Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

1972 General Conference considered first set of Social Principles “We do not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider it incompatible with Christian teaching” is added to what started as “homosexuals no less than heterosexuals are persons of sacred worth. ” (¶ 161 G) Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

1980 Social Principles Revised Language added to affirm the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. (¶ 161 C) Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

1996 Social Principles Revised The statement “… ceremonies that celebrate homosexual union shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches” was added and then moved in the Book of Discipline to the section of unauthorized conduct for pastors. (¶ 341. 6) Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

2004 Chargeable Offenses Language was added to this section of the Discipline, at least in part due to the response to trials that had gone before the denomination’s Judicial Council. (¶ 2702. 1) Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

2016 A Way Forward Amid heated debate and protests, the Rev. Mark Holland the Rev. Adam Hamilton made impassioned pleas to the Council of Bishops to provide leadership on matters pertaining to human sexuality. Upon approval, the Council of Bishops decided to form what became known as the Commission on a Way Forward. Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

2016 -2018 About the Commission • 32 people (mixture of laity and clergy) • 9 countries & 15 states represented • Mix of traditionalists and progressives • Met 9 times over 17 months Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

The Task Craft a proposal that would design a way for being church that: 1. Maximizes the presence of a United Methodist witness in as many places as possible. 2. Allows for much contextual differentiation as possible. 3. Balances an approach to different theological understandings of human sexuality with a desire for as much unity as possible. Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

2016 -2018 Group met and learned how to work together and to move past their differences. Initially presented several models to the Council of Bishops for consideration. Bishops provided feedback, and the commission returned with models for a way forward. Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Council of Bishops • Bishops reviewed models presented by the commission. • Majority voted to recommend the One-Church Model, but it was not a super-majority. • The bishops supported making three plans available to the Church. Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Judicial Council Holds Special Hearing May 22 -25, 2018 • Petitions to the special session of the General Conference 2019 may be filed by any organization, clergy member and lay member of the United Methodist Church as long as the business proposed to be transacted in such petition is in harmony with the purpose stated in the call. It is the obligation of the General Conference to determine, in the first instance, through its committees, officers and presiders, acting in accordance with The Discipline and the rules and procedures of the General Conference, whether any such petition is “in harmony. ” See ¶ 14.

Council of Bishops Feb. 23 -26, 2019 • Bishops reviewed models presented by the commission • Majority voted to lift up the One-Church Model, but it was not a Special Session super-majority of General Conference Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

What’s Next? • Conference has initiated its Forward in Unity Process Team • Town hall-style meetings in all 17 of our districts to ensure people have a chance to share their thoughts and concerns Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Town Hall Meetings (by district) • • • Blue River Dodge City Elkhorn Valley Five Rivers Flint Hills Gateway Great West Hays Hutchinson Aug. 25 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Nov. 17 Oct. 21 Sept. 23 Sept. 22 (2) Oct. 28 Oc. t 7 • • Kansas City Missouri River Parsons Prairie Rivers Salina Topeka Wichita East Wichita West Aug. 26 Aug. 25 Nov. 17 Sept. 30 Oct. 14 Nov. 11 Oct. 6 Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Share Concerns with Delegation You can email the Great Plains Conference’s delegation to General Conference at gcdelegates@greatplainsumc. org Please note that the delegation may not be able to respond to all emails because of the potentially high volume of messages. Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

What Else Can You Do? Continue to pray for: • Delegates to the 2019 special session of General Conference, including our own representatives • The Council of Bishops • The people of The United Methodist Church Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

What Else Can You Do? • Keep doing what Christ calls us to do: love and serve the neighbors in our mission fields. • Continue being the church. Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Resources Forward in Unity Process Team • Find ideas for books to read and Bible studies to take part in at www. greatplainsumc. org/forwardinunity The United Methodist Church • www. umc. org/who-we-are/commission-on-a-way-forward Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Resources and tools in the Connection Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

"The more sure I am that I'm right, the more likely I will actually be mistaken. My need to be right makes it more likely that I will be wrong! Likewise, the more sure I am that I am mistreated, the more likely I am to miss ways that I am mistreating others myself. My need for justification obscures the truth. " Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

The Way of Being Behaviors Visible Behaviors Way of Being Heart at Peace Others are PEOPLE: Hopes, needs, cares and fears as real to me as my own Heart at War Others are OBJECTS: Obstacles Vehicles Irrelevances Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

The Choice Diagram Sense/Desire I see the other person as one with needs, cares, worries, fears that matter like mine do. My Heart is at Peace. Choice Honor the Sense Betray the Sense I continue to see the other person like myself. I begin to see the other person in ways that justify my self-betrayal becomes an object of blame. My Heart goes to war. My Heart continues at Peace. Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Self-Betrayal • An act contrary to what I feel I should do. • When I betray myself, I begin to see the world in ways that justify me. • When I betray myself, my view of reality becomes distorted. • When I betray myself, I enter the box. • Over time, certain boxes become characteristic of me and I carry them with me. • By being in the box, I provoke others to be in the box. Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Collusion Me Allies Other Person 3 - I do Protest Teach her Comply with attitude 4 - She sees An Object: Self-centered Inconsiderate Immature 2 – I see An Object: Demanding Unreasonable Nag 1 - She does Insists I do as she asks Complains Badgers Allies Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Superior Important Virtuous/Right Inferior Incapable/Irrelevant False/Wrong Impatient Disdainful Indifferent Competitive Troubled Needs Me Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Meritorious Mistreated/Victim Unappreciated Mistaken Mistrustful Ungrateful Entitled Deprived Resentful Unfair Unjust Owes Me Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Need to be well thought of Fake Judgmental Threatening My audience Anxious/Afraid Needy/Stressed Overwhelmed Dangerous Watching Judging Me Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Not as good Broken/Deficient Fated Advantaged Privileged Blessed Helpless Jealous/Bitter Depressed Hard/Difficult Against Me Ignoring Me Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Look for the signs of the box. • Blame, justification, horribilization, common box styles, etc. Find an out-of-the-box place. • Out-of-the-box relationships, memories, activities, places, etc. Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Ponder the situation anew. From this out-of-the-box perspective ask: • What are this person’s or people’s challenges, trials, burdens and pains? • How am I, or some group of which I am a part, adding to these challenges, trials, burdens and pains? • In what other ways have I or my group neglected or mistreated this person or group? • In what ways are my better-than, I-deserve, worse-than and must-be -seen-as-boxes obscuring the truth about others and myself and interfering with potential solutions? • What am I feeling I should do for this person or group? What could I do to help? Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Staying out of the box: • Act upon what I have discovered; do what I am feeling I should do Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Correct Teach & Communicate Listen & Learn Build the relationship Build relationships with others who have influence Get out of the box/ Obtain a heart at peace Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Out of the Box Perspective ~COGPOW~ Child of God and person of eternal worth Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

• “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. ” Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

“For there is no distinction since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. ” Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

“Remove the shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. ” --Exodus 3: 5 Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out - in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then? Galatians 5: 13 -15 The Message Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World

Great Churches Great Leaders Great Disciples Transformed World