wfn.org | Conference Acts to Oust Pastor

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (2989 notes).

Note 2987 by UMNS on June 3, 1996 at 16:40 Eastern (5177 characters).

SEARCH:  Warmer, Coronado, Sano, St. Paul's, California-Pacific

  UMNS stories may be accessed on the Internet World Wide Web at:
                   http://www.umc.org/umns.html

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the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
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CONTACT: Thomas S. McAnally                    273(10-21-71){2986}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470              June 3, 1996

Conference turns to courts to oust
former pastor of California church

                 by United Methodist News Service

     Officials of the California Pacific-Conference have turned to
the civil courts to oust the former pastor of St. Paul's United
Methodist in Coronado.
     Notices of a petition filed in the Probate Division of the
Superior Court of San Diego County were delivered late May 30 to
Thomas Warmer and to the congregation's trustees, staff-parish
relations committee, administrative board chairman and lay leader.
     Warmer, 58, was "hired" by the congregation to continue as
its pastor even though in January he was placed on suspension
pending a church trial and in February he surrendered his clergy
credentials rather than face charges.
     Warmer was being accused of lying about molesting four
teenage girls some 25 years ago when he was pastor of Lemon Grove
United Methodist Church. He became St. Paul's senior minister in
1989.
     The now-adult women made their accusations public in 1993. An
earlier trial that would have dealt with the charges was canceled
when the denomination's Judicial Council ruled the case was too
old. A separate investigation then was begun about whether Warmer
lied during the first probe, which resulted in the church trial
scheduled for early this year.   
     According to the Rev. Patricia Farris, superintendent of the
San Diego District, the petition seeks a temporary and permanent
injunction against the elected leaders of the congregation and
demands compliance with the trust under which they hold the
property and ministry of the congregation.
     According to long-standing United Methodist polity, local
congregations hold property in trust for the denomination and
local officers are accountable for insuring that the property be
used in accordance with the purposes and Discipline of the church.
Since the civil court has jurisdiction over trusts, the petition
asks for secular intervention.
     For more than 200 years, Methodist churches have operated
under an episcopal system where clergy are appointed annually to
churches by the bishop of an annual (regional) conference.
     Bishop Roy I. Sano of the Los Angeles Area was turned away
from the Coronado church Sunday, January 21 when he attempted to
tell worshippers that their pastor was being removed. St. Paul's
has refused to accept a replacement pastor appointed by Sano.
     "We have come to a point where we have exhausted every
measure we could through regular church processes to bring them
(congregational leaders) into compliance with the Discipline,"
Farris said. "We are now asking the court to assist us in that."
     She expressed hope that the leaders will comply prior to a
court hearing set for June 13. "There are many people in the
congregation that we know are sincerely very eager for this to be
over and for ministry to move forward," she said.
     Considering the 100-year history of St. Paul's Church, Farris
said "this is a very painful and tragic moment."
     In a letter to all pastors in her district, she said
everything possible has been done to avoid legal action. "We have
spoken to, met with, prayed over, reasoned with the current
leadership, hoping that either Tom would step aside and let
healing and new life begin, or that the leadership would terminate
his contract and help lead the congregation in new directions.
Neither has occurred."
     Farris explained that Warmer, considered "expelled" by
conference leaders, may place his membership in a United Methodist
congregation with the consent of its pastor. However, she said
Sano has insisted that Warmer's membership not be lodged at St.
Paul's.
     "The Staff Parish Relations Committee has made it explicitly
clear that they intend to accept as an appointed pastor only
someone who will work in a 'team' arrangement with Warmer," Farris
said in her letter to pastors. "This is not only completely
unacceptable, it jeopardizes the future health and ministries of
the St. Paul's congregation. It also makes a mockery of the very
serious charges brought against Tom Warmer for both sexual
misconduct as well as breach of the clergy covenant."
     Farris said the conference would only withdraw its legal and
disciplinary response if the congregation's "contract" with Warmer
is terminated and he relinquishes all pastoral involvement with
the congregation. "Should this not occur in a timely fashion, we
will be forced to proceed with both legal action as well as annual
conference action to declare the discontinuation and/or
abandonment of St. Paul's as a United Methodist church."
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