wfn.org | Pacific Northwest evangelicals form coalition

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Sept. 27, 2001  News media contact: Tim Tanton7(615)742-54707Nashville,
Tenn.   10-21-28-71B{427}

NOTE: For a related report, see UMNS story #426. 

A UMNS Report
By Tim Tanton*

Evangelical pastors and lay people in the Pacific Northwest Annual
Conference have formed a coalition in response to what they view as a rise
in disobedience in their region of the church.

"Evangelicals are basically rallying at this point and saying that we are
going to remain obedient to the historic ecumenical Gospel, and we're saying
no to this other agenda," said the Rev. Gary Starkey, pastor of Westpark
United Methodist Church in Yakima, Wash., and a group member.

That "other agenda" refers to efforts in the Pacific Northwest Conference to
change the denomination's rules regarding the inclusion of homosexuals in
the life of the church. The United Methodist Book of Discipline forbids the
ordination and appointment of self-avowed practicing homosexuals in the
denomination, as well as the performance of same-sex ceremonies by the
church's clergy and in its sanctuaries.

The coalition, formed Sept. 6, will be aligned with the Confessing Movement,
an unofficial United Methodist organization espousing adherence to church
law and the apostolic faith. The Indianapolis-based group is generally
viewed as conservative. The Pacific Northwest Conference is generally
regarded as liberal on social issues, such as the inclusion of homosexuals.

The evangelicals haven't named their group yet but are using the term
"Coalition of Evangelical Voices" to describe their activity in the
conference, Starkey said. He described the group as "a surprising amalgam of
people," with ethnic evangelicals as well as whites, and including women
clergy and laypeople. Members represent churches urban and rural, big and
small, he said.

He'd like to see the group expand to include people who might be considered
more moderate by label than conservative evangelical, "but I would not
characterize this coalition as being a bunch of moderates," he said. "I
would consider it more as being those who feel urgency about the confession
of the historic Christian faith within the Pacific Northwest Annual
Conference." 

The group believes the historic Christian faith is being undermined by
developments in the conference, he said. 

Those developments include the strong support in the conference for three
openly gay clergy members and the formation of the Clergy Alliance to work
for changing the denomination's strictures against practicing homosexuals.
The alliance's formation was announced during the national meeting of the
Reconciling Ministries Network last July in Tacoma, Wash. The Chicago-based
network, viewed as liberal, is an unofficial United Methodist organization
working for the full inclusion of gays, lesbians and other sexual minorities
in church life. 

Alliance members adopted a three-pronged strategy, consisting of working
within the parameters of the Book of Discipline to support inclusion;
committing to "radical obedience" to the Gospel through nonviolent
confrontation and other means; and establishing a Professing Church,
developing a parallel church structure and resources for fully inclusive
ministry.

The Rev. Mike Graef, an evangelical leader, said he's "used to a very
liberal conference" in the Pacific Northwest. "What's changed is the
ecclesiastical disobedience that's going on," he said. "That kind of
ratchets it up a notch." Graef is pastor of Salmon Creek United Methodist
Church in Vancouver, Wash., and a board member of the Confessing Movement.

The evangelicals became galvanized after the June 13-17 annual conference
gathering, when three openly gay clergy members expressed their desire to
lead congregations. Many conference members offered moral support, though
the pastors didn't receive appointments. Instead, the conference asked the
denomination's supreme court, the Judicial Council, for a declaratory
decision on two passages in the Book of Discipline relevant to the issue.
The first passage forbids the ordination of practicing homosexuals, and the
second requires that all clergy members in good standing be given
appointments. The conference holds the three pastors in good standing. The
court will consider the matter when it meets Oct. 24-27 in Nashville, Tenn.

About 15 evangelicals expressed their concerns to Galvan during a July 9
meeting in Covington, Wash. The meeting seemed to go well, according to
Graef and the Rev. Daniel Foster, another pastor who attended. "I thought
Bishop Galvan was a very patient listener," Foster said. 

Galvan also was positive. "It was an excellent meeting," he told United
Methodist News Service. He said he discussed and clarified points regarding
the conference's actions. By meeting's end, everyone had a better
understanding, though there might not have been agreement, he said. "It was
a very friendly and supportive meeting. I had a good time and enjoyed being
with them."

A few weeks later, on July 31, the evangelicals issued a statement titled,
"A Dissent and Call," urging the conference to adhere to the denomination's
official policies regarding homosexuality and specifically those banning the
ordination of practicing gays and lesbians. Five pastors signed the
statement: Foster, Graef, Starkey, David Parker and Colleen Sheahan. The
document was sent to other Pacific Northwest evangelical pastors, the
bishop's office and the Seattle Times.

Graef was the primary author. "I would like to have us rally around the flag
of the faith of the historic church," he told UMNS at the time. "That's the
call that I'm making."

The document concluded with such a call. "We are sure that God will use this
crisis for good. We desire to build strong relationships across United
Methodism with those with whom we disagree. Let us who labor in the Lord's
vineyard which is PNW United Methodism acknowledge 'one body and one Spirit,
just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one
faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through
all and in all,' - and by so doing, work side by side and face to face with
those with whom we agree and disagree."

In an interview, Galvan spoke positively of the document, saying it had a
good affirmation of unity in Christ and that it expressed a readiness by the
evangelicals to continue working with those with whom they disagree. 

The evangelicals were disappointed that the "Dissent and Call" seemed to go
unnoticed by the conference. In light of the Clergy Alliance's formation,
which occurred at the same time, the evangelicals decided their document was
too weak and set it aside.

"We still feel it's a valid expression," Starkey said, "but because of the
defiance of the gay activists in our conference who are willing to continue
disobedience, we feel this document is really inadequate for what has
developed." Work is under way on a mission statement, he said.

Aligning with the Confessing Movement makes sense for the evangelical
coalition because both share the same understanding of the historic
Christian faith, a commitment to obeying the Book of Discipline and an
understanding of the authority of Scripture, Starkey said. 

About 41 evangelicals were registered during the Sept. 6 meeting, Starkey
said. The group represented 29 congregations, and ethnic pastors were
particularly outspoken, he said. The group named spokespeople but did not
elect officers, believing that organizing in a more conventional way would
distract it from the work that must be done, he said. 

The important question for the conference to consider is: why have the
evangelicals organized?  Starkey said. "It is clear that evangelicals are
organizing because there is a rise of determination to be obedient to the
historic ecumenical Gospel and that if the conference persists in moving in
a direction away from that, this resistance will grow and become hardened." 

Starkey described the atmosphere in the conference as "more dangerously
polarized" than ever. The evangelicals have been treated as pariahs, he
said. "I think if evangelicals had been recognized, that is, if their voices
had been effective, they very likely would not have organized."
# # #
*Tanton is news editor for United Methodist News Service.

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United Methodist News Service
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