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Reactions to the "Protocol"

Reactions and commentaries related to the “Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation are cautiously hopeful, sometimes regretfully hopeful... The legislation was released February 6.

Jeremy Smith of Hacking Christianity in his article, The Art of the Deal: Understanding the Plan of Separation for the United Methodist Church, explains the major points, and saves more thoughtful critique for the future. Meanwhile, he sees possibilities for "A Methodist Turducken: Three Conferences in One?" in May of 2020 to start off the new Methodism with three back-to-back conferences! And he lays out some challenges for all segments of the separating denomination, even while the core United Methodist Church continues--to be reorganized and reformed. The comments to his article are worth reading as well.

Jeremy raises a timeline issue in the protocol in this article: The Timeline problem in the Protocol. He points out how our polity limits fast change, and how manipulation can destroy grace and severely hamper the surviving UMC.

Jeremy's piece, Clarity and Curiosities In The Protocol, raises interesting questions. The number of churches in a new expression is 100, double that of the Indy Plan, which can affect the "purity" of a new denomination. Voting: watch "for tomfoolery regarding snap elections at Annual Conferences to bring in more conservative voters and reach that magic 57% to leave." It appears that restrictions on "restricted gifts/donations" is lifted in departing churches and annual conferences. The $25M gets divided amongst traditionalist new denominations, based on attendance, so "Tying money to attendance or membership, as we know, is a recipe for deceptive practices..." Finally, only local churches in new Methodist denominations may participate in the $39M for ethnic ministries. Read his entire analysis and quesrions!

In this article, "...which comes first: the UMC chicken or the WCA egg?" Jeremy discusses how important the sequencing of decisions will be at the GC 2020. It turns out the sequence matters a lot. Key in this problem is the lack of trust in nearly all levels of the denomination. He points out the problems with two different sequences and how things could go very badly, with the traditionalists "hobbling" the UMC as they leave. "a method has to be found to overcome these concerns, increase trust in each other, and find a path towards grace together. I’m the embodiment of the 2010 Towers-Watson study in that I don’t trust the actors or the processes to yield that future. But I’m hoping to be proven wrong." Read the whole piece here. [Back to top]

BIshop Karen Oliveto of Mountain Sky was interviewed by CBS4 Denver and said "the denomination’s intent to split is heartbreaking for the church as a whole." In giving some of the history of the conflict to the interviewer, she said she carries "some sadness." From the story: She said the split, if appoved by vote later in 2020, was sad. However, she said it could also help Christians reach more people with the love of God. “We can free one another to live in to the ministries we think God calls us to. It is a huge moment in the life of our denomination,” Oliveto said. “What will emerge from this separation is a strengthening of a commitment to extend God’s love to all people, and that to me is where I find hope.”

Bishop Oliveto was interviewed by NBC News:

“Given that we have been at an impasse, this is a grace-filled way to move forward,” said Bishop Karen P. Oliveto, the first openly gay person to be ordained bishop in the UMC. “For one, LGBTQ lives will no longer be held as scapegoats for divisions in the church.”

Oliveto said she’s optimistic that the proposal will pass, in part because so many parties had a hand in drafting it.

“Right now, we see that about 70 percent of the U.S. church is solidly in favor of a more inclusive church,” she said. If the proposal were to pass, Oliveto said she hopes the church "can more effectively share God’s love with the world.”

In a Facebook post, she said:

"The Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation still needs to be adopted by delegates to General Conference in May 2020, but at the moment, this is an important step as we try to figure out how to be the church and a witness of God’s love in our world today....I have come to believe that the Christian life is meant to be an expedition of a long line of everybody. Not an expedition of somebodies or certain bodies, not an expedition that invites some people in and leaves others out, but one in which all are welcomed. The invitation is meant to be sent out to everyone on the highways and byways of life and an outstretched hand is extended to every body....I ask you to join with me in praying fiercely for our church and to hold in tender care those who feel they will need to separate from the larger body. Pray for our delegates, who will be receiving this protocol. Pray for all those who are lost, lonely, broken and afraid who are looking for love, light, healing and hope. Then rise from your knees to be emboldened to extend a hand to everyone to join us on this Expedition to which God has invited us." [Back to top]

