Bishop leads dialogues on pastoral care for gays

By Lynne DeMichele
Hoosier UM News Editor

Homosexuality and the United Methodist Church position on related issues was a key area of debate at General Conference 2000. The only thing the Church's legislative body could agree on was to direct pastors and their churches to be engaged in ministry for and with homosexuals as "persons of sacred worth."

Shortly after Bishop Woodie W. White was re-appointed to the Indiana Area as our episcopal leader, he articulated his goals for Indiana Area with Hoosier UM News. Among them was his intention to hold a series of dialogues across the state with pastors on the subject of ministering to gays and their families. He expressed a concern that the Church had not addressed homosexuality in terms of its pastoral context.

That in mind, the bishop asked the 18 district superintendents of Indiana Area for feedback from pastors. As a result, four dialogue sessions with the bishop have been conducted around the state over the past year. All local pastors were invited; approximately 50 or so were reportedly in attendance at each of the following sessions.

April 17, Marion and Lafayette Districts
April 24, Warsaw and Fort Wayne Districts
Oct. 16, Terre Haute and Vincennes Districts
October 30, New Albany and Columbus Districts

The goal of the dialogues, White said, was to help pastors achieve a sense of how he/she approaches pastoral care and a realization of how one's personal attitude might impact that care.

Sessions began with Bishop White sharing his own perspective and presenting several vignettes drawn from actual situations. He had collected around 35 real-life pastoral scenarios from around the connection to use as a basis of discussion in small round-table groups. Conclusions and observations were then shared in an open discussion with the whole gathering.

"They were far more open as to how homosexuals could be included in the church than I'd expected," White commented, . [There was] little lack of hospitality as to the kinds and levels of participation [of gays] in the local church."

He'd also observed a distinct desire on the part of participating pastors to reach out to parents and relatives of gay children.

"It was a learning experience for us all.. There was no debate whatsoever." The emphasis was purposely on how to be a better pastor regardless of one's position on homosexuality. "You have to be a pastor whatever your position," White said.

He went on to acknowledge that there is no clear consensus among our Indiana clergy regarding the various issues relating to homosexuality. Still, he said, "Even if one's position needn't change, one's posture may need to change to one of caring. The universal truth is that everyone in church brings some level of imperfection and the need to improve their understanding of what it means to be a disciple.

"We have to learn to incorporate all kinds of people with all kinds of positions and work to move them to where they are more at one with Christ."

Last updated on 01/14/2004

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