin to stay a United Methodist minister, now declares that she “[l]eft ministry in the UMC in 2021.” It is not clear if she has the courage to surrender her credentials, as Todd did. The official record only says that she is retiring, effective July 1. But this is a rather early retirement. A United Methodist News Service report on her trial reported that DeLong was 44 years old in 2011, placing her in her mid-50s today.
This adds to five other LGBTQ activist clergy I know of who, since the 2019 General Conference, have felt the need to completely depart from the UMC, switch to the UCC, transfer into contested bishop Karen Oliveto’s Mountain Sky Conference, and/or go on leave and declare their intention to depart.
Interestingly, in every single one of these cases, as with Todd and DeLong, these were ministers in conferences where liberals dominated 2019 General Conference delegate elections. Many may wonder why LGBTQ activist clergy would feel pressure to depart from the UMC even in liberal conferences, just as why some conservatives would quit in even conservative-leaning Mississippi. This highlights how, as locally focused as day-to-day church life may be, our global denominational connection matters to people much more than we may realize.
In the months ahead, expect continued painful losses as scattered individuals and congregations, both frustrated LGBTQ-affirming activists and frustrated traditionalist believers, choosing to depart from the UMC.
The sooner we can adopt a relatively amicable, ordered, comprehensive separation agreement acceptable to leaders on both sides, the better we will be able to ease the pain felt all around, stop the bleeding, and allow everyone to move forward in ministry according to what they believe is faithful.
UPDATE: A new, sympathetic profile of Amy DeLong in a newspaper (which otherwise shows some basic misunderstandings of the UMC) reports that she “said she doubts she’ll ever be part of an organized, institutional church again.” This article also reports that her congregation considered disaffiliating from the UMC, but decided against doing so.
Comment by John67 on June 30, 2021 at 6:34 pm
Do you ever wonder where this bizaare, acting-out behavior is coming from?
Here’s a possible answer: https://thoughtsofstone.com/the-critical-mass-problem/
Comment by Original Anna on June 30, 2021 at 7:19 pm
Methodists, have some guts. Now that these Satanists are leaving maybe the Methodist Church can get back to their job of spreading the word of Jesus and worshiping Jesus not Satan and his sin. Jesus said not to let Satan in the Church doors and the Methodist Church did and look at what the Satanists did to the Church. The only reason the LGBT got into the Methodist and the Baptist was to get control of an all ready established church to rule and push the LGBT agenda. It’s cheaper and faster than having to put in the time and work of starting and maintaining a LGBT church and teaching LGBT agenda that unsuspecting normal Christians don’t want. What the Church forgot is that it’s founding is on Christian (Jesus’) principles not the LGBT agenda of man on man and teenage boys sexual activity (See their website). Get LGBT people out so the Church can get back to worshiping Jesus, GOD and spreading the word of Jesus. Kick Satan and his LGBT group out of Christian Churches. Put your attention on Christian agenda of love of Jesus and his teachings from GOD and protecting Jesus’ children from Satan and Satan’s sexual activity of distracting men, women and children from Jesus. Jesus said there are consequences of not protecting children and keeping them from Jesus and he said if someone doesn’t want to believe than to move on to those who want to believe. LGBT is about themselves not Jesus, if they had Jesus in their hearts they would not be forcing Christians to become like LGBTor accept LGBT so kick them out and get back to Jesus and protect children and spread the word of Jesus not the word of LGBT. There is so much trouble in this world and Christians are wasting their time accommodating LGBT Satanists because they are never happy when accommodating, they want churches to be LGBT not Christians. Churches are not inclusive, as Jesus said churches are for Christians who want to follow and love Jesus. Christians have the job of bringing people to Jesus nothing else and to protect children from adult sexual activities. The Christian culture is built on it and yes, homosexuals have invaded the churches and because the church believed all sinners can be saved doesn’t mean the church hasn’t finally figured out why Jesus said to move on and away from those who can’t be saved.
Comment by Steve S on July 1, 2021 at 12:16 pm
Time to leave the church…..it has been time to leave for quite awhile.
Why stick around knowing you are sinning and the church keeps pointing it out to you?
Yes, leave and do not come back until you recognize your sin and ask God for forgiveness
Comment by Serious question, how many supporters want to leave? on July 1, 2021 at 4:10 pm
If all these leaders have left or want to leave or are leaving, then maybe the traditionalists should encourage the moderates to find ways to set up a denomination for them and leave the rest of us in the UMC.
If all these leftists can;t stand it any more as part of the UMC, then let them split off instead of having the traditionalist churches go through the divisive process of leaving. If the far left goes, maybe peace can be found among the rest of us.
Obviously this might be a pipe dream because the traditionalists have more problems with the church and its leftist bureaucracy than the sexual leftists, but if the radicals on the left leave en mass, the ones remaining might find more ground to compromise and see things the traditionalist way on sexual ethics. IMO it’s worth a try.
