Oklahomans hope to address LGBTQ+ inclusion at first United Methodist gathering in eight years

A Yukon minister was looking forward to serving as a delegate in 2020 for a United Methodist meeting held once every four years.

But then the global COVID-19 pandemic prevented the gathering from taking place. And since the last regularly scheduled United Methodist General Conference in 2016, a quarter of the international denomination's U.S. congregations left over same-sex marriage and gay ordination through a special provision adopted at a 2019 General Conference special session. And some former members even launched a new Methodist denomination.

That's why the Rev. Charla Gwartney said there's so much that must be addressed at the General Conference set for April 23 through May 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Will the denomination address issues like LGBTQ+ inclusion that contributed to the split that has occurred over the past several years? Will the faith group determine how to move forward on budgets slimmed down due to the disaffiliations?

Unlike denominations that meet annually to consider important issues, Gwartney said United Methodists essentially make major denominational decisions ― and changes — every four years because the General Conference is the United Methodist Church's lawmaking assembly.

"The stakes are just going to be higher," she said.

Chantelle Foster, a lay delegate from Edmond, agreed.

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"This is a big one because we haven't actually met in eight years because of COVID-19," she said. "They kept postponing the 2020 General Conference, so this is a very unusual situation, in many ways."

Gwartney, senior pastor of Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Yukon, and Foster, who attends Edmond's Acts 2 United Methodist Church, are among 14 people (seven clergy and seven lay people) from the Oklahoma United Methodist Conference who will be General Conference delegates.

The General Conference meeting will include 862 voting delegates — 55.9% from the U.S., 32% from Africa, 6% from the Philippines, 4.6% from Europe and the remainder from concordat churches that have close ties to the United Methodist Church, according to United Methodist News, the official news outlet of the United Methodist Church. Half of the General Conference will be clergy and half laity, according to the news outlet, and bishops preside at the conference sessions but will not have a vote.

Gwartney said this will be her first time attending General Conference as a delegate and she's anticipating it once again because "United Methodists — whether they know it or not — are substantially invested in each other." She said they contribute toward ministry together through apportionments and their clergy are a common asset of the denomination, not each individual church. Also, the denomination's properties are held in trust for the work of the regional conferences.

"All of these things really matter to every person in the United Methodist Church," Gwartney said. "General Conference is the place where we make decisions about these very practical ways we are connected to each other."

Setting priorities

With the high stakes in mind, Gwartney and other Oklahoma delegates like Foster and father-daughter duo the Rev. Sam Powers and Kyla Powers, signed an online letter stating the priorities of the denomination's U.S. delegation. The statement outlines matters that U.S. delegates hope the lawmaking assembly will address in the aftermath of what they described in their statement as a "profound crisis" created by the pandemic and mass exodus of U.S. churches through disaffiliation. Thus far, eight Oklahoma delegates have signed the online statement.

"These events have strained our denominational ties, threatened our financial well-being, and shaken our understanding of who we are as United Methodists," delegates said in the letter.

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Removal of the policies preventing the LGBTQ+ community from fully participating in church life, particularly the ban on same-sex marriage and gay ordination, is among the American delegates' three priorities. A second priority is gaining the lawmaking assembly's approval of a worldwide regionalization plan that would create distinct geographical regions, allowing the denomination's U.S. arm the flexibility to make decisions that fit its region, among other things.

Sam Powers, 55, said he signed the letter because he thinks the regionalization proposal also will help United Methodists outside the U.S. better navigate in a denomination that is often seen as "U.S.-centric" because it started in America. Powers said it may take several years for United Methodists to determine if this plan will be approved because it will have to be considered by annual conferences (smaller geographical conferences such as the Oklahoma conference) if General Conference delegates vote decide that it merits consideration.

The elimination of the denomination's ban on same-sex marriage and gay clergy ordination may happen more quickly, he said.

