wfn.org | Bishops began discernment process to address same-sex union

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April 28, 1998     Contact: Linda Green*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
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By United Methodist News Service

LINCOLN, Neb. - United Methodist bishops are searching the Scriptures
and examining church tradition as they work toward making a statement on
same-sex unions and church authority.

In  their semi-annual meeting here, April 27, the more than 100 bishops
from around the world are trying to determine how best to speak about
the denomination's position on homosexuality, same-sex unions, church
unity, and the source and meaning of the church's authority.

The bishops are entering into a "discernment and Christian conferencing
process," in which they are examining what the Bible and tradition can
teach them about talking and praying with one another to determine God's
will for the church. The bishops hope to discover principles that will
help them make a pastoral statement on the divisive issues facing the
church before their meeting ends on May 1, said Bishop Ann Sherer, of
Chesterfield, Mo. 

Christian conferencing involves people opening themselves to God's
vision, Sherer said. They lay aside their own agendas to allow the Lord
to move them toward a higher good and God's will.

During their roundtable discussions this week, the bishops are
discussing church authority, theological and doctrinal moorings and the
church's mission.

They plan to make a statement or statements on the status of the
church's position on homosexuality and same-gender unions. They also
will adopt a statement on requests from around the denomination for a
special session of General Conference, the church's highest legislative
body, to deal with issues related to homosexuality. The conference
ordinarily meets every four years, and it last met in 1996.

As the council began its meeting, Bishop Kenneth Carder, of Nashville,
Tenn., cautioned his colleagues not to lose focus on the world's crises.
He reminded them to continuously pray that God will keep them focused on
His mission to the world.

The bishops dealing with the fallout from the recent clergy trial of
Nebraska pastor Jimmy Creech. The minister was acquitted March 13 of
violating church rules when he performed a same-sex ceremony at First
United Methodist Church in Omaha. Creech's case centered on the argument
that the Social Principles, which include proscriptions against same-sex
union, are advisory, not church law.

After the trial, groups seeking enforceable prohibitions against
same-sex ceremonies called  for the Council of Bishops to request a
special session of the General Conference.

In addition, the executive committee of the churchwide Commission on
Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns requested the bishops have a
special meeting to discuss issues raised in the recent "In Search of
Unity" document. The paper was issued by participants after a two-part
dialogue on theological diversity in the United Methodist Church. The
dialogue sessions, which involved conservatives and liberals alike, were
sponsored by the commission. 

The bishops plan to respond to the commission's request for a meeting on
the document's recommendations.

"It is our intention to come from this council a clear statement for the
church that we will corporately own and implement," Carder said.

What may be more important than the forthcoming statement is how the
bishops arrive at their position, he said. The process of making a
statement may be as helpful for the church and council as the statement
itself, he said. "In the covenant community of Christ, how we deal with
conflict is as much a witness to Jesus Christ as the issues creating the
conflict."

As never before, the world is interested in what United Methodist
bishops have to say and how they say it, Sherer said. The world is
watching to see how the bishops deal with divisive issues and how their
deliberations differ from those of other political bodies, she said.

The council, Sherer said, wants to show the church and the world that
"it is possible for bishops to conference together until God opens a way
for us to move into the future together."

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
http://www.umc.org/umns/

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
http://www.umc.org/umns/