Structure and power

The General Conference of the United Methodist Church convened in Tampa last week. I’m not one of the 988 delegates who have descended on Florida to do the work of our church, nor of the 4,000 hosts, bishops, pages, translators and myriad lobbyists there to help. My participation is limited to following the proceedings from 1,000 miles away.

Still, my emotions have been all over the place. And judging from Twitter and Facebook, this roller coaster of highs and lows is almost universal among those who are there. The stakes feel high this year, higher than usual.

The General Conference is once again considering questions surrounding human sexuality. Will we ordain non-celibate LGBTQ people? Can clergy perform same-sex unions or marriages? These and related questions, particularly around language in our book of discipline defining “the practice of” homosexuality as “incompatible with Christian teaching,” have been debated at every General Conference since the 1970s. The difference now, of course, is that while the increasing majority of Americans--including many Christians--are now in favor of gay marriage and full inclusion, the UMC is growing in nations where there is significantly less support for inclusion.