Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What is the reconciling task force and what is its purpose?
The Reconciling Task Force (RTF) is made up of 10 LAUMC members and is staffed by Pastor Mark Bollwinkel. It was commissioned to facilitate the discussion within the LAUMC community around becoming a member of the national United Methodist Reconciling Network and to openly accept all people regardless of sexual orientation and gender identification into full participation in the life of our church.
2. Why is it important for LAUMC to become a reconciling congregation?
Since 1972 exclusive statements and policies have been added to the laws that govern the United Methodist Church which deny the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community full participation; including the prohibition of their ordination as clergy, their dismissal as clergy when publicly declaring their orientation, prohibition of the celebration of their committed relationship and language that suggests they are "incompatible" with Christian teaching. It is the only community or group of people that have been singled out to be made to feel unwelcomed in the United Methodist denomination. There are 352 churches in our conference, 58 are reconciling congregations and many others are entering into the discussion. LAUMC is not a reconciling church at this time.
3. We're already a welcoming church, why do we need to become a reconciling church?
While it may be clear to many members of LAUMC that we are a welcoming congregation, with the backlash of prejudice and bigotry perpetrated against the LGBT community so often originating from churches we can not assume that outsiders will know that LAUMC is indeed a safe place for all. We believe that if we are to be true to our Christian calling, and follow Christ's example, LAUMC must become a home for all people. We need to be clear in proclaiming that we accept all people in our family, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identification.
4. What do we have to do differently be a reconciling church?
If LAUMC becomes a reconciling congregation, we will publicly join the Reconciling Ministry Network along with the hundreds of other United Methodist Churches across the nation. Within our church, we will offer radical hospitality to the LGBT community (as we do to all of God's children) and we will find ways to express this to the public. LAUMC will develop a welcoming statement that proclaims our acceptance into our church community all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identification and we will recognize all loving relationships. Becoming a reconciling church is a journey, not a destination. As we move through this process we will learn from all points of view and openly discuss feedback and considerations from the congregation.
5. What is the Reconciling Ministry Network?
The Reconciling Ministry Network is a national grassroots organization that exists to enable full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities into the life of the United Methodist Church, both in policy and practice. To be publicly known as "reconciling" the church must develop a statement of welcome which includes inclusive language for the LGBT community. Find out more information at www.RMNetworking.org.
6. If we become a reconciling congregation, will our pastors perform gay marriage ceremonies?
The United Methodist denomination prohibits its clergy from performing same gender weddings or "holy union ceremonies" or holding such on its property. Clergy who do so face potential discipline as a result. By designating ourselves within the Reconciling Network we will stand with those churches, clergy and lay leaders who are working to change our denomination's policies of exclusion in hopes that someday when we say "all are welcomed" it will really mean all.
7. Will my children be more likely to become Gay if they learn in church that this is acceptable?
Children do not learn how to be homosexual any more than the heterosexual majority learns how to be straight. The majority of scientists in the medical and psychological fields have long understood that there is a genetic propensity to sexual orientation. They have also known for a very long time that every year a large number of people are born with physical "gender ambiguity" or different genders than their external bodies. We are born with our sexual orientations which can be positively or negatively shaped by our environments in which we grow. The church should be a place where we learn to accept who and how we were created as precious Children of God. Such grace should be taught at the earliest age and needs to be repeated as we all learn to grow into adulthood.
8. Doesn't the Bible say that homosexuality is an "abomination" and a sin?
Scholars debate whether the terms currently translated into the English words referring to "homosexuality" refer to any orientation status that we understand today. In the Hebrew scriptures male to male sexual contact is defined as an "abomination" (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13) for the priests of Israel but the authors had no knowledge of or experience with, nor were they referring to the same gender, committed and consensual relationship as we know today.
In the New Testament the word used to refer to "homosexual" is the word used to describe a "young male prostitute" (I Corinthians 6:9, I Timothy 1:9-11), not same gender, committed and consensual relationships. We do a disservice to the scriptures when we read into these ancient texts modern meanings that weren't there or vis a versa, finding meanings for our modern times that the ancients never intended. For example, today many Christians will refer to the Leviticus texts to denounce homosexuality as an "abomination" culturally relevant for our times while dismissing the second half of the same verse 20:13 "... and they shall be put to death ..." as a quaint relic of an ancient past. How do we take the first half of a bible verse literally and the second half figuratively? United Methodists have long come to terms with the Bible's teaching about divorce (Deut 22:19; Matthew 19:1-9, Mark 10:9-12) understanding them in the historical context of their day. We ordain previously divorced clergy, we consecrate previously divorced bishops. The previously divorced are not restricted in any way in the life of our church. And yet when it comes to members of the LGBT community we use the Bible with an entirely different standard of interpretation. This unfair and capricious use of our holy scriptures to justify bigotry must end! [For a more detailed discussion on this question see Pastor Mark Bollwinkel's position paper on "Gay Marriage"]
