UMC Ministers

 One of the problems I have with people leaving the United Methodist Church is that their stated reason is that they're afraid the UMC might approve the ordination of gay ministers.  It hasn't happened yet.  It hasn't even come up for a vote, but they're afraid it might happen.

To be eligible to become an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, you have to complete all the required seminary coursework and training.  Then, the candidates are evaluated and voted on during the clergy session of the conference, then you become a provisional member and are assigned to a church for residency, which can last as long as three years when you're again voted on by the clergy session and conference before you're even eligible to be ordained by the Bishop.  

That's a pretty exacting process, with several steps along the way where the candidate must demonstrate to existing pastors that their purpose is legitimate and their dedication and effort are equal to the life they'd be entering as a minister.  As a layperson, that's enough for me.  If you can pass through all those tests and still be judged eligible by existing pastors, then I don't much care what the candidates' sexuality might be.  If the candidate can reach all these other requirements and be judged by their peers, then I'm satisfied.

Now, I'm still gonna want to know that whatever their sexuality is, they are steadfast and faithful to whatever vows they've made, to whatever partner they have.  I think that's reasonable.

I've met and known gay ministers from other denominations besides the United Methodist Church, and they're pretty remarkable and committed people.  Their sexuality doesn't seem to have had any impact on how well they minister to their congregants.  Likewise, I've known ministers who were repeated adulterers, who always seemed to escape judgment by their church.  In both cases, I'm more than willing to let the church decide whether or not they're allowed to keep their ordination, although I do reserve the right to decide if I want them to minister to me personally or not.  With some serial adulterers, I sometimes am uncomfortable with other choices.  

The other issue I have with all this is that some of the people who are pushing for the break up of the UMC and pushing the Global Methodist Church aren't even Methodist.  This is purely a political and cultural issue for them, and they're just using us to push their agenda.  I have a really serious issue with that.  I'm not willing to reach out to other denominations and faiths and try to tell them what to do, and it disturbs me when they do it to mine.