As Derrick Scott III stood on a stage Friday afternoon at Branscomb Auditorium, he gave no indication of feeling forlorn about divisions within the United Methodist Church.
Scott, a lay member speaking at a gathering of the church’s Florida Conference, radiated optimism as he joined others to address the future of the denomination.
“I see many generations at the table because, yes, we do need the next generation,” Scott said. “We need their energy. We need their vision. We need their sense that yes, things can change. And we need those who have been around for a few annual conferences. We need those who remember what the Book of Discipline used to say, and what it might need to say.”
That last line was an oblique reference to the reason for the United Methodist Church to contemplate its future. The denomination has faced swelling tensions in recent years centering on debates over the potential ordination of LGBTQ ministers, the hosting of same-sex weddings and challenges to its 50-year-old doctrine declaring homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.”
The Florida Conference, based in Lakeland, is holding its annual meeting in person through Saturday for the first time since 2019. The association met virtually the past two years because of the threat of COVID-19.
The Conference, with approximately 600 member churches, is part of the larger United Methodist Church, the second-largest Protestant group in the country.
Though the denomination has not yet revised its official credo on sexuality, some conservative churches are leaving as they anticipate doctrinal changes. The Conference approved requests from 14 member churches at the meeting to depart from the denomination.
Against that backdrop, the Conference scheduled a talk during Friday afternoon’s session at Florida Southern College devoted to the future of the church.
Scott, co-lay leader of the Conference, addressed that weighty subject, along with Conference Bishop Ken Carter; Rev. Alex Shanks, assistant to the bishop; Molly McEntire, mission training and volunteer coordinator; and Alice Williams, a lay leader.
Those expecting specific declarations about the church’s future or a detailed discussion of the tensions now shaking the denomination might have been disappointed. The five spoke mostly in general terms and made no mention of the church disaffiliations or the formation of a separate denomination, the Global Methodist Church, that is likely to pull others away.
Wearing a navy jacket and open collar, Scott made a brief mention of sexuality and gender questions when he envisioned a church working to “create safe spaces for my queer siblings.” Scott encouraged fellow Methodists to help foster a multi-generational church committed to inclusion.
“Here’s what I know — that when followers of Jesus work hard at making sure that every single human being knows that they are loved by God, it makes an incredible statement about the love of Jesus to those who are outside of our walls,” Scott said.
The discussion opened with a joint presentation from Shanks and McEntire, the daughter of Rev. David McEntire, lead pastor at First United Methodist Church in Lakeland. They acknowledged a sense of uncertainty looming over the denomination.
Some church leaders have introduced changes to the doctrine on LGBTQ issues at global meetings, known as General Conferences. Conservative groups scuttled such a move at the 2016 meeting.
Three years later, a panel of church leaders that included Carter proposed a “disaffiliation” plan providing a means for congregations to leave and retain buildings and properties owned by the Conference. The plan must be approved at the General Conference, which has been postponed three times during the pandemic and is now scheduled for 2024.
That delay has frustrated leaders of the newly formed Global Methodist Church.
Shanks emphasized that official doctrine — outlined in the church’s Book of Discipline — can only be changed through actions at General Conferences.
“So our current language regarding human sexuality remains the same,” Shanks said. “Additionally, we have a strong doctrinal core; our doctrinal standards cannot change. They are protected by the restrictive rules in the constitution.”
McEntire said the church continues its mission even as potentially monumental changes remain on hold.
“Although this postponement is a disappointment — and it is a disappointment, as we had hoped to gather this fall — the vital work of your local church has not been postponed,” McEntire said. “Feeding the hungry, taking care of the homeless, has not been postponed. Caring for the marginalized has not been postponed. In fact, our world needs our churches now more than ever.”
Speaking by herself, Williams reminded those in attendance that the sixth anniversary of the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando was two days away. A gunman killed 49 people and injured 53 more in the attack at the LGBT-oriented club.
Williams said that she lives and attends church seven miles from the Pulse site.
“Pulse was personal because it happened in my town and it targeted my LGBTQ tribe,” Williams said. “Regardless of where you fall on the acceptance spectrum, it shook Orlando and the surrounding areas to the core.”
Williams said she is asked “more than I want to be asked” about the future of the United Methodist Church.
“Friends, I don’t know,” she said. “But what I do know is that it’s up to us. We are the ones that are the steward of whatever the church is to be.”
As Williams spoke, she directed attention to an image displayed on a screen that depicted a gathering of 12 people and one cat, seen from above, at a round table. The faceless characters reflected a mixture of ages, ethnicities and genders.
“I don’t know what the future of the UMC is going to be, but I am hopeful,” Williams said. “Hear me on this — I am hopeful. And I know that there are some in the room today — and I’m talking specifically to my tribe, my LBGTQIA tribe — as tempting as it may be right now to be asked to be excused from the table because of recent events, I get it and I can understand it. But I will also tell you the same thing that mom said to me, ‘Honey, you may not like it. But in this family, you have to stay and eat your veggies if you want to get dessert.’”
Carter, speaking last, offered what amounted to a mini-sermon. He reflected on nearly 10 years as bishop with the Florida Conference, during which he said he has preached in hundreds of churches and talked to tens of thousands of congregants.
Carter said he stresses “the core gospel” when he speaks in churches. Holding a copy of a Wesley Study Bible, he said he was invited to contribute notes that appear at the bottoms of pages, providing context on the scripture.
He recalled his late mother’s skepticism about that assignment.
“Which is to say, there is a difference between the Bible and our notes about the Bible,” Carter said. “There is a difference between the Bible and my interpretation of the Bible.”
Carter said that if current church leaders avoid confronting difficult questions, future leaders will have to address them. He said leaders need to provide the model for “a big-tent church.”
“Over these years, we have called a diverse group of people into leadership, theologically and in every way,” Carter said. “I’ve tried to model that. And I believe the future church will continue to model that. You can only trust us in the future by what we have done in the past.”
Earlier in the afternoon, Jana and Lee Hall-Perkins gave a presentation on the church’s anti-racism initiative. The couple, clergy members of the Conference, are its anti-racism coordinators.
In a recorded segment, Lee Hall-Perkins showed charts indicating that Black and Latino clergy are paid less than white clergy in churches of similar size.
The Conference is considering two resolutions focused on equity in congregation development and financial matters.
James Harnish, a retired Conference elder, submitted a resolution on gun violence, in response to recent mass shootings in New York, Texas and California. Among other provisions, the resolution called for elected officials to support “reasonable” gun laws, including universal background checks, “red-flag” laws and a renewal of the federal assault-weapons ban.
The resolution had not been voted on as of Friday afternoon.