Comment by Palamas on July 1, 2021 at 7:03 pm
“Of the dozen signers of this open letter, only one mentions the LMX, while three departed for Unitarian Universalism. The bio of another mentions that his congregation, which recently left the UMC, now affiliates with both the United Church of Christ (UCC) and the Unitarian Universalist Association.”
That sounds about right. Most of the Methodist left ceased being Christian in any meaningful way years ago. This is just a matter of making official what was already well known.
Comment by Brother Thom on July 3, 2021 at 7:00 am
This all highlights how morally bankrupt the UMC has become. That statement includes traditionalist too weak to file charges against liberal clergy performing same sex weddings and ordaining gay clergy. If anything John’s post is indicative of the total collapse of the denomination.
There was little hope of the psUMC surviving financially before Love Prevails call to “depart,” and zero chance now.
If traditionalist and the GMC are to survive themselves, they need to bring a swift end to this incredibly long public nightmare. It’s past time for a public call for traditionalist to cease paying apportionments to the UMC. These gifts should be held for the GMC and the glory of God, not the glory of continued sin.
Be bold and courageous. God is watching your every move and I doubt He is pleased.
Comment by Polly on July 3, 2021 at 1:33 pm
I left my large UMC several yrs ago after the latest preacher embraced social justice in his Sunday sermons and all was sweetness and light and helping victims and being good little Christians. I never once heard the full gospel. Methodists on a downward spiral for a long time. I grew up in the Methodist Church and was saddened to leave, but there was absolutely nothing about being a robust Christian , with a strong gospel message.
Comment by Stan Jefferson on July 3, 2021 at 6:34 pm
It is time, nay, past time for the UMC to shake the dust of *their* feet and say goodbye to these apostics. The apostle Paul warned against ‘false teachers’ several times.
They will not be missed.
Comment by Larry on July 5, 2021 at 1:27 pm
This is what we have all been hoping and praying for! It’s way past time for the disrupters, the heretics, the perverted, and the blatantly unrepentant, AND their supporters to “depart from me you workers of iniquity. I never knew you.” And I DO hope the doors hit you on the way out. The Open Doors was not intended to let in the wolves.
Comment by Search4Truth on July 6, 2021 at 11:51 am
Now, if they would just stop calling themselves Christians, truth could win out.
Comment by E C on July 6, 2021 at 1:20 pm
It is hard to sort out the impact of all of this–is this just a small fringe element of the progressive church that has decided to depart? Why would they depart when they are about to walk away with the “grand prize” of the institutional UMC? If ever there was a time for them to be encouraged, this would seem to be it — what more could they reasonably ask for than what they are getting in the Protocol?
Comment by G_S on July 7, 2021 at 6:06 am
Why didn’t they just go to the UCC or the UUA to begin with?
Comment by Jeffrey Walton on July 7, 2021 at 10:24 am
I cannot speak specifically to the viewpoint of Love Prevails, but other LGBT activists within the UMC have previously stated that due to its size and historical prominence, they cannot allow the United Methodist Church to continue with its present teaching on sexuality. I would think it likely that some revisionist clergy stay due to the guaranteed appointment (there is no such thing in the UCC or UUA) but some have seen it as an ideological battle: if traditionalists are effectively slave owners on the plantation, then from that viewpoint you don’t make accommodation with perpetuators of injustice, you free the captive slaves and possibly burn down the plantation in the process. Obviously I don’t agree with this interpretation, but it helps us to understand why revisionist clergy wouldn’t simply move to a church context that affirms their new understanding of sexual ethics.
Comment by td on July 13, 2021 at 8:54 pm
Jeffrey walton- very few liberal clergy will leave the UMC. My experience is that they will stay to keep their guaranteed paychecks and to re-educate all the UMC laity. They are committed to liberating the UMC from christianity. Sex, drugs, and free love, baby! Far out.
Comment by Lee Cary on July 20, 2021 at 8:55 am
“Indeed, as we have noted, the Traditional Plan adopted by the 2019 General Conference remains binding church law, no bishop or group has any legal ability to change that reality until the next General Conference meets.”
It’s printed in bold letters, making it demanding of our attention: “binding church law”.
The most determinative and obvious elements of this UMC continuing ‘debate,’ destined from the beginning to deconstruct the UMC, is that there is no such thing as “binding church law.”
The ‘law’ exists, but the episcopal enforcers have not. It’s a classic failure of leadership. And the more politicized the position of ‘bishop’ became, the more likely became its failure. It’s now happening.
Culturally, in America, the statement that there is no ‘binding federal law” is becoming clear reference more than the UMC. Citizen confidence in the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation sleeps with the fishes.
Once upon a time, the Methodist Church split into North and South signaling, in advance, the coming of the American Civil War. What if this saga is merely a redux?
Comment by Lee Cary on July 29, 2021 at 6:58 am
“LGBTQ-affirming activist” will remain in the UMC until they destroy it. Existing on their own is just too hard for them.
That which progressive cannot co-opt, they seek to destroy.
The sooner the denomination’s “traditionalists” realize that, the sooner this nonsense will cease.