UM-Insight.net has a collection of reactions:

Bishop Minerva Carcaño released a statement, saying that the Council of Bishops is in full support of the plan, and asks that "all of us take time to prayerfully consider the Protocol document and pray for our General Conference delegation and all the delegates who will gather in Minneapolis in May for the 2020 General Conference of The United Methodist Church. May they too be Spirit-led as they consider the work before our beloved Church. I strongly believe that this Protocol document deepens our work of Christian conferencing on the matter of the full inclusion of ALL God’s Children. May it bring us healing as we work together in God’s mission for the transformation of the world." Her full statement is here. [Back to top]

Bishop Bob Hoshibata of the Desert Southwest Conference has two statements at the beginning of the year: one explaining his "faith-based commitment not to participate in the efforts of some who seek to promulgate the restrictive, punitive provisions of the actions of General Conference 2019." Read this statement here. He also sent an email to his conference in which he said, "offers a ray of hope." He then shares several reasons he is encouraged, including his trust in a process that was both contentious and graceful with people "that I genuinely trust and whose hopes for our United Methodist Church I know and appreciate." He recognizes that the mediator was neutral, as a person of Jewish faith, and that the process was fair and respectful. Read his complete email here. [Back to top]

Bishop Elaine Stanovsky, of the Greater Northwest Area, said in her statement, "While this is not the resolution I hope for, I believe it may be the best next step for the people called United Methodists who have been unable to find a way forward that maintains the unity of the Church. It does not move the Church toward Christ’s vision that we 'may all be one…so that the world may believe' (John 17:21), but it is a faithful effort 'to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace' (Ephesians 4:3), even as we find it necessary to walk separate paths for a season." Read her complete statement here. [Back to top]

Bishop Kenneth Carter, Florida Conference, and signatory of the Protocol, wrote this in an email to his conference: "It is not perfect--no mediation is--but it gives a great deal to each of these different streams, more than I could have imagined at the beginning. All of this has been done—and the word I hear from many is that it is something of a miracle—without harming these persons. I attribute this to the work of the Holy Spirit....Much of the effect of this protocol will be how we receive it and how we turn toward each other. It is not about winners or losers, but about how God's promise of grace and reconciliation relates to our structures, convictions, and hopes. It is significant, and at the same time, it is one step in a journey. For me, this mediation work is in the fulfillment of my consecration vows as a bishop, to seek the unity of the church. And for me, it is in continuity with the work of the Commission on a Way Forward." Read his full letter here. [Back to top]

Michigan Conference Bishop David Bard released a statement January 3 that reported on a large conference call briefing of the Council of Bishops on the Protocol. He said, "my initial impression is that this is an extraordinarily hopeful development.  The protocol offers The United Methodist Church a unique opportunity to move beyond our current impasse over ministry with LGBTQ+ persons and toward a needed restructuring in our governance.  It also acknowledges the on-going work needed in addressing long-standing issues of racial-ethnic inclusion within our denomination. I have long argued the need for the creation of new space within The United Methodist Church, different space, and this protocol agreement offers this. ... Read his statement here. [Back to top]

Bishop Sally Dyck had this to say: "I just hope that we will not be lulled into thinking that this agreement solves everything when we still, as Bishop Frank Beard in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference likes to say, 'have a hole in our boat.' In other words, we need to address the vitality of our church as we aim toward a 21st century church. In spite of headlines, the UMC has NOT split or separated or even decided to do so today. The protocol is the initial work, and legislation to implement it will undoubtedly be amended at General Conference 2020, but I truly pray that we will not squander this opportunity. I feel more encouraged than I have since February, but I also know we have just put our big toe in the Red Sea, so to speak." Read her full statement here. [Back to top]

Bishop Bob Farr (Missosuri): "This is the first true agreement I’ve seen across multiple plan leaders and special interest groups. For that reason alone, I’m taking it seriously. I am hopeful this may be a pathway forward for The United Methodist Church that helps people honor their convictions and relate to their mission fields." Read his statement here. [Back to top]