"I believe we'll probably remove the language (anti-LGBTQ+ policies) this time," Powers said. "I believe we can get to the 51% neeeded to pass it."

The Edmond minister pointed out that removing this language doesn't promote same-sex marriage and gay clergy, but it will give autonomy to local conferences and churches to decide on these matters for themselves.

His daughter Kyla, 22, a lay delegate from Oklahoma City, said she also had definitive reasons for signing the statement. As a first-time General Conference delegate like Gwartney, she said her motivation for adding her name to the list of priorities is also one of the reasons she's anticipating the quadrennial gathering.

"I'd say just being able to change something that's really important to me specifically is being able to change the the LGBTQ language in the Book of Discipline," she said. "That'll be nice to work on getting that eradicated."

Gwartney, 54, of Mustang, said she has seen the General Conference assembly struggle to enact structural change.

"We are a legislative body tasked in this specific moment with a strategic responsibility," she said. "Our fellow United Methodists are hoping we can set a course for the future. If we get bogged down with all the legislation before us, we’ll never achieve this goal. I signed the letter to support the importance of deciding our key priorities ahead of time."

Foster, 55, said the third priority listed in the letter is the revision of the denomination's social principles. She said a task force had been named to work on revisions that are now long delayed due to the postponed 2020 General Conference.

She said those revisions go hand in hand with the proposed removal of exclusionary policies and language. Foster said she added her name to the American delegates' statement because she felt the three priorities will help "chart a path forward for the denomination."

"If we can get those things passed, then I believe we'll be in good shape for our future," she said.

Experiencing global connections

Oklahoma delegates have been preparing for the sessions, major decisions and significant discussions expected to take place. They each have been assigned to a General Conference committee, and they have been poring over materials designed to get them up to speed about proposals and other matters that will be considered.

Amid the serious aspects of the conference, they said they hope to find enjoyment in serving alongside their fellow United Methodists.

"I anticipate the worship will be amazing," Gwartney said. "And, I anticipate working together with people from around the world."

Sam Powers, who is currently serving as Crossroads District superintendent for the Oklahoma conference, has been a delegate at multiple General Conference gatherings. The coming meeting will be his sixth. He was an alternate delegate in 2004 and 2008 and a full delegate in 2012, 2016 and for the 2019 special session.

Powers said over the years, it has been amazing to meet and develop friendships with United Methodists from places across the country and the around the world. Powers said the global connections are put on full display at General Conference, where sessions will be translated in different languages like Portuguese, Swahili, French and Mandarin Chinese. He said delegates wear headsets to allow them to hear the translators translating what different speakers are saying.

The delegates' bond of Christian faith and their United Methodist connectedness resonates during the once-every-four-years assembly.

"It's putting a stamp on who we are as United Methodists," Powers said.

"I try to take it with a sense that I'm not just doing this for me. It's renewing to my faith."

His daughter also is looking forward to working with United Methodists around the globe.

"I've actually learned so much about what goes on in the church just by doing the research for this position," Kyla Powers said. "I think in terms of faith, it's a good thing to go, because you get to see all of these different cultures and the different ways that Methodism is celebrated throughout the world."

Foster, whose husband, Mark, is senior pastor of Acts 2 Methodist, said the diversity found within the global denomination is "a beautiful thing — it makes us better."

"But it is also challenging because the more diverse you are, then there's challenges in getting people to agree how to move forward," she said.

She said the diversity is ultimately positive, at the end of the day.

"I'm just looking forward to a more unified denomination," Foster said.

"I think that's our witness — the ability to be in relationship with people who are different than we are, is a witness that we, as followers of Jesus, have the opportunity to demonstrate that we can love people, and be in relationship with them ― that we don't agree on everything and when we don't agree on everything, that's OK."

Foster said attending General Conference as a delegate is "an incredible opportunity."

"We love the United Methodist Church, and we have hopes for the future," she said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoman United Methodists get ready for upcoming General Conference