Leaders of the United Methodist Church have announced a plan to create two divisions – a proposal designed to alleviate conflicts of opinions on same sex marriage and openly gay clergy members.

There are roughly 13 million Methodists worldwide and the church has been around for over 250 years.

Rev. Denyse Barnes, Associate Pastor at Hollywood United Methodist Church and LGBTQIA+ Advocacy Coordinator for the Cal-Pac Annual Conference of the UMC, said the words that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching were added to their book of discipline 48 years ago.

At the church’s general conference in 2016, the issue of same-sex marriage came up.

“In 2016, at general conference, they decided that because we argue every single year about it and it becomes the dominant issue over everything, to ask the Bishops to create a way forward for us,” Barnes said. “The traditional plan came into effect, which was to increase the harm done to LGBTQ clergy and those clergy who perform same-gender marriages.”

Rev. Mandy Sloan McDow, Senior Minister at the Los Angeles First United Methodist Church, said the effects of the decision have been tremendous for her and those she talks to.

“I have had the privilege and the benefit of being an outspoken ally in the course of my ministry. Not all of my colleagues have had that same benefit. I’m from the Southeast and in the South there are lots of differing and very strong opinions around how we understand this issue,” McDow said. “I have been able to really live into my calling as a pastor, understanding that my work was to proclaim the gospel, which I deeply believe in, to all people.”

Barnes is queer clergy and a socio-pastor at a church where probably 50-percent of the membership are a part of the LGBTQ community.

“So, I stand as representative for those people, for the people who have yet to find us and for the people who are being hurt by churches and organized religion across the world. So, it’s a very hurtful and painful issue and I spend much of my ministry trying to minister those people who have been hurt by the church and help them realize they too are beloved children of God,” she said.

Despite the division, Barnes said she is still very proud to be a part of the church and is working to heal people.

“We’re taking part now in this #ResistHarm movement which has arisen to help stop and resist the harm and encourage people to understand what that level of harm is,” she said.

Southern California is widely affected by this change as the area has very diverse representation.

“Across our geographical area, we call it an annual conference, we see congregations that are organized ethically, and culturally. In different ethnicities and different cultures, there are different understandings of the treatment of these scriptures and how people have arrived at their theological understanding,” McDow said. “So we have to understand as open-minded Christians who feel very passionately that God’s love is available to all folks, well that also means that we have to be sensitive and tender to the understanding that some congregations are not quite there yet.”

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