By James V. Heidinger II,
President and Publisher

GOOD NEWS PERSPECTIVE – No. 6, November 6, 2007

    Welcome to another issue of Perspective, Good News’ email newsletter. If you find it helpful and informative, share it with others and invite them to subscribe, by emailing us here at: perspective@goodnewsmag.org.

Good News is coming to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and we’d like to have dinner with you! If you live in the area, we want to share a delicious meal and warm conversation with you on Thursday evening, November 15, or Friday evening, November 16, 2007. We will be at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas, on Thursday night and at Carrollton First United Methodist Church in Carrollton, Texas, on Friday night. Each evening will begin with a time of fellowship at 6:30 p.m., followed by our dinner at 7:00 p.m. You may choose whichever date and location is most convenient for you. YOU MUST RSVP either email Pat@goodnewsmag.org or call 800-487-7784 and ask for Pat and you will be included in this delightful evening and given directions as to how to get there.

 

UM JUDICIAL COUNCIL UPHOLDS BISHOP’S APPOINTMENT OF TRANSGENDER PASTOR – The UM Church’s supreme court has upheld a bishop’s decision that a pastor who changed gender from female to male remains eligible to serve the church.

In combining two separate docket items related to the Rev. Drew Phoenix, pastor at St. John’s UMC in Baltimore (formerly Rev. Ann Gordon prior to having surgery and hormone therapy to become a male), the Judicial Council stated that it was not ruling on whether changing gender is a chargeable offense or violates minimum standards set by the church’s legislative body, the General Conference. Rather, the court said “a clergyperson’s standing cannot be terminated without administrative or juridical action having occurred and all fair process being accorded.”

“The adjective (in this case ‘transgender’) placed in front of the noun ‘clergyperson’ does not matter,” the court stated in Decision 1074. “What matters is that clergypersons, once ordained and admitted to membership in full connection, cannot have that standing changed without being accorded fair process.”

Phoenix will continue to serve St. John’s UMC. But the subject of whether transgender clergy are eligible for appointment is likely to be among issues debated at the 2008 General Conference when it meets in Ft. Worth next April. The UMC bars practicing homosexuals from being ordained but has nothing in its polity about transgender persons.

The name change alone was not reason enough to require the consent and recommendation for approval of the conference Board of Ordained Ministry and the Conference Relations Committee. The Discipline has no provision mandating such review. The matter could result in administrative or judicial proceedings (formal complaint) concerning the “good standing” of Rev. Phoenix. For the full story and other actions of the Judicial Council, go to: the umc.org website

 

GOOD NEWS AFFIRMS FOUR AREAS OF FOCUS PRESENTED BY BISHOPS, OTHERS. – The Executive Committee of the Good News board meeting in Memphis October 25-26 voted to strongly affirm the “Four Areas of Focus” vision based on “living Wesley’s principles.” The vision for the future comes from the Council of Bishops, the UM Connectional Table, and the General Secretaries of the Church.

How might the church fulfill Wesley’s principles and its own mission “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world?” The answer offered by our bishops and others is found in the following Four Areas of Focus: 1. Developing principled Christian leaders, especially young people who will answer the call to Christian ministry; 2. Create new places for new people by starting new congregations and renewing existing ones; 3. Engaging in ministry with the poor, working to alleviate suffering as happened during the Wesleyan awakening, and especially reach out and protect children; and 4. Work to stamp out killer diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS and work to improve health conditions globally.

“All of us should be excited about a vision for our church’s future that includes ‘living Wesley’s principles,’ principles which always reflected a proper balance between faith and works,” said James V. Heidinger II, President and Publisher of Good News, an evangelical renewal ministry within the United Methodist Church.

“It would be an exciting General Conference in Ft. Worth if the United Methodist Church would put aside the endless controversies on sexuality and focus, instead, on these four areas of ministry,” said the Rev. Tom Lambrecht, pastor of Faith Community United Methodist Church in Greenville, Wisconsin, and chair of the Good News board. “A vision that includes evangelism, church planting, seeking a new generation of young pastoral leaders, and vigorous ministry with children and the poor, with attempts to stamp out killer diseases is really a vision that is authentically Wesleyan. All of these were concerns right at the heart of the Wesley brothers’ powerful, transformational ministry,” Lambrecht added.

For the full news release, go to: www.goodnewsmag.org
/NewsRelease-11-02-07.htm

 

EVANGELICAL COALITION HOSTS NATIONAL CONFERENCE – The 2008 Renewal and Reform Coalition (evangelical United Methodist renewal organizations) invited those delegates elected to the 2008 general and jurisdictional conferences to attend a conference focused on “A Hope and A Future Through our Wesleyan Heritage” October 26-27 at Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis. The group gathered to pray, worship, and plan for a “Renewed and dynamic United Methodist Church.” The six coalition participants include the Confessing Movement, Good News, RENEW, LifeWatch, Transforming Congregations, and UMAction.

In her United Methodist News Service story covering the conference, Kathy L. Gilbert wrote: “The meeting’s purpose was to address what the groups consider the six most critical issues coming before the church’s top lawmaking body: General Conference in the context of a global church; advocacy for women and children; the role of the Judicial Council; doctrine, accountability, leadership and the Council of Bishops; membership standards; and empowering the central conferences.”

Nearly 200 persons attended the conference, including some ninety-eight delegates, said Senator Patricia L. Miller, executive director of the Confessing Movement.

"In terms of membership, we are going the wrong way; in terms of attendance, we are going the wrong way; in terms of being able to raise up young men and young women who want to give their hearts and their passion and their lives to the cause of Christ in ministry of The United Methodist Church, we are going the wrong way," said Rev. Rob Renfroe, a pastor at the Woodlands (Texas) United Methodist Church, in the first session focusing on issues.

On the theme of the Global Church, Renfroe said United Methodist evangelicals are indebted "to our brothers and sisters in the central conferences" — which are in Africa, Europe and Asia — because of their commitment to the poor and to Scripture.

The Rev. Eddie Fox, director of evangelism for the World Methodist Council, praised the central conferences and cautioned delegates about a proposal that may go to General Conference to make the United States a central or regional conference as well. The proposal comes from the United Methodist Council of Bishops and would change the constitution of The United Methodist Church.

"It is not the time to talk about dividing the church," said Fox. One-third of the General Conference comes from outside the United States. The church is global and has been from the beginning, he said.

The Rev. Jerry Kulah, district superintendent of the Monrovia district in Liberia, also addressed the restructuring issue that will come before General Conference. (See the following story that covers his address.)

For Kathy Gilbert’s full article about the conference, go to: http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?
c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2433457&ct=4565581

For another in-depth article, see Robin Russell’s United Methodist Reporter news piece at: http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=2764