For the first time, Florida’s United Methodist denomination has approved openly LGBTQ clergy members to serve in its churches.
The historic vote occurred Thursday evening during the annual gathering of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church in Lakeland, and it reversed a vote from last year’s meeting. More than 90% of the clergy members voted to commission a slate of clergy candidates, three of whom are known to be LGBTQ.
Larry Rankin, a Lakeland resident and a retired minister, said that Branscomb Auditorium at Florida Southern College “erupted with joy and jubilation” after the secret vote total was announced.
The outcome suggests a resolution of conflicts over LGBTQ issues that for years have mired the Lakeland-based Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church and the larger denomination.
“It means that, from my personal experience, we have come full circle after 51 years of dealing with this issue,” Rankin said Monday. “The die is cast. We’ve crossed the Rubicon. It’s done. There’s no turning back.”
Rankin referred to doctrine adopted in 1972 that, while recognizing the “sacred worth” of all people, declares that “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” Tensions between churches holding fast to that doctrine and others seeking to be more inclusive have grown over the years, leading to debates at the denomination’s General Conferences, or global meetings, held every four years.
The conflict peaked in 2016 when a special commission offered three proposals: strengthening the existing guidelines, allowing regional conferences to set their own rules, or scrapping the guidelines.
Conservatives, buttressed by delegates from other countries, led the adoption of a proposal calling for enhanced enforcement of policies against LGBTQ ordination and weddings, setting off a reaction from more liberal congregations.
At the 2019 General Conference, church leaders proposed a “disaffiliation” plan, establishing guidelines for congregations to depart by the end of this year. The Florida Conference approved severance for 14 churches at last year’s gathering and for another 55 during a virtual special session held in April.
Some of the departing churches have joined a new denomination, the Global Methodist Church.
The clergy session at last summer’s Florida gathering highlighted the divisions, as a roster of 16 candidates for commission as clergy narrowly failed to reach the 75% threshold required for approval.
In a set of responses to frequently asked questions, the conference stated: “This caused a range of emotions to be felt by the candidates as well as the clergy in the room and many congregations represented by the candidates.”
Two of the 16 candidates last year were openly LGBTQ, said the Rev. Magrey deVega, senior pastor of Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa and chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry, which reviews candidates and makes recommendations on their approval.
All but one of the candidates from 2022 appeared again on this year’s ballot, including two of the LGBTQ members, deVega said. Combined with this year’s class, the clergy panel voted on a group of 24 candidates, three of whom are openly gay, he said.
All the candidates committed to the denomination’s historic requirement of “celibacy in singleness and faithfulness in marriage,” according to the FAQ statement.
This time, more than 90% of the clergy voted to ratify the commission of the candidates.
“I would say that with a 92% approval, the clergy session made a definitive statement about the church that God is calling us to become,” deVega said. “And it was an explosively joyful moment when those approvals were announced.”
The clergy session included votes on candidates in three categories — those seeking to be licensed, commissioned, or ordained. Those receiving commissions are now qualified as provisional ministers, meaning they are fully functioning clergy while remaining under direct supervision during a period of training and development, deVega said.
Those clergy members are eligible later to become full connection clergy, the final status of ordination.
The commissioning of the candidates was celebrated during a worship service Saturday morning that included clergy and lay members, deVega said.
In an emailed statement, Bishop Tom Berlin, the conference’s top official, said: “The Florida Annual Conference is committed to providing a strong and vibrant future where all persons are welcome to participate. We continue to be a spiritual home for persons with a variety of theological perspectives.”
Berlin wrote that the denomination remains committed to the same standard of celibacy and faithfulness for all clergy candidates.
“This is not the establishment of a new precedent but a continuation of our strong commitment to be a spiritual home for all people who desire to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” Berlin wrote.
Any changes in official doctrine for the denomination would have to be adopted at the global meeting to be held next year, deVega noted. Rankin said that he expects the language on homosexuality from 1972 to be deleted from the denomination’s doctrine next year.
The dynamics of the clergy session were different this year following the departures of dozens of churches and their pastors. In addition, Rankin said that a minister who had led opposition to the candidates last year pledged that he and others would abstain from voting.
“So they knew they were leaving, and they had the graciousness or the grace to say, ‘We will not, out of just a grudge or anger, or whatever, attempt to scuttle the process. We will get out of the way,’” Rankin said.
Of the three openly LGBTQ clergy members now commissioned, one has already been assigned to a church, another is in an extension ministry as a chaplain and the third will start a new appointment at a church in July, said Brittany Jackson, a spokesperson for the Florida Conference.