FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 26, 2005
Contact: James V. Heidinger II
859-858-4661
Wilmore, KY -- The Executive Committee of Good News, an evangelical renewal ministry within the United Methodist Church, decries as a serious error the action taken by the clergy session of the Virginia Annual Conference last month when it placed Rev. Edward Johnson on “involuntary leave of absence.” The complaint against Johnson by the Cabinet and Board of Ordained Ministry was that he refused to receive into church membership a practicing homosexual who is in a relationship with another man and who is unrepentant about his practice.
The Rev. Johnson had been pastor of the South Hill United Methodist Church for six years and a clergy member of the denomination for 24 years. The full story about this troubling action has been carried in the South Hill Enterprise and in the Mecklenburg Sun, both regional papers in the South Hill, Virginia area.
“I have received numerous emails and phone calls from pastors across the United States who have learned about this egregious action,” said the Rev. James V. Heidinger II, President and Publisher of Good News. “They are deeply distressed, as are we, that a faithful pastor who was seeking to enforce the policies of our Book of Discipline was summarily removed from his church and left with no appointment and no pay. The matter screams with injustice,” Heidinger added.
The Mecklenburg Sun article reported that Bishop Charlene Kammerer ( Virginia) insisted that no Methodist minister, including Rev. Johnson, “has the authority to exclude anyone from joining the church.” The bishop was quoted as saying that the church bars practicing gays from being ordained clergy, but not from being laity.
“What was being denied to this individual was membership in the church, not being among laity in attendance,” said Rev. Tom Lambrecht, senior pastor of Faith Community United Methodist Church in Greenville, WI and chairman of the Good News board of directors. “Does the pastor of a local church no longer have the freedom to be discerning about who is ready to be received into membership of a United Methodist Church? This is a pastoral matter which has always been left to the discretion of the minister who is leading the congregation,” said Lambrecht. “This is a tragic mistreatment by Virginia Conference leadership of one of its pastors.” he added.
The Good News leaders see a series of negative consequences from this action: A seasoned pastor has been suddenly removed from his congregation and from an appointment for upholding the Discipline; a congregation is angry at the sudden and unjust removal of its pastor; a practicing homosexual is feeling justified in his sinful behavior; other United Methodist clergy feel threatened by possible, similar action; and the unity of the denomination has been made even more fragile as a result of this unjustifiable action.
It is reported that three questions of law about the matter were asked of Bishop Kammerer during the clergy session. Her answers to those questions, due within 30 days, will go automatically to the Judicial Council for review