Missionary Renegade: "Complaint against Rev. Cynthia Meyer moves forward" Reconciling Ministries Network of Chicago, Illinois, United States - No "Just Resolution" reached for Rev. Cynthia Meyer for Tuesday, 5 April 2016

Thursday, April 7, 2016

"Complaint against Rev. Cynthia Meyer moves forward" Reconciling Ministries Network of Chicago, Illinois, United States - No "Just Resolution" reached for Rev. Cynthia Meyer for Tuesday, 5 April 2016

Complaint Against Rev. Cynthia Meyer Moves Forward

The Great Plains (Kan. and Neb.) bishop has rejected a proposal to resolve a complaint lodged against Rev. Cynthia Meyer who came out to her Edgerton, Kan. congregation during a Jan. 3rd sermon and has, instead, referred the matter to a United Methodist Church as counsel. The action is significant because it moves Rev. Meyer – a pastor in The UMC for 25 years – a step closer to a church trial just weeks away from The UMC’s General Conference, during which church policy is determined for the next four years. More than 800 delegates from across the country and around the world will meet in Portland, Ore. from May 10-20 to decide on whether to lift current prohibitions on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage, among other issues.
At a meeting last Monday, Bishop Scott Jones proposed that the Edgerton United Methodist Church could withdraw from The UMC and choose Rev. Meyer as its pastor, an extraordinary suggestion immediately rejected by Rev. Meyer. He also proposed that her ongoing credentials in The UMC be based on the outcome of the General Conference which will take up the anti-LGBTQ policies contained in its Book of Discipline, the governing document of the church.
The move by Bishop Jones seeks to postpone any decision on Rev. Meyer’s fate until the results of the General Conference are determined. It should be noted that Rev. Meyer is serving in a Conference that has – by a 60-40 vote – requested that the General Conference allow LGBTQ individuals to serve openly as pastors, and her peers on the Executive Committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM) rejected Bishop Jones’ initial request that Rev. Meyer be suspended. It would seem the will of the of the Great Plains Conference, the will of the Executive Committee of the BOM and the will of the Edgerton United Methodist Church is that she remain as pastor, but the institution remains opposed.
“On Epiphany Sunday, I stood before one tiny congregation and declared, ‘I will not live in the darkness.’ And now, I will not surrender my credentials or accept as ‘Just Resolution’ an unjust list of demands and contingencies,” said Rev. Meyer. “I will not ask that faithful congregation to leave the denomination it has lovingly served for decades. I will, instead, continue to follow the light of love, justice and full inclusion for all.”
By every evaluation, Rev. Cynthia Meyer stands-out as a clergyperson of integrity, talent, and love—her leadership has been praised by colleagues and parishioners alike. That’s why it’s frankly stunning that Bishop Jones can’t imagine another way forward than for Rev. Meyer and her congregation to leave the UMC,” said RMN Executive Director Matt Berryman. “As faithful LGBTQ Methodists, what we hear from the bishop is ‘you and your kind are not welcome here.’”
Rev. Meyer chose to share her story as part of Reconciling Ministries Network’s (RMN) “It’s Time” campaign, focused on advancing LGBTQ equality within The UMC by influencing church policies at General Conference in May.
The proposals for resolution – from Rev. Meyer and from Bishop Jones – are available below.
Read the proposals for resolution

Agreement for Just Resolution of Complaint Against Rev. Cynthia Meyer

It is agreed by the undersigned that the following steps constitute a just resolution of the complaint filed against Rev. Cynthia Meyer by Rev. David Watson on January 5, 2016.

1. Rev. Meyer admits to being in a committed, loving relationship with a woman characterized by the words “partnership” and "covenant.” She agrees that this violates ¶2702.1(b) of The

Book of Discipline, 2012. She admits that she is, as understood by the Book of Discipline, a self-avowed, practicing homosexual in disobedience to the discipline of The United Methodist Church.

2. Rev. Meyer further says that her relationship with her partner is in harmony with higher, biblical values and that the rules prohibiting practicing gay and lesbian persons from serving as clergy violate the foundational Wesleyan spirit of the General Rules, paragraph 104 “to do no harm, to do good and to obey the ordinances of God.” She wishes to continue to serve faithfully as an ordained elder under appointment in The United Methodist Church. At the same time, she regards her current relationship with the UMC as an abusive relationship and she does not want to continue in that abusive relationship. She seeks by this act of civil disobedience to the law of the church to prompt the church to change its rules.

3. All parties agree that they wish to avoid a trial by abiding by the decisions of the 2016 General Conference. Thus, the parties agree on two courses of action, one of which will be followed

depending on decisions of the 2016 General Conference. After the signing of this agreement and its publication, no other procedural actions will be taken until after General Conference adjourns by which time its decisions will be known.

4. Course of Action 1. If General Conference acts to permit the appointment of self-avowed, practicing homosexuals, then this complaint will be dismissed on or about May 25 and Rev. Meyer will continue as an elder under appointment in the Great Plains Conference.

