“… they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Isaiah 2: 4

At the first General Conference of The United Methodist Church, held in 1972, the Social Principles Study Commission presented this statement:

“Homosexuals no less than heterosexuals are persons of sacred worth, who need the ministry and guidance of the church in their struggles for human fulfillment, as well as the spiritual and emotional support of a fellowship which enables reconciling relationships with God, with others and with themselves. Further we insist that homosexuals are entitled to have their human and civil rights insured.”[1]

Neither of the merging denominations (The Evangelical United Brethren and the Methodist Church) had any official statements about homosexuality. The proposed statement from the Study Commission was intended to help the new denomination be pastoral to a marginalized group.

However, an addition came from the floor stating that The UMC did not condone homosexuality and considered it incompatible with Christian teaching. Many spoke against the addition, including one delegate who called for “compassion and justice.”[2] Still, the addition prevailed, and we have been fighting ever since.

For decades our church has struggled over the restrictive language regarding LGBTQIA+ persons. General Conferences have been fraught with tough political battles, protests and counter protests, as well as harmful speeches from the floor. It was common to find people standing in hallways weeping after some of these sessions.

This kind of conflict was not just evident at General Conferences. Annual conferences were also fraught with conflict. Charges lodged against clergy resulted in broken spirits and damaged relationships. Some annual conferences spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for trial processes related to LGBTQIA+ persons. The conflict harmed people and relationships and impacted the witness and ministry of our church.

Finally, 52 years after those exclusionary words were added to our Social Principles, they have been removed. Other restrictions on LGBTQIA+ people also have been removed from the Book of Discipline. As well, the proposals that removed the exclusionary language passed by such large margins in legislative committees that they ended up on consent calendars. And those consent calendars also were adopted by wide margins (sometimes higher than 90%). As a denomination, we have finally beat our swords into plowshares, and our spears into pruning hooks.

That well-known passage from Isaiah 2 imagines a people beating weapons of war into agricultural implements. It suggests lives devoted to tilling the soil rather than warring. Indeed, that is my hope for the Iowa Annual Conference--that we might focus on tilling the soil for God’s “kindom”and growing our ministries and our churches. My hope is that we might put all our efforts and energy into living into our vision to make God’s hope real through faithful leaders, fruitful communities, and fire-filled people.

If we are to do that, we must first calm anxiety by sharing accurate information about the changes and their impact. Some key points are as follows:

Clergy can choose to perform same-sex weddings or decide not to.
Local churches can decide what kinds of events they hold in their buildings.
No one needs to fear losing their clergy credentials or being denied ordination or commissioning because of their sexuality.
Pastors will continue to be appointed based on their gifts and graces and the best match for the church. The same consultative process that has always happened will continue.

More detailed information about the actions of this General Conference will continue to come out in the next weeks. However, now is the time to begin to look forward. Let’s imagine and look forward together to the ministry that is yet to come, to the lives we have yet to touch, to the ways we can till the soil for God’s “kindom” so that hope can continue to grow.

Blessings and Peace,
Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai

[1] We Shall Not be Moved: Methodists Debate Race, Gender, and Homosexuality, by Jane Ellen Nickell, Pickwick Publications, Oregon: 2014 p.95

[2] Ibid., p. 99.