General Conference 2004

Pittsburgh, PA

United Methodists affirm their unity as a denomination

By Daniel R. Gangler

PITTSBURGH -- The nearly 1,000 delegates of The United Methodist General Conference overwhelmingly approved here a Resolution of Church Unity Friday morning.

In a vote of 869 for and 41 against, delegates affirmed this resolution of unity that stated: "As United Methodists we affirm in covenant with one another, even in the midst of disagreement and reaffirm our commitment to work together for our common mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ."

General Conference is the only body that speaks on behalf of the whole church.

The Rev. Darren Cushman-Wood, senior pastor of Speedway United Methodist Church, was one of four speakers in support of the resolution as it approached the vote on the floor of the conference.

He said all this talk about schism disturbed him greatly. "For myself I don't know where I would choose. Maybe I need to have an adjustment in my heart between my doctrine and my ethics, but that kind of surgery needs to be done by whom John Wesley called the great physician. I do not trust the surgeons who are in this room to perform that surgery on me or on my local congregation, so I urge us to send this very clear message of unity back to our local churches."

No one spoke in opposition to the resolution.

The resolution was brought to the floor by half a dozen very diverse delegates from around the world and across the United States in a show of unity.

Before the resolution was presented, the Rev. Bruce Robbins of Minneapolis and former general secretary of the United Methodist General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, outlined a meeting held earlier in the week among members of Good News and the Confession Movement within the United Methodist Church, both conservative groups, and Affirmation (a gay and lesbian caucus) and the Methodist Federation for Social Action, both liberal groups that support gays and lesbians within the life of the church.

He said that meeting came to no decision and recognized their deep differences.

The Rev. Bill Hinson, former pastor of First United Methodist Church of Houston, Texas and president of the Confessing Movement, also addressed delegates. He said he had no intention of bringing to delegates a petition of schism. A May 6 two-page letter written by Hinson was circulated at General Conference calling for an "amicable and just separation" within The United Methodist Church. He said, "I believe the time has come when we must begin to explore an amicable and just separation that will free us both from our cycle of pain and conflict. Such a just separation will protect the property rights of churches and the pension rights of clergy. It will also free us to reclaim our high calling and to fulfill our mission in the world."

After the Resolution of Church Unity was approved, delegates sang as a prayer "bless be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love," a familiar hymn of the church.

Following the session, Robbins encouraged the church to continue holy conferencing and dialogues that would allow members of differing opinions to talk with each other in compassionate ways. Looking to the future of the church, he said, "God has an imagination that goes beyond our imagination."