The Reconciling Ministries Network posted this "PRESS RELEASE: RMN Supports the Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation" saying, "The RMN board has been briefed and supports the Protocol. [Our ED Jan] Lawrence also belongs to the team developing the legislation that will implement the Protocol. RMN supports efforts for broad reform in The United Methodist Church so that the Church can begin to repent of its anti-LGBTQ past and present and so that it can begin a new way of being the Church unpredicated on its U.S.-centric origins. In addition, the Church’s inflexible governance processes and structures may have proved adequate in an earlier era, but they are insufficient for the ministry needs of the world today...RMN supports this Protocol for the opportunity it brings for repentance, reform, and reconciliation." [Back to top]

Jan Lawrence, executive director of the Reconciling Ministries Network, and signatory to the Protocol, posted her piece, "An Imperfect Table, a Chance to Perfect," saying, "We reached an agreement. It is as imperfect as the table and process, but it provides an opportunity to move at long last into a period of broad reform in The United Methodist Church....The aim of this Protocol is a new beginning for people known as United Methodists — one that brings renewed hope to us all. The United Methodist Church has long needed to reform its governance and structure. It needs a more nimble and flexible decision-making process. It needs more regional voice." Read her statement here. [Back to top]

Mark Holland, of Mainstream UMC, celebrates "Great News!" "Mainstream UMC celebrates the unanimous, negotiated protocol that has just been announced to restructure the church through separation.  Mainstream UMC is honored to have been a part of these negotiations and our Board has unanimously endorsed the document.  We believe this protocol lays out great hope for the United Methodist Church. Mainstream UMC continues to be committed to the Spirit at Pentecost breathing life into a theologically diverse denomination.  We acknowledge that this diversity is not possible for some of our most conservative brothers and sisters.  This protocol allows this group to fulfill their decades-long goal of spinning off a very conservative brand of Methodism.  We grieve this loss and yet, in the spirit of Christian charity, we bless them in their new endeavor. Mainstream UMC sees this as a moment of transformation..." Read the whole statement here. [Back to top]

Uniting Methodists: "Uniting Methodists along with people across The UMC have today received a gift from a cross-section of faithful leaders proposing a 'Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation.' We commend the participants, who represented an array of perspectives and groups across The UMC, and worked with world renowned mediator, Kenneth Feinberg, for their diligent efforts. They have offered a creative framework for steps we can pursue that can free us from debilitating conflict, allowing each part of the Church to anchor their mission and ministry in their core theological understandings. ...Based on our first reading of the just-released protocols, we concur with this plan of action that provides for sustaining the Wesleyan heritage and vibrant witness and mission of The United Methodist Church, while offering a graceful way for those who wish to depart the means to do so (along with start-up monies) and provisions for sustaining pension plans for clergy who may choose to align with a spinoff denomination. Read their complete statement. [Back to top]

The Rev. Rick Rabe of the West Springfield United Methodist Church calls the historic protocol likely to split up the United Methodist Church an “equitable resolution.” “Speaking for myself, I am happy to see resolution on this issue,” he said. “It is an equitable resolution where we could move forward doing the work we should be doing.” Story from MassLive.com. [Back to top]

Bishop Peggy Johnson of the Philadelphia Area writes, "The people called United Methodists have been on a long journey of conversation and debate regarding human sexuality...The Protocol Statement ... seems to be a significant break-through in this 47 year impasse.....[But] with a divided body we will be less whole. A denomination or any church that separates over their understanding of God's truth has left itself without the possibility of more understanding and growth. We can only mature spiritually and personally by the refining fire of discourse and collective prayer with those with whom we disagree. When we go to our respective "corners" I believe we will soon discover that we are "less than" we could be without the other. However, having struggled together for 47 years, it is likely a season for this Protocol to be enacted for many practical and important reasons. Our witness has taken a serious hit as people from the outside see us as a warring body and much ministry time has been spent engaging in disagreeable conversations. May there come a day when we get back together, we people called Methodists." Read her email here. [Back to top]

James Finn, NY, long-time LGBTQ activist, "uppity faggot," encourages a thought experiment based on his experience as the son of a pastor who took a stand on race. Here's his intro paragrah: "The United Methodist Church just can’t get it right. Announcing a schism over LGBTQ equality, Church leaders show themselves unable to respect LGBTQ people. We members of gender and sexual minorities are tired of living as scapegoats. We expect progressive people who call themselves our allies to act like they mean it. United Methodists must begin by acknowledging our presence in the room and by not extending blessings and respect to bigots who would deny us a seat at the table...." Read his thought experiment here.  Critique by Dorothee Benz, another LGBTQ activist and former United Methodist. [Back to top]