5. Course of Action 2. If General Conference retains the rules prohibiting the appointment of self-avowed, practicing homosexuals then on or before May 25 Cynthia Meyer will surrender her credentials and withdraw from the ministry of The United Methodist Church in accordance with ¶361. Bishop Jones will then explain the process found in ¶2548.2 to a church conference of Edgerton United Methodist Church on or about May 31 to assess their interest in withdrawing from the UMC and retaining Rev. Meyer as their pastor in a new denomination. If Cynthia Meyer surrenders her credentials and, along with the Edgerton congregation, forms a new denomination that meets the standards of ¶2548.2. Bishop Jones will facilitate this process to the best of his ability.

6. Upon the signing of this agreement by all parties, the agreement in its entirety will be published on the Great Plains Conference website and all parties will be free to say whatever they wish about the case publicly.

____________________________________ ______________________________

Cynthia Meyer Date

____________________________________ ______________________________

David Watson Date

____________________________________ ______________________________

Scott J. Jones Date

Considerations for Just Resolution

Supervisory Conversation with Bishop Scott Jones

Reverend Cynthia Meyer January 15, 2016

I am pleased to work toward just resolution of the charge brought against me by District Superintendent David Watson on January 5, 2016. The charge followed his receipt of a copy of the sermon I preached, as the appointed pastor, January 3, 2016 at Edgerton United Methodist Church, Edgerton, KS.

As we begin this conversation, I present the following hopes and expectations for just resolution:

1) I acknowledge that I am in a committed relationship with a woman. While this may be interpreted as a violation of Book of Discipline paragraph 2702.1b, I firmly and faithfully believe this interpretation violates the foundational Wesleyan spirit of the General Rules, paragraph 104, “to do no harm, do good, and obey

the ordinances of God.”

2) That I will continue to serve faithfully as an appointed, ordained elder in the United Methodist Church.

3) That, in order to do good and facilitate healing, Bishop Jones and the Great Plains Conference will not sustain this complaint or any future complaint based on the discriminatory language of paragraph 2702.1b.

4) That Bishop Jones, in order to do good and avoid harm, will influence and support the Great Plains Conference District Committees on Ministry and Board of Ordained Ministry to recommend for approval qualified candidates for candidacy, commissioning and ordination regardless of sexual orientation.

5) That all involved in this charge and supervisory process might acknowledge this Gospel-oriented, and therefore high standard of justice to be appropriate and sufficient for just resolution. In addition, that all work together to clearly represent this bold Biblical decision, offering Bishop Jones a unique opportunity

for bold leadership in the denomination, by joining those who are following Biblical Obedience, in practice today, and seeking to bring the Book of Discipline into alignment with the way of Jesus at the 2016 General Conference.

Procedure for Local Churches to Leave the Great Plains Conference of the UMC The Great Plains Conference recognizes the crisis of conscience for some of our clergy and congregations regarding homosexuality. As a denomination we have been discussing the best

Christian approach to the issues of human sexuality for more than 40 years. We are not of one mind. Yet we are also a disciplined people and we are committed to preaching and maintaining our doctrines and following our discipline as written in the Book of Discipline.

As same-gender marriage has become legal in the United States and as the UMC contemplates changes in its doctrine and discipline, some clergy and some local churches as a matter of conscience can no longer follow the church’s teaching and rules. While we cannot tolerate disobedience to our discipline, we also want to allow those whose consciences prohibit them from serving Christ under this doctrine and discipline to follow Christ as they are led to do so.

Given the current rules, the procedures outlined below would allow progressive churches to leave with most of their assets. If the doctrine and discipline of the church in The Book of Discipline are changed in ways intolerable to traditionalist churches, these procedures would allow them to leave in the same way.

Under the provisions of ¶2548.2, the Great Plains Bishop and cabinet are prepared to approve requests for local churches to leave the United Methodist Church with most of their assets provided all of the following steps are met:

1. The adoption of a statement of intent by majority vote of the local church in a duly called church conference, which shall read as follows:

“We, the ___________________ United Methodist Church, can no longer serve Christ and obey the Book of Discipline’s doctrine and rules regarding the practice of homosexuality and same-gender marriage. We thus request to leave the United Methodist Church to unite with ______________________ Church, another evangelical denomination.”

2. The church must be up to date in the payment of the current year’s mission shares and mission agency support and commit to pay, either immediately or over time, an additional 300% of the current year’s mission shares and mission agency support to the Great Plains Conference.

3. Approval of the proposed action by each of the following entities:

a. The church conference of the congregation initiating the request.

b. The appropriate District Board of Church Location and Building

c. The Bishop and Cabinet of the Great Plains Annual Conference

d. The Great Plains Annual Conference either in session or by email ballot.

e. Completion of an allocation or comity agreement between the Great Plains Conference and the other denomination.

4. Members of a local church that votes to leave the denomination who opposed that decision will have the right to transfer their membership to another United Methodist local church.

Hear a message from Rev. Cynthia Meyer