Council reinstates pastor who
wouldn’t take gay member

United Methodist News Service
HOUSTON—Pastors have the authority to decide who becomes a member of a local congregation, the UMC’s top court has ruled.
The Oct. 29 ruling supports a Virginia pastor who blocked an openly gay man from joining a congregation.
The Judicial Council, meeting Oct. 26-29 in Houston, issued two decisions related to the Rev. Ed Johnson, former senior pastor at South Hill (Va.) UMC. He was placed on involuntary leave of absence in June.
Decision 1031 said Bishop Charlene Kammerer and the Virginia Conference Board of Ordained Ministry improperly handled a complaint against Johnson for his membership decision.
Decision 1032 said The Book of Discipline “invests discretion in the pastor-in-charge to make determination of a person’s readiness to affirm the vows of membership.”
The decisions reinstated Johnson to his status before July 1.
The Virginia case involved an openly gay man who participated in South Hill UMC in a variety of ways. The man wanted to transfer his membership from another denomination. Johnson met with him at least five times over two months to discuss church membership.
The man’s sexual orientation was a significant part of the discussions. Johnson refused to receive the man into membership because he said the man would neither repent nor seek to live a different lifestyle.
The church’s associate pastor, who disagreed with Johnson, contacted the district superintendent, and a disciplinary process began. It eventually resulted in Johnson being placed on involuntary leave.
The Judicial Council didn’t rule on whether Johnson was right to deny the gay man’s request to transfer his church membership. The council reviewed two decisions of law by Kammerer:
> Must a clergy person at the direction of the bishop or district superintendent receive anyone into church membership?
> Does the permissive language about receiving members in Discipline Paragraphs 214 and 225 allow Johnson the right to exercise pastoral judgment in determining who may join a congregation?
Kammerer had said yes to the first question and no to the second.
The Judicial Council reversed both decisions.
The council said that Paragraphs 214 and 225 are “permissive and do not mandate receipt into membership of all persons regardless of their willingness to affirm membership vows.” The operative word in both paragraphs, the ruling says, is that people “may” become members.
“Decision 930 established the premise that ‘shall’ cannot be used to replace ‘may’ in the Discipline,” the council ruled.
Paragraph 340.3(a) includes among responsibilities of pastors as being the “administrative officers of the local church,” the council noted.
“As part of these administrative responsibilities, the pastor in charge of a United Methodist Church or charge is solely responsible for making the determination of a person’s readiness to receive the vows of membership,” the decision says. “ … The pastor-in-charge is entrusted with discretion in the exercise of this responsibility.”

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Bishops issue pastoral letter on decision

LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C.–The Council of Bishops issued a pastoral letter Nov. 3 affirming that church membership is open to all.
The letter was adopted unanimously at the Lake Junaluska Retreat and Conference Center during the council’s semiannual meeting. The letter responds to concerns raised by an Oct. 29 Judicial Council ruling involving a Virginia pastor. Here’s the text of the pastoral letter:
Grace to you from Jesus Christ who calls his church to welcome all people into the community of faith as it proclaims the gospel.
The Judicial Council, our denomination’s highest judicial authority, recently issued a decision regarding a pastor’s refusing a gay man’s request for membership in the church. In the case, this man was invited to join the choir at the United Methodist church in the community. As he became more active in the choir and the church, he asked to transfer his membership from another denomination to The United Methodist Church. Because he is a practicing homosexual, the pastor refused to receive him into church membership. The Judicial Council upheld the pastor’s refusal of membership.
While pastors have the responsibility to discern readiness for membership, homosexuality is not a barrier. With the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church we affirm:
“That God’s grace is available to all, and we will seek to live together in Christian community. We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons.” (Paragraph 161g, 2004 Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church)
We also affirm our Wesleyan practice that pastors are accountable to the bishop, superintendent, and the clergy on matters of ministry and membership.
The United Methodist Church is committed to making disciples of Jesus Christ with all people. We, the bishops of the church, uphold and affirm that the General Conference has clearly spoken through the denomination’s Constitution on inclusiveness and justice for all as it relates to church membership:
“The United Methodist Church acknowledges that all persons are of sacred worth. All persons without regard to race, color, national origin, status, or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments, upon baptism be admitted as baptized members, and upon taking the vows declaring the Christian faith, become professing members in any local church in the connection.” (Article IV, Constitution of The United Methodist Church)
We believe the ministry of the local church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is to help people accept and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We call upon all United Methodist pastors and laity to make every congregation a community of hospitality.