David Livingston, Old Mission UMC, Fairway, KS says in his blog that this is a plan for a divorce: "We should be clear that the Protocol agreed upon by a respectable group of progressives, centrists, and traditionalists is a call for divorce. And yet, there is some reason for hope.... With the help of a professional mediator, the group that wrote the Protocol has potentially helped us avoid a lose-lose. Nobody "wins" everything, but everybody "wins" something....I'm convinced, at least in this moment, that the Protocol team did a faithful job of discerning what is the most right for now for the People called Methodist. May we all pray for continuing discernment as we move towards General Conference and for the day that we are reunited in a new "most right" moment." Read his thoughts here. [Back to top]

UM-Forward, "a collective of United Methodist laity, clergy, and scholars who envision liberation," writes, "As siblings in Christ, we strive to embody the Gospel values of holiness, grace, and freedom — and sadly, this Protocol lacks integrity to these values. We recognize the hard work of many of the Protocol’s authors, who struggled hard to make a positive difference, and we offer faith-full public critique and constructive recommendations. We testify to the holy boldness of openly and explicitly centering the experiences of marginalized and oppressed people and our claim to a more just and livable future. The “Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace through Separation” was not drafted in the light. It is a back-room political negotiation that attempts to override the denomination’s self-determination, while discarding core principles of justice, theological grounding, transparency, and representation of diversity — all in pursuit of product over process. But process matters. " The collective names seven reasons United Methodists and GC delegates should reject the Protocol: "It lacks Gospel truth and theological integrity..., it is unjust..., it falls short of economic justice..., it was created in secret..., it is not representative..., it undermines democratic conferencing..., and it is not liberation." Read the full exposition of these points here. (PDF). [Back to top]

Rev. Sally Haynes, Central UMC, Kansas City, Missouri, writes: "It’s not news to you that we have been going back and forth around issues related to sexual orientation for decades. Before that, it was gender. Before that, it was tobacco use and alcohol and dancing and playing cards. Before that, it was race, and before that it was slavery. The church, it turns out, is made up of humans, and we bring our short sightedness as humans to church with us....The unique thing is that it has been agreed to by 16 of the major players from throughout our theological spectrum, and that it was mediated by Kenneth Feinberg, a Jewish man (religious but with no particular skin in our UM game) who had successfully settled the 9-11 victims compensation suit...I have been endorsed by the Missouri Conference as a candidate for the episcopacy, not knowing what type of denomination I was offering to serve, but feeling compelled to serve as an advocate for our clergy and churches who were committed to full inclusion. I am so thankful for what appears to be a resolution to allow us to be the church we feel Christ is calling us to be. If I were to be elected bishop in such a time as this,..." Read her full statement here. [Back to top]

John Archibald, Pulitzer prize-winning columnist and "preacher's kid," argues that Methodists have never been "united." He cites several times the denomination has split, over women, slavery, integration, and sexual orientation  He writes, "No matter how I try to wash it away, I can’t scrub off my Methodist. Because Dad was always so sure it was based on grace and goodness and love, even when it didn’t seem so. I knew the church had made a lot of mistakes along the way – not that Dad talked much about those. But the more I learned, the more it caused me paiThe truth is the factions of the church family are incompatible with each other. There are irreconcilable differences, and always have been...." Read his column in AL.com. [Back to top]

Bishop William Boyd Grove, retired, of Tennessee, writes, "'A Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation' leads us out of that wilderness of hostility and division over issues of homosexuality that have plagued our church since the General Conference of 1972 at which I was present....The agreement could not have been achieved without the services of Kenneth Feinberg a world class mediator who, with other attorneys from his law firm served pro bono. He practices the Jewish Faith, believes in the role of religion in public life and has respect for the UMC...We can contrast this settlement with the bitterness, and litigation with enormous legal costs in other churches who have gone through this process....I urge those who read this post to treat those who disagree with them on the issue with respect. Read his reflection on UM-Insight. [Back to top]