Leaders of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church today reminded the church that the denomination’s long-standing position on the ordination of homosexuals is not affected by a church court decision involving a Washington state pastor.

            The Executive Committee of the Council of Bishops released a statement in response to questions raised by last Saturday’s acquittal of the Rev. Karen Dammann in Bothell, Wash. Damman, a self-avowed, practicing homosexual, had been charged with violating a church law prohibiting the ordination of self-avowed, practicing gays and lesbians.

A 13-member clergy jury of pastors from the Pacific Northwest Annual (regional) Conference acquitted Dammann after deliberating for more than 10 hours during the four-day trial. While unanimously agreeing Dammann is a self-avowed, practicing homosexual, the jury said it did not believe the church met its “clear and convincing” burden of proof.

The bishops reached agreement on the statement Thursday following a conference call organized by Bishop Ruediger Minor, president of the council. Bishop Minor is bishop of the Eurasia Annual Conference in Moscow, Russia. 

While reaffirming their “vow to uphold the Discipline of The United Methodist Church,” the members of the Executive Committee said the Pacific Northwest case does not affect how other conferences adjudicate similar cases.  

The Executive Committee called on church members to “join us in respectful, prayerful dialogue… Let us find, affirm, and live a common understanding of our doctrines and discipline.”

The statement comes five weeks before the church’s General Conference is due to meet for two weeks in Pittsburgh. The General Conference is the church’s top legislative body. It meets every four years to consider proposals to change the Book of Discipline, which contain church law and social principles. The 1,000 delegates at the conference represent 8.3 million United Methodists in the United States and 1.7 United Methodists who live in Europe, Africa, and the Philippines.

The entire statement follows:

A  STATEMENT FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON BEHALF OF THE COUNCIL OF BISHOPS, UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Re:  Response to the verdict in the Rev. Karen Dammann Trial

The verdict in the trial of Rev. Karen Dammann in the Seattle Episcopal area has raised questions across the United Methodist Church.  The Council of Bishops reminds the church this one case does not alter the Book of Discipline regarding homosexuality or the qualifications for ministry.  The Discipline's authority is unchanged.  Nor does this case directly affect other Annual Conferences as they may adjudicate such cases. 

We affirm the leadership of Bishop Elias Galvan of the Seattle Area for ensuring due process as prescribed by The Book of Discipline.  We affirm our vow as bishops to uphold the Discipline of The United Methodist Church. 

As your bishops, we invite the church to join us in respectful, prayerful dialogue and Christian conferencing to discern the Holy Spirit's leading.  Together let us find, affirm, and live a common understanding of our doctrines and discipline.  We are convinced that the General Conference must be a place of prayerful consideration of and agreement over our commonly held convictions and norms for Christian teaching and living.

The Dammann case does reveal continuing differences in the United Methodist Church concerning the issue of homosexuality.  The Council of Bishops is painfully aware of this disagreement.   In such moments as this, we remember that our unity in Christ does not depend on unanimity of opinion.  Rather, in Jesus Christ we are bound together by love that transcends our differences and calls us to stay at the table with one another.

"And I will show you a still more excellent way… Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude.  Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends."  (I Corinthians 12:31b, 13:4-8a)

 March 25, 2004