wfn.org | Evangelical United Methodists ask to separate from

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

California-Nevada Conference

April 6, 1998  Contact: Thomas S. McAnally (615)742-5470, Nashville,
Tenn.  (10-21-28-71B){212}

by United Methodist News Service

Eighteen clergy and 25 lay people in the California-Nevada Annual
Conference of the United Methodist Church issued a statement April 2
asking that they be allowed to separate from the regional body.

"We are divided beyond reconciliation," the evangelicals said, pointing
to differences in theology, worship, sacraments, Christian education,
ecumenical relations, missions pastoral leadership, church growth,
evangelism, ethics and morality.

The California-Nevada Conference includes 93,213 members, 375
congregations and about 325 pastors in an area that covers northern
California from Fresno in the south, and northern Nevada, not including
the Las Vegas area.

"We evangelicals are tired of fighting," the statement said. "We have no
further wish to continue to wage war in conference agencies and on the
voting floor. We are convinced that, just as we will never be swayed
from the basic affirmations of our faith, we will never change the minds
of those with whom we disagree."

Annual conference leaders are asked to help design a "careful and wise
process by which evangelical pastors and churches can responsibly choose
to transform their theological reality into an organizational realty."

Separation, the evangelicals say, would allow both sides to pursue their
vision for ministry without the "distraction and injury of an ongoing
war of ideas."
A "just process" is also proposed for evangelical pastors and churches
to retain their local property with some compensation to the conference
and perhaps reimbursement to the conference for financial assistance in
the past.

Such a plan, the evangelicals say, would allow "those people of faith
who have built a congregation to pursue their faith in freedom."

Area Bishop Melvin G. Talbert told United Methodist News Service the
statement would be considered by the conference ministry staff at its
next meeting in mid-April. This group includes the bishop, district
superintendents and others.

Signers of the document include the Rev. Robert L. Kuyper of
Bakersfield, Calif., newsletter editor for Transforming Congregations, a
ministry to the "sexual broken," and the Rev. John C. Sheppard II,
pastor of the 650-member First United Methodist Church in Yuba City,
Calif.

				#  #  #

Full text of the statement follows:

Recent events with regard to the trial of the Rev. Jimmy Creech for
performing a holy union between lesbians have brought us to a crisis
within the California-Nevada Annual Conference. Two district
superintendents have been quoted as speaking in support of clergy who
perform same-sex unions. Earlier, our bishop and our most recently
retired bishop have signed a statement in support of homosexual rights
within the United Methodist Church. Concurrently, a national dialogue
between "liberals" and "evangelical/traditionalists" has concluded that
our differences stem from basic disagreements on the nature of
revelation. These events have caused California-Nevada evangelicals to
face the inescapable truth that our differences with a liberal
conference are insoluble. For more than 30 years, no evangelical has
been appointed to the cabinet and relations between evangelicals and our
conference leadership has alternated between open hostility and uneasy
truce. Evangelical theology is incompatible with the dominant values of
tolerance and inclusion held by conference leadership. The difference
touches every area of church life.

Theology, worship, sacraments, Christian education, ecumenical
relations, missions, pastoral leadership, church growth, evangelism,
eschatology, ethics and morality.  We are divided beyond reconciliation.

We evangelicals are tired of fighting.  We have no further wish to
continue to wage war in conference agencies and on the voting floor. We
are convinced that, just as we will never be swayed from the basic
affirmations of our faith, we will never change the minds of those with
whom we disagree.  We feel that the best option is to respect each other
despite our differences and to bring peace to our relationships by
pursuing another course. Let us disagree in a Christian manner.

Therefore, we humbly and strongly ask our annual conference leaders to
join with us in seeking a just way in which we might allow evangelical
pastors and congregations the choice to separate from the annual
conference. Let us design a careful and wise process by which
evangelical pastors and churches can responsibly choose to transform
their theological reality into an organizational reality.  Separation
will allow both sides to pursue their vision for ministry without the
distraction and injury of ongoing war of ideas.  In disagreement, we
will be able to exercise the dictates of our faith without harming those
with whom we disagree.  We propose that together we might seek outside
mediation to establish a just process for evangelical pastors and
churches to retain their local property with some just compensation to
the conference. Perhaps this would involve certain compensation to the
conference for financial assistance in the past. It would serve the just
goal of allowing those people of faith who have built a congregation to
pursue their faith in freedom.

We realize that those who value organizational unity over peace will
oppose such an idea. We believe that organizational unity forcibly
imposed does unnecessary injury and violates the desires of either
party. Further we believe that the resultant evangelical and liberal
churches will have new vigor and effectiveness once freed from the cost
of fighting over insurmountable differences. Consider the energy which
could be employed to minister in each context. When we make peace then
we can being to plant grow and harvest.

We plead with the annual conference leadership to consider this proposal
with sincere hearts and open minds. Let us respect each other by
allowing each to follow the truth as each receive it. Instead of making
winners and losers, let's allow both parties to win.

Signed by (18 clergy): Kevin Clancey, John F. Christie, Peter Cremer,
Brian Dodd, Edward Ezaki, Jim Garrison, Ronald Greilich, Robert Kuyper,
Sam Manu, Vince Mixie, John Motz, Edgar Nelson, Ray O'Neill, Kyle
Phillips, Donald H. Roulsten, John C. Sheppard II, Gregory Smith, Andrew
Vom Steeg.  Lay people signing (25): Richard Ayre, Carol Blank, Karen
Bogard, Robert Byers, Allan Cobb, Evelyn Fernandez-Jones, Barbara
Glidden, Janice Graves, Nathan Gomes, Butch Hanlin, Joyce Howell, Lowell
Johnson, Susan Johnson Vince La Novara, John McIntyre, Dale Neschuklz,
Barbara Nieschulz, Darrel Olson, Bryan Osborne, Leo Reiswig, Gladys
Rose, Gene Sceiner, Barbara Asiemens, Harold Shaw and Richard Webb.

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
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