The following reflection was written by Kim Wu.
It’s been two weeks since the conclusion of the Virginia Annual Conference, and my soul still feels captivated by it. After a season of sadness over churches who chose to disaffiliate and after the recent General Conference, I was looking for some meaningful purpose and energy from our Annual Conference. A refocusing on the future and a return to what we have always been about - sharing the hope of Jesus Christ with our communities and with the world.
I experienced all that and more at our conference. If you have also been longing for the church to reclaim its purpose, then I encourage you to spend some time reviewing the summary report that can be found on our website or by picking up a paper copy at the Welcome Center. Within the report are links to some fantastic teaching we had at Annual Conference. Listen to them because they will inspire you. Highlights of other parts of the conference that lay out a plan to move forward and give me hope for our future are also included in the report.
But for the remainder of this reflection, I want to focus on one part of the Annual Conference. Because when you feel the Holy Spirit move powerfully in a room full of people, you want to tell others about it. I believe that happened at the Virginia Annual Conference this year when we were confronted with a difficult, complicated issue.
On the first day of the conference, Rev. Andrew Ensz made a motion that the Annual Conference make a Resolution of Apology to LGBTQ+ persons. The conference body had a lot of discussion on this, and it became apparent there was no easy majority to rule on this issue.
Personally, I wanted to see an apology from the conference to LGBTQ+ persons, and I was ready at that point to vote yes. I have someone in my life who is a member of that community and I know first-hand the harm done to this person from the church as a result of its stance on this issue. It grieves me greatly and I want healing for that community; an apology would be a meaningful part of the healing process. But as I listened to arguments for and against the motion, my vote began to change.
As a traditional pastor pointed out, apologizing at the conference level would not align with the recent General Conference’s commitment to honoring diversity of perspectives. Although I personally celebrate the removal of the denominational stance that declared homosexuality to be “incompatible with Christian teaching,” many are still grappling with the outcome of General Conference. Yet, as this pastor speaking against the motion shared, they have remained United Methodist, believing that the denomination would not impose a singular perspective on everyone on this issue.
It was honestly with a heavy heart that I was prepared to vote no. Yet I wanted to honor the commitment made at General Conference. The United Methodist Church is a big-tent church, allowing for differences in interpretation of scripture on this issue. Voting yes, I feared, would marginalize traditionalists in our denomination and take us down an already well-worn path of division and rancor. Creating division would only close the door to future conversations and remove space I believe is necessary to hold open for people to learn and grow from each other, to ask questions and share stories.
An initial standing vote on the motion revealed the vote was close. Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson scheduled a paper ballot for the next morning and asked us to pray about this. She said whenever a ballot is this close, “instead of winners and losers, there are often a lot of losers. Sometimes voting might not be the best way to relationally deal with one another.”
Our Centreville UMC delegation had planned to get together for dinner that evening. This vote weighed heavily on our minds, and while seated around the table, we shared some of our thoughts with each other. There was no easy answer, but having the opportunity for conversation was helpful. It was a time of holy conferencing, and we all held each other’s opinions, concerns, and stories with care.
In the morning, we gathered at the Conference Center for the vote. However, before that process began, an alternative plan of action was jointly presented by a team of traditionalists and progressives. This team was made up of individuals on both sides who had spoken so passionately for or against this resolution the day before. A Commission of Truth Telling and Reconciliation was proposed, which would “allow for space to hear, hold, and begin to heal the harms experienced by individuals and by groups during the long period of denominational discord.” This group would engage directly and broadly with affected groups and gather information on experiences. This would be a place where all stories can be heard, held, and cared for by this group. The recent General Conference, it was pointed out, did not propose an apology, but did say “we lament the ways LGBTQ persons have been ostracized from and wounded by the church and how often Christians have been silent in the face of injustice and discrimination against them.”
The joint group concluded by saying, “United Methodists have been voting on these matters for years and we humbly submit that the way of holy listening and bearing witness to one another’s stories is a more excellent way forward than voting as our goal toward healing.“
Rev. Andrew Ensz then spoke and shared that while he was struggling, he believed this was the right decision. He recognized that more harm was done to the conference body because of his bringing this resolution to the floor. Reminding us that 1 in 3 people have experienced religious trauma, he felt that this new commission’s work to truly heal hearts would be a beautiful outcome.
The vote then taken was strongly in favor of this new commission. The Bishop’s voice broke as she said, “Let’s pray together.” She went on to pray about this momentous time in which we are seeking a more excellent way. A way where “we hear everyone’s voices, approach all people where they are, honor theological difference, strive to be a place where we serve You first and foremost. Where we seek to be as we are told - ambassadors for You and agents of reconciliation…may we all seek to see the best in each other, to see Christ in each other, and not negate anyone.”
It was an emotional time for many in the room, including myself. I felt relief that a more positive, more informed way forward was found that would allow for unity even with our diversity of thought on this issue. The harms done to members of the LGBTQ+ community would be heard and respected and understood. The Holy Spirit’s presence was felt in the room and it was an amazing thing to behold.