St. Arbucks Chapel – 28 May, 2025

As promised in a previous sermon, I want to update you on the latest developments in the United Methodist Church regarding human sexuality. I have a few bullet points of data to share with you.

  • The United Methodist Church holds a quadrennial gathering of delegates from around the world, who comprise the General Conference. In May 2024, 93% of the delegates voted to remove the following statements from the Book of Discipline, which is the church’s by laws:
      • “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”
      • “Self-avowed practicing homosexuals cannot be ordained as clergy in the United Methodist Church.”
  • The General Conference decided that the Church Board of each local church would decide whether same-gender marriages would be allowed in church facilities or on church property. The Chapel Hill Board has been discussing the wedding policy for several months, as directed by the General Conference and our bishop.
  • On April 25, 2025, the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church (which functions like the Supreme Court of the USA), in response to a demand for clarification of what was decided in May 2024, made the following decision:
      • A marriage ceremony is a religious service…a pastor has discretion in deciding whether to perform or not to perform any marriage ceremony.  The local church board cannot prevent or interfere with the pastor’s use of the local church facilities “for religious services or other proper meetings or purposes recognized by the law, usages, and customs of The United Methodist Church, or permit the use of said property for religious or other meetings without the consent of the pastor.”
  • The Council of Bishops on May 2, 2025, in response, released a statement, including these excerpts :
      • “During our time together as a Council of Bishops we, along with the rest of the church, received Judicial Council decision 1516. We are aware that this decision has created some anxiety and consternation, and we are aware that there are misunderstandings regarding the decision. We thought it helpful to offer some clarifying words.”
      • “Judicial Council decision 1516 is a precise and specific ruling that reaffirms the longstanding authority of a pastor to determine the use of church property for religious services, including marriage ceremonies. It also reaffirms, ‘No clergy at any time may be required or compelled to perform or be prohibited from performing any marriage union or blessing of any couple, including same-sex couples. All clergy have the right to exercise and preserve their conscience when requested to perform any marriage, union, or blessing of any couple.’”
      • “As bishops, we expect that the pastors we appoint will continue to exercise their authority with deep pastoral sensitivity to the congregation and community to which they are appointed.”
  • As your senior pastor, I am committed to practicing pastoral sensitivity in several ways:
      • It is our mission to welcome all people to experience and share the extraordinary grace and love of Jesus. All means all. We welcome each one as if they were Jesus himself. Practically, that means we practice unity in diversity. We are one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world. This is especially true when we worship and work with persons with whom we have disagreements on issues of human sexuality or any other issue that might be important to us. Everybody is somebody at Chapel Hill because each one is of sacred worth, and Jesus is Lord of our lives individually and as a faith community. 
      • The clergy of Chapel Hill, like the congregation, have differing views on human sexuality. I view the diversity of thought as a strength because it provides another way to practice pastoral sensitivity with the entire congregation.
      • You deserve to know that as your senior pastor, I will officiate at same-gender weddings when requested if the couple is willing to participate in pre-marital counseling, desire a Christ-centered wedding service and married life, and seek to follow Jesus in life and love. The same standard applies to any couple seeking to be married at Chapel Hill.

As I close, I want to remind all of us that this conversation about same-sex marriage demands Christ-like compassion and a strong desire to seek understanding. May we, with the help of God, guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride.