I have been asked by concerned members of my congregation to speak to what is happening at General Conference; some just interested, some worried about a schism and others with a vested interest in the LQBTQI issue on both sides of the argument.
Where I am from there is a saying, “Its hard to know what to do when you are standing in the middle of the pond with alligators nipping at your butt” meaning that it is easier to spot the problem when you are standing on the outside looking in.
So here I am…standing on the outside looking in. I am not, nor desire to be a delegate to General Conference and I am a single pastor at a medium sized church that is richly invested in Kingdom work which is a pastoral way of saying I am too busy to hang on every moment of the live stream. I have enjoyed many of the worship services. I wanted to watch Bishop William McAlilly, my bishop, preside over the plenary session on Wednesday afternoon but that is when we have worship dance at church...busy.
After seeing the comments later on social media about how Bishop McAlilly was treated and how the session went following council of bishops resolution and Adam Hamilton’s motion concerning that resolution I searched for more actual video footage but could find none. So I waited until later to watch the archived video of the live stream. Sigh, I went to the edge of the pond. Unlike many, I was not outraged that Bishop McAlilly was accused of “telegraphing votes with his hands.” In fact, I rewound and watched the entire clip focusing on his hands. I found it humorous that the telegraphing accusation was launched at all; a preaching Bishop that does what so many of us do, talk with his hands, is what I saw. I did see some fidgeting with his ink pen. Fidgeting born of being forced to sit still in front of many folks, guiding them in a movement toward God’s will. Many of these folks did not appear to be seeking a consensus but more looking to have a decision made in accordance with their desire. While it is an attack on his personal integrity that he would do such a thing as telegraph votes, it more ludicrous that someone actually thought he had. I dare any preacher or speaker to sit up there and not wave a hand or two.
Later in the session when Bishop McAlilly was asked to step down due to the bias he was projecting. I was not angry but perplexed. Once again, I rewound the clip to that portion only to find a man, humbly navigating a stilted process through a sea of high passion. Some say it was his race (caucasian), some say it was his gender (male) and some say it was his tell-tale accent, (he is a Mississippi man) that tipped people off to his bias. I fear it was the cloudy glasses through which he was viewed that gave the opinion of bias. Yes, here in the South we have people that are hopefully awaiting a vote in the favor of LGBTQI individuals and some of them are white males. Many of them as well as those not hoping for said outcome felt our Bishop was unfairly labeled.
But standing on the edge of the pond, watching from the sidelines, what I mostly saw; clearly viewing from my comfortable seat on the couch was a desire by commenters to reach their individual desires, no matter the cost. Even if it meant for a Bishop to be asked to step down for the first time since the 1800s.
Almost every point of order, question or motion was rooted in being done! Finished! Winning! I love doneness. I am a fan of a clear, direct path towards a specific destination. By nature I am not a wanderer allowing my path be decided by any outside force. I am not prone to delight in process but love to celebrate in the finished product. But my limited understanding of God is that God is a God of journeys. How many times in scripture has God’s people been set on a course of movement, yet given ample time to wander. The wandering is a learning and shaping time. Yes, we have been wandering on the sexuality issue for a number of years; since 2004 as a formal conversation at General Conference. A mere 12 years; but a long time for those waiting, worrying and hurting. I get it. I have friends and loved ones hurt by the slowness of the church and its people over this very issue.
What I see in people pushing to decide, to vote immediately remind me of the wanderers in the desert when Moses was on the mountain.
"Ok, Moses. We will follow you. Guide us. We know you hear from God."
But then...
“We want ‘it’ now, Aaron. We need a god. Build us a calf. Quick here’s my bracelet.”
We asked those chosen, anointed and called to lead, Bishops to do that... guide and lead. They did. They are asking for time to hear, discern. We will still be moving. Just the specific destination is unseen and in the distance. From my sideline point of view, the simple answer I see is to keep moving forward, in discourse and discernment. Yes, people will still be worrying, waiting and possibly even hurting while we wander. But we will not be wandering without purpose. All the while we wander we will be headed toward God’s Promise for us as the Church; Christ’s Church and what a powerful witness that will be.
NOTE:
“The Council of Bishops asked General Conference to delay a debate on homosexuality at this gathering of the denomination’s top legislative assembly until a proposed commission can study church regulations. Instead, the bishops asked for the body’s permission to name a special commission that would completely examine and possibly recommend revisions of every paragraph in The Book of Discipline related to human sexuality. The commission would represent the different regions of a denomination on four continents as well as the varied perspectives of the church.”
The archived plenary session referenced:
The Council of Bishop's recommendation for hold on sexuality debate :
A UMReporter Podcast Recap:
